Monday, November 30, 2009
Goodbye for now!!
First and for most, I appreciate everything Mr. Sullivan has done to further my education with technology. I would like to say goodbye to my classmates and Mr. Sullivan. I enjoyed being in this class with everyone. I'm sure we will meet again in the future, whether it's as a colleague or a teacher. Take care and have a good spring semester.
What I have learned this semester.
I believe I have benefited greatly from EDM 310. Before this semester I was not considered a technoligically literate colleague, but I now think I can consider myself as somewhat technologically literate. The things I learned in this class have given me enough confidence to believe I can be successful teaching students. I want to have a positive impact on children and this class has provided me with some experience with technology that will help me in the future. I understand that there will always be new advances and therefore, I consider myself open to any new technological advances that will help me as a teacher.
I have two things that I wish I could have learned in this class. My mother is a teacher and she always talks about how difficult it can be to use STI Classroom for Windows and Smartboards, because nobody has taught her how to use this technology. STI is a program that is used for grades, progress reports, and lesson plans, all of which will be important to me in the fututre. I would like to have had the opportunity to learn how to use some of these online grading systems and smartboards.
Overall, I have learned a lot from taking EDM 310. Mr. Sullivan is a great teacher that wants everyone to be able to make a postivie impact on children in the future. I plan on using what we learned in the class to further my education and to teach children in the future.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Classroom Rules
The second topic was seven brilliant things that teachers do with technology. The two that I chose were 1. accepting the role of a co-learner and 2. Use the kids own devices to teach them. First, I believe admitting that you don't know something or that your wrong is the way to succeed. Teachers shouldn't act like they know everything about everything. I can't stand when teachers do that. Believe it or not I'm proud to say that I don't know everything. That just leaves more room for me to learn new things. Mr. Sullivan is a perfect example of being a teacher that will admit he doesn't know something and I respect him greatly for that. Teachers should enjoy being able to learn new things from there students or younger generations. The second one I chose was using the kids own devices to teach them. School systems will never be able to keep students from bringing these devices to school, therefore we might as well let them learn from the devices. I believe if we help students use these devices to learn then they will be more willing to participate in the classroom.
Finally we were required to read the post "New Classroom Rules." The two most importants topics I chose from this post were 1. Come to school everyday unless you would rather go online and 2. Talk only when permitted, text at all other times. The first rule is straight forward and I believe it's a good rule. Don't sign up for classes if you know your not going to attend them. The rule basically says take online classes if you hate coming to class. Don't waste money if you don't like coming to class. Since being in college I've seen many students that only come to class to take the test. To me thats being ingnorant and stupid. The second one I chose was talk only when permitted, text at all other times. I might be looking at this the wrong way, but it seems like this rule is saying that it's okay to text whenever you want in class. This rule would cause alot of controversy. To me it's important because it doesn't need to be a rule.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Teacher's Desk
I thought the skyping post was interesting. It's awesome to see that two different classrooms from across the world can communicate back and forth using skype. The students are able to see how other people from around the world are educated. It's crazy to see technology changing as quickly as it is. In my opinion all of these technological advances are great ways to help students learn. Twitter, Facebook, and Skype have definitely helped me and I'm sure that there's much more to come.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Michael Wesch
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Posting Work to Blogs
It is important for students to post their work to blogs (or in other ways). Posting work on blogs can make students feel like they have accomplished something. Since being in this EDM 310 class I have learned to appreciate my own work even more. I believe when students see comments to their blogs it lets them know that their work is also appreciated by others. Posting work to blogs can help others learn from what you write in your blog. Therefore, not only are you learning from what you posted, but others can be getting positive outcome from what they read on your blog.
I am taking EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. This class provides examples of students posting their work to blogs. Throughout the semester we have had many projects, but our class blog is probably the most important in my opinion. I have certainly learned a lot from posting to this blog every week. To be honest the blog has been a headache at times, but I believe I will benefit greatly from learning about the weekly topics that have been provided for the class blog. This class blog has certainly improved my technological skills and shows just how hard our class has worked all semester. In my opinion the class blog is much more important than just writing the information on a piece of paper. The blog can be viewed all across the world and can teach others or give them new ideas.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Mr. Chamberlain's Dear Kaia
A blog site allowed kids to connect with Kaia from across the world. This just shows how far technology has come. Not only can you share information with people in your city, state, or country, but you can share information with people all across the world. Kids are now learning from technology instead of boring text books. The kids were even able communicate with Kaia's father using skype which I am now beginning to use. I believe skype can be a useful tool, but to be honest I feel uncomfortable using it. The information these kids obtained from this blog was something that you couldn't do without technology.
Like I have stated in several post, the world of technology is changing everyday and it is making a huge impact on the way students learn. I never really realized that you could look at blogs from across the entire world. The comment for kids and Dear Kaia has opened my eyes to a new way of learning and helping others.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
New Media Literacies
I believe that I have or know the majority of these skills. EDM 310 has showed me how difficult it can be to translate these skills and put them into function. I'm still in the process of learning and I've got a long way to go to be able to succeed in educated others. Everything in society keeps moving faster and faster. EDM 310 has helped me speed up my way of learning to be able to keep up with our society. I believe when I finish my PLN I will be able to find answers even faster. In our society today it is important to find information as fast as possible and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Networked Student
I don't believe I am prepared just yet to be a teacher of networked students. It's hard enough to keep up in EDM 310. Every week we are learning something new and most of it will be helpful. In a way I feel that I will forget a lot that is being taught, because we are having to learn so much in so little time. EDM 310 is a perfect example of how fast technology is growing in the world today. When I signed up for this class I thought that it would be pretty easy, because it didn't require a book. Well I was wrong, the internet has a lot more information on it for you than any book will ever have. The internet always has something new out there for students to learn. EDM 310 is definitely preparing me to teach networked students. I'm not ready just yet, but this class is giving me a heads up on what the future holds.
This is How We Dream!
In part two of "This is How We Dream" he talked about iTunesU. He stated that many people who follow iTunesU and other developments are shocked, but pleased with the success and popularity of the academic lectures that they offer. I know that I was definitely shocked with what iTunes offers to help students and teachers. When I looked at iTunesU last week I found a couple of different sites to help me in my personal health class. On the other hand students don't necessarily feel like listening to anymore lectures than we have to. Overall, these developments can be great help for students, but most of us don't feel like listening to anymore lecturing or we don't have the time. I believe that multimedia will be used sometime in the future, but it's hard to predict when it will be used.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
iPods
IPods give students an opportuniy to record lectures and listen to them whenever they want and as many times as they want. An iPod gives students alot more time to focus on school work. For example, if a student had a podcast or lecture downloaded on his/her iPod they could listen to it while exercising, riding in a car, cutting grass/yard work, etc. I believe you can even watch videocast on some of the iPods. These types of technological advances definitely give students a positive way to improve their ways of learning.
iTunes U
iTunes will help me as a future teacher as well. I can find different ideas that other teachers use. iTunes University has podcast that give tips on how to use microsoft powerpoint, excel, and the other microsoft office tools. You can search basically any topic that you need to learn about. I never realized that iTunes could be used as a tool to further my education. I thought it was a place to download and listen to music. All of the links under categories can be helpful to students, but the link that stood out to me was teaching and education. Universities and colleges can also be a good link to use to find interesting information.
Specific Link: Click on Teaching and Education under categories. Click on Study Smarter and listen to the podcast. Great for Procrastinators!!!
Dr. Christie
GPS recievers are great for people that have no sense of direction. I know many people who can't remember how to get to some of the simplest places. This is when a GPS can come very useful. Dr. Christie's website gives different ways to use GPS recievers in the classrooms. One of the examples was with high school students. Students were broken up into teams and they used GPS recievers to locate items that the instructor had hidden around the school campus. This activity is a great way to begin teaching students how to operate a GPS effectively in a timely manner.
Any of these sections can be used by teachers to find resources and technological teaching ideas. There's no such thing as a teacher who doesn't need outside help. Teachers are always in the need for new resources and ideas and this is a perfect site to find creative and effective suggestions.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What I've Learned This Year
Mr McClung stated that communication is the best medicine. Teachers need to communicate with other teachers and students to give them the best opportunity to teach effectively. Teachers that communicate with each other can gain more and more knowledge about teaching effectively. Communication is also the best way to resolve problems in the workplace. Communicating with your students is just as important as communicating with fellow teachers. Communicating is a big key to being effective in the classroom.
Mr. McClung made a good point saying that students aren't perfect and neither are we. Many teachers have unrealistic goals set for there children and get frustrated if the students don't accomplish the goals that were set. We as teachers need to set goals for our students, but remember that the students are human and don't always accomplish these goals. If students fail, pick them up and encourage them to do better next time.
Wikipedia
The example they used about walmart shows how unreliable Wikipedia really is. Common since should tell you that wages at Walmart aren't 20 percent less than other stores. Many companies such as Walmart and Diebold have been known to change information just to make their companies look a little better. All of this information shows why many teachers will not except projects and papers with information used as sources from Wikipedia. In my opinion Wikipedia is based off of false information that comes from other peoples opinions.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Randy Pausch
One of the important methods Randy talked about was the significance of enabling others childhood dreams. Helping other people’s dreams come true can often be more important than making your own dreams come true. If we help students dreams come true we can have a huge impact on their lives. As future teachers we will be there to help students learn new things and possibly help their dreams come true. My dream has always been to become a teacher just like my parents are. Now it is coming true and I will have the chance to help other individual’s dreams come true.
Randy Pausch also used a brick wall as an example. He stated that you shouldn’t look at a brick wall as a wall that you can’t get through, but look at it as something you have to work for to get around. Let the brick wall be proof of how badly you want something. This example is a perfect way to teach children to keep trying and never give up. As teachers we need to use examples like this to teach students that every opportunity they get they need to take advantage and learn from it.
Randy Pausch’s last lecture is a lecture on the importance of childhood dreams and making those dreams possible. He made it clear that even if some dreams don’t come true that they can still be helpful in life as long as you work hard at what you’re trying to accomplish. We as future teachers should take this advice and translate it to the class rooms when we have the chance to change many young individuals’ lives.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I believe as future educators we should be ready to learn at all times. If you’re not willing to learn new advances then this is not the job for you. Every year new tools are made to help with the way teachers teach their students. Ten years ago computers were rarely used in the classroom and now it’s the way to go. Most of us will teach for 25 to 30 years before retiring. Just think where technology will be at that point. That’s why every one of us should be willing to learn day in and day out.
Friday, September 11, 2009
It's Not About The Technology
Technology is definitely useless without good teaching. Many teachers have smart boards in their classrooms, but they don’t use them the way they were made to be used. Some teachers use them just like they would use a chalk board or a black board. These teachers are wasting a lot of school funds because they are not willing to take the time to learn how to properly use the smart boards to get the most out of them. I’m glad I am taking this EDM 310 class because it has already showed me how important it is to take the time to learn as much as possible about new technology.
A Vision of Students Today
It’s crazy to hear that people are going to school and don’t even know if they will have a job that even exist at this time. Technology has added many jobs to the world, but it has also taken many jobs away and as a result many of the older individuals are having trouble finding jobs that they have experience in.
I personally don’t have facebook, but I do notice people get on facebook during classes instead of paying attention to the instructor and students often bring their laptops just to have something to do during class. If I have to pay for tuition and books I believe I want to be paying attention to what the instructor is doing. I am guilty of trying to do homework at my house and find myself talking on my cell phone or reading something about sports on the internet, but I try my best to use my time wisely in the classroom.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Podcasting
Like I said above, I learned to how important it is to get the attention of your audience. Keep them satisfied and don’t make it to dull. I learned that by using sounds effects at the right time can keep the audience focused or at least the 3rd graders certainly kept my eyes appealed. Basically everything in your podcast needs to go as smooth as possible and keep it interesting. Overall I believe I got more from this website than any of the others we have done so far.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Next Generation
The wii is a good hands-on activity that can help students concentrate and have fun, but students still need to get outside and do activities. These games are not going to keep kids physically fit. This is probably the biggest problem with some of the new technology. When I was in elementary and middle school we went outside everyday to play kickball, football, or some other sport. These types of activities kept us healthy and we did not want to stay inside and be lazy and play video games all day long. I believe that the wii and other technological advances should be used to help students with their hand eye coordination and concentration, but they don’t need to be over used to an extent where children don’t do outdoor activities.
VideoCast
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Podcast
EdTechtalk and MacBreak Weekly were very boring. It sounded like they were just coming up with stuff off the top of their head to talk about. The people talking on these podcast were basically talking about their life stories or their friend’s stories that they thought were funny. In one of the lessons they couldn’t decide on which cell phone network was the best. In a way, I believe some of these podcast can be helpful by teaching individuals like myself, how to learn a little more about technology. Just from listening to these podcast has shown me how to use iTunes and I found some really interesting information in the iTunes store.
This Week in Photography was rather boring, but it showed how far technology has come in upgrading cameras. In one of the lessons they stated that some of the new cameras are hard to operate because of all the features on the cameras. Ten years ago cameras basically had a on and off button and a button to take the picture. This shows the technological advances the world has made in a very short period of time. I’m taking a personal health class this semester and I found some valuable information on this subject. Some of the podcast have been helpful and some have been worthless, but most importantly I found that I can use other podcast to help me in other classes.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis started out stating that students should have more than just a pencil and paper. I saw that she made the students go up in front of the class and use technology to teach the rest of the class. I believe this method helps the students get comfortable going up in front of the class and speaking and helping their fellow classmates learn. I don’t ever recall getting many opportunities to do these types of activities coming up through school. In a way I feel that not having these opportunities has made me have to do a lot of catch up work since I started college.
I’m in college now and I realize that in the world we live in today you can’t do anything without a computer. I actually feel like I went to high school during the dark ages or something because we didn’t have to depend on computers as much. I think the teacher in this video is doing a good job in getting her students involved with technology before they enter the real world as it is today.
Sir KenRobinson
I believe his speech was absolutely correct. I’ve had a couple of teachers in the past that don’t expect everything to be correct and perfect. Some believe you have to make mistakes to get better, but most of my teachers are in the category that he explains in his speech. An education system that expects no mistakes leads students to believe that if they make mistakes in life then they can’t be creative and successful. I think it’s fair to say that this is true about me. I find myself doing projects that I believe have to be error free to have an impact on what I’m trying to accomplish. I agree with him when he said that the education system focuses entirely too much on math and language. Over the years our schools have turned away from some of the things that our student’s feel are important an interesting to them. I believe that math and language are really important in our everyday life, but not to the extent that we as students are forced to learn.
“Sir Ken Robinson stated that college degrees aren’t worth anything.” This is true to a certain extent. I no at least 10 to 12 people that spent four to five years getting their degrees, but can’t get jobs for those degrees that they received. This probably wouldn’t have happened 30 years ago. Hopefully in the future some of the things he said about needing more art and dance classes in our schools will be emerging and maybe our school systems want be all about doing mistake free work.
You tube video blog
For that video to be only five minutes long it had a lot of very interesting facts in it. After watching this video I realized just how far the world has come over the years in technology. One of the statements that really stood out to me was that China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. If I would have taking a guess, I would have thought they might be one of the worst. Seeing that India has more honors kids than America, tells me that we need to get our Education system straightened out. I believe that America has a lot of potential for being one of the smartest countries in the world.
This video also shows that job security is not very promising in today’s world. I believe that the world might be letting technology get too far ahead of us. We should not be preparing students for jobs that do not even exist yet. What will happen if those jobs never turn out? I know that the expansion of technology can be a good thing, but in my opinion most Americans including myself depend entirely too heavily on computers and other technological advances. Over all I thought the video was very interesting and that it also gives us a hint of what the future in America and the rest of the world might behold. It could potentially reveal some good things while at the same time bringing along the bad.