Project #8 "Podcast"

Blog post #6

       

          When watching Wendy Drexler's The Networked Student I saw and herd a lot of great information. I enjoyed how you created the video. I have never seen one done this way before. I also enjoyed the drawings of the little people. The way that you presented this information was the best way that it could have been done. If you would have tried to read every little point then people would have lost interest. This way people want to find out more for themselves.

         The story about the young boy is very relavent. You can describe one of my classses the same way. I think that the information and knowledge building tools could help any student with any subject. One of the most important parts about building your knowlege and your network is the people that you fill it with. We must open up and meet new people so that we can learn from others mistakes and knowledge. You are able to find wisdom everywhere and in everyone if you are willing to look.


           The part of the video that asked if a networking student even needs a teacher was a great ending to this video. It shows how there is still a need for teachers. The only thing that has changed is the way they teach. A teacher should not just give the dtudent everything and expect them to memorize the information. The Teacher should teach a student how to build their network, give guidance, communicate properly, distinguish between good and bad information, and so much more. All of these things are meant to help the student develop and maintain a helpful network.



           In the twenty-first century classroom, kids are using technology as a fun activity and a great learning tool. A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment is a video of how kids are being taught to use there minds and creating their own learning environment. Their learning environment should be made of their teachers, parents, sources on the computer, and any other person that has more knowledge of their particular subject.

            If I compare her learning environment to my learning network we would see some similarities and differences. A PLE is all about learning new things and a PLN is all about expanding the group of people that you know so that you can have well rounded ideas and examples for your class or place of work. For instance, I will continue to build my PLN because I will use it when I teach to have a well rounded way of conveying my lessons to my class. I will use the information that I get from my network to better my class and way of teaching. I do think that a learning environment can turn into a learn network if the person continues to use it.

Blog post #5

    Scott McLeod’s Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? I saw a serious side and a side that was a bit humorous. He brought out good points to do with how dangerous technology can be. Even though these things are true we cannot stay away from technology. We must educate kids on how to use this great resource the correct way.

     Past students also made the point that cutting technology out of our lives is not an option. We can use school computer classes to educate children on the rewards and consequences of using the technology. If we teach kids and monitor their use of the computer then we can be aware of what they are doing and there is no room for kids to break the rules.

    Scott McLeod is a very well educated man with awards in educational technology. He is a part of the academic group that is dedicated to the technological needs of schools. He is dedicated to seeing schools become more technologically literate.

    In Travis Allen’s The iSchool Initiative and Zeitgeist Young Mind’s Entry I see a person and a team that is dedicated to changing the way our schools teach. I had the privilege of having Travis Allen as my C4T one week. I learned so much about his ideas on why schools need to chance and how this change can happen. His iSchool Initiative is a well thought out program with great potential.

    I was also blown away by his video showing all the technology that is out there waiting to be utilized. One thing about this idea is that everything that we would need to start the initiative already exists. All we must do is use it. I look forward to teaching math and using the resources available on the iPod touch.


     My very first impression of Jennifer Chamber's Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir video was how innovative the concept was. To have that many people who have never met in person sing a chorus of that complexity apart from one another is very extraordinary! This video is a very good example of how the internet can be used for anything in today's society. Today's rapid growth of technology is very impressive. Almost every situation in today's society is limitless.

    If any professional in any field says that nothing can be done in a certain situation, it is either because of a regulation or a financial barrier, not because the technology is not there. The innovative ideas of the use of the internet is constantly evolving. The more people think, the more ideas actually become possible.


    In Kevin Robert's Teaching In The 21st Century he talks about how in our world today you can not get away from technology. He also says that if we do not educate our students on the internet than they might learn from the wrong person or try to figure it out themselves. We have got to take our role as teachers and do our jobs.

     I do not know if I 100% agree with all of his points, but I do know I agree with him to a large part. I still believe that there needs to be some in class teaching on facts and information, but we can also teach them how to further their education with all the resources in technology. We need to teach them where to find good and true information, and how to look deeper into things to find answers. As technology evolves, so will teaching and we will all have to adapt to it.

Project #9a "Time Toast"

C4C comments on #2- #3

The classmate that I was assigned was Vicky Nelson. Vicky Nelson's blog We both agree that time management does not come naturally to either of us. Vicky is better than me because she is able to make a list of the things that she needs to do and she does it. I am still working on seating aside time everyday to do my work. We also agree that EDM310 is giving us a run for our money.

I also read that her father was almost diagnosed with cancer. My family has also had a run in with cancer. My grandfather died of cancer about two years ago. anyone dying from cancer is a tragedy.I hate that Randy Pausch died. He was a very intelligent man that contributed a lot to society.



This week when I went to Vicky Nelson's blog I saw comments on the ways podcasting can improve our classrooms. She made a great point that teachers can use podcasts for students that miss class. I agree completely that podcasts would be a great asset for make-up work and lectures. She also made a good point about how students could use the podcasts for more than just make-up, they could use them for their study habits. I think they could listen to the lectures multiple times and it would be a great way for them to retain the information. All and all her assessment of the article was correct in that this technology is useful for the classroom.

I also saw her comments about an article that described third graders using technology such as podcasts, blogs, and Skype. She was excited about the opportunity to use these things in her own classroom in the future. I share in her enthusiasm about this because I believe the sooner you can get kids turned on to technology, the better it will be on them later in life. She also went on to say that article she read opened her eyes to the ways she could use her iPod for studying. I think that it is great that she realized that because in actuality iPods are capable of so much more than what we use them for. Downloading and listening to music only pales in comparison to what they can do.

My Sentence Movie

C4T #1- #2

I have had the honor of conversing with Travis Allen on his blog. The past two weeks I have seen how hard working and intelligent this young man is. His ideas about making schools paperless are very well stated but they will not happen over night. I think that this is a fact that he is well aware but he will not let the difficulty of this task slow him down.

He has made short term goals that will eventually change the way school is done. His vision is one that many should jump on and follow. If I had the money I would give to his cause but for now I will show my support from my blog.

Blog post #3

Kelly W. Hines's It's Not About The Technology" really surprised me. It is not like most articles I have read about technolgy in schools. This article addresses the things that we must do before we can expect student and schools to change. I like this new look on an overdone topic. It reminds me of a Sunday school lesson that taught me to change myself if I wanted others to change.

I think that her four different ideas, to create a better learning environment without all of the technology, are well thought out and realistic. The only thing that I would have to disagree about is the part where she says that it is the teachers fault if the kids do not know the material. In some cases there are teachers who try everything to teach a child a particular thing and the child still does not know the material. This is why we can not say that it is ALWAYS the teachers fault.



Karl Fisch's Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? was a very bold blog. He is definitely not the only person that is passionate about this topic either. The comments that I read were rooting him on. I can also say that I agree with him 100%. If our children are using computers to do homework, for fun, and even in their future jobs then we need to know how to use technology to benefit them in the classroom.

As a future teacher myself, I want to use whatever I can to tech my class the curriculum. This brings me to my next point. I was blown away by his Fisch's comment about how we should not teach a subject but we should teach students and we can not do that without technology. This is so true. We must teach our students using materials that are relevant for today and things that they have grown up learning. Kids are practically handed cell phones when they are born. They tweet that they need a diaper change instead of crying. Our kids know all about computers and everything to do with them. We are supposed to teach them so we should know even more than them.




Gary Hayes's Gary's Social Media Count is not very surprising. Everyday I drive by people on their phones or I see tones of people on their computers. It just lets you know that this world has changed in the way people communicate and live. Our world is moving forward every day. Evidence of this is how quickly new technology is created.

In this type of world we can either get on the train with everyone else or get left behind with eight track tapes. A question that we should ask ourselves is, should we be ashamed of the numbers on Gary's media count? I think that it shows how far we have come and how we have accepted this world future. No one knows where this technology train will tack us.



Michael Wesch's video A Vision of Students Today almost made me cry. I just want to say well done to the people that did this video. I loved it when a video has a purpose. This video shows the world that we can not continue to do things the way they have always been don. We have to make changes that will enhance our lives.

I can relate to most of the points that this video had. I have spent way too much money on books and some of my teachers just wright a tune of information on the board and they expect us just to scribble it down and remember it. I would rather have notes on line so that I can read them before class and be better prepared.

When you start collage people tell you that you should expect to be in debt when you get out and as a student you can not make much money so you have to live off of Ramen Noodles. We have to do something to improve a students chances of surviving collage.

Project #5 Google Presentation

Blog post #2

                                         
Video #1
I can remember when only few people had cell phones. I also remember how it made me feel so special when someone sent me a letter in the mail. Some people may also remember how it took forty-five minutes for the computer to come on and the computer itself was as big as the microwave. Times have changed and now technology is the foundation of our world. In our society today if you do not have a computer or a phone then you are out of the loop. The level of technology in your life and country represents how advanced and intelligent we are as a people.
   
            Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod's video, "Did You Know 3.0", reflects the fact that according to our country's level of advancement we are very low on the list for technology, education, as well as other advancements. The video that they created is to make people aware of how advanced we are as a country compared to everyone else. Their video is very effective at making people aware of our situation and making them want to change it. I would love it if we could be as advanced as other countries and on the cutting edge of technology; however, I do not want our country to become less personal and separated from each other because of technology. I believe that we could find a happy medium.

Video #2
           That was such a crazy video. This video was a slap in the face to our school districts that the world is speeding by them on the train to play a part in this world if we do not adequately prepare them for what is out there in the real world?

In Matthew Needlemen's Mr. Winkle Wakes, he shows us the truth about our schools being outdated and irrelevant. We need to fill our schools with the technology that they will see on at their future jobs. We also must train our teachers to use technology as a resources for their classes.


Video #3
           
                      Sir Ken Robinson's The Importance of Creativity, was my favorite video so far. He is very well rounded man and he is so funny. What he talked about makes a lot of sense. Schools are focused on filling our heads with a bunch of information, and if we are not that type of student then we fail. We should all be well rounded in how we live and learn. We should encourage schools to teach and train our whole bodies and not just our heads.
           
            Mr. Robinson  also made a great point when he said "we should not be afraid to fail." If we do not try new things because we are afraid to fail, then we will never do anything worthwhile. All great artists, musicians, and CEO's started at the bottom, and had to risk failure to get to the top. We have got to let our creativity reach out past what the world says is normal.

Video #4
         
                       Cecelia Gault carries herself in this interview with Sir Ken Robinson like she is an adult. Scholastic article It is very impressive how grown up she acts. Because of how she carried herself, it makes me want to believe what she says. She also asked really good and intelligent questions about how we can improve our schools.
           
             The key to improving our future and raising kids that have an excellent education like Cecelia Gault is teaching them. To teach them we, as the computer generation, must step up and lead the generations to come. The video talks about how all of us together make up our creative world. It is going to take all of us working together to improve our curriculum and many other things in our schools.

Video #5
              Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
                    Vicki Davis and her video Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts, was about how she has used her students' love for technology to help them to learn. She is trying to show other teachers that we can use students' knowledge of technical things to teach other students and even their own teachers a few things. Ms. Davis also encourages them to research information that they do not know. Students do not just need to depend on their teachers to tell them everything they should know, but they should research their own.
           
              This is my kind of teacher. My whole career in school, my teachers could barely turn on a computer. Everything was so old fashion. Kids have so much technology around them and schools are punishing them from using it. I agree that kids should pay attention in school, but they would pay attention if the teachers would use something other than paper to teach with. You are not going to keep kids from using their phones in schools, so we should just use this to teach them.