Comments for Teachers #2

For the past two weeks I have been reading Dr. Kelly Hines's posts. They are incredible! For the the first week her post was about interacting as a group instead of as individuals. I have learned a great deal about groups through blogging. In the beginning I was a bit skeptical that I would get anything out of blogging, but I have! I have learned a ton about my peers and a lot about technology! Peer reviews are very helpful in classes like this. They help me to understand different points of views and thought processes. This has really helped me out!
In her second post that I read, she addressed a lecture that she listened to. Part of her post mentioned how it is imperative that you get to know your students. I couldn't agree more. As a future educator, I will be better equipped to handle tough situations and encourage the students in their own individual ways. This not only makes the children realize they are important, but gives me a better connection with them! Getting to know my students gives me a respect for each individual child and they will have a better respect for me! I have very much enjoyed reading these posts and I will continue to read her blog. This is a link to her blog.
http://keepingkidsfirst.wordpress.com/

Blog Assignment 6

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student
http://techliterateteacher.blogspot.com/2009/06/networked-student.html
     I really enjoyed watching this video. It was very helpful and very organized. I gain a far better understanding of how useful networking and the internet can be. I never thought about all of the ways we as students can learn outside of the textbook. Many believe that the textbook is a boundary for the class and it can only be used for that subject. A part that really seemed helpful to me was the part that mentioned podcasts. I am learning so much about podcasts and all of their uses. I never thought to listen to podcasts from elite professors from other schools. This is an amazing tool.
     I also love what blog posts contribute to the learning process. This peer interaction provides students with the opportunity to voice their opinions. This opens the door for reinforced opinions from others and also debate. When students voice their views, others can learn. One student may take an approach on a topic and enlighten another student by pointing out something that the first student may have never processed. I have experienced this first hand through my EDM310 class. While first skeptical about blogs, I have learned a great deal about how useful they can be.
    This video emphasizes the need for teachers even with the use of technology. Teachers offer guidance and teach how to build a network. They teach how to communicate properly and how to respectfully ask for help from experts. Teachers also help organize information. I liked this part of the video because unlike other videos, it proved that there is still a need for teachers. Teachers definitely need to stay in touch with current technology in order to reach their full potentials as teachers in the 21st century.


A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY
     This student's PLE was similar to my PLN. She decides on what to work on next on most of her assignments, especially her science class. This is similar to my PLN because as soon as I get caught up on my EDM work, there is always a new project on which I can begin to work. She is in contact with experts in order to help her research be as thorough and accurate as possible. I am also in contact with educators across the country. This is helpful because it helps me to learn through people who have dealt hands on with all the things I am currently learning. Peer reviews are also a part of her PLE. This is prominent in EDM310. My peers voice their opinions about my ideas. This process allows me to see different points of views from people my own age. This student's PLE is very similar to my PLN. She seems very organized and is using the technology available to her to it's full potential.

Critiques of SMARTboards
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-smartboards-are-dumb-initiative.html
     The argument against SMARTboards is that they don't do anything that another gadget can't do. They are just expensive machines, not necessarily impressive machines. SMARTboards don't make teaching curriculum any easier. With a basic computer and online tools, the same lessons can be created just as easily if a SMARTboard was used.

    However, SMARTboards have given some teachers a foot into the technological world that they wouldn't have otherwise been introduced to. Many teachers who didn't use any technology in their classrooms, began using SMARTboards. This cause students to become more engaged and their teaching changed.

Timetoast Timeline-Mia Hamm

Comments for Kids #1

The first student's blog that I read was named Tyra. She and I shared many same interests. We had many music and movie interests in common. She loves the song Bohemian Rhapsody and I love Queen too! She also loves the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love that movie too!

The second student's blog that I visited was Sosaia from Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. Miss Helen King is his teacher. They are in grades 4-5. Sosaia posted about learning to play baseball. He seemed to have enjoyed learning the game. He likes rugby. That is a game that I'd like to learn more about!

The third student's blog that I read was from Mr. Wolfe's class. I couldn't find out much information about this student, but their blog was interesting. They were to say how they would feel if the king were coming into their kitchen if they were the cook. This student said they would be nervous and would probably not get much cleaning done without freaking out a little bit! The student never said what they would cook for the king.

I never heard back from any of the students but I enjoyed reading their blogs. I hope they have gotten a chance to look at my blogs too. This is one aspect of blogging that I really enjoy. I like learning about other cultures and classes around the world.

Project 8

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Blog Assignment 5

Eagle Nest Radio
http://blog.woodward.edu/ps_edmison/?cat=103
I loved this! This was an amazing podcast. I ended up learning a lot about Rome in this short podcast! These third graders did an awesome job with their podcast. This showed how podcasts can be used as study tools for kids. By making podcasts students are forced to learn material in order to make their presentations and they also become more computer savvy.
The Education Podcast Network
http://epnweb.org/index.php?openpod=16
I like the idea of The Education Podcast Network. It's goal is to bring all the podcast programming into one place. This will simplify things and be especially helpful to teachers who are looking for materials that they can teach with. They will also gain a better understanding about teaching in the 21st century. I think this will benefit a wide range of teachers from every subject and grade level.
Judy Scharf
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_jpsrolls/PodcastCollection
Her post was especially helpful because she was very thorough. She first explained what a podcast was. She then continued to include helpful hints of how to go about creating your own podcast. The time scheduling was very helpful and easy to understand. This is a very useful tool. It gave me a way better understanding of what a podcast is and how it can be used.

Timetoast Timeline-Individual

This is My Sentence

Blog Assignment 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/08/dont-teach-your-kids-this-stuff-please.html
    Scott Mcleod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration Program at Iowa State University. He is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). CASTLE is America's only academic center committed to the technology needs of school administrators.
    I love the angle that Mr. Mcleod took in this post. When I first started reading, I found myself becoming very defensive. At first, I figured he was one of the anti-technology extremists who believes our education system should use as little technology as possible. I was so wrong! By the end of his post, I was almost smiling, I realizing how sarcastic he was. By approaching this issue in this way, it makes people realize that technology is not all bad and there are absolutely great benefits that come with improved technology. He also made it clear that, like most things, there are negative aspects of technology. However, the negatives don't need to overshadow all of the positive benefits that come from technology.

The iSchool Initiative
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68KgAcx_9jU
    This high school senior is proposing a virtually online school. All books, notes, and assignments will be accesses on an iTouch-like device called the iSchool. This will allow students to access everything without any pen and paper, and everything will be completed and submitted through the iSchool. Although there are many pros to his idea, such as financial benefits for students and environmental benefits, I am hesitant to be in support of this product.
    I believe that teachers, physical books, and written homework is part of the definition of a school. I value these things and I think there are some things in our educational system that needs to remain the same! I feel that relationships can be so easily lost to technology. There is something to be said for children who go into a classroom with a physical teacher and pull out their textbooks and a pencil and paper. There are definitely incredible positive things happening with technology that certainly benefits our educational system, but I believe when it comes to the classroom, certain things need to remain untouched. Technology also has it's 'glitches'. If a student is trying to turn something in electronically and his or her iSchool glitches, then what happens to that student's grade? A handwritten paper can be turned in on time and will never be lost in cyberspace. I believe that unforeseen problems would arise if the iSchool is adopted into the school system. It is a great idea, but I think it is a bit drastic.

The Lost Generation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA&feature=player_embedded
    I loved this video! It made some very important points in a very unique way. The part about her celebrating her divorce and that work was more important than family, really stood out to me. I think this caught my attention because these things are already happening all over our nation and world. The divorce rate is scary and with that comes lost values and broken promises. Many people also choose work over family, and unless people slow down and realize what is really important, our generation will be completely and totally different than the way things are today.
    The way this video was executed and was awesome! I never expected it to replay in the reverse and have the reverse meaning as it did the first time through. I've never seen anything like this and I really enjoyed this video.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir- 'Lux Aurumque'
http://techliterateteacher.blogspot.com/2010/05/eric-whitakers-virtual-choir-lux.html
    This video was absolutely incredible. Once I realized that these were all people performing over the internet, it blew me away. This is an excellent example of the incredible things that technology can do. I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. It was amazing to watch and to try to fathom! This was an awesome performance!

Teaching in the 21st Century
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmskHM0V2Ig&feature=player_embedded%23!
    Teachers are filters in the 21st century. 'To teach' in today's world, means to guide. With all of this technology available, teachers have a huge responsibility. They must guide students and show them how to use these resources that are available today in a healthy, educational, and responsible way. There are great advantages to the technology available to us. With the right guidance and teaching, these resources can be used in wonderful ways in the classroom. Teachers play an important role in this process and can show students how to use these resources.

Project #5

Blog Assignment 3

Michael Wesch:
    This video of A Vision of Students Today, I believed was a fairly accurate portrayal of the average college student. The parts that seemed to match my experiences would be the part that mentioned buying very expensive books and never opening them. For me, that wasn't because I was lazy and chose to not open it, it was because my teacher didn't teach from the book. Several times I have regretted buying the book for a class where the book was not even necessary! That is frustrating to me. Juggling school and work has also been part of my college experience. Time management is something that I had to learn quickly. Work and school is difficult, but can be done. The pages of emails I send is definitely more than the pages of paper that I write.
    My experience has been slightly different from this video. I hardly ever have time to sit and watch T.V. I usually don't spend three hours a day studying, I do usually complete school work for about three hours a day, while working an average of thirty hours a week. If I were to add anything to make this a more accurate portrayal of my college experience so far, I would calculate the hours spent at work and on school work and then see how many hours are left for free time. There certainly isn't much time left for extracurricular activities!

It's Not About The Technology
    I really enjoyed reading Ms. Hines's post. She raised some very important points. One point that really struck me as true was when she talked about teachers being learners. This is so true! Teachers must stay up-to-date on many aspects. Times are always changing. What a teacher learned ten years ago and what is being taught in the classroom now, could be very different from each other. Teachers must continue to learn. This is important, not only for the newest curriculum available, but also necessary in order to relate with the students. To be able to connect with your students, you would have to be aware of what is happening in our world today
    Another point that I loved was when Ms. Hines mentioned that learning and teaching aren't the same thing. This is sometimes hard to understand, but once you experience it, you can see the obvious difference. I've had teachers that have just stood up and taught a lesson and then I've had teachers that I've actually learned from. I believe in trying different methods of teaching until the student actually learns the material. All children are different and they all learn in their own way! As a future educator, my desire is to teach so that children learn!

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
    I really liked the way Karl Fisch approached the technology issue. I feel like so often people are extreme on this issue and either want strictly old school ways of teaching with pen and paper alone, or want robots in the classroom. I think that Mr. Fisch was right when he said people shouldn't use the excuse of being technologically illiterate. I know for me, it often takes me longer on the computer compared to computer savvy people, but I'm constantly learning! It is not an option to sit back and refuse to learn new things!
    This also goes along with Ms. Hines's post when she said that teachers must be learners. They must continue to learn and keep up with our changing world. This is absolutely mandatory in order to connet with your students.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
    These numbers are incredible and almost hard to believe! For my professional career as a teacher, it is definitely one more reason to stay in touch with today's current technological offers. Things will only become more technologically advanced and it is important to master what is available to us now. This way when new things are offered, I will be ready to learn instead of playing "catch up" with things that were invented five years ago. Learning new things is not always an easy process, but it's necessary.

  

C4T Comments for Teachers-Project #3

For the past two weeks, I have been keeping up with Mr. Miguel Guhlin's blog. A lot of his posts consisted of the growing concern of teachers losing their jobs due to budget cuts in state funding for schools. I have learned a great deal about what a real concern this is, not only in Texas but throughout the United States. Teachers everywhere are being displaced or let go because of the loss in state funding. This is heartbreaking to me and a problem that needs to be repaired! In the end, the students suffer the most and schools are faced with making impossible decisions of what programs and teachers need to be cut. I have very much enjoyed reading Mr. Guhlin's blog and will continue to keep up with his posts.