Interview with Mr. Sullivan

Sorrowful Goodbye

EDM 310 has been a learning experience that I will never forget. The only thing that comes to mind is good luck.

Good luck to Dr. Strange and the staff for their future with this course. I think you guys have done amazing things that we will all be grateful for at one point or another. There has been a lot of effort and hard work put into reinventing this course and I think it has been successful. I have learned an immense amount of material that I can not wait to introduce to my future students. Through this learning experience I feel much more confident and qualified to be in front of a classroom. I truly hope to keep in touch throughout the semesters.
Thank you so much for your hard work.

Classmates, its been real. I feel that we haven't spent much time together because of the hybrid change. Although, I enjoyed getting to know each of you through your presentations at the start of the semester. I hope that you all enjoyed this course and learned about tools that will help you in your future classroom. I hope to keep in touch with many of you through social networking sites :)

Final Post

1) List of things I learned about:
-Access
-Alex
-Picasa
-YouTube
-Twitter
-Skype
-Blogger
-Comments4Kids
-Comments4Teachers
-Delicious
-GoogleDocs
-GoogleForms
GoogleEarth
-Podcasts
-How to make a video
-iTunesU
-PLN

WOOOOWWWWWW! This is so exciting that I learned about all of these tools, but then again it is kind of sad that I could have been a certified teacher and would not have known about any of these. How will I use them in my teaching? The possibilities are truly endless. I was bored out of my mind in elementary, middle, high, and college schooling, and I refuse to put my children through this same thing. Can I change educational schooling on my own? NO! Can I change it in my classroom? Absolutely!

2) OF course there are always things that could have improved my learning capacity, but I am so satisfied with what I learned in this class. I would have liked to use more interaction and collaboration with my students and my teacher instead of hybrid, but regardless, I learned a ton.

3)The only topic I found useless was GoogleEarth. The actual project itself was a waste of time, in my opinion, but the process of saving to a site and then to my hardrive and then to my blog, etc. was a good learning process. Making the tour was time consuming and rather pointless.

4)I am 60/40 on the excitement issue. There were times that I literally got excited when I would look at my finished product of a project, post, or comment. I would also get excited when we were introduced to tech savvy teachers and classrooms through Skype and commenting. It truly is an excitement to know that there are teachers out there who are trying to change the schooling system by bringing it up to date.

5)Negative. In order to complete this course you simply had to read directions, follow them, and THINK FOR YOURSELF!I think this latter aspect is what most students found the most difficult Many courses and professors do not require you to think outside of the box.

6)The only times I would find myself being bored is when we were required to make 3 or 4 blog posts in one week. Like most students, I would wait until the weekend to do mine, and it is extremely boring to read and type for hours on end. While the assignments were always interesting, it is inevitable to stay entertained by that many posts.

7)The only change I would make is blog posts. Instead of having 3 or 4 due by Sunday night, I would maybe have two due by Wednesday and two due by Sunday. The majority of students are procrastinators, and this feels like an overload, even though it is our fault. Also, 86 GoogleEarth project!

8)I am gonna go with a good-great tech literacy level. I am beyond proud of myself for the things I have learned and accomplished. I feel much more ready to become an educator. I feel now that I can complete basically any tech project.

9)This thought makes me nervous. I have learned so much in this course, and I know I will not forget it, but I know technology is always changing and I do not want to miss out on all the new stuff. I think the most obvious answer to this dilemma is to keep up my PLN. I am connected with tech savvy people from all over the world, and I believe they can keep me up to date.

A Wonderful PLE

This makes my heart so happy to know that there are teachers out there who do amazing things for their students. This student was so organized and mature beyond her years. She uses technology for every aspect of school, and you can tell she truly cares. I have to admit that PLE/PLN is in no way as sophisticated as hers, but it was experience for me to view hers and get good ideas. She showed how simple it was to store everything she needed on that one page. She was able to access everything online from her home page. I was very impressed with some of her tools, and it will definitely help me when teaching my students how to create and maintain PLN's. I am even more inspired by her teacher! The fact that it is a completely paperless course is so exciting to me. This video shows that it is possible to do that, and that the students work better that way.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life.

I lovvvvvved this! So creative and simple, yet to inspiring. I hope that everyone simply felt better about themselves after viewing this video. We should remind ourselves daily that we are doing great things with our lives and to always keep our head up and keep truckin' along. Hopefully, every night before we go to bed, we can feel that we were better today than yesterday. I feel this is a great theory to keep yourself happy with life. For example, I am proud of myself tonight because I taught little girls how to dance. When we become teachers we will constantly be faced with negativity, doubt, and stress. Some simple philosophy as this can keep us going. It is truly interesting to look at humankind as each individual being a simple sentence. After careful consideration, I consider my sentence to be...

"She taught hundreds of girls how to dance and to love it like she did."
Dance is the poetic baring of the soul through motion. ~ Scott Nilsson © 2001

Substantive Presentation: Why Blogging is Useful in The Classroom

My Favorite Places

The Link to My Wordle

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alt="Wordle: Lauren EDM"
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Use of Multimedia in Special Education

I will be going into the field of Special Education, primarily early childhood. I plan to use everything in my classroom that I have learned in EDM 310. I feel the tools we have been introduced to are excellent and so valuable, and are quickly taking over education. A lot of people may argue that early childhood may be too young to introduce technology, but I disagree. Some also might argue that certain resources might not benefit in SPE, but I also disagree.

What do you think?

I feel that blogging is such an amazing resource to help children develop critical thinking skills. Parents and some teachers are so fearful of the internet, and yes it has its faults, but overall it is a great tool for education. I know that I will encounter many parents who do not want their young child using the internet, but I plan to research and educate parents on the safe use of the internet we will be using. I think that as long as I am monitoring my students' use, then there is no harm done.

I think that blogging helps kids to think for themselves at a young age.

For my SPE students, I think that tools such as virtual worlds and Second Life would be beneficial. It will be a great occupational therapy tool because students can view and be a part of a person living an everyday life. These tools will also spark their creativity senses and let them explore their own feelings and views. I also feel that internet use will help my SPE students feel like they are living a normal life. These kids often feel like they are not good enough to fit in with other students, and this will give them a way to connect to the rest of the world. Hopefully it will open their eyes to the many opportunities in life, despite any disability. I hope to participate my students in Comments4Kids. The kids who are a part of this program are getting amazing benefits from it; I think that my SPE students will probably enjoy the confidence that they will gain from it.

PS 22

These children are amazing! They were very touching and seemed so heartfelt. It is unbelievable how much power children hold in their hands. The fact that a huge celebrity found these children online and want them to be a part of their show is incredible. These children now see what big things they can do with their life if they only put themselves out there to succeed. As a teacher, I will have my students post their work online because I feel it will give them a sense of success. From this EDM class, I have gained so much respect and perspective on my work. When I am able to see what great things I can do, then I feel proud of myself and only push myself harder. I think it will show my children that they can connect to the rest of the world with a push of a button. Children today need to know that they can achieve anything that put their mind to, and I feel that blogging and using the web will give them a sense of accomplishment.

1) My first example is none other than amazing little Kaia.
She is so young, but holds the world in her hands. Through her father and teachers who care about her, she has admirers from every walk of life. Her story is one that is priceless, and people love to be a part of it and continue the connection.

Kaia's Story



2) My second example is EVERY child in the world that is a part of Comments4Kids. I know this is such a general example, but I think this program is beyond powerful. These children are getting comments from people all over the world, and I know it is making a large impact on their lives. These children are so young and do not have a clue of the great things they are witnessing. Not every school aged child gets to be a part of the web and they do not get to connect with people from all over. These children who are a part of this are truly going to do great things with their lives, because their teachers introduced them to something wonderful at a young age.

Support Blogging

Comments4Teachers

Week 7,8 & 9- Sharon Elin of edutwist.com

7- Mrs. Elin has a post which contains Dan Brown's Open Letter to Educators. She simply talked about the major need for educational reform we have in this country. She feels that all educators agree that we need a change, but unfortunately no one knows how we should go about it. I responded by saying that I completely agree with her. I feel that Dan's video was a little extreme, but he makes excellent points. I stated that we need to continue to spread "discomfort" until something is done about the educational system.

8- I commented on the post "Web 2.0 Costs More Than You Think." She expressed how sites and tools are no longer free and open to the public. Mrs. Sharon said she wants to get upset about these new charges, but she understands that somebody is working those sites and they have to somehow make money. She feels that if a tool has proved its success to her, then she will happily pay for it, but she has to be frugal and not subscribe to every tool out there. I stated that this change is inevitable. We live in a world of web based everything, and there is no way it could be free forever. I agree that we have to support the tools that have been great to us in the past.

9- I commented on the post "Technology "Graveyards." Mrs. Elin was explaining how school districts need to send old technology to the dumps, and hire a professional to discover and decide on what technology will be the most useful for classrooms. She states that many schools or teachers do not do enough research before making a decision, (they simply do not have the time), and there needs to be a specialist to do it. She calls them technology tour guides. I feel this would be a useful addition for every school, or even every district. this tour guide would be dedicated to the well being of the classrooms. This person would not only have this responsibility, but they would teach the teachers how to use the systems. They could introduce useful and creative lessons to use with the new technology.


Week 10 & 12
David Warlick of My 2 "Cents" Worth

Week 10- I commented on the post "He Was Bouncing off the Walls." Mr. Warlick was basically telling about an experience he just had of going to a local school and giving teachers a lesson on web 2.0. He mentioned that it went well, but teachers are going to have to break down a lot of walls in order to improve their learning methods. I mentioned the skype session we had with Mr. McClung, because I asked him about this same situation. I asked Mr. McClung what he thought about tour guides coming into schools and introducing teachers to the latest technological advances, and he said it was a good idea, but a lot of teachers do not want to be taught anything new. I had some interesting and very disagreeing comments to my comment on Mr. Warlick's blog. Please read! "He Was Bouncing off the Walls"

Week 12- I commented on the post "Learning Begs for the New Information Environment." Mr. Warlick was explaining a conference he went to for technology and education. He said one thing that he was most appalled by was a video created by the education department. He said they usually are not that high tech unless someone from the technology department creates it. He met a student who was building something virtual and Mr. Warlick asked him what it was for and the student replied that it was for a technology class. Mr. Warlick asked if he did anything like that for History and Literature and the student smirkingly replied no. Mr. Warlick gave him an example of how to do so, and the student's eyes were suddenly opened to the thought of technology in all subjects. I agreed that teachers often think they can not do much more than a powerpoint, but if we sat down and thought about it, then we could. I mentioned that as teachers we need to rethink the idea of teaching and schooling altogether.


Weeks 13 & 14
Dan Carver- It's Elementary My Dear Readers

Week 13- I commented on a post about teacher evaluations. The state of Iowa (where Dan lives) is thinking to tie teacher evaluations with standardized testing scores, similar to Alabama. He feels that in theory this would make sense, but in reality it just isn't fair. He says that the curriculum changes from district to district, it is not state wide. So, if Iowa makes a statewide test, then some districts will not be prepared, while others may be. He feels that if they are going to tie these two assessments together, then they need to find common ground first. I replied saying this made perfect sense. I explained that my mother taught at a very low socio-economic school, and they started blaming teachers for low test scores. The teachers there knew it was unfair and that they were doing their best, but there were too many factors affecting students' work ethics that they had no control over.

Week 14- I read his post entitled, Do Not Pay /Teachers 100,000 dollars! This post really touched my heart and made me feel proud of wanting to be an educator. Mr. Carver was blogging about how it is often noted that if teachers got paid as much as doctors and lawyers, then our educational system would be a change for the better. People argue that this will bring in the brightest of people to the educational world. Dan feels that this is not what education needs. All this would do is bring in people who do not care about teaching. People have never gone into education for the money, and they never will. . I told Mr. Carver that I agree completely. It takes special people to teach; it takes people who care. As educators we will affect thousands of lives over the course of our career, and hopefully it will be for the better, because we care. If we bring in teachers by an increase of salary, then the majority are not going to be interested in the lives and young brains that are in their hands.

The Stubborn Zax

Although this cartoon was not made to be a put down for teaching methods, it certainly fits it well. Some teachers, a lot of teachers, are a Zax inside and out. Some are so set in their own ways that they will not budge to better the education of their students. I think for many educators, teaching has simply just become a job. It has become a routing to perform their job everyday, that they forget they have an enormous daily impact on the lives of 20+ students. I truly wish that I could see the era of reform for education, but I do not think it will be in my day. ( I know that is negative!). Although we have come so far with technology in education, education in itself is still the same. We still sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher. Teachers still just lecture. Students are still forced to simply sit and listen. We desperately need a change, but unfortunately I do not see it. I thank God for the amazing teachers we have learned about this semester. There truly are teachers out there who believe in a change, and I hope they know what an inspiration and what amazing individuals they are.

My Physical Fitness Survey Results

Comments4Kids

Week 4/ Mr. C's Class Blog- The title of of the post I was assigned to was called, "To Build A Fire." My student used the tool www.goanimate.com to make a short cartoon. The cartoon was a man on fire and then he walked his dog in front of a silhouette of buildings. I commented that it was very creative and the details were amazing and interesting. I also that it looked like hard work to create this piece of art and that I was very impressed : )

Week 5/ Mr. Lamshed's Class- The title of the post was "Tie Tuesday Photos." I was not sure of what Tie Tuesday was so I researched more of the blog and I learned that it was a day that the boy's wore ties; the lesson is so that they will know how to tie ties! I commented that the class truly seemed like a "community" of learners, and that it was great to see a class doing an interactive project. Also, around the world other class are joining in and I think that is awesome.

Week 6/ Pesburne- I was assigned to comment on Kefu's post, and it was artwork that he created; it was a blue background with white bubbles. Kefu said that he chased and played with the shiny bubbles. I told him that bubbles were very interesting and I hope he enjoyed himself. I said that his artwork was very detailed and sophisticated.

Week 7/ Quam Students- My post was titled, "My Favorite Superhero." The student said his favorite superhero was Flash, because he has a cool outfit, he can run on water, and he can run around the world really fast. He said he does not understand why Batman and others are called superheroes because they do not have real powers. I posted that Flash seems like a cool guy and he has very useful characteristics. I added that it was very mature and smart of him to think analyze the meaning of superhero!

Week 8/180 Days of Kindergarten- I was assigned to Day 108, and I learned about everything they accomplished on this day. I commented that it was great to see such organization and technology in a Kindergarten classroom, and it is great to see how much they get done in one day. I also added that I really enjoyed a website that she posted about; it is a temperature learning website for kids.

Week 9/ JK McClung- I was assigned to a particaular lesson learned, which was, "Always Dress out for PE." Basically, he did not dress out for PE and split his pants while playing! I commented that it was a very valuable lesson learned, and that you learn something new everyday, whether you want to or not : )

Week 10/ Mrs. Kolbert's Student Blogs- My post was entitled,"Faces," and it was posted by Leo. He informed me that everytime he typed a smily face, it automatically turned into a computerized yellow smily. (I thought this was very humorous!) I told him that it was definitely a mystery and sometimes computers are crazy like that! I urged him to do some research to discover what was causing this.

Week 12/ Pesglaze- I commented on Sean's video about the beach. It was his first video, and he did a good job. He was very quiet, and all I could understand was that he saw dolphins leaping over the waves. I told him that he did a great job on his first video post, and I hope he keeps up the good work. I also added that I am sure the dolphins were beautiful.

Week 13/ Pesking- I commented on Ramona's story. Her post contained a short video of her and her friends bowling. She explained that her friends were doing very good, but she was not because it was her first time bowling. She also stated that the bowling ball was so heavy that she was scared it might break the floor. I commented that bowling was a fun sport, and it did not matter who won or lost, as long as you had fun with your friends. I told her that I was not very good at bowling, but my friends are supportive and we always have a good time. I told Ramona that she was a wonderful writer and to keep up the good work.

Week 14/ JK McClung- I commented on the post by teacher called "Explorer Tests Results." Basically, his students took a test to see what occupations they might be interested in, based on interests. I commented that I took one of these in high school, and I thought it was very beneficial. I said that I hope his students really enjoy the results, but also that they understand that they do not have to do what the test said!

Sweet Kaia

This assignment was really enjoyable and quite touching. If you truly care about education and the future of children around the world, then this should have moved you at least a little. This is a story that is so inspiring and almost magical. This sweet little girl is going to do wonderful things with her life because she has a family that is leading her in the right direction of education. There are people all over that truly love her story, and it is impossible for her to understand the extent and importance of it.

As teachers, this should completely inspire us to do great things with our classrooms. We are capable of touching so many lives and reaching out to and connecting with an amazing amount of people, if we only try. As teachers during this day in time, it is vital for us to step out of our comfortable educational shells, and create the opportunities for our students that they deserve.


This assignment should show us that it is simple to touch the life of another child. Reaching out to other people will be an educational growth experience for us as a teacher, our students, as well as the person we are reaching out to. The children of today live in an era of media and this must be incorporated into their education, or this generation will turn their backs on educational schooling because they deserve better than it can do for them.

A positive review of educational blogging

"I think it’s the most beautiful tool of the world and it allows us the most magic thing..."

—Florence Dassylva-Simard, fifth-grade student

Institutionalized Education... NOT for me or my students.

I really enjoyed Miss Bayda's opinionalized view on our current form of education and schooling; I feel she and Dan Brown could not be more correct. Until this current EDM class, and also my EDF class, I have been comofortable with my "schooling". I have always felt like I was not learning anything at my University, but as long as I was earning my A's and B's, I was okay with it. Thanks to a few teachers, and my wonderful PLN, I am now sickened by my university, as well as many others. I am tired of memorizing facts, and recalling them when it is test time.

Enjoy Dan Brown's Video on Institutionalized Education

I think the most valuable point that Mr. Brown made was that, as student we do not use our hundred dollar textbooks, because the facts and information are readily available online. This generation is one of media; we are done with textbooks! While learning online, you get animated objects, tutorials, how-to's, and visual images. It satisfies every style of learning whether it be linguistic, visual, audio, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and whatever else there is. I feel that it is up to us future teachers to take what we know about education and embed it into our elementary schools all the way up to 12th grade. WE have to make the difference and influence our students. They are the generation of change, and we are the ones to help them make that change. I do not feel that anytime soon education will change, but there is no doubt in my mind that my students will see it, and I want them to look back and say, "My kindergarten teacher started this."

Random post ... My sister is a cheerleader at Southern Mississippi and I miss her SO MUCH!! : (

ACCESS

This is a program that I really wish I would have known about in high school. This basically allows students to take online courses that they are interested in. For example, if a student wants to take Marine Biology and it is not offered at their school, or they want to take it a semester early, they can gain credit for the course by taking it online. It is very similar to online courses in college, except there are more guidelines and content. Students can take exam exemption courses as well as advanced placement courses. This site also provides website resources. For example, the Alabama Virtual Library can connect a student to any book on any subject. It also has an advanced placement test, as well as an exemption test.

I really like ACCESS because it is completely technology oriented. There are not textbooks, papers, or pencils. It really encourages distance learning, which is basically anything besides sitting in a classroom. Students are able to learn from teachers that are not available at their school. Many of the resources available through ACCESS are web-based. They are not articles or online books. They are websites that provide visual learning through stimulation effects. For different subjects it provides power points and digital media to enhance learning.

ALEX

ALEX stands for the Alabama Learning Exchange. It is a wonderful resource for teachers, students, and administrators. It basically lays out the curriculum, standards and guidelines for K-12 education in Alabama. This site has web links available for you providing information and useful tools. For students, they have websites for every subject possible. Students will find this useful for studying or doing a report. This website also provides teachers' lesson plans. This is a nice tool for parents to access to see what their children are doing in school. ALEX also explains in details what the curriculum guidelines are for every subject and every grade. I enjoyed the part of the website that contained tools for Professional Learning. It is important for teachers to continuously develop and better their teaching methods and educational growth. This provides tips and tricks to working with technology ( which is very useful!) It has a Special Education tab, library media tab, as well as a link that lists professional organizations.

A very interesting aspect of ALEX was its podcast library. It is called Gallery 360. You can search for different topics throughout the different subjects. Some of the findings are interviews with a person knowledgeable in the particular subject. Something that is helpful about the library is that it informs you of the standards and grade level that the podcast is aligned with. This way, teachers are able to hand pick what is appropriate for their class.

... And Your Dreams WILL Follow.

The Last Lecture

So, halfway through the lecture, and on until the end, I was extremely confused on the point of this lecture. It seemed like a man talking about his life and career, and I didn't understand why, so I am assuming not many others did either. So, I did some research, and it is tradition at Carnegie Mellon for a professor to present a "Last Lecture," when he or she has been diagnosed with or cancer, or some other reason, and is expected to die within a short period of time, so when I discovered this, I was able to understand a little better. So there is a little insight for you guys.

Well, I cried at the end. I cried a lot. This guy who I had no interest in at the beginning of the video, was really powerful to me as a young person. I am so surprised that I enjoyed this video so much, because ultimately I did not know this man, I care nothing about virtual reality, and I had no idea what his intentions were. I enjoyed his lecture so much, he expressed so many wonderful and touching ideas, that everyone can learn from. From this lecture, and I also did some extra research, it seems that Randy was a great person, and he lived a very fulfilled life. My sorrow goes out to his wife Jai, and his three beautiful children.

I love the "head fake" idea. This is a great theory to use in life as well as education. Children do not want to do what you want them to do, you know? It is a great thing to witness a child learning a task or an idea, when they had no idea they were learning. This is often called incidental teaching. I once worked with a teacher who was head over heels for this method of learning, and I often got to experience the positives that came from it. The students were in preschool, and it was almost like a light came from their eyes when they realized what difficult task they had accomplished that was simple in reality. When someone thinks they are working hard on an assignment or idea, and they realize that something wonderful has also come from it, it is a great feeling.

I also took to heart his idea of putting others before yourself. This is something we are taught as soon as our cognitive abilities allow us to understand it. Unfortunately, media and the 21st century embed the idea of self into our brain. I feel that as educators, WE are the ones who understand the idea, and also exhibit the idea. We certainly do not go into the profession for reasons of "self". We embrace it with the hope of touching the lives of others. This blog is not meant to talk about myself, but I do want to share that I understand his idea of leading a good life and putting others before yourself, and your dreams will come to you. I once volunteered a camp for special needs children and adults. I literally changed diapers and gave baths to utter strangers. Giving up our summer to perform tasks such as these do not sound like a good time to most people, but it was the BEST experience of my life. It was FULFILLING. If I never do anything else again in my life, I will know my life has been fulfilled because of that one summer. I lived for others, and got so much in return. My personality and outlook on life was deterred, and I realized my dream of becoming a special education teacher. So, when Mr. Pausch expressed this idea, it really hit home, and I hope that others will also embrace this.

I feel like I could blog for days about this lecture. He seemed like such a good hearted man who accomplished so much. He led an amazing life because he listened to the advice of others and always prioritized others before himself.


Thank you Mr. Randy for your words : )

My fantastic PLN

Classroom 2.0
Twitter
MySpace
Facebook
Delicious
Dingo
Blogger
World of Media Blog
YouTube
www.Bestedsites.com
www.educationworld.com
The Educators PLN
educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com

A Future of Whatever!

I really enjoyed this assignment. Mr. Wesch is an extremely sophisticated and brilliant man. He seems so passionate about technology in education, and it seems like he does an amazing job working with his students. Mr. Wesch and his class brought up an interesting viewpoint about social networking that I have never thought about before. When I get on youtube, I just watch the videos. I do not think about who the people are that made or participated in it, nor do I think about their reasoning behind it. I just simply watch.

Now that I think about Mr. Wesch's observation, I completely agree with all of it. It is like these people can and are being someone completely different than who they are, and then they present it to the world. Or, they are being themselves and are bearing all kinds of personal information out on the line, for anyone to see or hear. Why is this so easy? Because they are sitting in a room by themselves staring into a camera. Like the video mentioned, it takes away all of the social anxiety that comes with making eye contact, or telling a deep dark secret to someone.

I think this does compare to my personal life and my college experience, because these are the social networking sites I use. It is awkward for me to have a face to face conversation these days, because I am so used to sending a tweet or writing on someone's wall. I am not sure what this means for my future career. I think that I will encourage my students to use networking sites, so they can reach the rest of the world.

The Networked Student

This video was C-U-T-E! It was so simple, but it got the point across, which I really appreciate. Technology in education is such a hot topic, and a lot of videos and speeches are so boring and over the top that it completely loses the audience and its meaning. It was nice to watch something so simple. This video laid out the basic principles of the point it wanted to make, and it worked. It put it in a real world sense of view; it definitely kept me entertained AND informed.

I am completely prepared to introduce networked learning in my classroom. ( Although, I am hoping that their previous teachers would have introduced it). It is vital that our students understand that there is a big world beyond books, and they can connect to any part of it that they wish. They should research and hear the views of people from all over the world, not just from me. For example, if we are studying biology, then I will do my best to set up a Skype session with a biology professor. For whatever we are studying, I will encourage and lead my students in the right direction to find out more and various information on the topic.

One of my favorite parts of the video was about the purpose of the teacher. It has never crossed my mind, but with all the hype about online learning and technology in our classrooms, it brings up a valid point of why we even need a teacher. This video did a fantastic job of reinforcing the quality of teachers. First of all, there has to be someone there to encourage our students and introduce new ideas. Some of our students from low income schools do not even have access to a computer outside of school. These students need to be encouraged to be a part of this big world through social networking. Also, these kids need someone to explain the difference between valid and invalid research, and how to differentiate between the two. The teacher is ultimately the backbone of the adventure, and must be there to show her kids the way.

This Is How We Dream

This video and speech never reached a point, in my opinion. After watching and listening several times, I am still not sure of the purpose of it. I understand that it was encouraging us to write using media applications, but it never gave any ideas or examples. It also seemed to me that the speech had nothing to do with what was being shown in the video. I feel like the two should have been separated.

I do feel that I am prepared to make my classroom a watching/listening environment. I know that I personally get tired of reading books and basically re-writing what it says for an assignment or a test. The times are changing at a fast pace, and books and paper just do not cut it for today's students. Students are more apt to pay attention to a presentation on a SmartBoard rather than reading a book, because technology is what their lifestyles and culture is now centered upon.

It does seem that Dr. Miller and his crew feel strongly on this idea, and have done a lot of research to support it, and I give him kudos for that. A lot of teachers are simply stuck in their ways and think change is a bad idea. It takes people like Dr. Miller to create videos and give speeches to get the word and the information out there, so change can happen.

Here is a video that basically gives you every possible idea for using an IPod in you classroom.

I suggest you watch it, but I will summarize it for you.

The point of the video was trying to prove that you could store hundreds of paper files, a dozen technological devices, a ton of test scores, ( you get the point) or you could have one tiny ipod.

A few ideas..
Podcasting- record a lesson, learn a new language
Audiobooks- listen while you read
Video- animate a story by your class by using pictures
Demonstration- make a how-to-video, ITunes U, share online videos
Flash Cards- make your own or download
Presentations- convert power points, share charts, graphs and visuals
Reference-download a dictionary
Games- create your own quizzes
Living Text- write, listen, or watch a word ( great for speech and special education teachers!


Thats not even half of the examples this video provides, so WATCH IT!

Duke University thinks Ipods are so important in education that they give them to incoming freshmen. Yes, give.
Read about it here.
...And here

A paragraph from the article...

"Expanding the use of information both in the classroom and in the campus community is part of the school's overall goals, said Tracy Futhey, Duke's vice president of information technology. The school is looking forward to ideas from the faculty and students about additional uses for the devices, Futhey said. The student newspaper, for example, might use the iPods to distribute a daily audio editorial."

ITunes U

ITunes U is genius. I can't believe I have never explored this resource until now. I have a mac and an ITouch, and I could have been using this tool all along, but did not really know about it. Not only will this be great when I am a teacher, but it is helpful to me as a student. I am able to listen to lectures from the world's most renowned universities. I subscribed to Stanford's link and enjoyed listening to their podcasts on education. It is rather mind bloggling to me that the idea is simply... giving away free instruction that some students are paying thousands of dollars for by attending these universities. Granted, by listening to it you aren't going to receive a degree, but still, the thought is pretty interesting. I found an article by The Washington Post that talked a little bit on this topic... Enjoy.

Click here to read the article, "Is ITunes for You?

Since I have never used ITunes you, I was not sure of where to start. So, I googled the topic, and the website I found most useful was the apple site giving an introduction to the tool. It explains what it is for, how it works, etc. I enjoyed this video which is a basic introduction to ITunes U.

This resource is not only for universities. It contains a section for K-12 Instruction from around the world. Just like the university section, not just any school can be a part of it, it is only a select few that really know what they are doing and are getting some great things done.


Click here guys. Too funny.

I found this under Texas A&M "Wired Study Tips"

www.alicechristie.org

Click here to explore this website!


I loveeeddddd this site. I could spend hours and hours exploring it. She has a ton of useful information for current and future teachers. It is a great starting site for someone who is new to using technology in the classroom. The section I found most interesting was the constructivism link located under the Educational Technology tab. I am a huge supporter of constructivist teaching and learning in the classroom, so obviously I really enjoyed this link. When you click on the constructivist tab, you first read an explanation of this theory of learning, followed by seven principles that support this theory. Dr. Christie then provides SERVERAL wonderful links to examples of teachers facilitating these principles.

Constructivist Section

Here are a few of my favorite examples...

Mrs. Silverman's 2nd Grade Class:Stellaluna's Friends
KidSpired Tales

I hope you enjoy these examples. I am sure that the students really enjoyed making these projects, and as you can tell, they learned a lot!

My Mexico Presentation : )

Wikipedia Scam

Wow! I had no idea about this. I always use Wikipedia as a source for anything; It is usually the first website I go to. This guy is super smart for discovering a way to uncover who has edited what and when in Wikipedia. It is such a wake-up call for folks to understand that you can't always believe what you hear, or READ. We usually believe anything we see or read on the internet just because, well, we feel like it is an accurate source, but apparently it is not.

I think that is a great thing that this grad student discovered this. We can uncover the truth about politicians, big corporations, or musicians. We can see the things that they do not want us to see. We can finally see the truth. Wikipedia is something that most of us feel that we can rely on, and we now know that is not the case. Fortunately, there is now something we can do about it.

Podcast Help!

The websites were extremely useful, I learned so many things about podcasts that I previously did not know. The website I found most useful was is.gd/2cd21... The video about podcasting in the classroom had so many wonderful ideas and it definitely convinced me that using podcasts will be a benefit to my classroom. I liked the idea of uploading your lecture to a classroom blog so that parents can listen and learn, and also for students that are absent can hear the lecture and ultimately do not have to miss any important materials.

What I found to be the most useful on this website was the videos explaining garageband and audacity. I have a mac and completely forgot that I had garageband; I have never even used it. The video explained absolutely everything I would need to know when using this application. This will help me so much when my group and I make our podcast. I was originally pretty stressed out, but now that I know how to do this ( and have also watched 1st graders make a podcast!) I feel rather confident and excited about this project.

One Year Old With IPhone

I have to say this video did not really surprise or impress me. Lots of one year olds can remember repetitive actions, like this one is displaying. He simply remembers which button does what, and remembers to slide his fingers to see a new picture.

Don't get me wrong, it is pretty amazing that babies are now using technology. I went to YouTube and searched for more babies/IPhone sort of thing and there were tons of videos! This means that by the time these kids get to Kindergarden they are going to be pretty incredible. As a future teacher, I have to make sure I am up to date with the latest technology; I want to keep up with my students.

These Kids are Amazing!

I am literally speechless after watching these amazing kids. This teacher is such a blessing to her students; I know she understands what a huge impact she is making on their lives. They are learning so many life valuable tools that will help them excel far beyond other students their age. If only we could make every classroom like this...

The best part to me was when the students were sitting at a round table and every single one of them had a laptop! That was truly a beautiful picture. I think that all school systems should budget better and make sure that PLENTY of money is set aside for technology. These videos showed interactive learning at its best and how effective it is. You could see how these kids were extremely interested in what they were learning. It is a new age in time and teachers should understand that sitting kids in a desk with a book in front of their face is not always going to cut it. Teachers are always complaining about how their students are not interested in school whatsoever and I think these teachers need to understand that you have to use modern technological advances to keep their attention.

The part where the students were on Skype with a geologist a university was so advanced and interesting. I am in college and have never done anything that cool in a classroom. It was also great that the students were keeping in touch and sharing their work with a classroom in Alabama. You know, when I was their age, I remember my class being pen pals with a class in a different state. It would take weeks for our letters to go back and forth. Now, it is only a matter of seconds for students to interact with children their age, and it is utterly wonderful.

I only want to mention a more things I found to be interesting. ( I could write for days on this!) One, the fact that the teacher was incorporating technology and literacy lessons! While the students were obviously becoming more technologically advanced, they were sharing how they were learning how to read and write better. Two, the fact that their families were getting involved! School Systems are always having trouble getting parents involved and this is certainly a solution. I know that my mom would have loved to leave me a comment on my blog rather than looking at some test scores that my teacher sent home. This is a perfect way for parents to keep up with what their children are learning, and actually be a part of it!

Podcast, Podcast.

These things are pretty cool, and very helpful! : ) I have to admit, they are WAY TOO LONG. Half of the information presented is completely and utterly useless! I would certainly enjoy "vod"casts more. Being able to visualize what is being talked about would certainly boost my interest level. I think if I listened to something that I was really into then I might have enjoyed it more.

As far as thinking about how they are done, I imagine these people wearing big headphones sitting in a recording studio in front of a microphone. Although, I know it is much more modern that that. I really enjoyed the SmartBoard lessons, because the guy gave a tip of the day while waiting in line at the coffee shop. I am assuming that he would use some sort of an IPod to record and upload this.

I did some googling on podcasts and found some pretty interesting stuff. One website compared blogging to podcasts. It said that blogging has allowed anyone with a computer to virtually become a reporter, while podcasting has allowed anyone with a computer to become a disc jockey, talk show host, or recording artist. I thought this was a pretty accurate compasrison. One of the coolest things I found while googling was the amount of interaction between education and podcasts. This tool has become increasingly useful in classrooms around the world. I truly can not wait until I can make my own podcast and upload it to SmartBoard and apply visual content to make an easy technology friendly lesson.

One of the episodes that I particularly enjoyed, I believe in EdTechTalk was a discussion on the newly released IPad. The hosts were comparing it to Kindel, and I learned some pretty useful information about the two products. I am now convinced that I would purchase an IPAd instead of a Kindel. I also enjoyed how the SmartBoard lessons allowed teacher from all over the US to call in and give examples and useful information on how they use their Boards. I took quite a few notes on some ideas that I will certainly use one day!

1,2,3... Whoa!

When watching this and thinking about my career, I do feel scared. I think these facts are scary for any student going into any field. I think we have two options. We can sit and be scared, or we can be a part of this change. If you choose the first option, you might not be very successful, in a professional sense. I know that I need to be the best possible teacher for my students, so I will roll with the change. I do not want to be in a discussion with my first graders and have no idea what programs or web pages they are even talking about.

I also think it is important for me to be a part of such things so I can be a role model for my kids. I am sure that many kids in the world would not have access to Blogger, Facebook, etc. if it was not for their teachers. I do not want to be the reason that my students are oblivious to what is going on in the world around them. I do not want to be the reason that they fall behind in life, and the reason that they do not explore tools other than textbooks.

The Fisch Bowl Is...

BOLD!! I like it. This man speaks his mind and it is very inspiring. Assuming that it is okay for me to speak my mind, I think some of his ideas are extreme. Now, if technologically illiterate means that a teacher looks at a computer screen and does not know where to start, then yes we may have a big problem. But if we are meaning that a teacher is not up to date on the very latest invention, then that certainly does not mean that he or she will not be a successful educator.

I feel that as a teacher, I will be more concerned with the material being presented, and finding creative ways to teach and learn, rather than sitting on my behind staring at a computer screen for hours on end trying to learn new programs. YES, I will try and find interesting ways to incorporate tech stuff into my lessons, but I do not think it needs to be the basis behind education itself. Once again, I wish I knew what the definition of technologically illiterate was. I think it is an important aspect of any field, but I do not feel it is an extreme necessity like it is made out to be.

We Need Motivation

This was by far my favorite piece of work that we have been assigned to. I feel like this person completely read my thoughts and put them in a blog. It does seem that society thinks that technology will make the school system a better place. I think that is the idea because it is an easy idea. it is simple to stick a few more computers in the classroom and teach the kids how to use a few new programs, but that will not FIX anything. I do not even think we should be using the term, "fix". We should be thinking about improving, collaborating, creating, and re-building. I feel those are better ideas.

Technology is powerful and wonderful, yes, but we need motivating and inspired teachers to use it. Incorporating new technology into a lesson will have massive effects, but first off, the teacher has to believe in what he or she is teaching for anything to have a positive effect. Let's say that we do bring all kinds of amazing new technology into the classroom, it still will NOT improve anything if the teacher is not willing to be motivated to learn and explore.

Yeah KSU!

I am sure this video accurately represent a good portion of college students' experiences. My favorite part was learning that a college day equals 26.5 hours. Nice. To me, this institution is more of a stressful program that costs too much money, than a positive learning experience. It would be nice to come to class and just learn, instead of worrying about due dates and cramming for tests. One of my fears in life is that I will not be ready to enter the educational field after graduating.

I am not sure what I would add to this video. I loved that there were never any spoken words. It was like the students were being silenced and only had thoughts about their college experiences. It was like they were not allowed to talk about it. I think some of the signs should have expressed feelings and not just facts, just to mix it up a little. I'm not sure about this yet, but it might have been neat for the students to be dressed as they were, and then the next shot have them in the same room, but wearing all one color. I don't know; it would almost be as if they were expressing they were as one whole, whether that be good or bad.

Ms. Davis gets an A+ in Digital Smarts.

Vicki Davis' class reminds me of our new and different EDM 310 course at South Alabama. It is a breath of fresh air to find a teacher whose goal is not to feed students materials to be memorized. I am sure it would be simple to teach a computing class and simply explain to the students different programs and how they are useful. Although this would be helpful for sure, Ms. Davis is letting her students explore programs on their own, teach their fellow classmates, and even enlighten the teacher on how to use a new software program.

This form of education is pretty powerful. Not only are these students learning tools that will help them in the future, but they are gaining confidence as an individual, they are learning to be a part of a positive learning community, and they are making friends from a completely different culture! I would have to say this goes deeper than any everyday computer lesson. Watching this video makes me excited to be a part of this revised 310 course. I know I am going to learn so many useful teaching strategies for my classroom, but I am also going to become aware of how important it is for my students to explore new technology and to be creative and open minded about the endless possibilities.

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. -Albert Einstein

Did You Know?


This was entertaining, and a little extreme, in my opinion. The facts and the way the video presented the facts had a very creative and suspenseful energy, but deep down I think most of human society would not be surprised that these facts were true. I think it was interesting that the video gave mixed feelings and signals, which made me speechless by the end of the presentation. By mixed feelings I mean that a lot of the material presented was pretty exciting and futuristic, while the remaining material left me feeling scared and hopeless for our country.

I think the good and the bad facts stem back down to one concept: Education. The fact that education is ever changing and new technologies are being invented for no apparent reason is amazing! It is definitely a positive aspect that programs like MySpace and Facebook are connecting the entire world at a number of 200 million; It only expands our field to grow, teach, learn and introduce ideas.

On the flip side, it is apparent that our educational principles are failing in some areas. The fact that India has more honor kids than America even has kids is beyond horrifying. As educators, it is our job to introduce new ideas to our children, to let them explore their creative range, to get involved in different cultures, to become fascinated with math and science...and the list of possibilities is endless.

"She's Not Sick, She's a Dancer."

Snaps for you, Ken Robinson.

Man oh man, this guy is great. Not only is he a hoot to watch, he is bold, brave, and well, creative! I could not have agreed with this man more, being that I have danced for going on nineteen years now. When I think back to my elementary education, I only remember the creative learning experiences. I do not recall sitting in my desk reading about Columbus sailing the ocean blue, but I do remember going to my dance class and learning how to do a grande jete for the first time. I think the important thing is not that we replace the hierarchy of subjects, but that we incorporate and customize our teaching strategies with creative and unordinary forms of learning for our students.

I think Mr. Robinson was brilliant when saying that we are educated out of being wrong. I agree with him in that being wrong and being creative go hand in hand. As a society, we would never discover new ideas, new products, etc., if we had never failed at a task. I think it is beyond vital that we take time out of the day of planned materials and readings to let our children CREATE, to let them explore the movement of their bodies, the movement of a paint brush, and just simply, the movement of their minds.

Mr. Winkle, Change is Inevitable.

Poor Mr. Winkle was so scared; if only he knew that his comfort zone was the scariest of all.
My feelings are quite torn about this movie. I think the concept was great; it was entertaining for certain. I do feel that our educational system uses technology more than what was displayed by Mr. Needleman, but it is not used as much as it should be. I feel that the original and "old school" form of education, such as sitting in desks with a teacher and a book in front of you, is the way to go, but I do think that technology such as smart boards should be incorporated to this.

New technology and change is wonderful, yes, but I think that we should spend less time with online courses and just stick to the basics. Students are going to get a positive learning experience from listening to a passionate and knowledgable teacher or professor, rather than staring at a computer screen memorizing what is supposed to be memorized.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that the movie was funny and interesting, but I think the message was a little extreme. There is only so much time in the day that school systems can devote to technology, but yes I feel that smartboards are an extremely important tool that every school should upgrade to, and yes I do think that schools could introduce newer forms of software, learning games, etc.