Sunday, February 26, 2012
Blog Assignment 5
Since the majority of this blog is based on tools that we can use to better educate students I found a website called Fun Brain that goes from K-8. It is designed to create a fun environment for students to learn and review all subjects. I actually played a few games and they were pretty fun. I think that it could be very useful at home or inside a classroom.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff.
In Dr. McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?, I was kind of torn in how I felt. In the beginning like most I was very confused to whether he was going to be sarcastic or really not want the use of technology in the classroom. I do like the sarcastic approach that he took; but at the same time I felt it went a little to far. Dr. McLeod really made you think that in a lot of ways some parents and teachers feel that their is too much of a risk in teaching kids technology. There are so many dangers out there with all the technology capabilities that we have. There is also a lot that we can obtain from the use of technology. I think this is what Dr. McLeod was wanting to convey. With the mention of the use of pornography in the post I feel as if at the end there should have been more of an effort to note that we need to take a responsible approach to technology. I would have much better liked the post if he would have made a statement that we teach students the difference in the right and wrong ways to use technology and that we have to learn to all take responsibility as individuals for our own personal use of technology. Giving students an outlet to express them self in the form of blogging, power point, and creating virtual worlds is an amazing thing to be able to do and encouraging students to do so benefits them for the work world that we as educators are trying to prepare them for. Again overall I feel that Dr. McLeod made a very good and strong point I just feel that there should have been a bit more on teaching children the right and wrong uses of technology.
According to About Me Scott McLeod, he is one of the leading experts on technology leadership issues in the nation for K-12. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. He has received many awards for his work such as Leader in Learning, the William J. Davis Award, and many more. He along with Dr. Joan Hughes created the first graduate program in the country that was designed to create technology knowledgeable school leaders. His work is known across the country and world as he works to prepare the educators of today and tomorrow for the technological future that is growing daily.
ISchool
In the video The iSchool Initiative, created by Travis Allen as a high school senior. His idea could revolutionize the public school system as we know it. His overall all idea is to take the iPod and turn it into the iSchool. In doing so it would cut the cost of things such as books, printing equipment, and other expensive learning resources. He is stating that it could cut cost as much as $600.00 per students down to $150.00 per students. The idea of this new method is to not only cut cost but to better link students, teachers, and parents in communication as well as learning. Students would have access to resources on there iSchool that give them virtual school books as well as helpful tools such as U.S. Constitution, World Wiki, and Star Walk. All of this is done while only allowing students the use of internet that directly relates to education purposes. Travis Allen has now turned his idea into one that is being viewed across the global he along with a team of students travel the country encouraging the reform of our learning to the new technological one that he has created. He is revolutionizing the face of education one that could not only save our school systems money but to leave less of a carbon footprint on this planet.
I was very impressed by this idea of the iSchool it could greatly benefit the the educational world. School budgets could be used for more hand on tools to help students to learn with this new method. As teachers we could better interact with our students as well as the parents. There would be limitless opportunities to better reach out educationally and as a community. As a Special Education major I also have to look at it from another perspective. In using the iSchool students with physical limitations would be able to interact more in a normal classroom. They would not be the student with the special learning equipment instead they can customize their iSchool to better help them. For example since there would be no more textbooks students that need large print books or that need to have the text read to them can now use the same applications as regular students just set it to larger text or audio and plug in their headphones. Special needs students want that independence and the iSchool can give them that and allow them to interact inside a normal classroom and not be looked at so differently. For learning more on iSchool visit iSchool Initiative Website.
Virtual Choir Astonishment
The first thing that I have to say about Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir, is breath taking. I was thoroughly amazed with the ability to take 185 singers that had never met and put together a flawless performance that professionals should bow to. I know in many of my previous blogs I have made this statement before, but the internet and technology gives us limitless opportunities. So many people are terrified of the use of the internet because of all the dangers that it can possess. At the same time this video shows the beauties that it also has the capabilities that it has to give if we are only willing to learn. Think of the things that we can learn and create with the internet. We are so scared to just try and learn how to use it. We unlike so many generations have the opportunity to actually make this world a better place yet so many of us sit back on ideal and say,"someone else can do it," why? Every one of us has the ability to create beautiful masterpieces what ever the may be from a virtual choir to blogging on environmental issues. There is a beauty in all of it we only have to take a risk and LEARN!
21st Century and Teaching
In the presentation Teaching in the 21st Century, it presents you with the fact that the tools out there to teach students with everyday resource that they use frequently. As educators we should learn how to take these tools and obtain the skills that they are going to need for the professions that will be available to them. Many of the students that we teach today will have a job that does not even exist yet. Teachers can not longer rely on facts that come from text books to teach students we need them to think outside of the box. Students need to be able to function in a future society. As educators we need to teach them to apply, analyze, understand, and create information. Bloom's Taxonomy may sometimes be confusing to understand. There are different levels of learning and teaching; however there is importance behind each one. We have to take them out of that world where they are only feeding back facts and have them create and analyze the information that is being taught to them. I do not believe that paper and pencils should be completely removed; but I do believe that we should be using computers, iPads, and the internet in general more then ever. The U.S. is behind when it comes to our students education but think of how far ahead we could be if we would only think outside the box our self.
Reading Rocket
The website Reading Rocket is endless. There are tools for teachers, parents, and principals. This website gives you tools to not only create better readers but better learners. I was so impressed by the information I found here. There are many things under the parent links that I can actually use in my K2 classroom as well as an expecting parent. I viewed the grocery store activity sheets and was amazed. Even for those that do not have kids you can say you have seen how hard it is to keep a child occupied while grocery shopping but if you give them something to do that is fun as well as educational grocery shopping is no longer a chore. I spent over an hour looking around on the website and still had not looked at all of the information and tools that were being almost spoon fed to you.
Now as a teacher I have to think how can this help me with what I will be doing. For starters how many educational websites that you go to give you information on how to help children from toddlers to middle school or maybe higher? Here is another question, how many of those websites also give you tools to help those with LD, autism, AD/HD, and dyslexia? The answer to theses questions is very few if any. The articles that deal with students that have special needs not only give you what you would view in these students but also the tools and ideas to better assist them with. Anthony Capps was correct in his statement that, "it is the most valuable website in regards to educational instruction".
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff.
In Dr. McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?, I was kind of torn in how I felt. In the beginning like most I was very confused to whether he was going to be sarcastic or really not want the use of technology in the classroom. I do like the sarcastic approach that he took; but at the same time I felt it went a little to far. Dr. McLeod really made you think that in a lot of ways some parents and teachers feel that their is too much of a risk in teaching kids technology. There are so many dangers out there with all the technology capabilities that we have. There is also a lot that we can obtain from the use of technology. I think this is what Dr. McLeod was wanting to convey. With the mention of the use of pornography in the post I feel as if at the end there should have been more of an effort to note that we need to take a responsible approach to technology. I would have much better liked the post if he would have made a statement that we teach students the difference in the right and wrong ways to use technology and that we have to learn to all take responsibility as individuals for our own personal use of technology. Giving students an outlet to express them self in the form of blogging, power point, and creating virtual worlds is an amazing thing to be able to do and encouraging students to do so benefits them for the work world that we as educators are trying to prepare them for. Again overall I feel that Dr. McLeod made a very good and strong point I just feel that there should have been a bit more on teaching children the right and wrong uses of technology.
According to About Me Scott McLeod, he is one of the leading experts on technology leadership issues in the nation for K-12. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. He has received many awards for his work such as Leader in Learning, the William J. Davis Award, and many more. He along with Dr. Joan Hughes created the first graduate program in the country that was designed to create technology knowledgeable school leaders. His work is known across the country and world as he works to prepare the educators of today and tomorrow for the technological future that is growing daily.
ISchool
In the video The iSchool Initiative, created by Travis Allen as a high school senior. His idea could revolutionize the public school system as we know it. His overall all idea is to take the iPod and turn it into the iSchool. In doing so it would cut the cost of things such as books, printing equipment, and other expensive learning resources. He is stating that it could cut cost as much as $600.00 per students down to $150.00 per students. The idea of this new method is to not only cut cost but to better link students, teachers, and parents in communication as well as learning. Students would have access to resources on there iSchool that give them virtual school books as well as helpful tools such as U.S. Constitution, World Wiki, and Star Walk. All of this is done while only allowing students the use of internet that directly relates to education purposes. Travis Allen has now turned his idea into one that is being viewed across the global he along with a team of students travel the country encouraging the reform of our learning to the new technological one that he has created. He is revolutionizing the face of education one that could not only save our school systems money but to leave less of a carbon footprint on this planet.
I was very impressed by this idea of the iSchool it could greatly benefit the the educational world. School budgets could be used for more hand on tools to help students to learn with this new method. As teachers we could better interact with our students as well as the parents. There would be limitless opportunities to better reach out educationally and as a community. As a Special Education major I also have to look at it from another perspective. In using the iSchool students with physical limitations would be able to interact more in a normal classroom. They would not be the student with the special learning equipment instead they can customize their iSchool to better help them. For example since there would be no more textbooks students that need large print books or that need to have the text read to them can now use the same applications as regular students just set it to larger text or audio and plug in their headphones. Special needs students want that independence and the iSchool can give them that and allow them to interact inside a normal classroom and not be looked at so differently. For learning more on iSchool visit iSchool Initiative Website.
Virtual Choir Astonishment
The first thing that I have to say about Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir, is breath taking. I was thoroughly amazed with the ability to take 185 singers that had never met and put together a flawless performance that professionals should bow to. I know in many of my previous blogs I have made this statement before, but the internet and technology gives us limitless opportunities. So many people are terrified of the use of the internet because of all the dangers that it can possess. At the same time this video shows the beauties that it also has the capabilities that it has to give if we are only willing to learn. Think of the things that we can learn and create with the internet. We are so scared to just try and learn how to use it. We unlike so many generations have the opportunity to actually make this world a better place yet so many of us sit back on ideal and say,"someone else can do it," why? Every one of us has the ability to create beautiful masterpieces what ever the may be from a virtual choir to blogging on environmental issues. There is a beauty in all of it we only have to take a risk and LEARN!
21st Century and Teaching
In the presentation Teaching in the 21st Century, it presents you with the fact that the tools out there to teach students with everyday resource that they use frequently. As educators we should learn how to take these tools and obtain the skills that they are going to need for the professions that will be available to them. Many of the students that we teach today will have a job that does not even exist yet. Teachers can not longer rely on facts that come from text books to teach students we need them to think outside of the box. Students need to be able to function in a future society. As educators we need to teach them to apply, analyze, understand, and create information. Bloom's Taxonomy may sometimes be confusing to understand. There are different levels of learning and teaching; however there is importance behind each one. We have to take them out of that world where they are only feeding back facts and have them create and analyze the information that is being taught to them. I do not believe that paper and pencils should be completely removed; but I do believe that we should be using computers, iPads, and the internet in general more then ever. The U.S. is behind when it comes to our students education but think of how far ahead we could be if we would only think outside the box our self.
Reading Rocket
The website Reading Rocket is endless. There are tools for teachers, parents, and principals. This website gives you tools to not only create better readers but better learners. I was so impressed by the information I found here. There are many things under the parent links that I can actually use in my K2 classroom as well as an expecting parent. I viewed the grocery store activity sheets and was amazed. Even for those that do not have kids you can say you have seen how hard it is to keep a child occupied while grocery shopping but if you give them something to do that is fun as well as educational grocery shopping is no longer a chore. I spent over an hour looking around on the website and still had not looked at all of the information and tools that were being almost spoon fed to you.
Now as a teacher I have to think how can this help me with what I will be doing. For starters how many educational websites that you go to give you information on how to help children from toddlers to middle school or maybe higher? Here is another question, how many of those websites also give you tools to help those with LD, autism, AD/HD, and dyslexia? The answer to theses questions is very few if any. The articles that deal with students that have special needs not only give you what you would view in these students but also the tools and ideas to better assist them with. Anthony Capps was correct in his statement that, "it is the most valuable website in regards to educational instruction".
C4T#2 Blog Assignment
Teacher's Blog #1
EdTeachWorkshop is Andrea Hernandez blog. In her post on January 27 titled, Hitting Publish (Once a Week) was written to encourage her as well as others to write more often. In her blog she had a post that she had viewed that asked the question, "why do we have writers block but not talkers block?". The moral was that we talk daily so we are constantly practicing when it comes to talking. Most of us do not daily write down our thoughts or just write in general. This is the reason for our writers block if we were to make ourselves write daily even if it is only a few words then we can conquer our writers block.
There was a second part to her post discussing whether we can actually teach something that we do not practice on the regular. I felt that this part of the blog tied in with the first part very well. For if we do not practice our writing then it can not improve. Now this part can also be taken away on its own for if we are not practicing certain skills or activities that we once did we should still stay updated on them. In her blog she made the statement a teacher should, "teach as a learner themselves". This statement is very true we are learning daily and should always want to learn.
My Response
I really enjoyed your blog. The post that you put up on not having talkers block was a very good one. I have never thought of it in those terms before. If we practice writing more and do so daily then we will grow as writers. Even if we are only to write in a journal or if we blog. You made a very good point on if we actually can teach something that we no longer practice on the regular. Your statement that a teacher should, "teach as a learner themselves", was very true. It reminds me of the statement that teachers should learn from their students.
Teachers Blog #2
For Andrea's next blog post I had to go back a ways to find one since she had not recently posted. I actually skipped over the first two that I found because that I found one that I felt directly related to EDM310. Here post title was, What Is Quality (in a Blog Post or Comment)?. In this post she discussed how her 5th graders took part in a Student Blogging Challenge. To her dismay the good idea that had been formed turned into a sour one for some. In this challenge teach/mentors were assigned to the students. The jobs of the teacher/mentors was to encourage the students to keep writing as well as leave comments on the students work. Many of them failed to do so. Andrea goes on to explain that blogging is not an assignment or worksheet but a process. The process of blogging takes not only writing but reading. The defenition that she included for the word process is, "a process is a series of actions, changes, or functions to achieve a goal or result". She stated this because she felt as if many teachers that wanted students to blog would hand out an assignment and then abandon it and give another assignment. It almost seemed as if she felt blogs take time to be developed and continuously nurtured.
In the second part of her blog is based on a task that was given by a fellow educator named Silvia Tolisano for anyone who was willing. The task was for teachers to identify quality blog post and comments. The point of the task is to give a better understanding of blogging to teachers in order for them to help their students. The project has allowed for Silvia to break down to teachers how to evaluate and help students to improve their quality of blogging. I checked out Silvia's own blog where she was working on the guide to help teacher's learn about blogging for their students. Stepping It Up-Learning About Blogs for Your Students, is actually a really good guide. I feel that it could actually be useful for those in EDM310.
My Response
EdTeachWorkshop is Andrea Hernandez blog. In her post on January 27 titled, Hitting Publish (Once a Week) was written to encourage her as well as others to write more often. In her blog she had a post that she had viewed that asked the question, "why do we have writers block but not talkers block?". The moral was that we talk daily so we are constantly practicing when it comes to talking. Most of us do not daily write down our thoughts or just write in general. This is the reason for our writers block if we were to make ourselves write daily even if it is only a few words then we can conquer our writers block.
There was a second part to her post discussing whether we can actually teach something that we do not practice on the regular. I felt that this part of the blog tied in with the first part very well. For if we do not practice our writing then it can not improve. Now this part can also be taken away on its own for if we are not practicing certain skills or activities that we once did we should still stay updated on them. In her blog she made the statement a teacher should, "teach as a learner themselves". This statement is very true we are learning daily and should always want to learn.
My Response
I really enjoyed your blog. The post that you put up on not having talkers block was a very good one. I have never thought of it in those terms before. If we practice writing more and do so daily then we will grow as writers. Even if we are only to write in a journal or if we blog. You made a very good point on if we actually can teach something that we no longer practice on the regular. Your statement that a teacher should, "teach as a learner themselves", was very true. It reminds me of the statement that teachers should learn from their students.
Teachers Blog #2
For Andrea's next blog post I had to go back a ways to find one since she had not recently posted. I actually skipped over the first two that I found because that I found one that I felt directly related to EDM310. Here post title was, What Is Quality (in a Blog Post or Comment)?. In this post she discussed how her 5th graders took part in a Student Blogging Challenge. To her dismay the good idea that had been formed turned into a sour one for some. In this challenge teach/mentors were assigned to the students. The jobs of the teacher/mentors was to encourage the students to keep writing as well as leave comments on the students work. Many of them failed to do so. Andrea goes on to explain that blogging is not an assignment or worksheet but a process. The process of blogging takes not only writing but reading. The defenition that she included for the word process is, "a process is a series of actions, changes, or functions to achieve a goal or result". She stated this because she felt as if many teachers that wanted students to blog would hand out an assignment and then abandon it and give another assignment. It almost seemed as if she felt blogs take time to be developed and continuously nurtured.
In the second part of her blog is based on a task that was given by a fellow educator named Silvia Tolisano for anyone who was willing. The task was for teachers to identify quality blog post and comments. The point of the task is to give a better understanding of blogging to teachers in order for them to help their students. The project has allowed for Silvia to break down to teachers how to evaluate and help students to improve their quality of blogging. I checked out Silvia's own blog where she was working on the guide to help teacher's learn about blogging for their students. Stepping It Up-Learning About Blogs for Your Students, is actually a really good guide. I feel that it could actually be useful for those in EDM310.My Response
I really enjoyed this post. Since I am currently in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama I am having to do a lot of blogging myself. Part of this class is to actually learn how to write a quality blog post as well quality comment. I found your post quite useful and I visited the link you included for Silvia's blog. I was very impressed and I plan to use it for future reference.
-Constance Dixon
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Blog Assignment 4
Podcasting
Podcasting is a very new concept to me and I have been having some trouble with it. I feel though that it is a very good tool for in the classroom. On Langwitches - Pocasting With 1st Grade; it gave a walk through on how a teacher utilized podcasting with her students. I was very impressed with the fact that the children had a script that was related to the chapters that they were learning. In the podcast the students were learning information as they were doing their recordings on the chapter for the rest of the students to hear. After all of the work was put together the learning was reinforced as they listened to the final piece. I loved the fact that the students became more involved with their learning, and this was made possible through podcasting.
I found the video, How To Create A Podcast, helpful too. The information was very straightforward in how to create a podcast. This video also gave some tips on using the podcast, such as taking out the background noise. I did in to some trouble when trying to follow the instructions exactly as they had been given. I ran in to the issue of my computer not having an ,"export button", for placing the MP3 application in to the Audacity plug-in folder. Overall I was very pleased with this video.
In the video, The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, I felt it strange to think that I was what they referred to as a "Millenial". I was never introduced to podcasting until college. As well as not being introduced to it until later on in my educational life it is more or just a term for me since I have never had a professor that used it. I do feel that it is an important tool and that students should not go through the majority of their schooling not being introduced to it. It benefits students in so many ways. This video used the example of a student being sick and having the opportunity to view podcast.In doing so she was still able obtain the information from class preventing her from falling behind. Podcasting can also give students a sense of creativity if they are being allowed to create the script and podcast for certain classroom lectures. They are having to so the research in order to be able to create the podcast as well as the other students are able to use it in their learning process. As mentioned in this video podcasting is considered to be in the upper level of Bloom's Taxonomy. This means students are learning higher levels of thinking skills. There are endless possibilities to using podcast inside the classroom.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Blog Assignment 3
Part1
I included a link to a slide show that we were to watch this week on peer editing Tutorial Peer Editing
Part 2
Technology in Special Ed.
I really enjoyed watching the video Technology in Special Education. I am working on getting my degree in Secondary Special Education. This video allowed me to really see that life can be so much easier for these students to communicate. When you have a child in your classroom that can not verbally express themselves it can not only be difficult for the teacher to understand them, but it can also be frustrating for the students. For example, in the video Chris started of using a pad that had the alphabet on it and he had to point to letters in order to form words. With Chris's computer he was able to more easily express things that he wanted to say.
Some teachers may not understand how this video relates to them . The truth is this video can be an eye opener to all teachers. If these students with special needs can more easily communicate and learn with technology think about what an average student is capable of. As teachers we sometimes do not consider how capable our students are. Their minds are developing daily whether they are two or 12 and whether they are an advanced student or have autism.
iPad Helps a Child with Autism
The video titled How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism was very touching. Children with Autism can have difficulty focusing and if they are not interested in an activity it can sometimes be very difficult to have them to complete the activity. I have actually taught a student at the daycare center that I work for he had Fragile X. Most children with Fragile X will also have Autism as well. My student taught me so much about learning to have patience. For me to think that there are programs out there; such as the ones that Braden was using, that could benefit children like the little boy that I taught is such a blessing and excites me as well.
I really like that the programs that were used such as Toddler Counting and My First Words. These programs give the child immediate response and reinforces what they are learning. Braden was so excited when he would say or do something correctly. To see a student light up when they have accomplished something should be the highlight of a teacher's as well as a parent's day.
Social Media Count
The Social Media Counter was really fun to watch. As a future educator it makes me think how many of those items that were shared on Facebook were students in middle school and high school; however I wonder why blogging is not more used. I also wonder how many of the SMS messages that are being sent are from kids talking to their friends. The world uses so much technology and we are not even aware of it. Why is that? Why are we not promoting more usage of technology inside the classroom?
I had a thought when I was watching the Social Media Counter. As college students we see and hear about all the drama on Facebook. Now think about your future students that will be using Facebook. Instead of students spending so much time on Facebook pouring out their heart on social drama why as educators do we not encourage them to have a blog that they do as a school assignment. We could monitor it but at the same time you give them assignments that they will enjoy writing about. We give them an outlet to express them self in an educational way. I am not saying it would eliminate Facebook nor do I want it to. I am just saying students would have a positive way to express themselves.
Michael Wesch
The video titled,A Vision of Students Today, was a real eye opener. The facts that the students presented are very true once you think about it. When I go into my larger classes I see so many students that are on their laptops and not taking notes. Instead of taking notes the are on Facebook, watching YouTube, or playing games.I can completely understand why. It becomes really hard to stay awake in these classrooms where the teachers just talk or present Power Points. For the most part the ones that present the Power Points read straight off of them and then post them for all the students to view. In the minds of most students why pay attention or even show up if I can just read the notes on my own time.
In college we are suppose to be learning and preparing ourselves for the career path we have chosen. What are we truly learning by sitting in front of a teacher who is just talking. We should be receiving assignments that truly make us think and grow towards the careers we have chosen. No matter the age of the student teachers need to be more involved whether it is giving us projects to assist in our learning or introducing us to the technology to help us teach ourselves.
Since the videos that we watched this week focused a lot on Special Education and Technology I found this really neat pie graph. This shows the different percentages of children that are in Special Education. Citizen Joe, where I found the chart has many more as well as some very interesting facts.
I included a link to a slide show that we were to watch this week on peer editing Tutorial Peer Editing
Part 2
Technology in Special Ed.
I really enjoyed watching the video Technology in Special Education. I am working on getting my degree in Secondary Special Education. This video allowed me to really see that life can be so much easier for these students to communicate. When you have a child in your classroom that can not verbally express themselves it can not only be difficult for the teacher to understand them, but it can also be frustrating for the students. For example, in the video Chris started of using a pad that had the alphabet on it and he had to point to letters in order to form words. With Chris's computer he was able to more easily express things that he wanted to say.
Some teachers may not understand how this video relates to them . The truth is this video can be an eye opener to all teachers. If these students with special needs can more easily communicate and learn with technology think about what an average student is capable of. As teachers we sometimes do not consider how capable our students are. Their minds are developing daily whether they are two or 12 and whether they are an advanced student or have autism.
iPad Helps a Child with Autism
The video titled How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism was very touching. Children with Autism can have difficulty focusing and if they are not interested in an activity it can sometimes be very difficult to have them to complete the activity. I have actually taught a student at the daycare center that I work for he had Fragile X. Most children with Fragile X will also have Autism as well. My student taught me so much about learning to have patience. For me to think that there are programs out there; such as the ones that Braden was using, that could benefit children like the little boy that I taught is such a blessing and excites me as well.
I really like that the programs that were used such as Toddler Counting and My First Words. These programs give the child immediate response and reinforces what they are learning. Braden was so excited when he would say or do something correctly. To see a student light up when they have accomplished something should be the highlight of a teacher's as well as a parent's day.
Social Media Count
The Social Media Counter was really fun to watch. As a future educator it makes me think how many of those items that were shared on Facebook were students in middle school and high school; however I wonder why blogging is not more used. I also wonder how many of the SMS messages that are being sent are from kids talking to their friends. The world uses so much technology and we are not even aware of it. Why is that? Why are we not promoting more usage of technology inside the classroom?
I had a thought when I was watching the Social Media Counter. As college students we see and hear about all the drama on Facebook. Now think about your future students that will be using Facebook. Instead of students spending so much time on Facebook pouring out their heart on social drama why as educators do we not encourage them to have a blog that they do as a school assignment. We could monitor it but at the same time you give them assignments that they will enjoy writing about. We give them an outlet to express them self in an educational way. I am not saying it would eliminate Facebook nor do I want it to. I am just saying students would have a positive way to express themselves.
Michael Wesch
The video titled,A Vision of Students Today, was a real eye opener. The facts that the students presented are very true once you think about it. When I go into my larger classes I see so many students that are on their laptops and not taking notes. Instead of taking notes the are on Facebook, watching YouTube, or playing games.I can completely understand why. It becomes really hard to stay awake in these classrooms where the teachers just talk or present Power Points. For the most part the ones that present the Power Points read straight off of them and then post them for all the students to view. In the minds of most students why pay attention or even show up if I can just read the notes on my own time.
In college we are suppose to be learning and preparing ourselves for the career path we have chosen. What are we truly learning by sitting in front of a teacher who is just talking. We should be receiving assignments that truly make us think and grow towards the careers we have chosen. No matter the age of the student teachers need to be more involved whether it is giving us projects to assist in our learning or introducing us to the technology to help us teach ourselves.
Since the videos that we watched this week focused a lot on Special Education and Technology I found this really neat pie graph. This shows the different percentages of children that are in Special Education. Citizen Joe, where I found the chart has many more as well as some very interesting facts.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
C4T#1 Blog Assignment
First Blog
Teacher's blog.
Martha Yim's blog post on January 21, 2012, titled Art in Motion-Hippie Man is actually a video on the final editing of a new technology feature that she enabled in her classroom, with the help of some very smart kids. The video is actually of students creating a project out of construction paper. The finished project is of an outdoor scene with grass, a van/bus on a road, and a man (hippie). The interesting part of this is that the video is it was sped up from its normal speed (noted in a previous blog). At the end of the video you see all the elements come together and what looks like the man (hippie) walking down the road.
In order to create the different videos and projects Martha Yim and her students came up with a way to hang an IPad from the ceiling in their classroom. They came up with the idea of placing the IPad in a gallon size zip-lock bag. The zip-lock bag was cut away around the camera lens. Then all the corners had curly ribbon tied to then and then the ribbon was tied to a hook that was attached to the ceiling. The students were then allowed to to help create their video masterpieces.
My comment
Martha,
My name is Constance I enjoyed watching the video made by you and your students. I am currently enrolled in EDM310 at South Alabama. This class is actually teaching future educators to use more technology inside the classroom. We are learning to complete assignments similar to what you had your students create. I was wondering was it difficult for your students to learn how to speed up and edit the video? I was asking because I would love to use this idea in my classroom one day. I am including my twitter address as well as the URL to my blog for EDM310. My twitter is @constance_dixon . My EDM310 blog is Constance Dixon's EDM310 Blog
Second Blog
Teacher's Blog
The blog is titled "A stroll through England," on January 13, 2012 Martha Yim had her students blogging with another class located in the United Kingdom. She then had her students use Google Maps to be able to view the area which her class's fellow bloggers lived. She also used Google's finance converter to show the difference in currency. The also talked about the continent as well as the time zone. The students were able to better grasp the geography of the country and a better understanding of the cultural differences. I included a picture below that the students could view on One World Nations Online
My comment
The concept of this project is a really interesting one. It seems that it would really help to explain the differences in culture. I love this idea for a history class. I actually played with a few of the links that you posted they were really fun to play with. Have you used this idea for any other project besides this one?
Teacher's blog.
Martha Yim's blog post on January 21, 2012, titled Art in Motion-Hippie Man is actually a video on the final editing of a new technology feature that she enabled in her classroom, with the help of some very smart kids. The video is actually of students creating a project out of construction paper. The finished project is of an outdoor scene with grass, a van/bus on a road, and a man (hippie). The interesting part of this is that the video is it was sped up from its normal speed (noted in a previous blog). At the end of the video you see all the elements come together and what looks like the man (hippie) walking down the road.
In order to create the different videos and projects Martha Yim and her students came up with a way to hang an IPad from the ceiling in their classroom. They came up with the idea of placing the IPad in a gallon size zip-lock bag. The zip-lock bag was cut away around the camera lens. Then all the corners had curly ribbon tied to then and then the ribbon was tied to a hook that was attached to the ceiling. The students were then allowed to to help create their video masterpieces.
My comment
Martha,
My name is Constance I enjoyed watching the video made by you and your students. I am currently enrolled in EDM310 at South Alabama. This class is actually teaching future educators to use more technology inside the classroom. We are learning to complete assignments similar to what you had your students create. I was wondering was it difficult for your students to learn how to speed up and edit the video? I was asking because I would love to use this idea in my classroom one day. I am including my twitter address as well as the URL to my blog for EDM310. My twitter is @constance_dixon . My EDM310 blog is Constance Dixon's EDM310 Blog
Second Blog
Teacher's Blog
The blog is titled "A stroll through England," on January 13, 2012 Martha Yim had her students blogging with another class located in the United Kingdom. She then had her students use Google Maps to be able to view the area which her class's fellow bloggers lived. She also used Google's finance converter to show the difference in currency. The also talked about the continent as well as the time zone. The students were able to better grasp the geography of the country and a better understanding of the cultural differences. I included a picture below that the students could view on One World Nations Online
My comment
The concept of this project is a really interesting one. It seems that it would really help to explain the differences in culture. I love this idea for a history class. I actually played with a few of the links that you posted they were really fun to play with. Have you used this idea for any other project besides this one?
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