Podcast

Blog Assignment 5

I found this video on The Education Podcast Network. It is called "We Like Computers."


I love this video. These children are so cute. In the video they tell you different reasons why they love computers. It is amazing to me that these children know things about computers that I have never even heard of. I guess that means I have a lot more learning to do.



Another podcast I listened to can be found on the Eagles' Nest Radio & Class Blog. It is titled "Roamin' with the Ancient Romans." I loved this podcast as well. This podcast was only audio. I personally like the video podcasts better simply because you can see who is doing the talking. I like to see faces with voices. It helps me stay focused on what is being said. The children doing this podcast are very intelligent. They shared a lot of valuable information with their listeners. They also spoke very clearly.



I really enjoyed listening to a podcast found on Langwitches.I listened to a podcast made by third graders titled "Class episodes on Endangered and Threatened Animals in the State of Florida/USA." I love how these children used different sound effects. They added sound effects as well as changed their voices to emphasize what they were saying. I thought this was very clever. I am amazed by what these children are capable of.

Blog Assignment 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod, an Associate Professor at Iowa State University, is a wonderful, cleverly written poem about the use of technology in the classroom. I loved this poem. I agree with Dr. McLeod about using technology in the classroom. I think it can only benefit and enhance education. With everything, there are positives and negatives to kids using computers; however, I think it is essential in today's society. I think the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

The ISchool Initiative is a video by a high school student, Travis, who points out how much money schools could save by using an ITouch device by Apple. He averaged that schools could save around $600 per student buy using the ITouch versus paper, pencils, copy machines, books, etc. He also showed some of the apps available now that students can use and apps that should be created.
I like his idea. I think students would like it as well. Of course there is the money issue, but it would be a really cool thing for students, parents, and teachers to be able to use. I think it would make learning fun for students, and I also think it would help students to be more "technologically literate."



I really like how the negative statement in this video could be reversed to say a positive statement. I like how they tried to make their point, that we have a choice. I think this is a great video, and we all need to choose to not be a lost generation.



I think this is pretty awesome. Who knew something like this could be created on the internet? I sure didn't. It just goes to show you that there is a whole other way of doing everything now. I like it.

Additional Assignment #1

a. What are the educational implications of searches such as Google Squared provides?
Google Squared provides a bunch of different information on one page. This helps you to compare and contrast different aspects of different things.
b. What are the educational implications of searches such as WolframAlpha provides?
WolframAlpha provides you with many different pieces of information about whatever key word or phrase you type in. This would be helpful if you needed to know a bunch of different things about one certain thing.
c. Did you know about Google Squared before this assignment?
No.
d. Did you know about Wolfram Alpha before this assignment?
No.
e. Reread your comments about Did You Know. Have my comments altered your thinking about anything you saw, heard, read, or reported for the Did You Know assignment? If not, say so. If so, describe how in as much detail as necessary.
No, because I did not necessarily hone in on any of the statistics I heard. There were too many to really do that. I focused more on the big picture.
f. What did you learn from this exercise about how you react to and deal with "statistics"?
I have learned that you cannot always see the big picture when hearing a whole bunch of statistics. You need to research statistics and look at the big picture before you jump to conclusions about things.

My Pride and Joy

Blog Assignment 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today 
This video is pretty accurate. Of course, it cannot be entirely correct for any one person, but it does show a pretty good idea of how college really is for most students. I know I feel like I don’t have much free time between everything I have going on in my life. 
This is a basic break down of how my time is spent each week. I am taking five classes. I spend three hours driving to school and back four days a week. I spend two hours getting myself and my daughter ready to go each morning. I spend five and a half hours in the classroom. I spend about fifteen hours a week, maybe more, doing homework. I spend at least ten of those fifteen hours a week online. I work approximately thirty hours a week. I spend about two hours, sometimes more, each day cleaning, doing laundry, cooking, running errands, etc. So where is there time to spend with my family with all of this going on?  
"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines 
Hi Ms. Hines, 
I'm an Elementary Ed. major at the University of South Alabama. I'm currently in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class and one of our assignments is that we read your blog. I also believe that technology is useless without a great teacher who knows how to use the technology properly. I will be posting additional comments to my blog, which can be found at http://hamptonteriedm310fall2010.blogspot.com/ 
Teachers must definitely be learners. Everything is constantly changing, therefore we must constantly adapt. If teachers are not constantly learning new things and staying up to date, then how could we ever expect the children to? 
Teachers must be able to adapt to their students’ needs. If the child does not understand a certain concept, it is the teacher’s job to figure out a different way to approach the topic so that all of the children understand and learn what the teacher is teaching them. 
Technology is obviously important in today’s society, but I think a great teacher is more important than having the technology. A great teacher can figure out new ways to help students learn without having all the materials.  
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? 
I don’t think his statement was too extreme. I think he is right about technology being basically as important as reading and writing and that without being technologically literate it will become increasingly more difficult to be successful. Teachers have the responsibility to stay as up to date as possible so that they can teach the information to future generations. If teachers teach outdated material then they are setting up students for failure. 
I admit that right now I do not know a whole lot about technology, BUT that is why I am in school…to learn. I want to learn because I want to help my students be successful. I want to make a difference. It is a little overwhelming because there is so much to learn about technology, but I know if I take it step by step, I can learn a lot and stay somewhat up to date.  
Gary Hayes Social Media Count 
I believe that with so much new technology out there, I will have to constantly stay tuned in with all of the new changes in order to know what my students might possibly be doing. Not only that, but also to know what new things I can use in the classroom.

C4T #1

The teacher I was assigned is Larry Ferlazzo. Click here to read his blog.
In his first post that I commented on, he talked about the importance of building relationships with students.
In response, I commented the following:
Building positive relationships with students is extremely important. It not only helps build their trust and confidence in the teacher, but also creates an enjoyable environment for learning. I worked at a daycare a few summers ago. I had one student who always acted out. I saw his "cry for attention," and instead of punishing him, I showed him positive attention. I asked him questions and talked to him. He immediately warmed up to me, and I did not have any more problems with him the rest of the time I was his teacher.
In his second post that I commented on, he shared a wonderful link to a blog about What a good IEP looks like.... by Ira Socol. This blog post was wonderful and I encourage you to read it!
In response to this post, I commented the following:
As a future educator, I plan to use Ira's suggestions when I write IEP's. I agree with everything he had to say. I will definitely be sharing his post with fellow classmates and future colleagues. It is a shame that these things are being overlooked and nothing is being done about it. It is only these children's lives at stake. HELLO!

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know 3.0
I found this video very interesting. It is definitely an eye opener. It makes me want to learn as much as I possibly can about everything, not only technology. I used to think I was very intelligent. It seems as though every day I learn something new that I feel like I should have already known and that makes me feel very uneducated. I am sure I am not the only person who feels this way either. It is upsetting to me to think that in other countries there are most likely children who are more educated and advanced than I am, and I am in college.
I can honestly say I am NOT technologically literate. I want to be. I love to learn new things. I feel like one of the main reasons I am not technologically literate is lack of resources. Would it not be absolutely amazing if all students could have all the resources they needed in order to be technology literate? Unfortunately, due to the economy, it will most likely never happen. This is very upsetting to me because we will never know the things that we could be capable of if only we had the resources.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I think everyone should watch this video. People need to wake up and realize how big of a hindrance not having the proper technology in classrooms is. Children need access to computers and technology simply because when you get out in the “real world,” you have to be able to use computers and the latest technology in just about everything you do. If they don’t have access to these things they are already behind.
I am a parent, and I would do anything to help my child be as smart and as successful as she possibly could be. So my question is, why are we not doing everything we can to make sure our children and our future generations have the resources they need to be successful? That is the million dollar question. My only hope is that somehow we can correct this problem. How are we (America) supposed to thrive and be successful if we do not set future generations up for success?
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
This is a great video to watch as an aspiring teacher. It makes you think about things. He was right about how we would handle the girl who could not sit still today. That is very disturbing to me. As a parent and future teacher, I hope I do not squander my student’s creativity.
I know I might seem naive but I want to recognize all of my student’s different abilities and help build on them. I never want to lose sight of what is best for the children in my classroom. I want them to flourish. I hope that my passion to help these children be their best will be enough to actually succeed as a teacher and role model to these children.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
I wish I would have had a class like this in high school! That was pretty impressive. My computer class in high school basically taught us how to type. That was it. I love that she explores different technologies with her students.
To see this teacher going above and beyond to help her students learn is wonderful. This video made me want to challenge myself to do something as creative as this teacher did. I want to do things out of the realm of what you usually see and make students want to learn. I want them to love coming into my classroom.