Sunday, September 26, 2010
Blog Post Assignment #5
After viewing some of the suggested material covering podcasts, I came away with a number of ideas about how to create an effective podcast to enhance the learning experience for my students. I learned that podcasts could be used to effectively communicate with students outside of the classroom as well. It would allow students to catch up if they were absent from class or got behind in the lectures. Furthermore, the process in creating the podcasts would stimulate the student’s creativity. Students could actively participate in creating their own podcasts which would make learning fun for everyone. Next, I had an opportunity to actually view a podcast that was created by students. I thought it was very well done; the coordination and the editing of the podcast were right on point. Finally, I read about the article “100 Ways to use Your IPod and Study Better,” which was very informational. I didn’t know the iPod could be used in so many rewarding ways.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Blog Post Assignment 4
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please
I thought the way Dr. McLeod presented his argument in such a sarcastic way was very effective. In my opinion, many adults tend to focus on negative aspects of technology to keep their children away from it. For example, a parent may fear her child having a Facebook page because of the potential of meeting a sexual predator or a parent may not want their child to freely use the internet because they could be exposed to pornography. It’s only natural for parents to be protective of their children but there must be balance. In today’s world, the internet is at the center of everything. People shop, pay bills, take classes, and communicate through the internet every day. If a child is not exposed to the internet or not taught basic internet skills, that child will be severely behind in society. So then, when Dr. McLeod wrote “don't do teach them any of it 'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids, can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two.” That is to say, the parents who lag behind in teaching their kids internet skills will only hurt their child in the long run.
The iSchool Initiative
The iSchool Initiative is a very interesting concept although I think it will not work. First, I think it will be too costly to get it started. The school district would have to purchase enough devices for all students in the districts and may have to replace devices almost every year. Many students can’t properly take care of their textbooks; similarly, I don’t see that changing with an itouch device. Secondly, technology is great but replacing the physical textbook with an ebook would not be a good idea for students. Students would easily be distracted by other things on the device rather than actually reading the eBook. Finally, lack of software updates, program crashes, and other unforeseen things could once again put the education process behind if the devices were the only options. All in all, iSchool is a good concept but I think the concept overlooks many possible issues.
The Lost Generation
I am very confident that I will not live up to those statistics but the way our society is, it feels like my generation is really lost. In America, we spend more time trying to make a living than actually living. Personally, my life is going so fast because I am always so busy. Sometimes life feels like it’s only about making money and staying afloat. The truth is that without money, one could not have the best life or even live longer than someone who has money. Because of this, we tend to place more infancy on making money which creates many other problems. Overall I thought the presentation was very well crafted. I liked the dark background the text scrolling up versus scrolling down.
Eric's Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This performance of Lux Aurumque by a virtual choir of 185 people was completely amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before and it was surely a fascinating way to use the internet. I think the way they used the internet to create this production speaks volumes to what one could do with the internet. The possibilities are truly endless.
I thought the way Dr. McLeod presented his argument in such a sarcastic way was very effective. In my opinion, many adults tend to focus on negative aspects of technology to keep their children away from it. For example, a parent may fear her child having a Facebook page because of the potential of meeting a sexual predator or a parent may not want their child to freely use the internet because they could be exposed to pornography. It’s only natural for parents to be protective of their children but there must be balance. In today’s world, the internet is at the center of everything. People shop, pay bills, take classes, and communicate through the internet every day. If a child is not exposed to the internet or not taught basic internet skills, that child will be severely behind in society. So then, when Dr. McLeod wrote “don't do teach them any of it 'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids, can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two.” That is to say, the parents who lag behind in teaching their kids internet skills will only hurt their child in the long run.
The iSchool Initiative
The iSchool Initiative is a very interesting concept although I think it will not work. First, I think it will be too costly to get it started. The school district would have to purchase enough devices for all students in the districts and may have to replace devices almost every year. Many students can’t properly take care of their textbooks; similarly, I don’t see that changing with an itouch device. Secondly, technology is great but replacing the physical textbook with an ebook would not be a good idea for students. Students would easily be distracted by other things on the device rather than actually reading the eBook. Finally, lack of software updates, program crashes, and other unforeseen things could once again put the education process behind if the devices were the only options. All in all, iSchool is a good concept but I think the concept overlooks many possible issues.
The Lost Generation
I am very confident that I will not live up to those statistics but the way our society is, it feels like my generation is really lost. In America, we spend more time trying to make a living than actually living. Personally, my life is going so fast because I am always so busy. Sometimes life feels like it’s only about making money and staying afloat. The truth is that without money, one could not have the best life or even live longer than someone who has money. Because of this, we tend to place more infancy on making money which creates many other problems. Overall I thought the presentation was very well crafted. I liked the dark background the text scrolling up versus scrolling down.
Eric's Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This performance of Lux Aurumque by a virtual choir of 185 people was completely amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before and it was surely a fascinating way to use the internet. I think the way they used the internet to create this production speaks volumes to what one could do with the internet. The possibilities are truly endless.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
C4T Post
I had the pleasure of reading Larry Ferlazzo blog over the last two weeks. On August 29th, Mr. Ferlazzo made post about an organization planting trees at the World Trade Center site in memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The post was titled “Life Returns to Ground Zero 9/11” He added the article about this memorial to his list of “Best Sites to Teach About 9/11”. In short, I responded to his post by commenting that the entire concept of planting trees to represent those who died on 9/11 was a great symbolic idea. Most importantly, students learning about this project will discover the true meaning of a memorial and the impact the tragedy had on this country.
In the next post on September 12th, Mr. Ferlazzo made a post about class size. His comments were that a he has a large class in an IB class but if he had the same amount of students in his 9th grade English class, we would go nuts. My response was class size does matter, especially in secondary schools. Students would benefit from the smaller class size by getting more one on one time with the teacher. Furthermore, teachers could benefit because a smaller class would be easier to manage than a large class. Most importantly, college students are adults and are expected to be responsible, with that in mind I think the college student would be able to handle a large classroom.
In the next post on September 12th, Mr. Ferlazzo made a post about class size. His comments were that a he has a large class in an IB class but if he had the same amount of students in his 9th grade English class, we would go nuts. My response was class size does matter, especially in secondary schools. Students would benefit from the smaller class size by getting more one on one time with the teacher. Furthermore, teachers could benefit because a smaller class would be easier to manage than a large class. Most importantly, college students are adults and are expected to be responsible, with that in mind I think the college student would be able to handle a large classroom.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Blog Post Assignment 3
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I really liked the “A Vision of Students today” video; it’s almost a mirror image of my life. Well technically, the issues that that video discusses are what mostly all college students have to deal with. We have to be a multitasked to survive the college life. For example, I am a parent who goes to school full time and work 8 hours a day. I the video a student held up a sign stating that he only get 7 hours of sleep a night, in my world I average about 8 hours of sleep per night. Free time is almost non-existence in my world.
Another interesting point about the video is that it highlighted the fact that technology can sometimes be a disadvantage for the student because they use it the wrong way when in the classroom. For example, a student who brings a laptop to class but instead of using it to take notes, the student is on facebook on the laptop. I see these kinds of things all the time in class and it’s a shame because the student is wasting time and money. All in all, the video was well made and made some good points.
"It's Not About Technology" by Kelly Hines
I agree 100% that teachers must be perpetual learners. A teacher must learn new ways to convey the same message and expand beyond their subject area. A teacher should be able to make learning an enjoyable experience for the students and that means the teacher must be diverse. What may work for one class may not work the other class. Each student is different and each class is different so different approaches must be learned. Most importantly, one can never be too educated! In essence, there should never be a stopping point for a teacher, as society grows, the teacher must grow.
It’s very interesting that in the point that was made learning and teaching is not the same thing. Some teachers are experts on their material but are very dry when it comes to the students actually learning what they are teaching. So yes, teachers must know the difference between the two and must accept the fact that when students aren’t learning, maybe it’s not the students but the teacher’s way of teaching the subject. Likewise, technology is useless without good teachers. An effective teacher knows how to use technology to his/her advantage. On the other hand, an effective teacher will not take advantage of it or may let the technology do all the work instead of teaching, for example reading word for word from the PowerPoint.
Finally, being a 21century teacher without the technology is what all teachers in today’s world should be striving for. Some school districts are underfunded and don’t have the resources or capability to supply the classrooms with updated technology. In this case, a teacher must know how to take what is available and make it today’s material. As a result, the teacher will become and effective teacher because of her ability to relate to today’s generation of students.
Karl Fish: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher
I do not think it is extreme to compare a technology illiterate teacher of the 21st century to the equivalent of a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read or write. Teachers of the 21st century must be prepared to teach students of the 21st century. A large percentage of today’s students own personal computers and have in dept knowledge on how to use them.
A teacher who doesn’t know basic computer knowledge would become disconnected from her students because of the inability to relate. All in all, your post was excellent and very well written. I read your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class. Thank you for sharing your comments. Here is my blog http://reasetarvariesedm310.blogspot.com/
Gary Haynes Social Media Count
I think watching the social media count answers the question,”Should technology illiterate teachers be allowed to teach in the classroom?” Based on the socially media count, I think that answer has to be no. Everything we do in today’s world has some aspect of technology involved in it so as a teacher, I think it means that we have to remain up to date and up to speed on the latest technology to provide the most accurate and best learning experience for the students. A teacher who doesn’t know what an Ipad is, what blogs are, or even the knowledge of Facebook will have trouble relating to the students.
I really liked the “A Vision of Students today” video; it’s almost a mirror image of my life. Well technically, the issues that that video discusses are what mostly all college students have to deal with. We have to be a multitasked to survive the college life. For example, I am a parent who goes to school full time and work 8 hours a day. I the video a student held up a sign stating that he only get 7 hours of sleep a night, in my world I average about 8 hours of sleep per night. Free time is almost non-existence in my world.
Another interesting point about the video is that it highlighted the fact that technology can sometimes be a disadvantage for the student because they use it the wrong way when in the classroom. For example, a student who brings a laptop to class but instead of using it to take notes, the student is on facebook on the laptop. I see these kinds of things all the time in class and it’s a shame because the student is wasting time and money. All in all, the video was well made and made some good points.
"It's Not About Technology" by Kelly Hines
I agree 100% that teachers must be perpetual learners. A teacher must learn new ways to convey the same message and expand beyond their subject area. A teacher should be able to make learning an enjoyable experience for the students and that means the teacher must be diverse. What may work for one class may not work the other class. Each student is different and each class is different so different approaches must be learned. Most importantly, one can never be too educated! In essence, there should never be a stopping point for a teacher, as society grows, the teacher must grow.
It’s very interesting that in the point that was made learning and teaching is not the same thing. Some teachers are experts on their material but are very dry when it comes to the students actually learning what they are teaching. So yes, teachers must know the difference between the two and must accept the fact that when students aren’t learning, maybe it’s not the students but the teacher’s way of teaching the subject. Likewise, technology is useless without good teachers. An effective teacher knows how to use technology to his/her advantage. On the other hand, an effective teacher will not take advantage of it or may let the technology do all the work instead of teaching, for example reading word for word from the PowerPoint.
Finally, being a 21century teacher without the technology is what all teachers in today’s world should be striving for. Some school districts are underfunded and don’t have the resources or capability to supply the classrooms with updated technology. In this case, a teacher must know how to take what is available and make it today’s material. As a result, the teacher will become and effective teacher because of her ability to relate to today’s generation of students.
Karl Fish: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher
I do not think it is extreme to compare a technology illiterate teacher of the 21st century to the equivalent of a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read or write. Teachers of the 21st century must be prepared to teach students of the 21st century. A large percentage of today’s students own personal computers and have in dept knowledge on how to use them.
A teacher who doesn’t know basic computer knowledge would become disconnected from her students because of the inability to relate. All in all, your post was excellent and very well written. I read your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class. Thank you for sharing your comments. Here is my blog http://reasetarvariesedm310.blogspot.com/
Gary Haynes Social Media Count
I think watching the social media count answers the question,”Should technology illiterate teachers be allowed to teach in the classroom?” Based on the socially media count, I think that answer has to be no. Everything we do in today’s world has some aspect of technology involved in it so as a teacher, I think it means that we have to remain up to date and up to speed on the latest technology to provide the most accurate and best learning experience for the students. A teacher who doesn’t know what an Ipad is, what blogs are, or even the knowledge of Facebook will have trouble relating to the students.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Blog Post Assignment 2
Mr. Winkle Wakes was a very funny film that highlighted the issue of lack in technology in public schools. Two months ago I did an observation in a middle school classroom for a course I was taking over the summer semester. The first thing I observed in the classroom was the lack of technology and outdated text books. Most classrooms were only quipped with one computer, just like the video showed. I think this is a major problem for students and teachers. Most of these problems is because of lack of funding.
Most importantly, if classrooms continue to lag behind the United States will not be able to complete against other countries. Technology is changing quickly and students need to learn the latest information in order to be successful.
"Did you know 3.0" was a very informational video, I learned a lot of things that I actually did not know. One of the most interesting statistics was that China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. I had no idea that people in China spoke English so fluently, so to suggest that they would become the number one English speaking country in the world was rather shocking.
Next, 25% of India’s high IQ population is more than the entire United States population. This statics was already very interesting although it does not come as a surprise. I’ve always thought that people from India were highly intelligent, especially in the area of science and math but I had no idea how many extremely intelligent people populated the country. Finally, the fact that 1 out of 8 people who married in the United States last year met online. I think this stat will increase with time and as technology advance even more. I believe in 4 to 5 years that number may be 3 out of 8 people.
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts was an exceptional video that I totally agree with. I really liked the fact that each student had their own computer at their desk and they were given the freedom to explore the internet and incorporate the use of technology in their education. For instance, when the students were told to Google a word, students discovered how easy it was to have this information at their fingertips rather than having to flip through a book looking for it.
Secondly, I thought the interaction between the students and the teacher was amazing. The teacher made a great point that just because you don’t fully understand a subject, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taught. Both teacher and student benefits from this type of education where it’s not just teacher centered.
The Importance of Creatively was a very informational video that highlighted the lack of creativity in the public school system. Ken Robinson used a number of good examples but the one that was most interesting was about the girl who was drawing a picture of God. This was teaching moment for both student and teacher but the teacher failed to realize it. I believe if the same attention focused on the four major subjects is focused on creative subjects, students will enjoy school more. All students love some type of creativity no matter if it is art or music, children are fascinated by creativity. In some sense, the education system focus on creativity from K-3 but as students began to advance; less creatively is installed in the curriculum. The learning process is much more fulfilling for the student when the mind is stimulated through creatively.
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