What I Have Come Away With After EDM 310

Between my blog, the presentations we did, working in Google docs, the Comment for Kids assignments, and being introduced to Foliotek, I have truly come away with a substantial amount of new and useful information. I enjoyed the Comment for Kids assignments the most because I felt like I was really making a difference in those kids' days and their outlook on learning. My blog has actually been fun to keep up with and share my ideas and opinions. My very first podcast was created this semester and I must say I really enjoyed making it! At first I was a little nervous, but eventually I saw that these were useful because you can communicate and receive opinions on all different types of subjects. When I initially chose Education to be my major I did not think about how important the role of technology advances would play a part in it. Luckily, after taking this class I know the importance of it. It was extremely exciting to be able to skype with people and students around the globe! I really loved doing that and I feel like it was great motivation. I plan on researching new technology advances and sharing what I find on my blog. I will definitely keep that maintained so that I can continue to communicate with other students and helpful resources. I definitely feel like I am "tech literate" and I am thankful for that because initially I didn't even see the importance of it!

Important Things A Teacher Must Know!

Out of these three list, the two I found to be most important were Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers make with Technology and Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology. I chose these because Mr. Johnson brings up some excellent points and some good food for thought. You can check these lists out Here. Mr. Johnson basically points out seven stupid things teachers do with the access of technology. I agreed with the one about not backing up your data the most! Probably because I have made this mistake before myself. Also, he is right about teachers really needing to watch their students when they are working on the computer because kids will be kids and they do not need to be exposed to things they shouldn't be looking at.I also agree with the seventh one, that it is foolish to think that technology will go away.
According to the seven brilliant things teachers do with technology, kids can better channel their inner creativity and I am a big believer in this. I think that the use of computers is a very brilliant resource and it can only benefit the students. I also agree with the positivity of it putting kids in touch with people of other backgrounds and learning styles. This exposes the students to new ways of looking and comprehending things.

My Personal Learning Network (PLN) Project 6

Goodness, I have absolutely learned so much in this class. My opinion about the importance of technology has changed tremendously! In this EDM class the most frequent form of technology I have used has been my blog! I have enjoyed posting my opinions of others' work's and also having them share their opinions with me! To be given the chance to communicate with people around the globe such as Mr. Dale, meet with a class of kids from Auckland, New Zealand, and meet a very smart little girl named Kaia and her father could not have been done without the use of technology advances. I am happy I got to share my thoughts with others about these experiences through my blog. When I become a teacher I would definitely like to incorporate the use of a class blog and I will continue to blog my opinions in the future. I encourage others to do the same. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to watch all of the great videos posted by Mr. Wesch and also to get to view the wonderful web page created by Dr. Alice Christie to name just a few. You can view all the wonderful videos and also my reactions to those videos Here! Your opinions and comments are always welcome!

Project 11 Presentation

My project 11 presentation was done with my classmate LaChandra Lett and we focused on the ever popular debate: Tech Literate Teachers vs. Non-Tech Literate Teachers. During this presentation we talked and reinforced the fact that our school and education systems are changing and that teachers need to be the first to recognize and adjust so that they and their students will benefit rather than fall behind. We put up a few background slides made on Google Documents Presentation and talked about each of the slides which were titled: Benefits of Tech Literate Teachers and Possible Reason Someone Might Not Be Willing to Update Technologically. We then discussed all aspects of why or why not a teachers would decide to become or not to become tech literate. I think we and the class found that there really is not going to be much of a choice for our teaching generation, we all need to face the fact that technology will be prevelant in our society and most likely in our classrooms.

At the Teacher's Desk

Wow, I found at the teachers desk to be an extremely useful source! Here teachers can share ideas and collaborate with each other. You can check it out for yourself Here!

This website is very useful and seems to be a good place to turn to for information, insight, or a helpful hint. The information is easily obtained and it really seems like they are truly there to help if you need assistance with anything, especially any technical assistance. All teachers should partake in this especially if they are not exactly tech savvy, because this sight really seems like it could help turn that around and benefit the teachers and the students.

I thought the part about the Banning Pencils and Crayons to be interesting...or a bit scary! :) All in all what I found at The Teacher's Desk was positive and something I will refer back to for sure!

Michael Wesch: Toward a New Future of Whatever

This video by Michael Wesch, once again, was very interesting to me and I could really relate to what he was saying. You can watch it HereHis idea, and what he says energizes him, is the idea of Media Ecology. This says that media mediates our conversations and I agree. Television and the way people speak on television directly influence our culture and even our everyday lives, at least mine anyway. MTV was a great example because this type of television definitely influenced my youth and many of my friends' youth. My college experience is similar to what he describes, I thought the brief history of whatever was funny and it was true although it took me a minute to really let all the meanings of the different time periods set in. He makes great points and good examples. I think everyone should give it a listen.

Why Is It So Important to Post Your Work?

Posting your work is so beneficial to everyone that is involved. I think that there is a lot of importance and a lot to be gained from posting your own work and having others post their work. I can give four great examples of what I am talking about:




The first is a site by Dr. Alice Christie. You can view this site Click Here. This site was extremely useful to me as I explored all she had to offer. She is respectable because she has been in the field of educating for forty years! Now, I personally need advice sometimes and this site is perfect. She really is able to communicate with all kinds of people from actual teachers to students who plan to become teachers just through the thoughts and words she has made available through her blog. It provided resources on educational technology, web design, photography, her research publications, and even gives workshops to meet your specific needs. This is definitely an awesome resource to have.



My second example is of a school from New York City with an awesome children's chorus. You can check this out Click Here. This chorus, PS22, actually re-did Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and made a video and posted it. Fleetwood Mac's tour manager Stevie Nick's caught wind of the video and actually invited the chorus to sing the song at their next show in Madison Square Garden! I found this to be so interesting and exciting! The power of blogging is unlimited and this is evident that everyone should be proud of their work and post it because you never know who is watching and where it may take you!



My third example is from the video by Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today. You can watch it yourself Here. In this video my eyes really opened to how students, I included, really are without really realizing the importance of it. I think many students just accept the way they are because of their age bracket and that they should just sit back and do nothing. In reality we really have a lot more say than we willingly acknowledge and I think we should all recognize this. One example from the video is the money wasted on text books. I think that students can influence a putting a stop to this tremendously. This video impacted me and I would have never seen it had Mr. Wesch not posted it and made it available to me.



And lastly, I really think Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was such a good assignment and blog to explore. This was truly my favorite assignment to watch. You can watch it Here He was a definite inspiration and his work definitely needed to be posted and heard around the world. The quotes here are so inspiring and can truly help if you need an extra boost of encouragement. This would not have been available to me halfway around the world and I would never have even known that Randy Pausch even existed if his work had not been posted. To me, it is very important to post your work because you never know who it is helping, inspiring, or benefiting.

Believing, Inventing, and Implementing Technological Pedagogies

I read the post by Anthony Capps and really respect his opinions on the subject. He really seems to know alot about this subject and his views on media production. You can check out more of what Mr. Capps has to say Click here

ALEX

The Alabama Learning exchange (ALEX) website, is very intriguing. The substantial amounts of information available to the classroom and to the teachers is absolutely remarkable! It is very simple to use and includes things such as classroom lesson plans and podcasting material. All you have to do is simply select which grade and which subject and lesson plan ideas are made available to you. This aids in benefiting the teacher as well as the students.

The site allows you to participate more actively with the Personal Workspace Option. Here you can set up an account and participate and interact more closely with the site. The ALEX site is genius for teachers and can be of tremendous help.

Dear Kaia

I really thought the blog post by Dr. Chamberlain was interesting and can really appreciate the passion and enthusiasm that my instructors have for what they teach. I plan to be just as passionate so my students will be involved also. The video on Kaia was so cute and such a great idea.Click here to see!

I thought it was so cool that Dr. Chamberlain took the video and made it into a voice thread! He also explains to listeners how they can create voice threads. The father of Kaia did have some concerns, which were understandable, because obviously this video is made available to everyone around the world. However, it is safe and this little girl has a very bright future ahead of her!

MIT New Media Project

MIT's Comparative Media Studies Program has a new research project called Project New Media Literacies. This project is designed to examine the most effective ways to teach students how to posses the appropriate skills they need to keep up with our ever changing media world. The position the group is standing behind and perhaps whats most important to them is that we all get a good understanding of the skills it takes to be literate in this world of technology advances.

New Media Skills

This video by the NML staff Click hereis full of information that makes the viewer think. I believe these new media skills are valuable and should definitely be put to use! I believe that everyone especially students should recognize, appreciate, and utilize these skills!

Most of the technology advances that I use are things such as laptops, ipods, and of course my cell phone. Personally, I value multitasking, visualization, and judgment. These are all most definitely the 21st century skills that will be needed to be effective artists, workers, and even citizens.

I imagine that as I get older and farther into my profession, I will acquire the other skills listed because I will definitely make it a point to keep up with new ways of learning and embrace new technology that will help me along my way.

The Networked Student

Click here The Networked Student is certainly interesting. I think that the learning world for students could very well be like this in the future. I believe that this is what we need to prepare for because this is going to be the best way for everybody to learn.

As for teaching goes, this video only proves that we better be ready because our 21st century students are going to be expecting that we know, and are current in, the latest technologies and information.

I think that students do need teachers and guidance because we need to be the ones to teach them how to communicate effectively and organize important information. Although information is made available to them at anytime and at anyplace, students still need teachers to help them utilize this information in the most effective way possible.

How we dream Parts 1 and 2

In part one, Click here Mr. Miller gave us information on his likes and dislikes in the world of accessing information. There were tons of online resources that I didn't know about that are available on the web. It is great that so many teachers are dedicated and taking the time to explore these options to not only benefit themselves, but for the benefit of their students.

Richard Miller explained that research is now less fundamental, more incremental, and definitely more visual. It is great that teachers are recognizing this and realizing that this is how our young generation learns and this is how information is made interesting to us.

Part two was definitely interesting to me. The way in which we communicate with each other, learn new material, and get the motivation to look up new material is all electronic now. I agree with Mr. Miller that this is the best and soon will be the only way to keep up with the ever growing population around us.

Ipods in Instruction

Using Ipods in instruction at Duke is an excellent idea in my opinion. I think we should all have to do this! It is super convenient for students and can be used to hear lectures and do assignments electronically! This could really catch on, I think the concept of renting and returning could really take off and should be an option here at South! Here is the link so you can check it out and read more. Click here

Ipods can be useful in classrooms and also to school faculty and staff members! Robert Craven, the education technology coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education in California shares his opinions on the significance and importance that ipods in the classroom can have. He explains that administrators can point out development activities, record meetings, and even keep contact information on all students, faculty members, and local businesses. But, he says, the real benefit of incorporating ipods in the classrooms will benefit the students. To read more Click here

All About iTunes University

iTunes University Click here is very interesting and I actually learned alot about it while doing this assignment. iTunes University makes it easier for students to learn while living also fulfilling their other priorities. If students need information then it is made available to them free anytime, anywhere. You can imaging how convenient this is to students especially as our lives become more hectic.

Hours of spending time daydreaming in a classroom while time is wasting and nothing is being recalled is reduced at iTunes. Students can download whatever they need to their ipod or iphone and listen to the information whenever and wherever it will be most convenient and probably most beneficial to them.

What I learned from Dr. Alice Christie

On Dr. Christie's website Click here there are many tips and tools that can be useful to any teacher. My favorite part of the website, and the one that I thought could be really useful to teachers, was her digital camera project ideas. These ideas can be really useful to not only teachers, but also students.

She organizes this part of her website by listing the ideas and also giving a photographic link. Her ideas are great and include using images in multimedia presentations to introduce students to new subjects, taking videos and pictures of class field trips, and recording new experiences such as community service projects so that the students can reflect on them. These are all great ideas because students are interested in stuff like this and being able to watch themselves later on a digital recording may motivate them a little more!

Comment4kids Week 4

I loved listening to Lisa's story about the beach! He was very descriptive and good at storytelling. He used the word "idyllic" in the story a couple times which is a word I think he learned while participating in this assignment! Very creative I must say!

Comment4kids Week 3

On this post I commented on a child named Ray's blog. He described his favorite superhero as being red and yellow so I immediately thought Superman of course! Hope I was right! He was very good at descriptive writing in my opinion!

Comment4kids Week 2

Mrs. Kathy Cassidy's Classroom blog was terrific! She has a very creative and enthusiastic class. I commented on a picture they took of some of the kids standing on a monkey bar type piece of playground equipment. The question under the picture asked "What types of patterns do you see in the picture"? There were tons of course with the lines of the steps and the colors of the playground itself. Very nice!