Project 11- iTunes U

I really enjoyed learning about i-Tunes U! It is absolutely amazing how much technology has changed in the recent years! I mean who ever knew that you could download your professor's lecture and watch/listen to it on your iPod or iPhone! It is so neat that you can listen to a lecture while you are working out or running errands! Even when you are sick you can go to iTunes U and listen to the lecture while laying in bed!! I think the use of iTunes U is definitely growing but, I do not think that some classes should go strictly to this use because I know that with me, I wouldn't really watch the lectures daily like I'm supposed to. Personally I do better in a classroom and not working from a computer all day every day. If you are interested in our project you can click on it below!!

Podcast On Smart Phones

Click here if you would like to listen to our podcast comparing smart phones being used today!

Good Bye For Now!!

Well the semester has finally come to an end!!! I have enjoyed being in this class with Dr. Strange and each of my classmates! I look forward to seeing everyone in class while we finish our road to becoming a teacher!! I hope everyone does well on their exams and good luck with school!!!!! Have a Happy Holiday Season!!!

Summary of EDM310

I really enjoyed this semester with this class. I was a little skeptic at the beginning because I thought I was technologically illiterate...Well I was wrong! I have learned so much in this class and it will definitely follow me for my remaining years at South and into my many years of teaching I have ahead of me!

I enjoyed getting to know how to do a blog and I enjoyed everything I learned from my blogs but some weeks it felt like I couldn't finish because there was so much! But fortunately everything has been finished!!

There really isn't anything that I wanted to learn that I did not learn in this class! It was very thorough!

I didn't really enjoy doing things like Wiki but I did enjoy learning how to do podcasts and blogs.

This class did excite me because I was learning new things. I liked it because I was learning how to do stuff that will help me become an effective teacher.

I found the amount of work we had to be challenging but I did not find anything to be "intellectually challenging."

The only time I was bored in class were the days that I over slept during my nap and was still groggy when I got to class! And that can be corrected by me being responsible and going to bed the night before at a decent hour!

The only thing I would change about this course might be the course load, but I'm a little biased because there isn't a single assignment that I would want to take back!

I am technologically literate at this point but I would say I was at a some or medium level. But, I will keep learning so that by the time I am a teacher, I will be at the level of good or great.

I will maintain my level and try to improve my technological literacy by keeping up with my blog and keeping up with Dr. Strange's blog and the other professional blogs we have read this semester; especially At The Teacher's Desk.

7 Brilliant and Stupid Mistakes with Teachers and Technology

6. Ignoring the intrinsic interest of tech use in today's kids. Kids like technology. Not using it as a hook to motivate and interest them in their education is stupid.

I totally agree with this comment. I think that if a teacher uses technology to help motivate their students, then they are brilliant! I know that when I was in elementary and middle school, computers and technology weren't a big thing. These days however, every time one of my Professors uses technology in the classroom, it not only motivates me to pay more attention but it also helps me learn easier and quicker because I'm actually interested!


1. Empower kids with technology. Technology is an amplifier of natural abilities. Brilliant teachers see that good writers become better writers, good debaters become better debaters, good French speakers become better French speakers, good mathematical problem-solvers become better mathematical problem-solvers, and so on. by helping their students harness technology. They do not see technology as a crutch, but as a propellant. Brilliant teachers have experienced the empowering power of technology themselves. Brilliant teachers use good assessment strategies to rigorously determine the quality of technology-enhanced projects.

With this, I think that incorporating technology into the classroom is the best idea! Think about how much students' grades have improved with the new technological advance of the Smart Boards. Now more and more students are actually being able to work out different problems manually but in a new and cool way! I know that I think the Smart Boards are the coolest new invention since the cell phone! A brilliant teacher will come up with an activity, assignment, or project where technology can be used. Not just a power point project but there is so much more out there that students can use now!

If you are interested in reading about the 7 stupid mistakes a teacher can do with technology then click here
If you are interested in reading about the 7 brilliant things then click here
And if you are looking for some classroom rules, click here

At the Teacher's Desk

I really enjoyed this blog! I had no idea the statistics between boys and girls and I was definitely taken aback by these statistics! I especially enjoyed the blog about twittering. A junior high math teacher had been out sick and needed help after her students had finished the assignment for that day the day before. The co-worker quickly got on twitter and sent out a message for people to come up with ideas to help with probablity. It's absolutely amazing how many responses the teacher got and how quick they came! I never knew a social network could work this quickly and this effectively! It was also nice to see how willing one teacher was to help a co-worker and what's even better is how many people responded to help out a teacher they didn't even know!
I really feel like this could help me one day because I want to be a Math teacher. But not only for math teachers, this could help every single teacher no matter what the subject! It's also a fun way to find out different teachers ideas on how to teach something difficult like fractions or new ways to learn about the Civil War. I will definitely be using this blog later and especially when I am in the classroom. Honestly I have felt like Twitter was dumb and not for me, but after reading the blog on the teacher who was sick, it has totally opened my eyes and I might just have to give into the new technology phenomenon! To view "At The Teacher's Desk" click here

Toward a New Future of Whatever- Michael Wesch

I really enjoyed this video by Michael Wesch. It was very entertaining and light hearted; I actually found myself laughing out load!! I have never heard someone declare the 90's and today as the MTV generation but I totally agree with him. These days too many kids are spending more time in front of a TV and not enough time reading or doing school work. What's really bad is the kind of garbage these kids are watching!
I also liked all the different meanings of the word "whatever". I never knew there were different definitions but I think from now on I'll be a little more careful when using the word "whatever". I also liked the word "meh" because I know I definitely use it and I think I'm going to stop or find a better word!!
I agreed with Mr. Wesch when he said that today's kids are more miserable because they all think they are the next "American Idol" and when they find out that they aren't, they are shocked and upset. I also agreed with him when he compared his class to the audience and participants of the show American Idol. Why is it that we are so engaged in reality TV shows but in the classroom we are spacey and disengaged? I wish I knew the answer to this because in reality, this could really help me in school!!
When Mr. Wesch's class did a project on YouTube, they found that over 500,000 videos are uploaded a day! These videos can range from a viewing of a concert to your new baby being cute or even your dog doing tricks! Completely irrelevant videos but with just several viewings, these videos can become an overnight success! Overall this speech was very enlightening and witty. It definitely opened my eyes on what different words or letters(meh) can mean even when you don't mean it in that way and where our generation started from and unfortunately where we can be going! You can find this video by clicking here

Comments4Kids

I absolutely loved this project! It was so neat and interesting to view blogs of people from all over the world! The best thing about this project was the idea of how the children would feel when they saw that someone from the United States saw their blog and made a comment about it! I especially liked the videos of the students coming up with their own version of well known fairy tales like Goldie Locks and the Three Bears!! I hope that with the response these students received from reading, they will continue to read everyday! These children are so lucky that they have teachers who are introducing this to them at such a young age! These kids are and will be more technologically advanced then I can ever hope to be! Thank you Dr. Strange for introducing this project to us!

Why Publish Sudents' Work to the Web?

I think it is very important to publish your students' work to the web for several reasons:



Take me for example. I had no idea what a big network blogging was until I enrolled into this class! Before this class, I had only ever used Facebook as a network and with facebook, you can only keep in touch with people you are friends with. I have experienced many things in this class but what has really stuck with me is the face that I have connected with people from all over the world and with people that I don't know! It is absolutely amazing where blogging can take you!! You can look at my blog here




Another example would be a little girl who knows more about technology than I do! With little Kaia it turned out to be an extraordinary thing for her when her father decided to publish his daughters work on the web. With all of the posts and pictures Kaia and her father have uploaded it has connected Kaia with people from all over the world including our EDM class! To see her blog click here




A third example would be a project we did called Comments4Kids. I especially liked this project because we were able to connect with young students from all over the world! Just think about this, when a child posts a video of them reading a book in New Zealand and they find a post written from a teenager or a twenty-something year old in the United States, think of how excited they would feel! To me, this excitement could be enough to encourage these young students to keep reading and to keep uploading their videos on the internet. This is very important to me because I feel like too many kids these days aren't reading enough because more and more kids have TV's and such in their rooms and cars that it's hard to find a place to read these days! It is also important because it is making these students want to upload new and different things and it keeps them interested in new and exciting projects. To see an example of a blog, click here

ACCESS

The Alabama ACCESS Distance Learning Initiative was launched on November 1, 2004 by our Governor Bob Riley for classrooms, educators, and students statewide. It is used to help classrooms and teachers by use of technology. I like the idea of ACCESS because it provides "equal access to high quality instruction" which I believe is very important in the classroom. The idea of ACCESS is to help all students quality learning opportunities and I believe that this well help Alabama's public school system. According to the ACCESS website, there are four key concepts:
"• Rigorous Web-based and Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) courses taught by Alabama certified and highly qualified teachers
• A technical infrastructure to deliver approved Web-based courses and connect IVC labs via a statewide network
• Three regional support centers to hire, train, evaluate, and support e-teachers
• Statewide coordination, scheduling, and support for distance learning".
I believe these components will help many students who learn better by using technology. These key components can be found on ACCESS website if you click here

These objectives I obtained from the ACCESS website which you can find here
The objectives of this plan are as follows:
· Provide access to advanced diploma courses
· Provide access to additional course offerings
· Provide access to advanced placement or dual credit courses
· Provide access to remediation and supplemental resources
· Leverage existing resources and distance learning offerings
· Provide teachers with additional multimedia and technology tools to enhance instruction

ALEX

ALEX, an acronym for Alabama Learning Exchange, is a program developed by the State of Alabama's Department of Education to help teachers with all different sorts of things for their classrooms! You can do everything from looking up lesson plans to looking up Alabama Courses of Study(ALCOS). ALEX is such an amazing resource for teachers! It has many examples of lesson plans for every subject you study in school. There is also a tab called web links and it takes you to all sorts of links that are extremely valuable to all teachers. I liked the tab called Professional Learning because it sends you to a page where you can "find professional development opportunities, teaching and learning tools, the latest news, best practices and so much more!"

I think ALEX is such a great resource for all teachers and students who are in school learning how to be an effective teacher. Honestly I wish I had known about ALEX when I was creating my Teachers Portfolio last semester!! I looked up a lesson plan for third grade math for ideas to use with my third graders since they are having trouble in math and it actually helped a lot! This website was such a good idea to come up with and I plan on using it for the rest of my teaching career!!

You can look at the ALEX website by clicking here

The New Media Literacies

In this video, many literacy skills are discussed. I feel like every one of them is very important in today's world. I believe anyone using any type of technology in today's world, needs to possess if not all but at least most of these skills.

I think that each of these skills are very important not only when dealing with technology but in our every day life. I do believe that these skills are needed for the 21st century to be an effective artist, citizen, and worker. I possess several of these skills but the one I am probably most effective with would be multi-tasking. I am very good at that and sometime it gets me in some trouble!! The rests of the tasks that I do not possess will come to me with time and those things I will have to learn and explore for myself.

If you are interested in learning more, you can watch the video here

"The Networked Student" Wendy Drexler

Oh wow! This was definitely a new way of learning to me! I don't think I would ever like this form of learning because to be completely honest, I hate staring at a computer screen! It hurts my eyes and gives me a head ache!! I never knew that online classes could connect you with so many people and other networks! It is definitely a neat way to learn but, I don't feel like I could ever do it....So props to all of the students who are able to learn this way because it is definitely a cooler way to learn than sitting in a classroom!

I do agree with the question, "why do you even need a teacher?" I do agree with the answers to this question in the video but, I can also see the opposite answer. I don't necessarily understand why there needs to be a teacher when there can just be an instructor who uploads directions and such.

Although I have a different opinion on this form of learning, I still think it is really cool that technology has come this far and is helping so many students in a way that makes learning more fun. If you are interested in the Networked Student, you can watch the video here

"This Is How We Dream" Mr. Miller

In part one of Mr. Miller's lecture, he went over the fundamental changes in today's reading and writing culture. He spoke about how important books are but how easy it is to find them online. He also showed how easy it was to write an article on the tragic Virginia Tech murders. I also liked how he showed how easy it was to keep in touch with his colleagues and even family.

In part two, Mr. Miller discussed producing multimedia on the web. I like how he made a comment about how it is easier to get the full effect of a story when there are pictures or videos; for example the whale hunt in Alaska.

Although I learned a lot from watching both parts of this video, I don't necessarily agree with him. Call me old fashioned, but I still read books and go to book stores to buy books. I actually read every night before I go to bed!

You can find Mr. Miller's videos here

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I liked this video a lot. You can tell that Mrs. Davis is really interested in making sure her students succeed. She also makes it look easy to learn the new forms of technology that people are using these days. I also liked how she tells other teachers that they really don't need to know everything about what they are teaching before they teach it. She said its fun when the students can also teach the teacher.

I think that our EDM class is along the same lines as this classroom. I feel like Dr. Strange is teaching us this new technology in a way that makes it fun to learn and easy to want to incorporate into our own classrooms.

Sir Ken Robinson

I completely agree with Sir Ken Robinson. I think that creativity in education is very important. I feel like a student can't get a complete education without having their creativity challenged. I believe that art, chorus, band, drama, etc are very important in education. I agree with him when he said, "All kids have tremendous talents but we squander them." I feel like exploring your creativity is just as important as English and Math.

I had no idea how schools everywhere are downgrading these departments. I understand that some schools may not have the funds for these departments but I think it is extremely sad that some students will never have the opportunities to explore their creativity. A way to help with this, is to have the parents and faculty make it known how important it is to have a way for students to express themselves.

Kaia

I absolutely loved this blog. It its amazing how technologically advanced this little girl is. I love the fact that her father sits down with her and does this blog with her. It is such a bonding activity and very enjoyable to read. I especially loved the pictures that Kaia herself took and the commentary she had about each picture. Kaia has such a big future ahead of her and I look forward to checking back on her blog! You can find her blog here

I also enjoyed how Mr. Chamberlain's class did a video and a voice thread to Kaia since she cannot read yet. It was very thoughtful of them! Kaia I also LOVE your name especially how it means ocean!!!! It is such a beautiful name!!

Using iPods in Instruction

I had no idea how useful iPods really were until I did the research for this post. Honestly, the only reason I got an iPod was so that I could listen to music and lots of it! I had no idea that it could do everything from listening to music to recording a podcast! Using an iPod in a classroom can do anything from playing some music that goes along with your lesson, to playing Martin Luther King's "I have a dream..." speech in History class. Using iPod's in the classroom started off by students' being able to use them in music class. Then it was offered into the foreign language classrooms so that the students' could download their lessons. This would be especially helpful because when learning a foreign language, you must practice at home. By having your lesson downloaded onto your iPod, you have help with you at all times especially when learning how to pronounce a word.

Duke University was the first school to integrate iPods into the classroom. They were given a grant that gave every freshman a 20 gig iPod. The professors at Duke uploaded their class notes as well as lectures and made them available for the students to download onto their iPods. This would make it easier for students to study on the run especially if they have jobs! Unfortunately, select students decided to use their iPods for reasons different from educational purposes. Because of these students', only freshman students enrolled in music and foreign language classes are able to get an iPod. Such a shame because this really was a great idea.

I found this website to be very helpful in learning how to use iPods in the classroom. http://www.schoolcio.com/ShowArticle/1014

iTunes U

I never realized how much technology has really changed till viewing this site! Wow I guess I never realized how connected I was even though I have a cell phone, laptop, and an ipod and I have just never realized how much I can do! I really enjoyed exploring iTunes University because I think it is a great idea. I love the fact that Professors are uploading their lectures onto iTunes U so that their students aren't having to come to class so frequently. This is such a great idea because many Professors take role everyday and some don't even understand that emergencies sometimes happen and students' are unable to make it to class. With iTunes U, the students are able to watch the lecture from their place of choosing and are able to watch it more than once, which I know would really help me!

The only downfall I can find with teachers using iTunes U is do all of their students have access to iTunes? I only have access to it because I have an iPod but are teachers going to require their students to have an iPod or the iPhones? This can get a little pricey and a lot of students just don't have the funds for this. I think that iTunes U is a great idea and maybe if more and more teachers and schools are willing to participate in it, iPods can maybe be included in our tuition costs? I think this would make the best since but it will probably never happen!

Dr. Christie's Site

I found this website to be very useful. Dr. Christie knows a lot about technology and how to integrate it into the classroom. You can tell that she is very passionate about technology being in classrooms. I found this useful because as a student, we are learning how important it is to use technology in our classrooms and I am slowly learning how to do this so that I may be prepared for this integration when I enter the classroom. I found a lot of her articles she had posted very interesting. One in particular was "New Roles for Educators" by Margaret Johnson.

In this article, she talks about how important it is for technology to be integrated into our classrooms and how beneficial it will be to us as teachers as well as our students. One thing that was said in this article that really stuck with me was said by John Cotton Dana and he said "Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn." This is so true as a teacher because we are told on a daily basis that in being a teacher you must never stop learning. No teacher will be able to integrate technology into their classrooms and be beneficial to their students' if they are not willing to learn about it themselves.

"What I've Learned This Year'' by Mr. McClung

I really enjoyed this blog. Out of all the blogs we have read in this class, this one spoke to me the most. It helped me a lot because he explained everything that we are all about to go through our selves. No one knows what will happen in the classroom and when Mr. McClung said, "NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT" it really stuck with me. It's like when I'm with the 9 year olds I work with everyday, I try so hard to come up with ideas to help them and then when I explain it to them, something always goes wrong.

I also liked how no matter what topic he was talking about, his students' were always at the top of the list. As teachers, we do need to always keep our students' best interest on top because that is why we chose the career path we are in, we chose to become teachers so that we can make a difference. Well, if you don't have your students' best interest in mind, then how can you make a difference? I also liked how he said not to be afraid of technology. To be honest, I have been using computers for as long as I can remember and they still scare me! Thankfully with this semester, I am becoming a little less scared every week!

Some teachers have no idea how important it is to listen to your students. I had a teacher in high school who would listen to me and was always there for me whenever I needed to talk or just whenever. This woman is the reason I am in school to be a teacher. She had such a huge impact on my life that I want to someday return the favor and make a difference in someones life. I also agreed with Mr. McClung when he said that as teachers we must never stop learning. This is so true because if you just quit learning after you become a teacher, you're going to have some first grader show you up in class one day...how embarrassing!! I really enjoyed this blog and I feel like it will stick with me if not forever, then definitely until the last day of school of my first year!

Can you trust Wikipedia?

This topic was very interesting to me because I remember in high school when I would do research papers and my teachers would tell me that using Wikipedia was okay. Then when I became a senior, my teachers would say that we can use Wikipedia we just have to find another site with the same information. Then in college, every single one of my Professors told the class that we couldn't, under any circumstance, use Wikipedia. Now I understand why.

This is so weird and a little unnerving that anyone can go into WIkipedia and just change the information in it. I am now agreeing with everyone when they say that it is not a reliable source, it just happens to be the first source when you look something up in a search engine. I think it's completely shameful for someone to go in and change what Wikipedia says about something just because they don't like it or they want to enhance the image of the topic. As with the Wikipedia Scanner, I think it's a good idea to have because now you know when an entry in Wikipedia has been tampered with.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

I really enjoyed this video. I liked how Randy Pausch didn't let his cancer get to him or affect his job and daily life. He doesn't pity himself nor does he want people to pity him which was awe-inspiring. It was nice to finally watch a video or podcast that was interesting and had humor in it. I also liked the whole theme of the video, achieving child hood dreams. While he is talking, you can't help but feel inspired by him. He really makes me want to think way back when on what my child hood dreams were and to take every action in making them come true.

Randy Pausch's first child hood dream was being in zero gravity. At first it seemed so exciting because his group of students put together a proposal and won which meant that they were able to go on the "Vomit Comit." At this point I was so excited for him until he found out that faculty members are not allowed on the ride. When he is talking about not being able to go, he has a slide that is shown that has a picture of a brick wall and says, "Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things." This quote is so inspirational and so true. Then he lets us know a loop whole in the rules; he is a local journalist. Therefore, he is able to fly with the students which made me happy!

His next dream was being a professional football player in the NFL. Even though he was not able to play in the NFL, I liked how he talked about his old coach. It was funny when he was talking about how on the first day of football practice the coach didn't bring any footballs. The coach had told them that they would be learning the fundamentals. This is probably one of the smartest things I have heard in a while because it is so true. Before you can perform any type of task you must know the fundamentals of it so that you know how to perform the task and there is no way you can perfect the task. I also like how he said that if you are doing something wrong and no one is telling you what you are doing wrong, then they have given up on you, this is something that all teachers must remember. Another quote I liked in this video is when he says "experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."

My favorite dream of his was wanting to be a Disney Imagineer. I like this child hood dream because this would be my dream. I am absolutely obsessed with Disney and I think that it would be so cool to be able to come up with these dreams. It was funny when he compared his family vacation to Disney Land and he compared it to the movie National Lampoons Vacation! I can definitely compare to this because that is how my family vacations were.

Over all, I really enjoyed this movie and it really inspired me. I especially enjoyed some of the quotes he mentioned which I have written above. After this movie, I feel like no matter what happens in my life and no matter what obstacles I go through, I have to keep pushing and always have faith.

Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? by Karl Fisch

After reading Karl Fisch's blog about technologically illiterate teachers, I have to say that I somewhat agree with him. I somewhat agree with his 7 standards but he was a bit harsh on writing them. I definitely think he could have sent the same message without being so harsh and negative. I do not agree with his number 5 standard which says, "School inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment." To me, this doesn't seem fair because anyone who is an inspector has probably been in the school system for a while and haven't learned the technologies of today. I think instead of encouraging alternative employment, maybe have a seminar where the least technological staff members can learn about the technologies of today.

I also do not agree with the number 2 standard which says, "People who do not meet the criterion of #1[ All educators must achieve a basic level of technological capability] should be embarrassed, not proud, to say so in public." Don't get me wrong, I agree with standard number 1 because I think every employee should have a basic understanding of technology. However, I do not agree with how he thinks that the people who are technologically illiterate need to be embarrassed. Take me for example, I am technologically illiterate but I do have a basic understanding and I am not embarrassed at all.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

After reading this article, I agree with Kelly Hines about several points. When she says that it really doesn't matter how much technology is brought into a classroom or how much a student uses, it really doesn't matter unless something is being taught. If there isn't anything being taught, then how will a student learn?

I also agreed with her first point about how teachers must be learners also. To be a teacher, you must be willing to learn new things because there are always new things going on that could make your classroom better and help you become a more effective teacher. "Teachers today must be perpetual learners who are invested in their professions. We must be up to date on current trends, research and tools. We must know what our students are doing and where they are coming from when they enter our classrooms." I agree the most on this direct quote from the article because I feel like it sums it all up and shows you that as a teacher, you really need to be a learner.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

After watching this video, it made me start to think about the four years I have spent at South. I absolutely agree with the message this video is sending. In almost all of my core classes, I had Professors who didn't even want to learn their students' names. Thankfully in all of my education classes, each Professor has learned my name. It is also true that almost all students that bring their laptop to class are doing something other than classwork. This video really has captured my college experience, at least with the first two and a half years.

The only thing I would change about this video is change the person doing the recording. I literally felt a little light headed from watching it because towards the end, he/she was going so fast that I could barely read what was written on the pieces of paper. I think I would add a different type of music that doesn't sound like sci fi and spooky

Langwitches Blog

In this blog, I have learned how much technology has grown and how important it is to incorporate it in your classroom. There's a post about a third grade class that was studying endangered animals of Florida. In this class, the students used technology to learn more about their assigned animal and were able to make a difference by the knowledge they gained from doing research and by doing a podcast. The students not only learned about their animals, but were also able to work on how to do research and everything that goes into making a podcast, which means that this third grade class is more technologically advanced than me!

I also liked the blog titled "Internet Safety Workshop for Parents." I think that this blog was a good idea because many people are afraid of the Internet because sometimes information does get into the wrong hands. I thought that it was knowledgeable of the teacher to write this blog. Parents do need to realize that technology is growing and that their children will be learning about it and using it in the classroom so I think it would be a good idea for the parents to learn about it. That way they can make sure their children are being safe and learning everything that they can.

Tech Literate Teacher

I really liked this videocast because it seemed so laid back and not so formal, this made it easier to follow. I liked how the environment was more of an at home feeling rather than an office. It seemed that the four women really knew what they were discussing and it shows how much you really can learn this semester. I also liked how they make it known that as a teacher, you will never stop learning and to be an effective teacher, you must be willing to learn especially since technology is growing at an alarming rate. I also liked how they were able to connect many podcasts into one conversation.

What I would change about this videocast would be an equal amount of time for each person to speak. I felt like one of the women tried to run the conversation and that she didn't really allow enough time for someone else to answer and give their opinions on what they were talking about. I also feel like the women looked out of place and extremely nervous. But they could look nervous and not really talking because they can't find a place to come in.

Podcasts Reviews

The first podcast I listened to was Teaching With Smart Board episode 57. I enjoyed listening to this podcast because it went step by step on how to bring Smart Board into your Math lesson. I found this episode particularly interesting because I want to be a Math teacher. This podcast really sounded like the speakers knew what they were talking about. Especially in the beginning when Tony was talking about how to find the area of a trapezoid by using the Smart Board. I like this podcast because while the students are trying to find the area, they are able to come up to the Smart Board and try and figure the area out themselves. Using a Smart Board is a good idea with a Math lesson because it gets the entire class involved.

The next podcast I listened to was KidCast episode 58 by Dan Schmit. In this podcast, Dan Schmit talked about students and their podcasts. He talked about how most of the podcasts done by students were done because they were told to do it in their computer class. He says it seemed that the students only put forth the work that they needed and that they didn't really take the time to be creative and show that they wanted to do it and felt like they could learn from it. He also says that he wants the students to come up with a presentation and not just a slide show for example. He goes on to say that what the students should do is to have an extended academic conversation. The students should find an idea they are really interested in and do the research and make a presentation on it, this way it is something they are interested in and not something they have to do in class.

Third, I listened to EdTechTalk episode 159 by Paul Allison, Susan Ettenheim, and Thomas Locke. In this podcast, three Elementary Teachers from New York City are talking about a book by Suzie Bosk called "Reinventing Project Based Learning". I found this podcast difficult to listen to because I felt like I was listening to talk radio and it was really hard to understand. However, this book has really helped many teachers and it sounds really interesting to read.

Next I listened to MacBreak Weekly episode 154 "Graceful Degradation." He was accompanied by several men in this podcast. In this podcast, they are discussing everything Mac. This podcast also sounds like talk radio and in this podcast it seems to me that the men are talking more to hear their own voices rather than getting to the point. They do find ways to say "Apple", "Mac", and "I-Phones" several times. I didn't find this very interesting because it really seems like they are just catching up and never getting to the point.

Lastly, I listened to "This Week in Photography" episode 104. This also sounds like talk radio. I also feel like in this podcast they are talking just to talk. It is also very redundant. The people talking in this podcast spent time talking about audio books and all sorts of things that are not related to the topic so it was really hard to get into the podcast. They are all talking about buying a camera strap and are asking whether or not people really use the camera straps.

"Mr. Winkle Wakes"

In "Mr. Winkle Wakes", I believe that the clip is showing is how much technology has grown and changed in the past twenty or more years. I thought it made a valid point by saying that in every profession it has grown significantly yet it hasn't grown very much in the classrooms.
I believe that technology should be brought into the classroom because it helps students learn at their own pace and it would benefit them for their future. If technology has grown this much in the past ten years, think about what it will be like in the next five or ten years, probably unrecognizable!

"Did You Know?"

In "Did You Know" I thought it was a very interesting clip to watch. It showed me that the United States is not as technologically advanced as I thought. The fact that so many more people in other countries are growing so much faster than us, was definitely an eye opener.
It was also somewhat disturbing that so many other countries are so much more advanced than us. The fact that 25% of India's population is smarter than us was definitely weird to see. Even though you always hear that the United States is behind the times with other countries, it was just weird to see the statistics. It was also weird to see that people who are starting a four year institution will actually be behind, technologically, when they reach their third year than they would be their first year.

About Me!

Hey everyone! My name is Caroline Shedd and I am a senior at South Alabama! I am originally from Mobile and have pretty much come to the conclusion that I never want to leave! Four years ago I was supposed to go to Ole Miss, but my parents bribed me into staying home. They told me instead of going away for school, being six hours away from home, and living in a dorm with someone I have never met, I could live in an apartment in Mobile with my best friend. Obviously I picked South and have never once regretted it! My hobbies include reading, cooking, and working with kids.

Welcome to my blog!

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy it!