Sunday, January 31, 2010

Week 3

The first Podcast I listened to was the Smartboard Lessons. They had a great idea on this one about how to use movies in math. This idea could be very helpful to students and teachers. Not only will it make lessons easier for teachers to teach, but it will also make it more fun and interesting for students.


In the Kid Cast podcast they evaluated the pros and cons of video and audio podcasts. While video podcasts are more ideal for visual learners, audio podcasts are perfect for people who want to listen while driving. I believe that it is a personal choice for the watcher/listener and that they both have positive and negative aspects.

In Connect Learning they talked aboiut the different ways that podcasting can be helpful in the classroom. If a child misses school one day, the teacher can communicate with the parents via podcast and let them know the assignments that need to be made up. Also, teachers can put homework and project assignments in podcasts to help parents to stay imformed about their children.

Macbreak was the most informative and professional of all the podcasts I watched. The different AT&T technologies were all very interesting. My favorite episode was about the iPad. I liked that this particular podcast used music also.

I did NOT enjoy the This Week in Photography podcast! I am very visual learner with a severe case of ADD haha and for me to keep my focus in an audio podcast is very difficult. I cound it to be very boring and poorly recorded. The audio was not all the same volume which made it very frustrating to listen to.

Overall I do not think that podcasting is for me. Yes, there are some very good aspects of podcasting and they can be very useful but, I don't think that I would voluntarily watch and/or listsen to them.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Week 2

A Vision of Students Today
I completely agree with the information used in this video! I can honestly say that half of my professors from college don't know my name, that I spend outrageous amounts of money on textbooks (most of which are not needed) and that I have had probably 300 classmates that have paid for class and never showed up. I agree with the conclusion that chalkboards have had little to no impact on the advancement of education. The Smart Boards used in classrooms today are a perfect example of how much technology has furthered the opportunity for education.

The expenses that were used a examples in this video (tuition, books, laptops, etc.) are a perfect display of why people are so in debt when they graduate college. I would love to make a survey of all the questions used in this video. If distributed evenly throughout different colleges in our university, I believe that our results would be frighteningly close to those at Kansas State University. I really enjoyed this video.

"It's Not About the Technology"
This text is 100% correct to me. I do believe that all successful teacher should be able to teach their students under any circumstances with using whatever tools are available. Smart boards and computers are only good tools for learning if they are put in the hands of innovative teachers. They should not only be able to use these sources of technology, but they should able to apply them in ways that are helpful to the furthering of a child's education.

Teachers have to commit to continuing their knowledge in accordance with the advances in technology. Also, they must be able to use these advances in a creative and innovative way that will grasp the attention of the their students. For teachers that do all of these things, technology can do amazing things. However, Kelly Hines is correct that the teachers who don't, technology is useless

Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I believe that number one on Fisch's list is a much needed for all educators in today's society. Though I feel like teachers should be able to teach without the help of technology, I believe strongly that technology can make a huge impact on the way that children learn. Though technology is not a necessity in classrooms, it is part of our society today and teachers should not only know how to use technology, but they should be able to teach their students how to use it. I also agree completely with his statement in number two that "
People who do not meet the criterion of #1 should be embarrassed, not proud, to say so in public."

"We should stop being so nice. After all, we've got our qualifications and jobs, and we don't have the moral right to sit placidly on the sidelines whilst some educators are potentially jeopardizing the chances of our youngsters." This statement is very true to me. The futures of the young people in our country are at risk when teachers are not preparing them for the technology that they will be faced with. Having little knowledge of technology today can affect their potential of job opportunities in the future.


Gary's Social Media Count
The rate that these numbers are moving at is mind blowing! Having a chance to look at how much email, SMS messaging, Facebook, Twitter and so many more technological products are used per second is absolutely fascinating! The plus side to this as a teacher is that while all of these people are using so much technology, it makes it easier for them to create new technology. The more technology that is created can only be used for the better in classrooms.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Week 1

Did You Know? 3.0
The Did You Know? 3.0 video was very interesting to me in several ways. The first thing that really caught my attention was the ever ascending population of the world. In the beginning of the video, when it stated that China has 1,300 times the population of the U.S., my attention was grabbed. It fascinated me that in a five minute span that 395 babies were born in India.
Another point that caught my eye, was that in the U.S. it has been found that most people have had 10-14 jobs by the age of 38 and that 25% of all workers will keep their current job for less than a year. My mind really got turning when I realized that most the information I learned my freshmen year in college, is now outdated.
The most interesting part of this video to me was the different ways in which technology has advanced in the past twenty years. The internet reached 50 million users 19 times faster than the radio, and 6.5 times faster than the TV. The internet is responsible for one eighth of all marriages today.
This video was very, very interesting to me and I can not wait to see how the world advances in the next few years.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Matthew Needleman's use of still pictures to portray the image of the story of Mr. Winkle Wakes was perfect.
Through a mix of live photographs and animation, Needleman truly captured the meaning of this story.
Mr. Winkle Wakes confusion after his 100 year slumber truly shows us the ways in which the world has
advanced through technology and education. The reassuring part of this story is that no matter how much technology
and society change, the importance of education remains to be a vital part of the culture of the United States. That importance of education is the reason that these technological advances have been possible.

The Importance of Creativity

Your Students' Digital Smarts
I felt as though she truly wanted her students to learn how to successfully use the technology that has had such an
impact on our country as well as all countries throughout the world. She not only wanted them to know how to use this technology,
but she was very aware of the importance of the use of all forms of technology.
This video really made me want to be in Ms. Vicki Davis's class! While she was teaching the children about the uses and importance
of technology, she made it fun and enjoyable for her students. The Avatar project that the children were using in the video


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

First Post

This is my first post.