Blog Post 5

"The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom"
This video gives great examples of how podcasts can be used in the classroom. Podcasting would be great in the classroom. Podcasting comes in handy when a student misses class. They can get on itunes or class blog to listen to the lecture that they missed. One student says "podcasts make learning fun." I agree. Using a podcast in the classroom allows variety and keeps the students interested. Podcasting is also great for parents. Parents can keep up with what is going on in their child's class.
"Eagles' Nest Radio and Class Blog"
I really enjoyed listening to the different podcasts. I love how the class made their podcast like a radio show. Using the podcast helps the kids be creative while still learning. After listening to these podcasts, I know that I want to try this in my classroom as well. Students' become more interested in learning if they are they ones teaching. This why podcast are very useful in the classroom.
"Langwitches"
I enjoyed listening to the first graders podcast. I think it is neat, that even at a young age, they are interested in doing something like this. Reading what the teacher blogged made the experience sound fun. This encourages me to do podcast in my classroom one day. The teacher pointed out that doing the podcast was a confidence booster for some kids. Students will forget about their shyness and want to be involved in recording the podcast. I thing it is neat they interviewed story characters. This is great way to get students interested in learning.

Blog Post 4

"Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff"
In this post Dr. McLeod is talking about a different usage for technology. Every other post or video that I have read or watched talks about the advantages of technology. Dr. McLeod is talking about the disadvantages. Some students will take advantage of all the usage fo technology. Students may begin to look at inappropriate things.

Dr. McLeod is and Associate Professor of Education Administrators at Iowa State University. He is also the Director of UCEA CASTLE. CASTLE stands for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Dr. McLeod is also co-creator of the "Did You Know (Shift Happens)" videos.

The iSchool Intiative (Mobile Learning)"
In this video, Travis a high school student talks about how his school is suffereing from some financial issues. Travis comes up with a solution. It is known as the iSchool Intiative. he explains that with the use of an itouch, students and schools can save up to $600. There are many different applications that can be used to help students.

I think that the iSchool is a great idea. It is a way to incorporate technology in the classroom. It also meets the needs of those students who still like to take notes. There are many advantages to having the iSchool. One thing that Travis pointed out is that there would be limited internet access. This would cut down on the inappropriate usage of the internet.

"The Lost Generation"
I have seen this video before, but when I first saw it I didn't really understand it. I thought it was cool because of the technique that was used. The video didn't really mean anything to me. Now that I have watched other videos on technolgy and read different post, this video makes sense. With the way technolgy is changing our future is changing. I definitely liked what the girl was saying when the video was in reverse.

"Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir"
I thought this video was very neat. It is amazing to know that with use of technolgy today, we can direct a virtual choir. What makes it even more amazing is the fact that these people have never performed together or met before this. This is why technology is so neat.

Additional Assignment #1

Google Squared is a great way to help students search the internet. Having the graph formation when searching allows for students to find things easier. Using Google Squared puts what you are searching for right in front you, instead of clicking on a link and searching some more. If students are writing reports, Google Squared would help them tremendously. Having the columns would help them find what they are looking for.
Wolfram Alpha is great tool for students to use also. No matter what you are searching for, Wolfram Alpha will be able to find it. This will be great for students to use to help with research projects or papers. Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine. using this will give you more information that a person will ever need.
I did not know about Google Squared or Wolfram Alpha before this assignment, but I wish I would have known about them. Both of these things would have helped me as a student writing papers and doing other projects. Now that I know about them, I will use them as a teacher. These will definitely help me when trying to teach.
The comments that were made about the "Did You Know" video did not alter thinking. Hearing what Dr. Strange had to say helped me understand the statistics. One thing that really confused me was that fact that China would become the #1 English speaking country in the world. This was kind of confusing at first, but now it makes sense. The reason why China will become the #1 English speaking country is because it's population is larger than the United States. Dr. Strange pointed it that "100% of the USA is still less than 25% of China speaking English.
I have learned from this video that when dealing with statistics, you must know all the information. I now understand the "Did You Know" video more because I understand that China's population is larger than the United States.

Presentation

Summary #1

In the first blog, one thing that really stood out was the video for Google. I am not familiar with many of the things Google has to offer. This video was helpful to let me know what all was out there. I also found the "How to start a PLN" video interesting. These videos will be useful in the classroom one day. They are very helpful right now as a student.
In the second blog, there were more videos that will be useful for the classroom. One that really stood out was the post about storytelling tools. This allows for the students to learn about technology, but still being creative at the same time. Using the Google Forms will definitely be helpful in the classroom one day. There were many different tips of how this can be used. It also would help me as a teacher be more organized. Also there was a video about how to use Google Docs. This is helpful to me as a student now. Learning how to use Google Docs now, will also help me in the classroom.

Blog Post 3

"A Vision of Student's Today"
This video definitely covers what my life is like as a college student. It covers what students today face extremely well. One thing that stood out, was the price students spend on textbooks. It is a frantic rush to get to the bookstore to purchase the books needed for the class, only to find out that you may open it twice the entire semester. If the book is only needed for a few things, then why do we have to buy them. With they way technology is increasing, isn't there some way to just put those few things online?

Another thing that really stood out was attendance. One girl held up a sheet of paper that read "My neighbor paid for class...but never comes". This is true about many large classes in college. Students never come, because often teachers do not take attendance. Yet these students always show up for test day. Also, students have to be multi-taskers. It seems like there are not enough hours in a day for a student to sleep, eat, work, study, and have a social life.

"It's not about the Technology"
The last videos that we have watched have been about technology. I agree that technology should be used more in schools today, but I also agree with Ms. Hines that it is not always about the technology. One thing that is pointed out in this blog is that "teachers are useless without good teaching." Teachers need to be willing to innovate in order to receive technology. One thing that really bothers me is SmartBoards. So many teachers are putting these in their classroom, but they do not understand how to use them. Most of the class time is wasted because the teacher is trying to learn how to use the smartboard. Teachers need prior training before having these put in their classroom.

Another key point is "learning and teaching are not the same thing." Ms. Hines gave a great example. If it is obvious that a student is not learning what is being taught, then a teacher should reconsider how he/she is teaching the lesson. This is where creativity comes in. Teachers could consider coming up with activities to make the lessons more interesting for students. Having the students engage in activities that are not always the same could always grab the attention span of the students who may be struggling.

"The Fischbowl: Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher"
Mr. Fisch points out in this post that it is not okay for teachers to be technologically illiterate. One statement he makes is, "If a teacher is not technologically literate -and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more- it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." This is so true. In today's society, a person cannot be very successful if they do not know how to use a computer. Teachers need to be willing to learn how to use technology and incorporate it in the classroom. Like Ms. Hines says, teachers do not have to know everything, they just need to be willing to learn.

I also agree with Mr. Fisch when he says that teachers already have a lot on their plate. Teachers and students can learn about technology together. This will also help the students learn different ways to use technology. This is also a great to use technology in the classroom. Mr. Fisch also points out, "you need to have continual learning, lifelong learning- for your students, or you will continue to teach your students how to be successful in an age that no longer exist." Like some of the videos have pointed out, teachers are preparing students for jobs that do not exist today. How can the teachers prepare these students if they are technologically illiterate?

"Gary Hayes Social Media Count"
It is so amazing to see how many times the social media changes. People do not realize how much time is spent on technological things. This is something that has never really crossed my mind. Many people now are spending all their time on the social network, Facebook. Within the last minute over 70,000 pictures have been uploaded to Facebook.

For my professional teaching career this means that technology will be easy to incorporate into my classroom. Many of the things shown in this count will be easy for my students to comprehend, since technology is such a major thing in everyone's life. This may not be necessarily true for some cases.

Blog Post 2

"Did You Know"
The "Did You Know" video shows are how technology changes not just over a decade, but how it has changed over the past 2 years. We obviously know this is true, but I do not think people realize how fast it changes. Technology has changed the way we communicate and the way students are taught.
This video points out that there are over 200 million registered users on MySpace. This means that if MySpace were to become a country, it would be the 5th largest in the world. Another way we communicate is through text messaging. The number of text messages sent and received in a day exceeds the amount of the population of the planet. I definitely contribute to this! Today students are being taught for jobs that do not even exist. This amazes me. And just think, that in 2 years all this information could change because technology will have changed once again.




"Mr. Winkle Wakes"
Mr. Winkle wakes is about Rip Van Winkle who awakes from is 100 year long slumber. He is very surprised when he wakes up because everything has changed. Nothing is like it was when he fell asleep. Mr. Winkle goes to an office building, hospital, and school. At the office building and hospital he notices all this technology. Mr. Winkle is overwhelmed and goes to a school, where absolutely nothing has changed.
This video is talking about how technology has improved places such as office buildings and hospitals, but schools really have not been affected. Students are still taking notes while their teacher lectures. This is how it has always been, and even with the advancement of technology, it seems like this is how it's always going to be. For certain students, this type of teaching is effective, but for most it is not. Mr. Winkle notices that there is a computer in the school, but he can tell it hasn't been used. This is how it is in most schools, there are computers, but they aren't being used.





"The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson points out in this video that creativity is just as important as literacy. He goes on to say that if children do not understand something, they will have go and say or do whatever. We must realize that children like to be creative and they are going to take that chance whenever they can. Robinson says that children are not afraid of being wrong, but as they get older, that fear of being wrong gets stronger. He goes on to say that we are educating people out of their creative capacities.
A simple way that educators squash creativity is by simply having a student copy the way the teacher has done something. Teachers should allow the students to create things in their own way. These days if students become fidgety in class, the are automatically assumed to ADD or ADHD. This may not be true, in some cases. That student just may be creative and their creativity is not being used. Teachers should allow more hand-on activities in the classroom instead of always lecturing. Doing more activities in the classroom may hold on student's attention better.

"Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts"
"Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" is about Vicki Davis, a teacher, who does exactly what the title says. She allows her students to use what ever type of technology they need in the classroom. She allows groups to teach the class. If she says a new term in the class, she expects her students to google the word to find out the meaning.
This style of teaching is useful then the lecturing style of teaching. With technology changing the way it is, students need to know how to use it. They cannot learn how to use technology if they are taking notes with pencil and paper. By using technology in school and using different programs and software, students can come into contact with other students from around the world.

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