Kyan's Post Kyan' Story about Room 7's Experiment on Volcanic Eruption! This was a very cute video of how the class did this experiment. Kyan did a very good job on explaining the steps of the project, but he was a little hard to hear, I believe he was a bit shy. For his age however, it was a very good effort at using the web to share the class' experience with the volcano experiment. I feel like that if someone Kyan's age can do something like a youtube video, I should be able to do it with just as much ease, and without fear!
This is How We Dream part 1 and 2: I enjoyed listening to Dr. Miller and what he had to say about the new direction of learning and working. I agree with his that it is so important that we embrace the technology that the internet has to offer, but at the same time I have to be honest and say that it scares me, and I'm sure others feel the same way. Computers today are able to do so much more than many users never imagined was possible. I love using my computer and exploring the internet and it's innovative tools everyday, but I am also intimidated by the fact that my computer is definitely much smarter than me! I want to be able to use internet and media in my future classroom everyday if i can, but first I have to overcome my fear of the system. I have so many questions about computers that I don't know where to start, and I always fear that, in this growing age of technology , my students will know more than I will, and they will actually be the ones teaching me. I'm glad to be able to take a class such as EDM310 now so that I can get my feel wet before I enter the classroom so that I will be aware of what tools are available on the internet to use and share with my students. This is How We Dream Part 2:
The Networked Student:
The facts in this video gave me chills all over! The Networked student seems to only need a teacher to oversee their work, but not to actually teach them the subject matter. The teacher of a networked student is there to teach the how to use the network part, not so much the actual lesson being taught. I can't say enough how amazing it is to see what a powerful tool the internet and computers have come to be! Though it scares me a bit to imagine that in as few as 5 years all my future students could come to solely rely on the internet as their teacher and just ask me for help on how to use it, I am still quite eager to become a teacher. I feel like as a teacher of the networked student I would be a tour guide for students entering the future of the planet. Though the internet would be the main source for scholarly knowledge, I would be the tour guide, if you will, to their success. That feeling is the most incredible feeling of all! I couldn't be more encourage, nor my confidence boosted more without the help of videos like this and a class offered to me such as EDM310. The fact that Mrs. Drexler is going to try this concept of learning with her students in the Fall is awesome I and hope that it goes exceptionally well. I believe that the internet and using media in the classroom is a great way to help get students motivated in today's world. Due to the fact that young people have so much easy access to computers when they are at home these days, it would be hard to believe that they would not want to have access to such an incredible tool while they were at school too, only to find out about how much more it has to offer educationally when they were in the classroom.
My current PLN is a very basic one that pretty much sums up my day-to-day life currently. I used Portaportal to help me categorize what I do daily and it allowed me to post the links to my most used websites to see it visually. It turns out that a PLN is like a personal mapping device so that the user can prioritize what they need to get done, or to use to see what they are currently getting done. For myself, I have websites such as Facebook, Blogger, South Alabama, and a few craft websites listed. I do my school work right now as what I would consider my full-time job, and then when I'm done with my work for the day I relax with a craft, baking a dish, or socialize with friends. So for me, my PLN includes my job, and my hobbies. I have also included Dr. Paige Baggett's blog in my PLN because she was a former instructor of mine, and because she was very influential to me. She has helped me in so many ways to build wonderful ideas of ways I can incorporate art into the everyday classroom. i love art so much, it is such a huge part of my life, and with what I have learned from her I am so much more eager to use art in my future classroom with students of any age! I plan on using my PLN more and more to map out the road of my educator career!
C4K #1 post: I was assigned the blog of Leopold Primary School for my C4K post. The children of this Australian classroom are so adorable and eager to learn! I enjoyed watching the podcast they used to make their origami boxes, and even made one myself! Podcasting is a great tool for the classroom at any grade level, and these students were all able to work as a group to produce beautiful origami art boxes. It was very enjoyable to learn from students younger than me, and I learned a few tips on using podcast in the everyday class agenda. Who knew that I didn't have to be the teacher all the time, and I can simply implement a podcast for instruction on how to make an origami box if I myself do not know how to explain it to my students?! 2KM at Leopold Primary School
"No More Moas" by Duncan Scott I really enjoyed this podcast! I loved the added animation and photos of the students sharing the book. I learned what a Moa was and how they went extinct 500 years ago. I also remembered after watching the podcast that the Moa was featured on a TV show I watched this year called "Destination Truth" on the Syfy channel! It's such a small world, it really is. The students did a great job describing the book in a very clear way, that anyone could understand outside of New Zealand. Their accent is one that is very heavy, and is sometimes spoken in a way that is mumbled, making it one that can be hard to translate. This podcast was done very well, and the story shared was very interesting.
This one was a bit harder to understand. I got that this book was also about a bird, but I really had to rely more on the pictures in this podcast. Again, I state that the animations are a big help, and I believe they would be a great way to help in motivating students to watch podcasts of all types.
"Duster" This was another well done podcast! The girls were better at annunciation, and therefore I was able to understand the podcast better. I believe it is very important for clarity of words when creating a podcast even if video is available in case there is a problem after publishing. If nothing works but the audio after publishing, a student listening would be able to clearly hear what is going on in the podcast. I really enjoyed the story of "Duster" and the pictures included were great!
"Getting Board" These kids have all produced such interesting and cool podcast! The photos are great because I feel like I know them after watching each one. I really enjoyed the images from David Hill's book "Getting Board" because they reminded me of the way Roald Dahl illustrates his books. This story was very cute and would be one that I would recommend to my students at this reading level.
"The Archway Arrow" This podcast was another one that was hard to understand without the pictures. It seems that the girls in the New Zealand 5 year class had a harder time enunciating in a way that the podcast came out clear enough for anyone to fully understand the broadcast. The pictures truly helped me to get the full timeline of events in the story. All of these podcast, however, were very fun to watch and would be a great way to encourage a class to read then share their book over a podcast!
Smartboards: http://interactivewhiteboards.blogspot.com/ This was the blog I found that seemed to be pro-smartboards. I really have only heard good things about interactive white boards up until this assignment. I love that technology is being used in the classrooms, and I disagree with The Innovative Educator Blog because I feel like technology and spending money on it is what it is going to take to get our students to learn these days. It is very unfortunate, don't get me wrong, but it is what we as teachers have to face today. As technology moves forward growing more and more popular by the SECOND, even us teachers have to accept the newest gadgets. As far as I'm concerned I love the smartboards because they are a way to get students' attention. "hey kids look at this...isn't this neat?". The smartboard and Prometheus boards can do so much, and come with so much pre-loaded teacher friendly stuff that I only see it as a perk, and a great addition to any classroom. I also disagree with Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards. I feel very strongly that buying an interactive whiteboard is just as bad as going out and buying a whole schlew of computers for your classroom, only to then have to worry about regulating what students watch, wonder if you bought the right ones, and worry about how much money you spent! If a teacher just buys an interactive whiteboard, then the class can rely on the teacher to access the podcast, and class-oriented/appropriate websites and be worry-free. Now, also an interactive whiteboard is going to be like any other developing technological product; by this I mean they are going to have bugs, glitches, and won't be what every teacher wants it to be, until the newer model comes out. But, let's face it, technology develops in this way everywhere!! Look at the iPod, it started big and bulky, then went smaller, and again smaller, then bigger again, then skinny, then touch screen, and then finally turned into a PAD and/or a PHONE! Technology changes so fast that I feel like it is unfair to judge a product until either improvements are made to it (which seems like a sure thing to happen), or until another product is designed to replace it.
C4T comment: I'm hesitant to comment on this day's post, because I am some what uncertain as to what is the goal of the discoveries you post. I know that today's post was about a science web-site, but are these discoveries one's that you hope to have your students use, or ones that will be used by you? I did however enjoy the 25 apps to boost your productivity site. I'm always in need of help in that field. I do say I love that you share so many different websites in one day's post, it's nice to have a variety. Please be sure to check out my blog for my EDM310 class through the University of South Alabama on June 30th.
Chipper and Dummies: These movies were very fun to watch! Chipper made me laugh because I have sometimes felt the same way as she did since the beginning of the class, but I have pushed through it. EDM for Dummies was funny too, but honestly I have learned quite a large amount of information on my own; so much that it even surprised me! I am really enjoying the class, and if I were to make a movie I would want to do it about the positive side of the way this class is taught.
All about podcast: Eagle Nest Radio I was very impressed with this podcast. I congratulate the 3rd grade class for speaking so clearly during their broadcast. I know when I have to record something for an audience I get very nervous (view my book reading above)! After listening to this broadcast it made creating a podcast seem much easier to me than before. When I heard the term or the first time, I thought a podcast was something that was only created by the professionals and it had to be okay-ed by Apple. I really enjoyed listening to this 3rd grade class. They did a great job teaching about Ancient Rome using only words. I was easily able to create a picture in my head of the Colosseum, and the old aqueducts. Overall this podcast was done exceptionally well!
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom: Wow! I never realized that podcasting is a really great way of using higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy pyramid in the classroom. I just never thought of the connection. This video was really helpful in describing some of the many ways podcasting can be used in the classroom. Podcast are not only teacher friendly, but student friendly too. I have stated before my concern for technology in the classroom dissolving the need for a school building all together, but I feel better about podcasting in/outside the classroom. In the video was the scenario of the girl missing school due to illness, but since her teacher broadcast his class lectures on itunes, she didn't fall behind from missing class. I also like knowing that podcasting is also very much parent friendly and accessible so that they can hear what their students are learning if they chose to. 100 ways to use your ipod: This site was almost overwhelmingly informative! I think I now know everything there is to know about podcast and more. It never did occur to me to use my smartphone (iphone) for things other than email, youtube, facebook, and of course the occasional phone call. Ever since I have started using iTunes I never once have investigated the world of podcasting. It is a very cool way of broadcasting information in a radio-clear format without the need for radio-wave (i.e FM and AM or a boom-box/stereo at all). New technology like podcasting really makes me feel old, but it is still very exciting and I'm very eager to use it in my future classroom! The Education Podcast Network: This is the first podcast website I didn't really enjoy. However there were many many podcast available to listen too, some were not appropriate for classroom use, except for maybe at the college level. It is good to know though that there are websites like these dedicated to podcast of all sorts. This website would be like a database of podcast, or like an encyclopedia of podcast. Its a good idea to have websites like these to make podcast easy to access outside of a program like iTunes. I truly have learned so much about podcasting through all these websites and feel educated enough with them to go ahead and create my own at anytime!
The iSchool, however innovative it may seem, is also very hard to consider to replace everything in a school system. I understand saving paper and going green, that's all very awesome, but I don't think that the size of the system should be that of the iTouch. I know for me that it becomes very frustrating at times to have to zoom-in on my smartphone's screen, or even sometimes just get out my laptop to save my eyes from strain. I think a iPad-sized screen to a 8 1/2" x 11"-sized device that has this iSchool system installed would be taken too much better. I am in agreement with Travis that the iSchool system is one that would benifit the WHOLE school, and that it is something that would maximize our use of technology. Something like the iSchool could possibly eliminate lockers, backpacks, and even classroom shelving, but at the same time I think that couldn't something like this also eliminate the need for the school building itself?! If the teacher had so much accessibility to her students, classes could potentially go soley internet-based, and the classroom would be a mythological place. This brings me to say that the iSchool is a very neat idea, however in Travis' description I feel like it would be a replacement for school, and I believe we need to be able to learn subjects in ways that are in conjunction with technology and not learn soley through technology. Technology is a tool for our students, but I'm not so sure it should be a replacement for school.
Lost Generation
AWESOME video! I feel like this is a neat use of poetry-like writing, and I really thought it was neat how it could be read in reverse. I hated hearing it at first because I feel like the statement is a truth about our developing world and upcoming generations, but it gave me chills that the piece could be read in reverse to give the listener peace, and a glimpse of hope. I must say that this video was very well done, and a great use of technology, however I didn't really feel like it had much to do with incorporating technology into the classroom.
Virtual Choir Totally incredible! That performance was mind blowing, and how it was done, even more so amazing! Going against my previous statement about the iSchool, I think i would be alright with seeing music being taught using only technology. These people were able to work together over the web to produce a beautiful piece of music led by a conductor. I feel, however, that music is somewhat something that is more universal when it comes to learning how to preform it, and using it (i.e. singing). Now I know readers, you are probably thinking "you do know Anna, that not everyone can sing?", but I also feel like music is much more basic than say chemistry, or learning a foreign language. It seems to me that it wasn't too hard, for even such a large group such as in the video, to get together and sing in tune over the internet. I did enjoy seeing this use of the internet though, and would show it to students of my own as an example of how very fortunate we are to have such incredible technology to use.
Don't teach your kids this stuff: Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He also is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation's only center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National School Boards Association. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues at dangerouslyirrelevant.org.
Dear Mr. McLeod, I really enjoyed reading this post, but I have to disagree with it. Students need to know what technology is out there for their disposal. The classroom, I believe isn't going anywhere, it's simply getting a makeover that will be a tremendous improvement for students of future generations. Technology I hope will only encourage our students to want to do more! I read your post for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and hope that you will check out my blog along with other students' in my class.
