Short movie: Let's Dance Little Pookie/ Blog 4

TimeToast Timeline:


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!

Life Presentation and Blog Post 3

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.

Blog 2

A Vision of Students Today:

As I watched this video it reminded me of the "Did You Know" video from last week. It is sad to see that so many students are having to deal with problems they didn't create. As students we buy our textbooks every semester with the intentions that they will be read and used. It isn't far into the start of a semester that we then find out if that textbook will actually be used in the class or not. It seems to be that, by the video, that half of our purchased textbooks aren't used in the class, or they end up being useless to the individual's needs and interests.
This video also did a good job at informing people about how much we as technology users take technology for granted. I for example, just spent the amount of money it would take to purchase one PC and bought one Mac. My mom told me as we checked out that my purchase cost more than her dryer and washer, combined! The machine I bought is also much more intelligent than I'll ever be in my lifetime! My computer and all the technology I use everyday connects me to worlds I would otherwise probably never meet without its aid, yet at the same time (according to the video) the world still revolves quickly around us, and wars, riots, and falling/rising economies happen before our eyes. So the question here becomes "What can we do?" and I believe the only answer is to work with the technology we have before us to the best of our ability to continue to solve our world's issues. We have to join forces world-wide and use the resources we have to survive. Our classrooms need technology to keep students not only motivated, but also up to date on current events!

It's Not about the Technology:
I found this article to be very enlightening. I had never before thought about changing the way a teacher teaches their students on top of introducing new technology. Technology is not an effective tool if the students don't know how to use it towards or with the subject being taught. It really is and would be a waste of money for teachers to invest in computers and fancy internet-able white boards if the students don't know how to use them. It seems that technology will only be a benefit if students first are motivated to learn about a subject, then to learn about the technology available to further aid them in the subject.
Teachers too, will be learning as they teach about the corresponding technology available for school subjects, and that's GOOD! We as teachers need to learn with our students because it helps them to be motivated. Our students' future rests on how we are able to motivate them to learn not only the subjects but also the technology that makes the subject matter come to life. In the end it is imperative that our students have the knowledge to use the technology before money is spent on the technology!

Is it Okay To be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?:
This blog was very much an enjoyable read! I really liked the examples Karl Fisch used throughout his blog, such as "I can't imagine a parent saying "Oh, yeah, I never learned how to read" and being proud of it." This remark is so true. Technology is something that is knocking at our doorsteps, and it cannot go ignored. If we as humans don't use such an incredible tool that is so readily available to us, it will die out and will be lost and useless! If we ignore something so valuable technology then is a waste of money on a worldwide scale. Teachers should be encouraged that technology can aid in student's motivation to learn the subject matter that they need to succeed.


I think that according to this media clicker, technology is like a ticking-time-bomb! Technology is developing at a lightning fast speed, and again I mention how quickly we as teachers must jump on the technology band-wagon. It is imperative that we as teachers learn as much as we can about integrating technology into our lesson plans so that students can benefit from it as a very powerful learning tool.






C4T comment: Hello, again my name is Anna Dumas. I have been assigned to read for blog for 3 weeks and comment my thought for my EDM310 class with professor Dr. Strange and the University of South Alabama. I Really enjoyed exploring these websites. I actually had looked at the Bloom’s taxonomy website previously this year during an art class I took for elementary teachers! I really enjoyed the Vfolio website, because it was very new to me and we could all use some help when it comes to resumes. Knowing the right way to create a correctly done resume is a skill really known to very few people.
I also wanted to compliment you on how your blog is set up. It is very well organized, but fun and colorful at the same time. It is set up in a way that catches the readers eye and draws them in to explore the whole page. I look forward to reading more of your blogs, and be aware that I will be posting these comments in a post on my blog on June 30. Please feel free to explore my blog and our class’ blog which has a link on my blog page which i listed in the fill-in box. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and thoughts.

Introduction Blog

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Did You Know:

I was shocked by the information in this video! It is incredible to me how fast our planet's technology is growing. I was born in 1986 and can still remember my father bringing home one of the first Buick models with a key-less entry remote!
It seems to be that according to the video, if people do not jump on the technological "band wagon" then they will be lost, and left behind. I found it interesting that technology is moving forward at a rate that is faster than people can keep up with, and it will continue to move forward even if everyone isn't involved in the movement. I use the word movement because I feel like technology is quickly replacing traditional ways of living.
Mr. Winkle Wakes:

This video seems to be an anti-technology-in-schools clip. At the same time it goes back to what I said about the "Did You Know" video in that Mr. Winkle slept so long, and didn't pay attention to the developing technology around him that the new look of the world didn't sit well with him. In fact, Mr. Winkle was lost and confused when he woke; everything was a bit unsettling to him since technology had soared forward.
Again, I feel like if there is only a small portion of the population that chooses not to accept the developing technology, it will move forward anyway. It was only when Mr. Winkle went into the school without technology that he felt like things around him were normal. However it seems to me that the students in the classroom were bored without the integration of technology in their classroom. It seems like technology today is something that interest students and keeps them motivated.
Ken Robinson: "Creativity is as important as literacy." I agree with Ken's statement strongly, partially because I love art and seeing children create in their own way. I also have learned in some of my education classes so far that many students are more motivated to study a subject when arts and crafts of sorts are involved in the lesson.
Furthermore, I agree with Ken when he mentions that students are being taught away from creativity. In order to continue in art and creativity as a student goes through school one must continue to learn to develop their creative skills. Art skills builds on themselves just like subjects such as math, science, and history. It seems that schools seem to be less and less interested in integrating creativity in the classroom as students progress through the years because teachers feel that art is distracting or an activity done at a younger age. This is really upsetting to me because art is a wonderful way for students to express themselves and a great learning tool for many people who struggle with other means of learning such as through audio skills, or memorization.
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts video: I really enjoyed listening to this teacher, because I got the impression that she is learning right along with her students. She said that she didn't know everything there was to to know about the software she uses or the terms she uses, but she encourages her classes to help each other out. During the class everyone in it is learning. It was nice to her that Mrs. Davis at one point said that her students taught her about terraforming.
It seems to be a trend that when the teacher is learning along side students in early stages of schooling, the students are much more motivated to be engaged in the subject being taught. When you add creativity and projects that use more supplies that just paper sudents tend to be even more excited about the topic of discussion. With so much technology available to our students and schools today it is upsetting to not see more of it used in our classrooms worldwide.