Sunday, May 3, 2009
My EDM 310 Blog Assignments Are Now Complete
Well everyone, the time has come. I cant believe that its finally over. The blog is done. I hope that you all learned as much as I did this semester, and I dont think that this will be my last blog. Dr. Strange, if you read this, then thank you for teaching me so many things. Your class really is necessary for up and coming educators and technology is a very important part of the classroom. Some existing teachers should take your class.
Mandatory Blog
This semester, Ive learned so many things that I hadn't previously known about. First of all, I learned about blogging in general. I hadnt ever blogged before, and at first I hated it, but now Ive grown into it. I cant wait to incorporate blogs into my class.
I also learned about the many things that Google can do such as Google documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. As a English teacher, I cant see how much Id ever use those things, especially since I use Microsoft Office Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, but its always good to know new things.
I learned what that Picasa thing was on my computer, so that if I ever wanted to organize my pictures, I could use that.
Twitter was a large part of this semester. I had used it before, but never as a educational tool, and I definately plan on using twitter in my class. This is the one thing from this class that I feel that will definately grow and get bigger. The sky's the limit for Twitter.
Itunes was my favorite thing to learn about, especially the iTunesU. I use this to study for tests now, and this will become an intergral part of my classroom. Especially with the rapid influx of Apple products in our society.
One thing that I definatley would have liked to learn about was the Google Earth program. I hope that next years classes use it because it seems really cool.
Overall, I loved this class, and I learned alot about new technologies, and many new things about existing technologies.
I also learned about the many things that Google can do such as Google documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. As a English teacher, I cant see how much Id ever use those things, especially since I use Microsoft Office Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, but its always good to know new things.
I learned what that Picasa thing was on my computer, so that if I ever wanted to organize my pictures, I could use that.
Twitter was a large part of this semester. I had used it before, but never as a educational tool, and I definately plan on using twitter in my class. This is the one thing from this class that I feel that will definately grow and get bigger. The sky's the limit for Twitter.
Itunes was my favorite thing to learn about, especially the iTunesU. I use this to study for tests now, and this will become an intergral part of my classroom. Especially with the rapid influx of Apple products in our society.
One thing that I definatley would have liked to learn about was the Google Earth program. I hope that next years classes use it because it seems really cool.
Overall, I loved this class, and I learned alot about new technologies, and many new things about existing technologies.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Twitter!!!!!
Today I will be discussing a fad that's sweeping the nation, Twitter. I first found out about Twitter through the G4 network show Attack of the Show last year when it first came out. I then signed up for one and mostly followed sports networks and celebrities as a novelty. But recently, Twitter has shot up and become a phenomenon. I check my Twitter probably every hour, and I use my phone to do it also. I also have created a new Twitter account in order to use for this class. I use this account to follow educational things and people. I actually tweet about 3 times a day or if anything really cool is happening. I love Twitter and I hope it doesnt just fizzle out like other fad sites.
Other Podcasts
Today I had to listen to other students podcasts including my own and I mus say, that I'm very impressed.
First, I listened to my own. It was on the topic of Youtube in the classroom. I dont mean to sound arrogant, but I think that mine went great. We were down one man, but I feel like the two man podcast was the way to go because it had a conversational feel to it.I also listened to three other podcasts. And I think that every one was great.
The only areas for improvement would be to let everyone talk more. In every one that I listened to, including my own, it seemed as though one person flat-out dominated the conversation. So maybe groups could focus on spreading out the conversation also I'd lke to see them become 2person projects from now on. I feel as though that's the best way to do it.
First, I listened to my own. It was on the topic of Youtube in the classroom. I dont mean to sound arrogant, but I think that mine went great. We were down one man, but I feel like the two man podcast was the way to go because it had a conversational feel to it.I also listened to three other podcasts. And I think that every one was great.
The only areas for improvement would be to let everyone talk more. In every one that I listened to, including my own, it seemed as though one person flat-out dominated the conversation. So maybe groups could focus on spreading out the conversation also I'd lke to see them become 2person projects from now on. I feel as though that's the best way to do it.
Other People's Blog
Today, I looked at another person's blogs from my class. Looking at hers opened up my eyes to entirely different thought processes about certain things, especially when it comes to different ways to adopt technology in the classroom. Her posts were very well written and i thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
I hope that other people read my blogs too, and If they do, then I hope that my insights will enlighten them. I personally enjoyed the blog this semester although I would have liked to have more freedom to post what I wanted to it.
Overall, I would give Michelle's blog an A because it has been very well kept up and she really did a great job with the assignments. I really enjoyed reading her assignments and I can definately see that she learned a lot by doing them.
I hope that other people read my blogs too, and If they do, then I hope that my insights will enlighten them. I personally enjoyed the blog this semester although I would have liked to have more freedom to post what I wanted to it.
Overall, I would give Michelle's blog an A because it has been very well kept up and she really did a great job with the assignments. I really enjoyed reading her assignments and I can definately see that she learned a lot by doing them.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Your Mind: Use It Or Lose It.
Today, my assignment was to check out a Stanford video on ITunes called the Growth vs. Fixed Minds. It was a very interesting video that proposed the idea that your brain is a muscle and that it grows with use. They said that intelligence isn't a "fixed"trait and that anybody can be a genius. They said that some kids aren't as confident as others when they're answering questions because they feel "dumb" and they dont want to be teased by other students.
They broke kids into two groups, one group had the "growth" mindset and another group didn't. And of course, the group with the growth mindset did a lot better. They wanted to get into the kids heads that nobody's perfect, so we all make mistakes and that they have nothing to be ashamed of. They said something about race car drivers, but I didn't really get it.
As a teacher and even as a student, I realized that some kids just thought that they weren't smart so they gave up. A teacher should always remind students that they are all smart and nobody's better than anybody else, and I will always do that.
They broke kids into two groups, one group had the "growth" mindset and another group didn't. And of course, the group with the growth mindset did a lot better. They wanted to get into the kids heads that nobody's perfect, so we all make mistakes and that they have nothing to be ashamed of. They said something about race car drivers, but I didn't really get it.
As a teacher and even as a student, I realized that some kids just thought that they weren't smart so they gave up. A teacher should always remind students that they are all smart and nobody's better than anybody else, and I will always do that.
WGBH Video Podcast
This morning, I viewed a video podcast in Itunes's ItunesU section. It was entitled Homo Sapiens vs Neanderthals which can be found under the WGBH 9-12 grade section. I chose this video because I have always been curious about the old times. I personally hadn't really played around with the whole itunesU thing so it was amazing to me the sheer amount of educational content available. The video talked about how Neanderthals were a completely different species from modern humans and that they aren't related from us. We didnt evolve from them. They competed with homo sapiens for food and resources and eventually became extinct. This blew my mind but they backed it up with very interesting and comvincing facts.
I can easily see me using podcasts like these in my classroom to supplement my teaching. I may even assign my students to watch podcasts like this one. If I were studying for a test, then I would definately come to ItunesU again for help.
I have even found myself listening to podcasts for fun. I do believe that podcasts will soon be a normal educational tool as this new wave of technology sweeps into the educational medium.
I can easily see me using podcasts like these in my classroom to supplement my teaching. I may even assign my students to watch podcasts like this one. If I were studying for a test, then I would definately come to ItunesU again for help.
I have even found myself listening to podcasts for fun. I do believe that podcasts will soon be a normal educational tool as this new wave of technology sweeps into the educational medium.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Edible Schoolyard Night in the Global Village
Today I listened to two podcasts. The first was called the Edible Schoolyard and was about a class in Caloifornia in which the kids grow a garden. This teaches them lessons such as teamwork, math,and cooking because they eat the food as well. I love hands on learning and from what I heard, the kids do too.
The second podcast was called a Night in the Global Village and was about an Arkansas schools field trip to the global village. They learned how other people around the world live, How they eat, sleep and go about their days.
These podcasts can be used by me as a teacher because I can get ideas about what other classes are doing.
The second podcast was called a Night in the Global Village and was about an Arkansas schools field trip to the global village. They learned how other people around the world live, How they eat, sleep and go about their days.
These podcasts can be used by me as a teacher because I can get ideas about what other classes are doing.
iTunes U
iTunes can be used for many great things and if you just play around with it, you might find some really cool things. One such thing is iTunes U, which is a section of iTunes in which teachers post various things that are designed to enhance their class lessons, such as lectures.
This is great beacuse you can also get stuff from other colleges. So I could get a lesson from a teacher at Duke if I wanted to. This may help me because I may like that way that teacher explains it more than mine. Or a teacher can go on here and borrow from another teachers lessons. Also, anything with an internet connection can access it, so computers, iPods, and cell phones can access this content. This makes it readily available.
This is great beacuse you can also get stuff from other colleges. So I could get a lesson from a teacher at Duke if I wanted to. This may help me because I may like that way that teacher explains it more than mine. Or a teacher can go on here and borrow from another teachers lessons. Also, anything with an internet connection can access it, so computers, iPods, and cell phones can access this content. This makes it readily available.
Ipods for Education?
According to Apple, the iPod was released in 2001. That seems like so long ago. Most teachers at South don't allow iPods in their classrooms but, when you think about the ways in which the iPod could be used for education, maybe they should. For one way, maybe you could download a lecture to your iPod and listen to it at your own pace. You could even fast forward and rewind it.
One school that is using iPods is Duke. You can check out http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499533/20050404/index.jhtml?headlines=true for all the info on it. Basically, Duke gave their freshman iPods that were preloaded with Univeristy content such as calendars, and lecture information through a special Duke site that is modeled on iTunes. I think that it is a great idea, and more teachers should post their lectures to iTunes, that we could listen to at our own pace in order to help us study.
One school that is using iPods is Duke. You can check out http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499533/20050404/index.jhtml?headlines=true for all the info on it. Basically, Duke gave their freshman iPods that were preloaded with Univeristy content such as calendars, and lecture information through a special Duke site that is modeled on iTunes. I think that it is a great idea, and more teachers should post their lectures to iTunes, that we could listen to at our own pace in order to help us study.
Alice Christie
Today, I checked out www.alicechristie.org and it is certainly very informative. Basically, the site is a compilation of all her knowledge of teaching from her forty years of experience. I looked at the Educational Technology section of her website and found a couple of things that were pretty interesting.
She has a video in this section about how in technology everybody is a learner and a teacher too. I thought that was cool. She also has links in this section about things ranging from podcasts, to email, to even just basic internet safety. I do believe that teachers should use technology to enhance their classrooms, and I know that I will let my kids teach me about the things that they are using and try to incorpporate their pop culture and technology into my class, just like she did.
She has a video in this section about how in technology everybody is a learner and a teacher too. I thought that was cool. She also has links in this section about things ranging from podcasts, to email, to even just basic internet safety. I do believe that teachers should use technology to enhance their classrooms, and I know that I will let my kids teach me about the things that they are using and try to incorpporate their pop culture and technology into my class, just like she did.
Is Wikipedia Reliable?
Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites ever and is certainly the most used web source for information, but there's always been a concern about its reliability because anyone can edit it at any time.
One of the big problems with anyone being able to edit any entry at any time is that sometimes companies will edit their own entries or post info about their products that may or may not be true.
Also, some people just go on Wikipedia to mess with things or delete things.
But there are steps being made in order to secure Wikipedia's entries.This guy named Virgil Griffith made this program that tracks anyone who posts anything to Wikipedia, so that noone can change anything anonymously anymore.
I use Wikipedia all the time, and I haven't ever come across any false information, but I've heard stories of people who have, so I've cut back and only use it for my personal curiosities and never for any class work or anything like that. Most teachers now wont let you use it as a source. I trust it but I can see how some people wouldn't. I dont know if it's reliabile, but it sure is convenient and popular.
One of the big problems with anyone being able to edit any entry at any time is that sometimes companies will edit their own entries or post info about their products that may or may not be true.
Also, some people just go on Wikipedia to mess with things or delete things.
But there are steps being made in order to secure Wikipedia's entries.This guy named Virgil Griffith made this program that tracks anyone who posts anything to Wikipedia, so that noone can change anything anonymously anymore.
I use Wikipedia all the time, and I haven't ever come across any false information, but I've heard stories of people who have, so I've cut back and only use it for my personal curiosities and never for any class work or anything like that. Most teachers now wont let you use it as a source. I trust it but I can see how some people wouldn't. I dont know if it's reliabile, but it sure is convenient and popular.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Today, I watched the last lecture of Randy Pausch. It was his last lecture because he died of pancreas cancer. He didnt shy away from this issue at any point during his lecture. In fact, it was a big part of his lecture, but he also was very quick to say that this would not be focus of his lecture. He even showed us some pictures of his house and his family. He said that he was looking forward for his family and that he wasnt feeling sorry for himself because of his condition.
He got to do some cool stuff in his life, like going into zero gravity, and being an imagineer for Disney, where he worked on the movie Aladdin. That part was very cool to me.He shared a lot of his other childhood dreams too.
He also did some pretty cool things with education too. For instance, at Carnige he made a class called virtual reality for $5 a day, in which the students were given a virtual lab to create whatever they wanted with no teachers or deans or anything. He also talked about something called the "head fake". This is taking something that wouldn't be fun in the classroom and making it fun.
I think that he did a great job with this lecture and the fact that he was able to be so happy and cheerful while he was basically dying was very inspirational to me because I could see that he clearly had a love for teaching.
He got to do some cool stuff in his life, like going into zero gravity, and being an imagineer for Disney, where he worked on the movie Aladdin. That part was very cool to me.He shared a lot of his other childhood dreams too.
He also did some pretty cool things with education too. For instance, at Carnige he made a class called virtual reality for $5 a day, in which the students were given a virtual lab to create whatever they wanted with no teachers or deans or anything. He also talked about something called the "head fake". This is taking something that wouldn't be fun in the classroom and making it fun.
I think that he did a great job with this lecture and the fact that he was able to be so happy and cheerful while he was basically dying was very inspirational to me because I could see that he clearly had a love for teaching.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Best of 07
Today's assignment is to go back to the Fischbowl again and read another one of his blog entries. I chose the one called Why Wireless? Its the November one. He talks about how his school recently opened up wireless internet campus wide and the pros and cons of that.
I think it's great I mean, it's not like the students can use the internet to go on anything inappropriate since I'm sure those sites are blocked. And if the kids aren't gonna pay attention, then they're not gonna pay attention regardless. The internet isn't gonna help or hurt that. I think that in the near future everywhere is gonna be wireless. Our campus is wireless and a lot of us have cell phones and other devices that can access it, but we are all mature enough to pay atention in class, or we have to deal with the personal consequences, those kids can too.
I think it's great I mean, it's not like the students can use the internet to go on anything inappropriate since I'm sure those sites are blocked. And if the kids aren't gonna pay attention, then they're not gonna pay attention regardless. The internet isn't gonna help or hurt that. I think that in the near future everywhere is gonna be wireless. Our campus is wireless and a lot of us have cell phones and other devices that can access it, but we are all mature enough to pay atention in class, or we have to deal with the personal consequences, those kids can too.
Last Semester Student blogs
Today's assignment was to listen to two student group podcasts from last semester and then decide how they could be improved. The first one that I listened to was Possibilities for Using Facebook in an Educational Setting and my second one was My classes at South and how techonlogy is used in them.
Overall, I was impressed by the podcasts. They didn't suck, Dr Strange introduced them well and probably the only thing that I would improve would be to use pictures to illistrate the points better, and well now they need updating because some people have more technology than others in the classroom.
Overall, I was impressed by the podcasts. They didn't suck, Dr Strange introduced them well and probably the only thing that I would improve would be to use pictures to illistrate the points better, and well now they need updating because some people have more technology than others in the classroom.
Technologially Iliterate?
Todays assignment is to go back to the Fischbowl and read some September blogs from a guy named Karl Fisch. He's a teacher and "technology expert" at a high school in Colorado. I really dont like this guy and disagree with a lot of his arrogant statements. If he's an expert then why is he teaching high school again? Its obvious that he thinks he's so much cooler and better than other teacher just beacuse he might can work Google better or he has an iPhone, but really in reality he's just a TEACHER, he aint Steve Jobs or that Woz.
This Karl Fisch guy is making some very bold statements about teachers being technologically illiterate. At one point he even said that its like not being able to read and write which I disagree with totally. He says that teachers need to keep up with the times so to speak. I do agree that some teachers are out of touch with technology and that the latest technology possible should be used to teach our students though.
This Karl Fisch guy is making some very bold statements about teachers being technologically illiterate. At one point he even said that its like not being able to read and write which I disagree with totally. He says that teachers need to keep up with the times so to speak. I do agree that some teachers are out of touch with technology and that the latest technology possible should be used to teach our students though.
Podcasts?
This week I had to look at podcast, which are another very popular communication tool. I had heard of podcast, but had never actually listened to one before today.
The first podcast I chose to listen to was called the Kid Cast. It was called The Medium Isn't the Message. It was basically saying that it's one thing to learn a podcast, but the end goal is to use them effectively. He said that teachers just kinda use them to give assignments, not to communicate.
The second one I checked out was call EdTechtalk. It was just like a morning radio show, where they do the segment and have people call in, except it was people typing in a chat room, which was really cool to me. They talked about a conference that they had gone to, and some other stuff tht was uninteresting to me, but the cool part was how everybody was communicating.
The third podcast that I checked out was This week in photography. It was interactive as well, and they talked about photography stuff, which was not interesting to me at all, I remember them talking about how film companies like Canon are going outta business now with all the digital photography.
My fourth podcast was something that I cared about. It was ESPN's podcast of their program PTI in which two sports analysts discuss current events in the sports world. I was impressed by the amount of podcasts that ESPN had in their "Podcenter" on espn.com. I subscribed to a couple of them.
The first podcast I chose to listen to was called the Kid Cast. It was called The Medium Isn't the Message. It was basically saying that it's one thing to learn a podcast, but the end goal is to use them effectively. He said that teachers just kinda use them to give assignments, not to communicate.
The second one I checked out was call EdTechtalk. It was just like a morning radio show, where they do the segment and have people call in, except it was people typing in a chat room, which was really cool to me. They talked about a conference that they had gone to, and some other stuff tht was uninteresting to me, but the cool part was how everybody was communicating.
The third podcast that I checked out was This week in photography. It was interactive as well, and they talked about photography stuff, which was not interesting to me at all, I remember them talking about how film companies like Canon are going outta business now with all the digital photography.
My fourth podcast was something that I cared about. It was ESPN's podcast of their program PTI in which two sports analysts discuss current events in the sports world. I was impressed by the amount of podcasts that ESPN had in their "Podcenter" on espn.com. I subscribed to a couple of them.
February 1 Post 2
It took me a while to find an international class blog but I finally found one from a Jody Hayes in New Zealand at http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1638 . They are a class of 9-11 year old children. They appear to be very into leadership and ding community service projects, which is very cool. They also do art and she post almost everything they do on the blog.
Luckily, a link from Ms. Hayes blog led me to a blog of a Kathy Cassidy at http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337. The kids write blog entries and there's even an app on the blog to let you talk to them, like actually talk by a microphone. That's amazing to me. There's also a video of the kids playing outside in the snow. I had no idea that blogs were becoming so popular in the classroom, especially overseas. Its also great that teachers are communicating with other teachers overseas and sharing things.
February 1 Blog Post 1
I looked on the internet for teachers using blogs and the first that I found was Mary Kruel's class blog at http://marykreul.teacherhosting.com/blog/. It is very well done. She uses the blog s a chance for students to write about what is happening in the classroom. Everyday someone writes, is edited and published. Parents can read what is happening in the classroom.
The Next blog I found was from a lady named Mrs. Perry's fourth grade blog at http://mrsperrysblogarchive1.blogspot.com/. It is very well done and is used to show parents what the kids have done in class, as well as projects and to give the kids work assignments in case they miss class.
Overall, these blogs are very well done and I can definately see blogging becoming more popular in classrooms, but they seem like a lot of work for the teacher.
The Next blog I found was from a lady named Mrs. Perry's fourth grade blog at http://mrsperrysblogarchive1.blogspot.com/. It is very well done and is used to show parents what the kids have done in class, as well as projects and to give the kids work assignments in case they miss class.
Overall, these blogs are very well done and I can definately see blogging becoming more popular in classrooms, but they seem like a lot of work for the teacher.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
the fishbowl
I looked at the fishbowl did you know video, and I must admit, a lot of this stuff surprised me. I never would have guessed some of the facts. It's mind boggling how the world has changed. Things that we do everyday, like texting, would never have been thought of ten years ago. I remember when a cell phone was the size of a suitcase.
I'm also amazed about a lot of the facts about China. But I can see how it would be the number one English speaking country in the world. America has changed so much lately. And the internet has made this all possible. I wonder what technology will be around in ten years? The possibilities are endless.
I'm also amazed about a lot of the facts about China. But I can see how it would be the number one English speaking country in the world. America has changed so much lately. And the internet has made this all possible. I wonder what technology will be around in ten years? The possibilities are endless.
Post 3
I think that the access program is a great idea. Why not offer kids in some schools classes that they wouldn't have access to? I know personally, when I was in the seventh grade, the school that I was assigned to didn't offer the advanced math that I needed so I had to transfer. This program lessens that hassle by offering the classes over the computer.
I bet it costs a lot but Its worth it. Every kid deserves an equal opportunity in schools, and right now some kids are being essentially punished for where they live at or the school that they have been assigned to.
I bet it costs a lot but Its worth it. Every kid deserves an equal opportunity in schools, and right now some kids are being essentially punished for where they live at or the school that they have been assigned to.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Blog Post 2
So, I read about the alex thing and I disagree with it. I dont like this whole, students should be able to do certain objectives thing. It only leads to teachers not having any flexibility in what their teaching, and students only caring about whats gonna be on the test. I remember in high school, it was just teachers teaching what was going to be on the CRT because thats how they and the school were graded. And I know me personally, I only cared about getting the questions and memorizing the answers so I could spit them back out on a test and get an A in the class.
But I can see the flip side of this too. That students should walk out of certain classes knowing certain things and having certain skills. For example, an American history student should have a general idea about what the civil war was.
But I can see the flip side of this too. That students should walk out of certain classes knowing certain things and having certain skills. For example, an American history student should have a general idea about what the civil war was.
Blog Post 1
HI everyone. My name is Bj Moore. I'm 18 and a sophomore. My major is secondary ed/English. My hobbies are hanging out with friends, talking on the phone, and playing basketball. I love sports especially football and basketball. I played point guard in middle and high school. As far as football, I am a big Florida fan, Go Gators! I am from mobile and graduated from Mary G Montgomery high school and I live on campus.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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