Sunday, March 11, 2012
Blog Post 7
The Networked Student
This was a very interesting video about the powers of networking and connectivity. The video was done by drawing cartoon cut-outs on paper and then using a voice-over program. I think that using cut-outs and a voice over made the listener focus more on what the narrator was saying than visual effects or something else.
If nothing else, the video made great points about the power of connectivity and networking as a tool for learning and advancement. The video depicts the student learning through different types of technology, including Google Scholar and iTunes University. Furthermore, the student in the video gains an audience with a documentary maker and organizes a web interview with the class. I think that the video by Ms. Drexler makes a great point in that it is important to take advantage of the vast networking resources that we have surrounding us. Why not use what we can to the best of our abilities? The video concludes by addressing the statement made in the beginning of the video about the responsibilities of the teacher in the psychology class. Basically, according to the video, the function of the teacher in this class is to be a facilitator, a resource, a guide, a catalyst, and a source of knowledge. Never does the narrator mention that the teacher is to be a lecturer, hand-holder, or test-teacher and I think that was kind of the point. We should help our students to learn and to learn to learn independently.
A Seventh Grader's PLE was better than my PLN in almost every way. HA! Well, she has been working on it longer, but she still blows me out of the water pretty much. But I do think I'll get better at it. I'll organize more and I'll put more things on there eventually, right now it's just looks a little paltry. It seems like a really great tool though.
C4T 2
The second teacher I was assigned to goes by the name of Kelly Hines, a 4th Grade teacher in Washington, North Carolina. Her first post was an illustration of a pencil and all of its components as a metaphor for the different types of teachers in relation to technology and progression. I told her that I thought the metaphor was well thought out, made a lot of sense, and that the "hangers on" portion made me laugh. In the end, I agreed that teachers need to maintain hope for the future.
Her second post that I commented on was a bulletin about a trip to the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science that was free for North Carolina educators. I told her that I thought this sounded like an awesome place that made me think of when I took a trip to the Smithsonian. I asked her for her take on the experience she had there.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Blog Post 6
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch was one of the greatest inspirational stories the world experienced in our generation. "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" is what Dr. Pausch is primarily remembered for. It includes personal stories and many touching moments throughout. Dr. Pausch advocated a hands-on learning approach. Dr. Pausch, during The Last Lecture series, was a person who knew that he was going to pass away because of cancer, but understood that more people could learn from him while he still had time.
Dr. Pausch begins the video by speaking about his cancer. How he handles his cancer and his situation is one thing that I took away from this video that I can implement in teaching: dealing with big situations. Hopefully, the things I deal with in the classroom won't be quite as devastating as the things Dr. Pausch dealt with, but I can definitely say that the way he handled his sickness was masterful. By not ignoring the problem, Dr. Pausch took a big step in gaining his audience's attention.
Another thing I learned from Dr. Pausch was that being proud of yourself is a good thing. He explains that he had several goals from the time he was a child, and continues to list how he either accomplished them or did something very close to accomplishing them. Pausch talks about these things because he's proud of them. Some of them he even admits are "mundane," such as the stuffed animals, but he was still proud. I think being proud of our accomplishments is important because, as teachers, we should have a good self image and be proud of ourselves.
The last thing I learned from Dr. Pausch is to treat everyone the right way. He accomplished a lot of great things in his life, but the best thing about his life was that everyone had great things to say about him. He lived his life to the best of his abilities and put others before himself. What I can learn from Dr. Pausch is not just about teaching, but about life in general. We should be the same person in the classroom and out, just like Dr. Pausch.
Randy Pausch was one of the greatest inspirational stories the world experienced in our generation. "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" is what Dr. Pausch is primarily remembered for. It includes personal stories and many touching moments throughout. Dr. Pausch advocated a hands-on learning approach. Dr. Pausch, during The Last Lecture series, was a person who knew that he was going to pass away because of cancer, but understood that more people could learn from him while he still had time.
Dr. Pausch begins the video by speaking about his cancer. How he handles his cancer and his situation is one thing that I took away from this video that I can implement in teaching: dealing with big situations. Hopefully, the things I deal with in the classroom won't be quite as devastating as the things Dr. Pausch dealt with, but I can definitely say that the way he handled his sickness was masterful. By not ignoring the problem, Dr. Pausch took a big step in gaining his audience's attention.
Another thing I learned from Dr. Pausch was that being proud of yourself is a good thing. He explains that he had several goals from the time he was a child, and continues to list how he either accomplished them or did something very close to accomplishing them. Pausch talks about these things because he's proud of them. Some of them he even admits are "mundane," such as the stuffed animals, but he was still proud. I think being proud of our accomplishments is important because, as teachers, we should have a good self image and be proud of ourselves.
The last thing I learned from Dr. Pausch is to treat everyone the right way. He accomplished a lot of great things in his life, but the best thing about his life was that everyone had great things to say about him. He lived his life to the best of his abilities and put others before himself. What I can learn from Dr. Pausch is not just about teaching, but about life in general. We should be the same person in the classroom and out, just like Dr. Pausch.
C4K for February 2012
C4K Post Number One
I didn't do this post because this was when we had the "special C4K" and I was under the impression that THAT was the first C4K... oops.
On Lauren's video, I stated that I liked her video and was very impressed with it. I told her that she did a great job and to keep up the good work. I was very encouraged that someone so young could do such great things through technology. It was an inspirational video because of how great she did and how young she was.
C4K Post Number Two
For the second post, I commented on a boy named Bryan's blog. His blog was very impressive and actually very funny. He embedded an animoto on his blog about a trip to a museum. I told him that I didn't know what an animoto was but he did a good job using it and that it was very funny. I told him to keep up the good work.
C4K Post Number Three
For the third post, I commented on a boy named Jack's blog. Jack summarized a book that he had just read and stated that naming the character Mr. Fleinenstein was creative. I told him that he had a very nice blog and that I looked forward to reading more from him, and that I also thought the book was creative.
I didn't do this post because this was when we had the "special C4K" and I was under the impression that THAT was the first C4K... oops.
On Lauren's video, I stated that I liked her video and was very impressed with it. I told her that she did a great job and to keep up the good work. I was very encouraged that someone so young could do such great things through technology. It was an inspirational video because of how great she did and how young she was.
C4K Post Number Two
For the second post, I commented on a boy named Bryan's blog. His blog was very impressive and actually very funny. He embedded an animoto on his blog about a trip to a museum. I told him that I didn't know what an animoto was but he did a good job using it and that it was very funny. I told him to keep up the good work.
C4K Post Number Three
For the third post, I commented on a boy named Jack's blog. Jack summarized a book that he had just read and stated that naming the character Mr. Fleinenstein was creative. I told him that he had a very nice blog and that I looked forward to reading more from him, and that I also thought the book was creative.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Blog Post 5
Dr. Mcleod
Dr. Scott Mcleod is an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Kentucky. That's the first thing it says on his bio, and that's already more impressive than about 95 percent of people that I know. He is also the founding director of CASTLE, which is the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and co-creator of Did You Know? Dr. Mcleod, from what everyone can read on his bio, is one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. To put his title in the context of EDM310, Dr. Mcleod is an innovator and one of the leaders in educational technology. He is a "doer" and one of the good guys that help teachers make learning easier and better for students.
Travis Allen
I have to say, I was not a big fan of this video. But, it was mainly just because I disagree with Travis Allen's points, not because I think he did a bad job. He had interesting, well thought out points that all made sense (sort of), and his videos looked very nice. But, that's where I think I take issue with his whole point. It just LOOKS nice. It SEEMS like a good idea, but I can't bring myself to believe that buying every student an iPad would SAVE money. Now I'm all for project based learning. In fact, I have already stated, or at least inferred, in earlier posts that I believe it is the best and most fun way to learn. Activity breeds activity, and that's why project based learning works so well. On this end, Travis Allen is right on the money.
I can't make a definite argument, I haven't looked into the total cost of everything, and I don't own an iPad. I have an iPod touch, and I like the interface, but I can't say that I would ever use it for learning as opposed to play. That's my first point: giving students access to something that is marketed for, one reason, fun and entertainment is taking a huge gamble on productivity. Textbooks aren't prisons, and someone who cares can make teaching from a textbook interesting. On the other hand, iPad could be great resources for learning, but are also one of the most fun things on the planet. If I had an iPad in high school, I would have been on Garage Band in every single class. My other point is that I don't believe that buying everyone an iPad would save money. Someone would have to literally show me the receipts and the difference in costs of an iPad and all of the apps that would be needed vs. Textbooks and pencils. If the cost difference isn't very significant, I can't see a reason to take the risk of buying iPads. iPads would cost way more to replace when they break anyway. You can always print out sheets of paper or make copies of a textbook, but you can't just make a copy of an iPad.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I thought this video was very cool. Being involved in music, I'm always interested in how a group of people can come together and make something sound so great. I think the fact that this was done over the internet sheds further light on how far we as a civilization have progressed. I loved it.
Teaching in The 21st Century
Watching 21st Century Students is an important video and resource to all future, or even current, teachers. The more we know about younger generations and their interests and learning patterns, the better. Even as a young adult right now, I don't learn in the same way that even younger people do, and it is always important to understand differences in any way.
This video helps one to understand the fact that there is no shortage of technology that can be used for education. Probably the most important point this video made to me was that we live in an ever-changing society. Nobody knows what the "next big thing" will be, but we, as teachers, have to be ready to adapt to whatever change may come.
Reading Rockets
I really enjoyed previewing the reading rockets' website. I thought that they had a lot of good and fun information to share. As an English major and future English teacher, I really liked the fact that this website had tons of English resources. I really liked the fact that they had Free Reading Guides.
Another thing I thought was cool was that they had shows on PBS. I have been watching PBS since I was born (probably, I don't remember because I was really young when I was born), and I am a big fan of the educational aspect of the network.
Dr. Scott Mcleod is an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Kentucky. That's the first thing it says on his bio, and that's already more impressive than about 95 percent of people that I know. He is also the founding director of CASTLE, which is the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and co-creator of Did You Know? Dr. Mcleod, from what everyone can read on his bio, is one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. To put his title in the context of EDM310, Dr. Mcleod is an innovator and one of the leaders in educational technology. He is a "doer" and one of the good guys that help teachers make learning easier and better for students.
Travis Allen
I have to say, I was not a big fan of this video. But, it was mainly just because I disagree with Travis Allen's points, not because I think he did a bad job. He had interesting, well thought out points that all made sense (sort of), and his videos looked very nice. But, that's where I think I take issue with his whole point. It just LOOKS nice. It SEEMS like a good idea, but I can't bring myself to believe that buying every student an iPad would SAVE money. Now I'm all for project based learning. In fact, I have already stated, or at least inferred, in earlier posts that I believe it is the best and most fun way to learn. Activity breeds activity, and that's why project based learning works so well. On this end, Travis Allen is right on the money.
I can't make a definite argument, I haven't looked into the total cost of everything, and I don't own an iPad. I have an iPod touch, and I like the interface, but I can't say that I would ever use it for learning as opposed to play. That's my first point: giving students access to something that is marketed for, one reason, fun and entertainment is taking a huge gamble on productivity. Textbooks aren't prisons, and someone who cares can make teaching from a textbook interesting. On the other hand, iPad could be great resources for learning, but are also one of the most fun things on the planet. If I had an iPad in high school, I would have been on Garage Band in every single class. My other point is that I don't believe that buying everyone an iPad would save money. Someone would have to literally show me the receipts and the difference in costs of an iPad and all of the apps that would be needed vs. Textbooks and pencils. If the cost difference isn't very significant, I can't see a reason to take the risk of buying iPads. iPads would cost way more to replace when they break anyway. You can always print out sheets of paper or make copies of a textbook, but you can't just make a copy of an iPad.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I thought this video was very cool. Being involved in music, I'm always interested in how a group of people can come together and make something sound so great. I think the fact that this was done over the internet sheds further light on how far we as a civilization have progressed. I loved it.
Teaching in The 21st Century
Watching 21st Century Students is an important video and resource to all future, or even current, teachers. The more we know about younger generations and their interests and learning patterns, the better. Even as a young adult right now, I don't learn in the same way that even younger people do, and it is always important to understand differences in any way.
This video helps one to understand the fact that there is no shortage of technology that can be used for education. Probably the most important point this video made to me was that we live in an ever-changing society. Nobody knows what the "next big thing" will be, but we, as teachers, have to be ready to adapt to whatever change may come.
Reading Rockets
I really enjoyed previewing the reading rockets' website. I thought that they had a lot of good and fun information to share. As an English major and future English teacher, I really liked the fact that this website had tons of English resources. I really liked the fact that they had Free Reading Guides.
Another thing I thought was cool was that they had shows on PBS. I have been watching PBS since I was born (probably, I don't remember because I was really young when I was born), and I am a big fan of the educational aspect of the network.
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