Blog Post 5

I really liked these websites. I read 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better. I didn't realize all of the things that were available on the iPod. Like study guides, ESL podcasts, tutorials, and applications. I found out that I want an iPhone and also all the great benefits it offers.
I then Judy Scharf Podcast Collection. Her reason to do a podcast was a great way to inform students of different ways to convey information. As she said students love to do podcasts and it will teach them to try technology. She gave two links, one to You Tube and the other to Teacher Tube.
The last one I read was the Practical Principles. It gave definitions and a lot of websites to check out. Two of the ones I really liked was the Feed Burner and Buddy Press. Feed Burner makes it easy to receive content updates in popular podcatchers and Buddy Press is social networking in a box. Practice Principles was my favorite one out of the three I read.

Blog Post 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration Program at Iowa State University. He has received numerous National Awards for his leadership work in technology. On his site he is reaching out to parents to let them know, that all of the things that are listed are going to be a must for students in the future. There are more and more classes online. In order for students to keep up in the workplace, they will need to know and do social networking and collaboration with other employees. Most of the world is already on a computer 24-7. Wake up and realize technology is here to stay. My thought is if a student is going to use the computer in a bad way, they were probably going to do it on something else sooner or later anyways. The computer is like anything else it can be used for the good of learning or the bad that is in our society.

The iSchool Initiative
Watching this video for me was unreal. I think the idea of the iSchool was great. I think teachers should be able to Email their students. All of the different things on the itouch was amazing. I remember having to go to the bookshelf and get the Encyclopedia down to look up information on a president. Having all of these things in one device is unbelievable and wonderful.
I really think it would be good for the environment, but one thing I am not certain about is, how would it affect the students. Would there be a certain time students would attend school on the itouch? Most students are like my son and his friends, if they didn't have to go to school, they would play video games and watch television all day. For the most part though I think it is a good idea.
For the question Does Technology belong in our classroom, the answer is definitely yes?

Watch The Lost Generation
The technique in this presentation was great. I liked the way that the presentation went from negative back to positive. This presentation made me feel like that life is about how your attitude is. Everything negative could be made back in some sort of way positive. The message also made you think about things people say. You hear people say everyday if I only had won the Lottery or if I had a million dollars, I would be happy. I truly believe money can make your life easier and happier, but if it came down to money or family, I would choose family.
My dad use to tell us all the time when I was a kid, be happy for what you have, someone in the world would give anything to have what you do. I think one of the messages here is unless we choose to reverse something, then it's going to come out bad. In the statement "true happiness comes from within", I believe you can be at peace with yourself and have happiness, but we all need love, and in order for that happiness to come out and shine we must have empathy for our family and friends.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
This was amazing to think 185 people could make a choir and sing so good together and had never even met each other in person. This just goes to show the power of technology. Not to say about the time and money they saved in traveling or the problem of getting everyones schedule to meet each other. I really was amazed by the presentation.

Teaching in the 21st Century
What does to teach mean in the 21st century, is a question that until I took EDM310 and started going into the classrooms was very simple? Now, I feel like I am in the first grade again. Twenty-seven years ago if you wanted to know something you went to your teacher, parents, or your main source of knowledge, the World Book. Now you can get information anytime and anywhere on the internet.
Until taking EDM310, I had never blogged, been on facebook, been on twitter or anything else like this. I have been in college for four years and have never been scared of a class before. I will truly say, I was scared of this class.
I look at my daughter and my sixteen year old son and say to myself how did they learn so much about technology? All of my daughter's and son's friends know how to do just about anything on the computer, and have never been to college. Technology is great for collaborate use and I definitely think teachers are no longer the main source of technology.
With the internet students and teachers can make school more fun and I agree that engagement is a form of learning. Projects when I was in school was done on poster paper, now they are done on the computer. I know I must change and learn more and more technology to be a professional better teacher. As the presentation says, "Remember the big picture, to me it's the kids."

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Blog Post 3

Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
When I started college after being out of school for twenty-seven years, it was a lot like I remembered it. Big class room sizes( except for elective classes). Most teachers giving you homework like it was the only class you had and not caring if you got what was being taught or not. I had to write lots of papers and didn't see why it was relevant to my life to take half of the subjects I had to take. Then four years later I feel like I'm in outer space and way behind in time.
I go to schools where I can't use the smart boards or show a student how to do something on the computer they want to do. Then I come home and ask my fifteen year old son, "How do you do this?" I never thought that a teacher had to do so much on a computer. I think it is great when I learn to do something new on the computer, but I also wish as an older student that I could have taken a class to bring me up to date on technology before becoming a self learner.
I agree with the video that being a full time student can be very stressful and that there definitely is not enough time in the day. I really liked the phrase, "If students learn what they do, then why are they sitting here?" I think it is very important for students to know technology because it is becoming the way of the future. But I cannot really agree with the phrase that, " Some have suggested that technology will save us." I think sometimes technology has taken away from us personally as human beings.


"It's Not About Technology" by Kelly Hines
I agree that teachers must be learners with technology, it is a never ending learning process. As with any career, you must be up to date on current trends, research and tools, as Mrs. Hines says.
I also agree with the statement that learning and teaching are not the same. To me if a teacher cannot get the information across to a student, so they can understand it, no teaching has been done. As Mrs. Hines says learning will not look the same to all students or all teachers, but it must be the goal. In being in college, I have learned a lot from my Professors. I have had Professors that will go out of their way to help you understand a lesson. Then I have had Professors that if you ask them to explain something further to you, they make you feel stupid for asking. To me a teacher's goal should be to make a student better no matter how much effort is needed to be exerted. I can see how technology could scare teachers, but training courses in technology must be part of a teacher's learning process.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
In response to the question Mr. Fisch wrote back in February of 2006, I say it is not okay for teachers to be technologically illiterate. Some teachers may not be willing to make the effort to learn and some may just be scared to learn.
A boss that I worked for, for nearly fifteen years told me something at a meeting one day that I have never forgotten. A person usually does what they are most comfortable with or what they can do best. It's hard to get a person out of their comfort zone. So some teachers may feel like they cannot learn technology. When I signed up for this class, I was terrified. I am not from a technological time, but I know I must learn technology in order to be productive for the rest of my lifetime.
I agree with the statement that in order to teach it, we have to do it, and that a teacher needs to demonstrate continual learning for their students and with their students. If a teacher is not learning or teaching technology they are potentially jeopardizing the chance of our youngsters. As Mr. Fisch says, technology is the underpinning of just about everything we do today.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
After watching how quickly these numbers are changing every second it is amazing to see technology at work. When I look back years ago as a child( I am now fifty-one years old) I remember playing cards, jacks, riding my bicycle and most of all playing football. Today when I look my son, he is playing Xbox live and talking to people all over the world. When we get in the car he is listening to his IPod. Children today are nothing like the children of my childhood.
Watching this video makes me see the importance of keeping up with technology. If I am going to teach young children, then I must be aware of the things that interest them in technology, and use them in ways to teach and hold their interest. Most of these websites are new to me, but in order to not hold my students back, I will make a promise to myself to learn these sites and to practice using them.

Blog Post 2

Did You Know?
This, to me, means that in learning technology, it will be an on-going process that will never stop. By watching this video and looking at the statistics from one year to several years it is astounding, to realize how fast information is being processed and delivered in this day and time.
The fact that India has more honor students than America has kids is just unbelievable to me! In having a fifteen year old son and seeing his friends and their study habits, it makes me feel that we are not pushing our children hard enough to be number one. As parents, we try to give our kids everything they want from video games, to name brand clothes, yet we are failing to make them see the importance of a good education and what it will mean to their future and our country.


Mr. Winkle Wakes
Being an older student, I too sometimes feel like Mr. Winkle. After being out of school since 1978 and coming back to college, everything has changed. I am not use to doing homework and turning in assignments on a computer. I know the world is changing everyday and I must change too, but sometimes it’s scary.
I agree with the video that a lot of schools I have been in are still teaching the old fashion way. I think a lot of the older teachers are like me, scared of technology, but must also change for the benefit of their students.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I agree with Mr. Robinson that creativity is important in our schools. I also agree that you must make mistakes sometimes to produce an original idea. As with this class EDM310, creativity is a very important factor in your range of success. As Mr. Robinson states we need to rethink the fundamental principles on which we educate our children instead of trying to medicate them and make them into our perfect ideal children. Children must be able to try new things and find what they excel in, whether it be in arts, language, or arithmetic. Children learn in many different ways, so as teachers we must observe and use their creativity to reap the benefits of their success. All children have an extraordinary capacity to excel in their own area of expertise. Our jobs as teachers is to find the area they are interested in and push them to excel in these areas. Let a child be a child, and see what they can teach us sometimes.


Cecilia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
To me, the most important way to ensure that students receive a good education, is to make sure the curriculum includes modern technology and the necessary understanding of what technology means in education. Most jobs in the future will be in technology, Not only in the United States but all around the world.
Intelligence can be looked at in many ways. As Mr. Robinson states what is the true meaning of intelligence? Who is qualified to define it? To me every living thing has some form of intelligence. Whether is be a Professor or a lost dog finding its way home. I think every student should be treated with the same respect; Just because they are not good with math or some other subject doesn’t mean that they do have intelligence. I don’t think that it was meant for human beings to be the same in every aspect of life. As a teacher I will focus on how to improve a students weak areas, but also how to keep pushing for achievement in their performance of their best subjects.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
I agree with this teacher that every student can learn. As being an older student, I have had to learn to transition from the old ways of education( pencil and paper) to the new ways of education (technology). As we are being taught the in the class of EDM, it is important to be self learners, which is needed in every aspect of life.
I think this program should be taught in all schools to prepare students for what seems to be a technological future. In order for the United States school system to improve and keep up in the world, programs like this must be available for every student.