"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
-- Thornton Wilder, Our Town

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Blog Assignment 6

"The Networked Student" by Wendy Drexler

First of all, I loved this video! It was very creative in my opinion. The way it was written and the way they told the story kept my attention. Secondly, I believe this idea of "connectivism" is extremely helpful to students. The ideas that this video brings forth are really cool in the way that all students are there to help one another.

The example in the video shows a student who is almost self-reliant. His teacher almost never lectures and a lot of his work is online. He must be creative in the way he gets his information. Through the idea of connectivism, he learns of all these ways that he can learn. He learns from other students' opinions, through blogs, iTunesU, and numerous other resources.

Being a teacher of a networked student would probably be a little easier. The average student is dependent on the teacher for every single bit of information in the classroom. I liked the fact that this idea would almost make the student more independent. It would be up to them to reach out to others and look for ways to get information rather than being spoon fed. Students also improve relationships through this. They are able to bond with classmates, other professors, and sometimes even people from all over the world.


"A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment (or PLN)"
I thought this video was very interesting. I loved the organization that this girl had. For a 7th grader I thought it was pretty amazing actually. She seemed to have all her work together. I loved looking at her projects as well. I liked that the students had the freedom to go anywhere on the internet, and yet they still recognized the responsibility to get their work finished. I thought this approach was very interesting.


"The Machine is Changing Us" by Michael Wesch
In the beginning of this video Mr. Wesch begins by comparing George Orwell's book "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World". From the way Mr. Wesch describes "A Brave New World", I believe Huxley is dead on. We are becoming a trivial world. We don't necessarily have a need for books.

I definitely agree with Mr. Wesch when he says that media has changed and shaped our culture. I also like when he discusses Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death". I also believe these thought are right on as well. I found the quote from Henry Canby quite disturbing, especially since it was from 1926. I think people today do feel this way. It's has nothing to do with fame or be know around the world. It just has to do with be different. Look around on any college campus or for that matter any high school campus. Actually, just look any where in the world and you see so many people reaching out desperately to be noticed. They don't want to be another face in the crowd. They just want to stand out for one reason or another. I also agree with Mr. Wesch when he says that we, as a culture, have become rather indifferent. Think about how many times we use the word "whatever".
I liked when Mr. Wesch talked about the fact that when we use YouTube, Twitter, and others, we aren't talking to anyone in particular. We are more or less talking to ourselves. It does make you extremely self-conscious or it makes me anyway. For example, when we had to do our podcasts, I was so nervous about someone I didn't know seeing my work. I also found the Free Hugs Campaign interesting. I have a couple of friends that have shirts that have "Free Hugs" on it. I just never knew what it was about.

I really enjoyed this video. Looking around, I see so many of the things he talks about it his lecture, from people wanting desperately to be recognized to wanting to weep for the future from their spelling alone. As a future English teacher, that particularly upsets me. I'm kind of scared to know what kids of the next generation will be like. That's not to say that all will be bad. It just concerns me. I think our generation is becoming less authentic. We conform. No one has to be themselves due to things like Facebook or Myspace. Someone can be whoever they want and no one would ever know the difference. Overall though, this was an excellent video in my opinion.

C4K Summary

We recently had to read and comment on a student from Noel Elementary School. My student's name was Daniel L. Daniel is an active kid who loves soccer and other sports. In his about me he explained why Math wasn't his best subject, but that he knows that it's important because he uses it everyday. In Daniel's manifesto that Mr. Chamberlain had his students right, he said that he promised to go to bed earlier and to studied harder. He also promised to behave in class. What Mr. Chamberlain is doing with his students is wonderful and I believe it is really opening a whole new world to these kids.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Blog Assignment 5

Eagle Nest Radio and Class Blog
First of all these kids sound too adorable! I love how professional they sound in the podcast. The sound very well rehearsed also. It looks like they have a lot of fun in their class as well. They get to do a lot of cool things with technology. It seems to me that they have learned a lot in their class.It makes me feel better about doing my podcast to know that 3rd graders can do so well.

Langwitches
I just read their blog "Podcasting with First Grade". I loved these kids enthusiasm and how they wanted to "get into people's computers and iPods too". That's so awesome! I also like that the took one and story and could incorporate all the kids. It was a very cool idea.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better"
This was incredibly helpful. I never realized how many things there were to put on your iPod. The link to Learning Podcast was also very helpful. The links they list could also be helpful in our group podcasts.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Blog Assignment 4

"Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?"
I just read Mr. Scott McLeod's, who is the Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University, blog post, "Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?". Mr. McLeod is also the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) and the creator of the Did You Know videos.

I really enjoyed this post. It was very funny and well written. I enjoyed that he poked fun at the way a lot of parents think. We need to let kids have some internet freedom, but we definitely need to keep an eye on what they do. Technology is a good thing, in moderation, much like everything else.



"The iSchool Initiative"
I just watched this video on Youtube. While I admire this high school senior for coming up with this idea, I don't agree with it. In theory, it sounds like a wonderful idea. It would be useful and it would save a lot of time. I just don't think it's benefits out-weigh its cost.
Many students would not be able to afford this. I know he estimated the cost to be around $150, but let's face it, that's a lot for a parent to spend on one child, let alone more than one child. Secondly, technology has been know to let us down. They break, they get lost, they get destroyed. What happens if your iSchool crashes? Where does all your work go? That just adds to the cost if you're forced to buy another. Finally, I would hate to know that my kids one day wouldn't even pick up a book at all at school. When they have to read a classic piece of literature, I want to see them with that book in their hands. No distractions, just them and that book. I would also hate to know that they wouldn't know how to write an essay on a piece of paper. That's how they learn to write properly. There is no spell check, look-up, or thesaurus to get them through it, just them and their own creativity.

"The Lost Generation"
 I found this video terribly sad and terribly true! We are very much so a "quick fix society". We look for the fastest answers and we worry about the consequences later. I agree with this video. I loved the technique and I also agree with when it was read back. I loved the way the creator approached this. I do believe there is hope for our generation if we take control now.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
This video is awesome! Like Jennifer Chambers said, it's nothing special until you realize that these people have never met! I find it incredible that they were able to put something like this together. This is definitely one of the better uses of the internet. It's bringing people together for a common cause. They have their differences, but for six minutes, 185 people are working together.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Additional Assignment #1

I just watched Dr. Strange's video on Google Squared and Wolfram Alpha. Both I found very interesting! They both seem to be extremely helpful when it comes to searching for information. I like the format of both of them because they aren't very complicated. It is very easy to find exactly what you are looking for. I had never heard of either of the sites before this assignment, but I will have to use them in the future! Looking back to the video "Did You Know?", it puts all of that info into perspective. It's like we all know China and India have huge populations, but you don't really realize just how many people live there until you have the numbers lined up for you. It's crazy to think how many people live in just a square mile as well. I definitely enjoyed learning a little about these two sites.



The food for thought was amazing! I find it incredible that an illiterate six year could probably use in iPad better than I could. I guess it goes to show that some technology can reach all people.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Google Presentation

C4T Summary

I have really enjoyed reading Mrs. King's blog. I loved her view on how the Apple Trackpad takes her away from the front of the room. Students, in my opinion, are more likely to be open when a teacher isn't lecturing them. She says that the Trackpad also allows her to work interactively with smaller groups better. This is great because it allows teachers to work more closely with students.
Her second post I read was about the power of social networking. She talks about how quickly we can get in touch with whom we need to in just a matter of minutes. It's extremely convenient after the devastation that was experienced by an earthquake very close to her.

Blog Assignment 3

"A Vision of Students Today"
I really enjoyed this video so much! I found it very true! Some of the points the students were making are some of the things I think every day. They mentioned spending so much money on textbooks and never opening. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that! Students will be in so much debt when they graduate that it's horrible to think that we are wasting that much money. We need to focus on technology that could eliminate some of our textbook use.
I also agreed with the fact that we all have to be multi-taskers. It's impossible not to be! With so much going on with work, school, and extra-curricular activities, there just isn't enough time during the day.

"It's Not About the Technology"
Mrs. Hines' post is so incredibly true! I agree with the fact teachers must be constant learners. To be effective, you can't be behind. Like she said if you put all teachers in one school together, there ages span quite a bit, yet they've adapted. They should be examples to all of us.
I don't know how many of my teachers have complained that they've tried to teach it, we just don't understand it. Most teachers put the information out there and pray we get it. Mrs. Hines' is right though, it doesn't stop there. Learning is the most important thing! Like she stated, it may not look the same in all students, but you'll be able to recognize when the light comes on.
I also agree that teaching children to be creative and encouraging their problem solving skills is extremely important. If students are handed technology tools and that's the only way they know to solve something, what will happen if one day that tool is not available? It's important for them to know how to use technology, but it shouldn't be what they depend on.

"Is It Ok to Be a Technology Illiterate Teacher?"
I don't agree with everything in this post. It was all very good and very true. I particularly don't agree with the statement, "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.". I do believe it's a bit harsh. Technology is a vital part of the education system, I just don't believe it's the most important.
Teachers do need to be technology literate, don't get me wrong. It is very crucial that they know how perform basic computer skills. We all know this, but the most important thing is that they figure out the best way to reach their students. Whether that be through technology or another way.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Blog Assignment 2

"Did You Know?"
I was shocked at some of the statistics that were given! I couldn't believe that there were more honors students in India than there were kids in America. However when they started talking about how we are preparing for jobs today that don't exist yet, I found it very true. I guess I never thought about it that way though. There are technologies being invented every day that we couldn't fathom 20, 15, or even 10 years ago.
The way we do things now days aren't the way that we used to do them. We don't meet people the way we used to. The statistic that said 1 out of every 8 couples that were married last year met online was surprising to me, although I don't know why. With everyone having Facebook and Myspace accounts it shouldn't surprise me at all! We have lost the element of meeting and speaking face to face. I think in a way it has made us a poorly mannered society. Kids now days don't even have the communications skills necessary to speak to one another. They use IM and texting a sole means of communication. Phone skills are even lost in among all new technology.
The expanding in the world of technology is almost scary! For them to say that by 2013 there will be a computer that can operate better than the human mind is a little bit unnerving. To think, a computer doing the things of the human mind.

"Mr. Winkle Wakes"
I liked this video. It was kind of funny in a way, but I think a lot of elderly people feel this way sometimes. There are things that they'd never thought they see, things they couldn't even imagine. Even our parents see things that weren't around when they were younger and I'm sure that it will be the same with our generation as time goes on.
The part of the video where Mr. Winkle goes to this hospital was particularly important. Medical advancements are an enormous part of our changing society. The things doctors can do now are incredible.
I must agree with the end of the movie. Schools are rather outdated. Students tend to get bored with the same lecture type set up. That's why classes like EDM are important. They can help us make school more fun for our future students.

"The Importance of Creativity"
I agree with Mr. Robinson completely. I think we do kill creativity in children. We raise them in an ever-changing, extremely creative world and we don't encourage them to be creative in the classroom. I like where he says that we have to prepare to be wrong in order to be creative. Kids don't have that censor. They have no fear of judgment that we do as adults. We are so scared of what others will say about opinions that sometimes we stop children from giving theirs. I guess in fear that they will get hurt.
I also like when he said that Shakespeare had to be in someone's English class. It was a funny thought, but a true thought. This made me think, since I want to be an English teacher. Someone that is in my class one day may be an aspiring writer and it would be extremely important for me to encourage their creativity.
I also agree completely with him when he says that the arts can be just as important as mathematics and sciences. We don't put enough emphasis on the creativity in art, whether it be art or drama or whatever else. I was in drama in high school and I loved it. It took me out of my comfort zone! I had to get up and speak and perform in front of people. That gave me the courage to get up and speak now in front of people.




"Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts"
I like that Vicki Davis uses technology in her classroom, however I don't agree with her statement "with paper and pencil, only some students will succeed". I think that it could be the same way with computers and technology. Some people just aren't good with computer work.
I think that technology is very important in the classroom, however it shouldn't be the sole thing we rely on. I think that doing only computer work may hurt the students who are better with paper work. Like myself for example. It's hard for me to sit in front of a computer for an hour doing work.