Blog Assignment # 6

The Networked Student

     This video made me realize what the future classroom may look like. There is so much more information available to us these days than ever before. I think students will like this new way of learning instead of having to hear boring lectures all the time and do the same thing in class every day. Most students are bored in the classroom these days and I think if they are allowed to learn more independently they will be more successful. 

     I also think this way of learning challenges students to find answers for themselves instead of just depending on a teacher or other student to help them. A student today can find information on just about anything through the use of  networking. Connecting with people from all over the world is a great way to learn more. I think in the past we were limited to how much we could learn. When I was growing up I never was able to talk to someone who was in another country. I barely even talked to any one who do not live in my same city. Today we are able to learn so much more by being connected to people from all over the world.

     I think the networked student does still need a teacher. A teacher who is technology literate can help students with questions they have or connect them other people who can help them. A teacher can guide them and show them how to network with other people and use his or her experience to help them along the way. I think a teacher should encourage students to be  networking. A teacher also needs to be networking. A teacher should not be complacent and always willing to learn from other people also. 

     A 7th Grade Personal Learning Environment or PLN

     I was impressed with this 7th graders personal learning environment. It looked way different than what I did in school when I was a young boy. Technology has definitely changed  the way we learn today. My personal learning environment in EDM 310 is similar to this. I never have to use paper or pencil just like this 7th grader did not have too. Most of my classes in college are still not using much technology. I think in the future everyone will be using technology in their personal learning environment or risk the chance of falling way behind those who do use it.

A Critique of Smart boards
     In The two critiques I read about smart boards both think that the smart boards are a waste of money and do not really help the student that much more than a chalkboard or projector. Both educators seem to think that most schools have them just to show them off because they are cool and neat. They seem to think that they are really useless.

      I read a post by Jessica Cook titled The advantages of Using a Smart Board. She believes that smart boards are very beneficial to the teachers and students. She likes the fact that you can save your work on a smart board and retrieve it at any time. She also likes the idea that the smart boards can be connected to different computers and be useful in distance learning. Another advantage is after a teacher is through with a lecture or lesson he or she can print out what was on the board and give a handout to each student. Here is a link to the site.The Advantages of Using a Smart Board | eHow.com

     I believe smart boards are a good investment and offer more advantages than disadvantages. The only thing I do not like is when a school receives a new smart board and a teacher refuses to use it because he or she is scared of learning how it works. It is a waste of money if it just sits there unused, but it can be very beneficial to those who use it in a productive way.

Comments for Kids 1

C4K # 1

     The first kid's blog I commented on was a fifth grade boy. His post was titled What I like to do. He said that he liked to pogo stick and that he was the best one at it at the boys club. He also mentioned that he like to ripstik. He said that he like to read at that he had read many books since he was five years old. He also had a positive attitude about attending school and seeing his teacher everyday.

     I commented on his post and asked him what pogo stick and ripstik was. I had never heard of that. I also encouraged him to keep reading and told him that was great that he had such a positive attitude about going to school everyday. I asked him what was his favorite kind of books to read.

CK4 # 2

     The next student I was assigned to comment on was a girl named Chyna. She attends Pt England School in Auckland, New Zealand. She is in the fourth grade. I commented on her post titled I am getting a Netbook.  She was very excited because she evidently had won a netbook. She mentioned that she had won the netbook because she was good on the computer and did cool things on the computer. She also mentioned that when she first turned on her netbook that it turned off because her battery was flat!

     I commented on her post and told her that it was so cool that she was getting a netbook. I asked her what all she had learned on a computer and what could she do on it. I encouraged her to keep learning all she could on a computer. I told her that when I was growing up that we did not have computers in my classroom.

CK4 # 3 

     The final student I commented on was a sixth grade boy named Mateo. He also attended Pt England School. His teacher is Mr. Kent Somerville. The title of the post I commented on was Christchurch Earthquake. He was saddened by the earthquake in his country. He mentioned that 75 people had been killed and many more injured in the earthquake. He said that almost all the houses had been destroyed in the city of Christchurch. 

     I commented on his post and told him that I was very sorry for the earthquake in his country. I could tell that this was really sad to him and that he was concerned for the victims. I told him that I would be praying for  all the people involved in this terrible tragedy. I also asked him how far was Christchurch from where he lived. 

Project 9b (Instructional)Timetoast

Blog Assignment # 5

Podcasting In the Classroom

     I think this video shows many examples of why podcasting is beneficial in the classroom. I love the idea of parents being able to see what is going on in their children's classrooms. I also think that is is a very good tool to use for someone who may be sick and needs to study at home. Podcasting allows a student who may have missed a class to still learn and to do it from the convenience of their home. I would love to use podcasting in my classroom one day and plan on doing so. I believe it is a great tool to use and should be used in our classrooms

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog

     I really enjoyed these 3rd graders podcasts. I always thought that podcast were for older students and not lower grades. I now see even the young can do podcasts and it is a great learning tool for them to learn. I really think podcasts help students be more creative and it keeps them more interested in learning because it is fun and is a new way of learning. I listened to the podcast about the ancient Romans. I would have loved to have been able to use this technology when I was attending school.
     I also liked hearing these students interacting and collaborating with one another while doing these podcasts. I think it teaches students to work together and learn together instead of just trying to learn alone. I hope more teachers in the future will allow their classrooms to do podcasts and use this wonderful learning instrument.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to learn and Study Better

     I was amazed at all the the ways you can use an iPod for educational purposes. I had no there was so many things you could download on an iPod to use for learning. I can see where having an iPod can be so beneficial to have. You can have access to lesson plans and all kind of tools to teach students with the use of an iPod. I thought Ipods were just used to listen to music. I had no idea they could be used for so much more. This is definitely great technology that I need to get more familiar with.

          I will definitely use some of these tools for my future podcasts. I watched a video on how to make a podcast using Audacity. I will use this for future podcasts.I like how you can cut out background noise in Audacity. I will definitely use that one day! I also would like to buy an ipod and explore the many things you can do with it for educational purposes. I really liked how the 3rd graders used a podcast to learn history and would love to do that in my classroom one day.

Project 9a Timetoast

Assignment # 8 Podcast

MY Sentence Movie

Blog Assignment # 4

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?

     I really liked this post by Dr. Mcleod. I know that he was being sarcastic and did not really mean the stuff he was saying. I think he was trying to make a point of how many teachers and parents try to make an excuse in order to keep technology out of the classrooms. There are definitely some things that could be viewed as potentially harmful due to technology being used in the classroom. This should not stop us or give us an excuse to do away with it all together.  
     I believe we have to teach students to be responsible with technology just as we teach them to be responsible with other things. We cannot be scared to use technology just because there are bad things that can be associated with it. We will be putting the students we teach at a serious disadvantage if we deny them the use of something that will be very important for them one day. Dr. Scott Mcleod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He is widely recognized as on of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues.

The iSchool Initiative

     This video changed my perception on how I thought technology would be too expensive to be put in all schools. It made me realize that  a lot of money could actually be saved if we used more technology. Less paper would be used and some of the things required like a calculator are already in the iphone or ipad. I think that people sometimes want to believe it would be more expensive just because they are afraid to learn about new things and it would require some changes in the classroom.
     After watching this video, I realize that we are not using enough technology in the classrooms today. We have all these new things today,but we continue to want to stay in the past and not move into the future. Most of the new technology would make things easier on us and would put those we teach at an advantage over those who do not get to use new technology.

The Lost Generation

     I did not like this video at first as it was all negative and seemed to stereotype my generation. Then it switched the words around and it made it into a positive message. I think a lot of people think that this is a lost generation with no hope and that we have strayed away from our past values. All we hear today it seems is negative and not painting a good picture of what our future will hold.
     I do not believe we are a lost generation. We may be looked on that way right now,however I think we have more tools to be successful today than we ever have. We have more technology on hand and if we use it to our advantage we may be known as the generation that saved us instead of the lost generation.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

     This video was great! To think that no one ever came together to do this and it was done all on the web is amazing. This video really makes me aware of the things we can now do thanks to new technology. This was really well put together and it sounded beautiful. It was different voices of people from all around the globe coming together to make a beautiful sound. This gives me hope that I can form relationships and get to know people from other countries and possibly work with people that live so far away!

Teaching in the 21st Century

     Teaching in the 21st century is way different than in the past. We have much more information than in the past. Students can now find information on any subject through various ways on a computer. I think teachers sometimes look down on people who come to class with cell phones and computers because they are just assuming that the they are using it for entertainment instead of learning. I like the part in the video where it talks about students engaging with their technology instead of using it simply for entertainment. Engaging is when students take advantage of technology to learn from it. Teaching in the 21st century means taking advantage of all that is out there to teach methods of learning.

C4T Summary Post # 1

The State Writing Test


     This blog by Paula White is discussing the upcoming writing test administered by the State. The test will be given online on a computer. Mrs. White is talking about some of the teachers concerns about this test being alone. Some are concerned that some students do not know how to use a keyboard very well. Others are concerned that kids who do not text on their phones will be at an disadvantage. Most are concerned with the fairness of this kind of test. Mrs. White believes from what I gather is that we should be teaching kids how to write on a computer all the time and not just to prepare them for the test given by the state. I agree! We should try to teach our students everything that is given to us to learn. In this case the state has made computers available and they should be used by the students .


Expect More

     This blog by Paula White encourages us to expect more from our students and to not underestimate their abilities. I think often times we just believe students to not know how do something when in reality they do and are willing to learn. I like the quote in this blog made by Adora Svitack. "No matter your position or place in life, it is imperative to create opportunities for children so that we can blow you away." Mrs. White goes on to say that her students do not need to grow up to blow her away because they are already doing so. I agree with that. We can learn some much from young people if we just let them teach us what they already know. I also agree with Mrs. White that we should let students choose some of the things they want to read or learn about. I think a young person is more likely to study things he or she is interested in. I think teachers should try to incorporate things that interest kids so they will be more excited about studying and learning.

Project # 5 Google Presentation

Blog Assignment # 3

A Vision of Students Today


     I think this video is a good picture of what is going on in most classes today.It seems most classes that I attend do not have technology involved.I just show up to class and hear a lecture in most classes without being included. I have bought many books and never even opened some of them. I feel like I wasted my money and feel like I have been robbed of learning.
     I think we should be challenged to learn when attending classes. I also feel like we should bring new technology into the classroom and be allowed to use it when it helps us to learn.It is a shame that we are in some cases living in the past and if we did not not know any better we would think that things are the same as they were 30 years ago. It is time for us as educators to become committed to bring change into the classrooms through new technology!


It's Not about the Technology


     I completely agree with Mrs. Hines. What good is technology if we as teachers do not know how to use it and teach our students. We have to change our mindset and be flexible. If we do not try to change we will be guilty of not becoming learners ourselves. Just because we are teachers does not mean our education stops and we stop learning. We should try to learn something every moment that we can in hopes of being the best teacher that we can be.
     I also agree with the four points that Mrs. Hines makes that we need to do to be effective in the classroom. We should adapt and change our teaching strategies if the students we teach are not learning. We should never forget that the reason we teach is to make learners. If we as teachers don't know about technology how are we going to expect our students to learn it. We have to be good teachers first and then we will be able to use technology more effectively.


Is it okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?


     I really enjoyed this blog and after reading this it changed my way on how I view technology. I always thought that teachers might could get away with not being technologically literate. I do not think that anymore. I think technology is moving so fast that if we do not try to stay caught up we will be jeopardizing our careers as educators in the near future.
     When I first started reading this blog I thought that Mr. Fisch was crazy when he made the comparison with being technology illiterate and not knowing how to read thirty years ago. I think that is a good point and I can see that being true in the very near future. We can longer stand still as educators and not be willing to learn more. We have to use technology if we want to be successful in the classrooms.


Gary Hayes Social Media Count


     This was unbelievable! Anybody who sees this and does not realize how fast technology is moving and how you will be left behind if you are not constantly learning must be blind. More and more people are using technology everyday and pretty soon you will be in the minority if you do not keep up.