Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BLOG POST #5

Not sure how many of you know and understand podcast but I know I did not before I did this Blog. I have anyways heard about podcast since I have had an iPod for years but in those years I have never used or downloaded a podcast. Thanks to "100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better," I figured out where podcast come from and when they started. This article was probably more informative then the rest. My favorite out of the three links that I looked at was the 3rd graders. Eagles' Nest Radio is very impressive. I can only hope my groups podcast is half as good as that one. Those were so very well spoken 3rd graders. The only problem I saw with their podcast was that the music sometimes overpowered what they were says. My last link I checked out about podcast was "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom" by Joe Dale. This was a more educational look at how using podcast can help in a classroom setting. The most interesting part to me was how a sick student could get the day lecture at their house and still be product for that day at school even though they were sick. I just wish I could have had something like that. I now see and understand podcasting and see it benefits so the sky is the limit.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Blog Post #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

It is was not taught some of the items on that article then I know I would not be in college and especially not in this class. In today's World you cannot function without using the items in the article. Just finding out the weather or the news would almost be impossible.

I'm slowly starting to come around to the new technology beliefs. I was a believe like my parents and grandparents in that the Internet should be restricted but I'm slowly getting there. I will always believe it should be restricted to young ones but only to a certain age because without full access you cannot totally understand the Internet.

The iShool Initiative

This was a very interesting video. I totally agree with the young man. I was watching the video and had to stop the video so I could download the Constitution and the World Wiki on my touch. I love hearing of cool helpful apps and those where free so I love those. I would have saved a couple of trees back in the day if I had my touch during some of my Government classes.

I only problem I see with the iTouch being apart of every high school kids life is the cost and the up keep of the equipment.  He did bring attention to the cost but not to the upkeep of the equipment. This is a delicate piece of equipment and I know how I treated delicate items in high school and it was not to friendly. That is the only thing I wrong with going to the iSchool.

The Lost Generation

Wow AARP hit one right on top of the head. I thought that was a very interesting advertisement. I is scary but the first part of the reel is true and it will take a whole hell of a lot to change it.
I thought the presentation of the show was impressive. It was simple but very straight forward and to the point. Having it reverse it order at the end was genius. 

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir

It is a virtual rendition of "We Are The World" except it is people we do not know. Like I said early the Internet is and outstanding item. The way it connects people throughout the world is still out standing and it is getting better everyday. This video also shows the versatility of the Internet. It just is not for gathering information but it can be used of fun and entertaining things.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Additional Assignment #1

a. The educational implications for searches such as Google Squared are very high. I never even knew about Google Squared. It is capable of giving you a lot of information in a quick amount of time. For example the info we looked up in the exercise would take 10 to 15 minutes searching each country individually. 
b. WolframAlpha provides information in a easy to read format that saves time and effort.
c. I did not know about Google Squared before this assignment.
d. I did not know about WolframAlpha before this assignment.
e. I knew the Did You Know stats were thrown in there to confuse you and make you think on your feet. At the moment I knew something was not always right about their figures but I feel better after you pointed some of them out.
f. I had a Exercise and Health class at Auburn and our professor warned us about not reading to much in to outlandish statistics so since them I research statistics that I do not feel comfortable about. Either in the way the data was collected or how it is presented is usually what gives it away.

6.

EDM Presentation About ME

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgct62bf_1c6rznxcg&revision=_latest&start=0&theme=blank&authkey=CJCiseUL&cwj=true

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

The counter was very interesting but the common sense in me wants to know where those statistics came from. Those are some pretty outrageous numbers and I like to know those are true concrete data or just a bunch of stats that someone throw together to impress someone. I do know the rate or blogger's and social website followers has ballooned to outrageous number and everyone I know is plugged into some type of social network. I knew it was something when I saw my parents on Facebook. That was scary. As for teachers having to be a part of this madness is truly up to them. Some of these social networks can get you in trouble so being a part of one should be up to the individual.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch had some great points about the repercussions for a teacher that is not technologically literate but I feel they are to stiff for teachers of this generation. Now for young teachers or soon to be teachers I do think there should be a requirement for being able to work with technology. I just do not think today's teachers (age 40 and up) should not have to relearn their teaching philosophy. For starters they already have so much on their plates it is not funny. I just do not see how we can expect a high school coach for example to learn a new teaching style when he works a 15 hour day during the in season and barely has time for his family. It is just unfair to them and their students.

I know I have played devil's advocate in my past few post saying I would rather have better teachers than better technology in classrooms. I just feel that way because it is hard to replace a great teacher but it is easy to replace a Smart Board or a computer. I just feel those should be tools used by teachers but the class should not revolve around them. Person to person interaction is still the best way to learn (that's just me).

It’s Not about the Technology

Now this is a teacher that I can get on board with. She is thinking along that lines that I agree with. I love how she pointed out how technology is good in so many ways but can just be a paper weight if not used properly. This total education overhaul that I have recently blogged about must start with better educated teachers and ones that are more technologically savvy. Both of my parents are teachers at the high school level so I feel okay to talk about them but I know they both have Smart Boards in their classrooms and they can barely turn them on. That is not a knock on them but it just shows the gap in our generations. That is why by the time I am full time in a classroom I feel that technology will be used in every classroom properly.

I also agree with Hines in the fact that teachers of today and the future must be willing to learn and never stop learning. I agree with that because technology is going to keep growing and evolving and if teaches do not stay ahead of the curve they will get passed much like my parents did. God love them.

A Vision of Students Today

In the short video entitled "A Vision of Students Today," the creators once again decided to bash the education system that we know today. Yes I agree it is old and outdated but it is all we have. For there to be a total overhaul of the education system would take years and cost billions of dollars that the United States does not have. The national debt in the U.S. as of 9/12/10 is $13,455,924,064,871.34 (http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/). That figure along is so large I cant even say the number. So you know what happens when the Government cant pick up the tab? It falls back of the tax payer's and the people that pay tuition. I'm not bashing technology I'm just a realist and understand how expensive it is. The one thing I do agree with is that it will be our generation that has to change the system and we will also be the ones to pick up the tab for this system overhaul.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

C4T Summary

The teacher I was assigned was a very art driven teacher. Her first post was about Chuck Close an artist the draws portraits. The portraits that were shown on his You-tube video were so life like they were almost scary. You can tell he has true talent. The next post I that I looked at from Pondering Paige was telling of her night at The LoDa Artwalk. LoDa Artwalk is located in Downtown Mobile and happens of Friday nights from 6:00 to 9:00. It basically a big open house of art galleries and restaurants downtown. Paige talked of how much she enjoyed the trip and how relaxing it was. From the way she described it I might have to look into it myself.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis's class looks very enjoyable. I see were her class and the style of her class in both very informative and realistic. I think having a class like early in high would be very helpful and useful later in life. I also like how she was improving their literacy by making they look up a word and learn it. That is a real life situation that happens everyday.

The only down side I see with this is that her classroom looked pretty expensive. She was using some expensive equipment that not everyone can afford so I think it would be hard to tailor or class to a school that did not have their budget. The concept and the plan for the class is all very good. Vicki really impressed me. 

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

In the lecture Sir Ken Robinson has many interesting points about creativity and how the education system can sometime hinder the development of children creativity. I know and understand what he means but I do not agree with him in many of his major points. For starters I do believe there in a time and place of creativity in the schools but it can not over shadow the real reason why children are in school and that is to get an education. I think I almost vomited when he said, "Creativity is just as important as literacy." I sorry but if I am trying to hire someone I want someone that can read and write over someone that can paint me a picture or sing me a song. I guess that the difference between me and him but you can not put a price of some one's education. It is something that no one can take away from you and it is something that is always evolving since you are always learning new information.

I believe the time and place for creativity should be in after school programs or maybe in a limited amount of time during school. I just do not see the benefit of taking away the roots of education to allow time for stuff that kids can do on their own and does not require a trained professional such as a teacher. A teacher's time can just be better used for other actives other than helping a student to be creative.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes was like watch a movie after attending a Grateful Dead concert. For me it just stated the obvious that just yes technology has improved over the past 100 years. It did not take a cartoon man to tell me that. The worst part to me was the way they bashed the education system. Yes computers are a very important part of today's education but they are not everything. I had rather have a great teacher who was able to communicate with me than a computer that just sits there and makes me pull information out of it. The other problem that the creators of this video forgot was the money it cost for computers to be put into the classroom. In today's world we cannot even pay our teachers who run the classroom. All in all I feel a the video was making fun of the education system as a whole saying it is outdated and in the way of computers.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Did you know?

This was an eye opening movie full of interesting stats. The only question I raise about all of their information is were did they collect it and how reliable is it. I like to think of myself realist and some of those numbers seem a little out there. Just totally trusting those numbers all living by them are a little scary.

The other thing I did not like about the video was I felt it was done by people who have never really had to do manual labor. After watching it you feel like if your not technologically savvy then your going to be left in the dust. They did not say a word about all the labor intensive job and professions that will be done form now to the end of time. So my overall view of "Did you know?" was not that impressive.

Did you know?