Closing Post Final Reflection

Coming into this class I thought that I was technologically literate, however I found out that I was not. I learned many useful skills throughout this class that can help me develop as a teacher. One of the things that I learned is how to make a blog and use it to blog. Blogs will be helpful for my future students to use either to learn something about someone else in another country or to publish their work. These are just two of the ways my students could use blogs. I can also keep a blog as a teacher to inform parents and guardians of what was done in class that day. Another thing that my future class could use is comments4kids and comments4teachers, where they comment on other children's blogs and other teacher's blogs. They can learn more from these other people and learn more about their cultures since they can live anywhere. Another tool I could use as a future teacher is iTunesU to put up homework assignments and lessons for students who missed class or students who want to go back and listen again. Also, parents or guardians could get on it to see what their child did that day. One more tool that I learned about is ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. This website has a lot of useful tools for teachers from lesson plans to a personal workspace. This class introduced me to many tools that I can use in my future classroom.

I am much more technologically literate now than when I started the class. On a scale of low, some, medium, good, and great, I would say that I am good with technological literacy. I am not quite great or know all that I can use in my future classroom. However, I am going to keep working to get to this point as I continue through school and become a teacher. Technology is always changing, so to keep up with it I will continue to research and expand my knowledge of technology. I will do this by using the tools that I already know and learning more about these tools and learning new tools. I will keep moving forward just like technology moves forward everyday.

Interview Videocast

Podcast

http://edm310podcasts.blogspot.com/2010/04/laptops-and-computers-in-classroom.html

7th Graders PLE

Welcome to My PLE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY&feature=player_embedded

This is a video about a 7th graders PLE. Her PLE is very put together and professional even though she is only in 7th grade. She enjoys learning this way because it gives her freedom and a way to make things more interesting. I learned a lot about PLEs from hers and how to make mine better than it is now. She did a great job with her PLE.

PLN Wordle

Substantive Presentation

Teaching Presentation

This is a presentation that could be used in a Kindergarten classroom to help students learn how to rhyme.

Computer Labs in Schools vs Laptops per Student

Advantages to Computer Labs

• Technical assistance in the lab
• Computers are monitored
  
• Allows more students simultaneous access as opposed to one computer in each classroom

Disadvantages to Computer Labs

• Time in lab is limited
• Have to schedule time in lab
• Have to get all the students and their supplies together to walk across the school to the lab
• Students may forget something they need
• Have to plan projects ahead during class time then wait for lab time

Advantages to Laptops

• Portable within the school and outside the classroom
• Portable for field trips and investigations
• Provides immediate data processing and graphic feedback
• Immediate feedback and analysis allows next-step decision making in the field
• Allows file-sharing
• Facilitates group work and collaboration
• Generates reports and presentations
• Flexible and inventive uses
• Access to expert resources on the Internet or through e-mail

Classroom Management Techniques while using Laptops

• Do not tolerate the misuse of laptops
• Designate "Think Time" or "Lids Down" time when students must direct their attention to the teacher or facilitator
• Plan ahead for re-charging batteries
• Install identical software programs
• Set up shortcuts to software programs
• Ask students to save files in a specific directory
  

Google Earth Trip Tour

TimeToast Timeline

Wordle

Skype

I have used Skype many times in the past. I used to use it to talk to my fiancee when we lived in two different states. Now I use it to talk to all my family and friends back home. Skype is a great tool that can be used in many different ways. It can be used outside the classroom for personal use or it could be used in the classroom for educational purposes. Teachers can use it in many ways. One way is to talk to another class in another state or even country to learn about them and the cultures. Another way is to have another teacher teach the students something over it, so that the students can get a new perspective on what they are being taught. Skype can be used in many ways and is an excellent tool for any teacher to use.

Favorites Survey

What is your favorite color?
Green-4
Red-2
Pink-3
Blue-2
Purple-1
Yellow-1

What is your favorite type of food?
Steak-1
Seafood-4
Salad-4
Chicken-3
Mashed Potatoes-1

What is your favorite household pet?
Dog-10
Snake-1
Squirrel-1
None-1

What is your favorite wild animal?
Monkey-4
Snake-2
Tiger-3
Lion-1
Koala-1
Giraffe-2

What is your favorite age group of children to work with?
Infancy (Birth to 2 years)-1
Early Childhood (2 to 6 years)-3
Middle Childhood (6 to 10 years)-3
Early Adolescence (10 to 14 years)-3
Late Adolescence (14 to 18 years)-3

What is your favorite subject to teach?
Art-2
English-4
Math-4
P.E.-1
Science-2

What is your favorite video game system?
Nintendo Entertainment System-1
Wii-9
XBOX 360-1
None-2

What is your favorite type of music?
Alternative-1
Country-6
Mixture of types-2
Rock-4

What is your favorite type of movie?
Animated-1
Comedy-8
Drama-3
Suspense-1

Personal Learning Network

A.University of South Alabama-College of Education
1.Dr. Juarez
2.Dr. Strange
3.Mr. Sullivan
4.Mrs. Sparks
5.Jayne Kennedy

B.Community
1.Mrs. Sands
2.Mrs. Richardson
3. Mrs. Merker

C.Twitter
1.Karl Fisch
2.Kelly Hines
3.Edutopia
4.Wendy Drexler
5.Karl Fisch

D.Internet
1. http://alex.state.al.us/index.php
2. http://www.alsde.edu/html/home.asp
3. http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx
4. http://www.avl.lib.al.us/
5. http://www.asc.edu/aboutasa/index.shtml
6. http://accessdl.state.al.us/

The Zax by Dr. Seuss

This video by Dr. Seuss has a very important lesson behind it. The lesson is that change happens all around you, so you need to be comfortable with change in life. You need to incorporate change into all aspects of your life. The world cannot stand still even if you do. So you need to change right along with it and not be bypassed by it.

PS 22 Video
http://is.gd/3WVnq

This video showed how talented these children are. It is important for students work to be posted on blogs or other things because it shows off their talents. If these students had not had their video up then the singer of Fleetwood Mac would not have seen it. This means that they would not have been invited to sing the song at the show in Madison Square Garden. Which means they would have missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime.

Dear Kaia

Dear Kaia:Voicethread and Video by Mr. Chamberlain's Class
http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/dear-kaia-voicethread-and-video.html

This post shows how technology is being used by younger and younger children everyday. These students were doing comments4kids when one of the fathers said that the girl could not read so they made her a video and voicethread for her comments. This also shows how teachers can incorporate technology into their classroom to keep their students connected with people all around the world.

Open Letter to Educators

An Open Letter to Educators by Morgan Bayda
http://morgbayda.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/an-open-letter-to-educators/

This post is about teachers wasting students time by not keeping up with current times. According to this, teachers are losing the interest of their students by teaching the "old-fashioned" way. Teachers stand at the front of the room and lecture with a powerpoint while students are scribbling down facts. The students then memorize those facts for the test. These students are being schooled not educated. College students pay thousands of dollars to sit in these classes and hundreds of dollars to buy books that they never open. Then they spend hours on homework outside of class, such as readings that the teachers never even go over. According to the video in the post, students can learn more from the internet and technology, then they can in a class like this. This video has some very good points to it that can raise a lot of questions.

Comments4Teachers

A Whole New Dianne
http://diannekrause.edublogs.org/

Look What I Found! 3/24/2010

This post had a link in it to a grading rubric. The rubric was for grading students on posts that they had made on their own blogs. I think that this is a very good rubric for students. It shows them exactly what is needed on their posts and how to be successful bloggers. The rubric can be very useful to any teacher using blogging in their classroom.

Look What I Found! 3/25/2010

This post had links on how to create a Wordle. I had never even heard of a Wordle before but now I know how to create one.

Look What I Found!4/06/2010

This post had a link to BeatPick which provides pre-cleared music for commercial and non-commercial use. This can be useful for students trying to find music to use in projects such as podcasts. This post also has a link to something called Google Search Tricks. This has different tips that can help someone perform a more accurate search. Both of these tools can be very useful to teachers and students.

ALEX and ACCESS

Alabama Learning Exchange

Alabama Learning Exchange also known as ALEX is a very useful site for teachers. It has many different parts to it, including courses of study, web links, lesson plans, a search engine, personal workspace, professional learning, and podcast treasury. It includes standards for teachers to follow, lesson plans, and activities for all age groups. It also has links for other useful websites for teachers. Finally, it has a personal workspace for teachers to keep track of things like lesson plans and activities.

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide

ACCESS is available to all high school students. It provides equal access to high quality instruction, an infrastructure that delivers quality learning opportunities, and greater equity for all Alabama public high school students through 21st century technology. The goal of ACCESS is to continue to meet objectives of the ACCESS plan, expanding the availability of ACCESS Distance Learning to all public high schools in the state. It provides access to advanced diploma courses, additional course offerings, Advanced Placement and dual credit courses. It also provides teachers with additional multimedia and tools to enhance instruction.

Randy Pausch

Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by Randy Pausch

This was a very inspiring and touching lecture. His speech was about being successful in life and enjoying life at the same time. He touched on how to help out others and bring joy into their life. He incorporates many of his own stories into the speech and continually inspires his listeners. He continually encourages people to follow their dreams and be the best they can be at whatever they try. This was an amazing lecture that everyone should listen to.

Comments4Teachers

Manaiakalani
http://manaiakalani.blogspot.com/


Adults Learn From Students

This post is about students presenting what they have learned to adult visitors. They write their scripts and then talk them over with the teachers in the eLearning team. They use podcast, their daily school television, their public school television program, video conferencing, and blogging to share with their visitors what they have learned. This gives the students something to help build their confidence and gives them their own learning experience. This is such a great idea because it gives students a chance to share their achievements with visitors.


GoogleFest

This post is about different Google tools, apps, ideas, and tips. It has links and ways on how to best use many Google tools. It is very helpful because it shows how to use many of these tools which can be helpful in a classroom or just in everyday life. It has videos and tips on how best to use them in an education setting.


Twitterific Tweachers

This post is about teachers using twitter. Teachers should be using the tools that they expect their students to use. It also has a link to a twitter account that is a tutorial for using twitter in teaching and learning. The twitter account has a lot of useful information for teachers.

PLN

A.University of South Alabama-College of Education
1.Dr. Juarez
2.Dr. Strange
3.Mr. Sullivan
4.Mrs. Sparks
5.Jayne Kennedy

B.Community
1.Mrs. Sands
2.Mrs. Richardson

C.Twitter
1.Karl Fisch
2.Kelly Hines
3.Edutopia
4.Wendy Drexler
5.Karl Fisch

Students Using Multimedia

This is How We Dream by Richard Miller

This video talks about writing with multimedia technology. Instead of having to go to the library and check out a book, you can get it on the internet. It's a good idea because libraries be out of a book or it could be a hard to find book. Also, a person may not have the time to go to the library or live close to a library but they can get on the computer and get the book. The information is always there and students can produce writing with multimedia as well. When a student writes something on the computer, it can be shared with many people. Then, if the student wants that person to be able to edit the document they can.


The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

The networked student is a student that knows technology and how to use it. The teacher of this student uses connectivism. The teacher encourages their students to make connections with others who can help strengthen their learning. This teacher also encourages the student to take control and is there to answer questions and help when needed. The networked student uses many pieces of technology. They use their mp3 player to listen to iTunes U. They blog on their computers. As well as set up RSS feeds and PLN's to help better their education.

iTunes and iPods

Dr. Alice Christie's Web Site

http://www.alicechristie.org/index.html

This website has many useful things for teachers. It has lots of tips for teachers and full of links for teachers to go to. Some of the things are ways to use podcasting, digital media, spreadsheets, and other media in class. There are web design rubrics for teachers to use to evaluate their websites. It also talks about internet safety in class which is very important. All of the things on this website could be useful to a teacher. It gives them ideas about how to incorporate new things into their classroom effectively. This website is very helpful and I would recommend it to any teacher.


Duke Sees Growth in Classroom iPod Use

http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005/12/ipodupdate.html

Duke University is now giving out iPods to students enrolled in classes that use them. This allows the students to use something that they are familiar with. It also allows students to take learning outside of the classroom. The students really enjoy the program and it interests them in learning more. The program has been a success and they are now trying to incorporate more technology into the classrooms.


ITunes University

ITunes University has many possibilities. It is useful in many different ways. The first way is that if a student misses class, they can see what they missed on iTunes U. Also, anyone can access all different schools. So if someone wanted to know something about a particular subject they could look it up on here. This could be very useful in research projects. Another way this could be useful is to see what other teachers are teaching about the same subject. Additionally, this could help students keep up with their class work. ITunes U is a very good idea that could benefit teachers and students in many ways.

Wikipedia and Teaching Tips

The NPR News Blog
Who's Been Messing with My Wikipedia Entry

http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/08/whos_been_messin_with_my_wikip.html

NPR News Article
Scanner Tracks Who's Changing What on Wikipedia

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12823729

Wired
See Who's Editing Wikipedia-Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign

http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/08/wiki_tracker?currentPage=all

All of these articles/blogs talk about the popular internet site Wikipedia. This site is known for its research, however it is not the most reliable or credible information out there. This is because anyone can edit the information put on Wikipedia and so it does not have to be true or factual. However, now they have implemented a tracker where the person looking at the article can see who has edited the information. This shows that for the most part people are editing entries to benefit themselves or their organizations. Which shows that Wikipedia is not the most reliable source of information.



At the Teacher's Desk
What I've Learned this Year

http://attheteachersdesk.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-i-learned-this-year.html

This blog is about what Mr. McClung learned in his first year of teaching. The first thing is to make sure to always remember to make lessons student-centered. Secondly, is to be flexible because a teacher never knows what is going to happen. The next thing is to communicate to build strong relationships with students and other teachers. Another thing is to remember each student is different and should be held up to different expectations. Also, teachers should not be afraid of technology. Teachers need to listen to their students and lastly they need to always keep learning.

I think that Mr. McClung provided some really great tips. Most teachers get to caught up in the technical things to remember the simple things that should be done. Each one of these tips is very important and every teacher should read them and remember them as they go through their teaching career.

Podcasting in the Classroom

Integrating ICT into the MFL Classroom:
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/04/the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom.html


There are many benefits of teaching with podcasts in the classrooms. It provides an effective way of interacting with students and parents outside of the classroom. Students are familiar with this technology, so it makes the lesson more relevant to them. Absent students are able to get the information still even though they were sick. Parents can hear and see what their children are learning for themselves.

Additionally, the students can make podcasts themselves. This would give them a way to learn the information on their own and teach the class in a fun way. It would also promote creativity and innovation in the students. They can create role plays. All of these things make their learning more enjoyable and memorable.

Google Presentation

Podcasts

SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast

I listened to the episode Timmys & A Tip #2: DimDim.com. I thought that this podcast had a lot of useful information. However, the podcast was very hard to hear. Since it was hard to hear, it was hard to understand and then it is hard to get the information from it. Which means the podcast is not being effective if it is hard to get the information. Also, in the podcast he was driving and in the middle of it he stopped and ordered coffee. All of this made it full of background noise and hard to understand. This made the message of the podcast not get through as effectively.


KidCast: Learning and Teaching with Podcasting

I listened to the episode Some Thoughts on Video Podcasting. There was a lot of information on this podcast that was clearly stated. The podcast was very clear with no background noise. He spoke clearly and his pronunciation was very good. Also, he followed a good order of introducing you to his ideas on video podcasting. This podcast was very effective and got its job done well.


EdTechTalk.com

I listened to the episode Online Course Supplements Instructional Design. This podcast was an interview on the topic. The way it is set up is that when the interviewer talks his voice comes out of one speaker and the interviewee's voice comes out of the other speaker. This made for there to be some background noise. The background noise was very little though. So the points did come across clearly and effectively.


David Warlick

I listened to the episode A Conversation with Clarence Fisher. They had the conversation in a restaurant after they finished eating. You can hear everything in the background which makes it hard to concentrate on what they are saying. They are telling quite a bit of useful information in their conversation but it is not getting through to their audience because of the background noise. You can hear people in the background talking, babies crying, and all kinds of things. It has way too much distraction to effectivelt get its point across.

Technologically Illiterate

A Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch

http://is.gd/2c0V0

This video shows a typical college classroom full of many students. Each of the students holds up a fact about their life. Like how much time they spend on facebook, watching TV, listening to music, or on their cell phones. Also, it shows facts about their classrooms. For example, that their are 115 students in it and only 18% of one girl's teachers know her name. Additionally, that they spend their time on facebook during class.

College classes should incorporate technology to keep students' interest. Everything that students do now revolves around technology, so when they go into the classroom and are expected to just copy down notes and read a textbook they get bored. If professors incorporate technology more, then more students would be more involved in their class. Also, college classes are so big that there is no one on one attention. Which students need that feedback to know how they are doing.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

http://www.eduratireview.com/2009/04/its-not-about-technology.html

This blog discusses how the future of teaching does not have to include technology. That it is about teachers being learners and it depends on good teachers. It says that it is better to have a teacher that can teach well and is trained well, then it is to have a teacher that cannot use the technology properly trying to teach with it. Also, it states that teachers need to have a good training program and stay up to date on current trends, research, and tools.

I agree with some parts of this blog, however other parts I do not agree with. I believe that teachers do need better training programs. Also, that teachers need to be learners and stay up to date on current trends, research, and tools. Teachers always need to be a step ahead and learning right along with their students to be the best they can be. I do not agree that technology is useless in the classroom though. Yes I do think it is pointless to use technology if the teacher does not know how to make the best of it. However, that is why we need training programs for teachers to learn how to use technology properly. There is no reason that teachers cannot stay up to date with technology. Children today are using all kinds of technology at very young ages and that is how they will learn best. Technology will help keep their attention and give them a lot more opportunities in the classroom. Students have to be able to use technology when they get out of school, so they should learn to use it well while they are in school to keep them from being behind or completely lost when they are finished. Technology is the future and it needs to be incorporated in the classrooms.


Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher? by Karl Fisch

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-it-okay-to-be-technologically.html

This blog talks about technologically illiterate teachers and whether or not it is okay to be one. So many people today are technologically illiterate and proud of it. Being technologically illiterate today is the same as not being able to read or write thirty years ago. There are teachers that refuse to learn technology and think that they do not need it to be great teachers. Karl Fisch goes back and forth on whether teachers need to be technologically literate or if they already have enough going on that they do not need to learn these skills right away.

I believe that all teachers need to be completely technologically literate. I think that all of the education programs in universities need to start offering more educational media classes and making sure their students are technologically literate when they graduate. As for the teachers already in the field, I believe that they should be attending technology training programs so that they can learn how to use it properly. Once all teachers know how to use technology properly it can be used in every classroom to open up tons of opportunities for their students.


Social Media Count by Gary Hayes

http://www.personalizemedia.com/garys-social-media-count/

This shows what is going on in the world in the last few seconds, day, week, month, year in the world of technology. All of the social media counts just keep rising and rising. The numbers are astounding to think about. By the time the children in school now get done with school those numbers will be huge. This means that technology will be so much more incorporated in the world then it is today. This also means that the people in school now for teaching really need to learn how to incorporate technology into the classroom. The world is changing and advancing every second and the future teachers need to advance with it. There will be no excuse before long because technology is going to be everywhere.

Technology And Education

Did You Know? 3.0 by Karl Fisch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8

This video is filled with many different and interesting facts. The facts cover many diverse areas, however they are all related to technology or education in some way. All of the facts show how the world has evolved over the years and how it will continue to evolve faster and faster. Most of the evolving is due to technology and education.

Technology is becoming more and more incorporated in education and the world in general. This is a good thing because technology has allowed us to make many advancements in many fields and it will continue to allow us as well. Education is very important to the evolution of the world as well. Without education we would not know how to use the technology that has helped us progress.


Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm1sCsl2MQY

This video is about Mr. Winkle waking up 100 years later and discovering all the changes that had happened over the years. He discovered that the world was full of all this new technology every where he went. However, the last place he went there was no technology besides the one dusty computer in the back. This place was a school.

The schools have not advanced like every place else has. The world has incorporated technology into everything besides schools. However, school is where the technology should be. Children need to learn how to use technology properly in school to be able to use it once they are out of school. Also, there are many ways that technology can be incorporated into school to teach students new things and keep students interested. Schools need to progress along with everything else in the world and incorporate technology into teaching.


The Importance of Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

This video describes the importance of creativity and how schools are now shutting creativity out. Children are born creative and as they grow up they are losing that creativity. Mainly because schools do not encourage creativity, they are all about the academics. Also, schools have children growing to believe that being wrong and making a mistake is the worst thing possible. This is because they get in trouble every time that they are wrong.

Children should enjoy going to school and be taught diverse things while they are at school. Which means that they should not just be taught academics such as math and literature but also be taught art, music, dance, and drama. These subjects should be taught regularly to students. Children thrive on creativity and when it is incorporated into their learning they will learn more in the end. Additionally, children should be told if they make a mistake but then told that it is alright to make mistakes and everybody does because nobody is perfect.


Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis

This video is about a teacher who teaches through technology. She uses blogs, digital storytelling, podcasts, wikis, and other digital tools to connect her students to the world. She expects her students to be independent thinkers and look up things that they do not know. Furthermore, she learns things from her students everyday.

Teachers should be open to new experiences. They should teach with different types of technology and allow their students to learn in a new way. In addition, they should not be scared to not know everything and learn along with their students. If the students have to figure something out on their own it gives them a greater sense of pride in the end. The world changes daily and it is not possible to know absolutely everything.