This is How We Dream

This video by Dr. Richard Miller was very interesting and presented many ideas about multimedia writing. He discusses the many different things one can do on the computer to write, create or learn. He talks about how he created an article for the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech killings without ever going into a library. He showed how he used online resources to research his topic and to write his article. He also created a graphic on the computer to go along with his article.

Miller also discussed how information can be used and shared through technology whether it be from the past or present. One of his examples was the recent presidential election. It was amazing to me the way he could follow the election as it was happening and see each states voting patterns and also video reactions to Obama winning. He used this to say that this information that is available on the web can help you write and can be used as sources for project.

All of his examples were really cool and he explained all of them thoroughly. I thought his presentation is important for teachers and students to see because it shows the many ways one can write with multimedia. I think I can write using multimedia and i plan on teaching my students how if they do not already know. I think it is very important that each student knows how to use technology for a better education.

The Networked Student

The video by Wendy Drexler was all about connectivism in the classroom. Her video depicted a student who uses connectivism to succeed in the classroom. The student is taking a class where he goes to class 3 days a week and 2 days online and he does not have a textbook. His teacher believes in connectivism which is the theory that thinks that learning occurs through a social network of many diverse connections. With this theory the student does most of his work online.He is given an assignment uses the Internet to find out all he can on his topic.

The teacher is there to teach him how to use this network of connections and to build his own network. It is also said that his teacher rarely lectures. To me I think this way of learning may be useful for some but not everyone. While learning on your own is important I believe it could also leave some students lost. Some students require personal work and time in a classroom setting to better understand things. I know that in my experience I like having class time to ask questions and get immediate personal help directly from a teacher.

Also under this way of learning I believe it is cutting the responsibilities of teachers and maybe ultimately cutting jobs. If a student can do everything over the Internet then why have as many teachers when you could only use a few. I think it is great to be connected and for students to use their own knowledge to find answers but at the same time I value the traditional teaching methods I have experienced. Students sometimes need that personal contact with a teacher because they do not get it at home. It seems also that with this there is a lot of applied pressure on students.

Michael Wesch Video

In this video Michael Wesch talks about the social technology of the day and how it is affecting people. He talks about how people today are narcissistic. I agree that more and more people are becoming narcissistic and caring less about the world today. Everyone is taught that they are the best when they need to be taught that we are all equal as humans but all different in personality. This view of themselves is only encouraged by today's society.

Wesch also talks about YouTube and how it is used by people today. It has turned into a personal space where people feel they are able to share as a confessional and are not seen. It is being used as a place for people to interact in both positive and negative ways. The conclusion of this video is basically Wesch asking how we can use this technology to get away from this narcissistic personality.

Personal Learning Network

My PLN is small but slowly growing. I am trying to social network myself and also making contact with other educators. I have a Facebook page, a Twitter and I am using many other applications to expand my network.

Dr. Christie's Website

Dr. Alice Christie has been an educator for forty years. Through her website, Dr. Christie shares her thoughts and experience with others to help teachers learn and become better equipped in the classroom. On the website there are several areas to explore that can be of help to teachers. They include: educational technology, classes available for teachers, workshops, guides on geocaching, searching the web, web design and publication. The section that I found most interesting was the one on educational technology.

I believe that as a teacher it is important to use the classic methods of teaching but also in this technological era i think it is important to use technology to help children learn. On this page Dr. Christie set up she gives a guide to the many different technologies that are out there and how they can be used in a helpful way. She lists twenty-two different topics which are explained and told how they can be helpful for students. This is a great tool for teachers because it teaches them how they can further their students knowledge of technology.

iTunes University

iTunes U is a program through Apple iTunes where teachers can provide digital lessons to their students. The teacher can video or record on a topic and then post it on iTunes U. This can be helpful for teachers because they can have all the information they have taught on in one place for any student to use at anytime. They can also make sure everyone is learning at the same pace so that if one child is not understanding they can learn at home as well. In college this would be a great tool in case the teacher has to miss a class so instead they can post their lecture on iTunes you and tell students to go their to check it out.

For students this is a great tool for learning. They can not only learn from their own teacher but hear what other educators have to say on certain topics. Also if a child is sick or has to miss class for some reason, a teacher can upload their lecture to iTunes U so they won't be left behind. This is also a useful resource for outside projects and papers that students might have. For a student this program would be very advantageous.

Click here for info on iTunes U

iPods in the Classroom

Classrooms today are full of interesting and useful technology but who knew that an iPod could be used as a tool for learning! I had no idea that this would even be an option for teachers to use because i use my iPod for music and that's all. When i researched the topic more I found that this idea has grown more and more popular. On one site that I found a teacher had gone to a webinar on how to use iPods in the classroom then he blogged his notes to share with other educators. He found there are several ways to use and iPod for instance taking notes, copying links and taking screen shots. He learned that using the microphone in the iPod can help students work on a class project or podcast. Also it could be used to listen not only to music but audio files such as famous speeches with the transcripts on the iPod.

It can also be used a personal presentation tool. A student can save each powerpoint slide as a jpeg then download each on to the iPod. It can also be used for studying digital flashcards which students can make or download on to their iPods. iPods can be used as a source for reading books or stories. For example the iPod can read up to 4,000 characters of saved text files which means they can hold thousands of books. This information on iPods amazed me and I have found that they can be very helpful for educators to help teach their students.

Click for the information mentioned in my summary

Wikipedia

The online encyclopedia site Wikipedia is a database where anyone can write on a topic or change what is already written about it. A grad student named Virgil Griffith created a system to scan Wikipedia and find out who makes changes to some articles. He found that many companies were going in and changing information about themselves in order to look better. His Wikipedia Scanner can tell who change information by obtaining the IP address of their computer then tracing it back to find out who did it.

In school I have always been told by teachers that Wikipedia is not a reliable source for papers or projects because anyone can write anything on a topic. This is not surprising to me that people would go in and change information to look better. Wikipedia is fast and easy to use but cannot be used as a valid source. If you are looking for a basic idea on a topic or maybe quick facts then Wikipedia is perfect. But when looking up detailed information from a valid site you might want to look elsewhere. It is a great tool but should not be used as a source or encouraged to be used by students.

What I've Learned This Year

In this blog post by a teacher Mr. McClung, he describes his experience and growth in teaching. He recalls lessons he has learned over the past year which have made him a better teacher and shares them to help others. Some of his majors points include: be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, don't be afraid of technology, listen to your students and never stop learning. The things Mr. McClung shares are very insightful and helpful for me to understand students and teaching better. I can see where it would be easy to get caught up in over thinking your specific teaching style and not focusing on whether the students understood or not. Teachers have to be patient because not everyone learns at the same pace which is what he meant by be flexible. Another interesting point was be reasonable. With this he discussed how most teachers' expectations are too high for students. When this occurs it can be both frustrating for the teacher and student. You have to remember that these are kids! I think the most important topic he talks about is listening to your students. You don't know what your kids may be going through and it is a teacher's responsibility to take time with them and be patient. A teacher may be the only person they have in their life that listens to them. This is the part that i felt the most strongly about. Teachers have a lot of power and it is up to them to use it to better their students.

Comments for Kids

This week for kids comments I had to comment on students from a year 5 class in England. The post was entitled "Bitten!" and it was by Dionne and Callum. They wrote a short post about a boy getting bit by spider. They used really descriptive words and other techniques to put emphasis in certain parts of the story. For nine year olds I am extremely impressed with their use of computers and with their writing abilities. I think it is important for kids to start learning about technology such as blogs at this age because it helps familiarize them with computers and improves their writing.

My Trip to Hawaii

Podcasting

After listening to these podcast, I have discovered what to do to make a successful podcast and also what not to do. To me the best podcast are the ones with speakers who pronounce every word and speak clearly. It is distracting to be listening to someone without seeing them and then not being able to understand them. When you speak you should have some sort of animation in your voice since the listener cannot see you. You have to keep the listeners' attention so make it interesting. Another way to keep it interesting is to add music like in the introduction but only when someone is not talking.

My favorite podcast was the Practical Principals Podcast. It was interesting that they had both a man and a woman who were from two different states. They discuss topics thoroughly while taking each others' opinion as well. They speak clearly and with flection in their voice. This was my favorite because it was practical, interesting and clearly recorded. When making my podcast I would use this as a guideline on how I want mine to be.