Video in the Classroom Introduction

I liked the video with Mr. Needleman. I thought he did a great job using technology to get the students interested. It's a great alternative way for students to achieve success in reading and writing.

Podcast

Before this class I have never listened to a podcast so I was not sure what to expect. After listening to a few I think that it is a good tool for communicating and sharing ideas. They share a lot of information that teachers, parents, and students can definitely use. However, I was disappointed with many of the podcast that I listened to. I was a little bored.

I first listened to "Smart Board Lessons." In my opinion, it took Ben and Joan a little to long to start talking about their subject of the day. Listening to them reminded me of listening to a radio talk show. They did have information that is useful, however, by the time they started talking about it I was bored.

When I watched "KidCast" I was a little more interested. When I was listening to him I felt like he got to the point and didn't waste time on the small talk. So it seemed to me that he had more useful information. At this point I realized how useful podcast could be in the classroom.

I went on to listen to "MacBreak Weekly" and "This Week in Photography". I enjoyed "This Week in Photography." It caught my interest a little more than the rest. I don't know if I would ever use podcast in the classroom. However, it is something I will continue to listen to and find more information on. It seems that podcast will help keep you up to date on the latest information.

Vicki Davis: Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts

I love how Vicki Davis has brought technology to her students in Georgia. She is setting a good example of how to bring in technology to the students. It's a good way to make the classroom more interesting. I completely agree with her statement that by only allowing the students to use pen and paper that you are guaranteed to have only certain types of students learn.

Technology is and will remain to be the future and we need to integrate it into the classroom.
She is allowing her students to be creative also by doing collaborative projects with other students in and outside the U.S. She is helping them prepare for the future. I think she is doing an amazing job.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I really enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson's speech on creativity. I believe he is right when he stated that creativity is just as important as literacy. Unfortunately, creativity is limited in today's classrooms. I loved his point of "If you aren't prepared to be wrong, nothing will be original." That is so true and it is sad that as we get older we are scared of being wrong. People don't want to look foolish in front of their peers.

We need to allow kids to have creative freedom. Kids need an outlet for their ideas and school could be the place for that creativity to come out. These students are our future and there needs to be a balance between standard learning practices and creativity.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

At first, I was not sure what to think of Mr. Winkle. In this video as Mr. Winkle slept, technology advanced in every area except the classroom. I think the message in this video is clear. As future teachers, we need to be able to keep up with the ever changing technology so we can provide a better education for our students. We need to be learners as well as teachers.

Doing the same thing year after year in the classroom is not cutting it. The U.S. is behind in education because the school practices never change. In order to not fall behind even more we should be more open to technology in the classroom.

Did You Know? 3.0

The Did You Know video was very interesting. It had so much information that I had to watch it two times to read everything again. One fact that I found extremely interesting was that China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. I have never heard that before and was surprised. The fact that by 2010 the top 10 jobs did not even exist in 2004 is unbelievable.

It's amazing how the world has changed so much throughout the years. Technology is advancing at such as fast pace. It's a little scary to think about what will be invented next. Things will continue to change as the population increases and I guess we just need to try and keep up.

About Me

My name is Brooke Russell and I am a junior at the University of South Alabama. My major is Elementary Education. I returned to USA last summer after taking a long break. I work at a vet hospital and volunteer for the adoption center "The Guardian". I have six animals, four which are special needs dogs. I love to read, go to concerts, go boating, and I'm trying to learn how to cook.

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