Did You Know 4.0

Wow! It's amazing how technology has and is changing our world...and that so many people have television in their bathrooms. That is so funny. I wonder if the mail has been affected in any way? I know I pay all my bills, shop, etc online. I also write to people on MySpace or Facebook so letters aren't being sent like they used to be. I also didn't realize that President Obama got campaign money through the Internet. All of the information was very interesting.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

I really enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's article. He told how we as future teachers should first, stay positive! Don't focus so much on the lesson that you don't notice if the students are comprehending it. He also commented on how we should have high expectations for our students,however, we need to realize that some will meet our goals and some will not. When some don't succeed, we should encourage them to try again and never scold them.
He also stated how communication is very important with other teachers as well as with your students. Teachers should also be life long learners and not afraid of technology. Mr. McClung's reflections on his first year where very helpful to me as a future teacher.

Wikipedia

I have always been told in my classes to never use Wikipedia as a source. My teachers said it is unreliable. To be honest though I go there when I need a quick answer. I always agreed that it probably wasn't the best source for answers when I found out people can change it.
However, it never occurred to me who would be making the edits to Wikipedia. But it makes sense that companies like Wal-Mart and Diebold would be making changes in their best interest. With the ability that people have now to check who is editing the information these companies will just find another way to change it. In my opinion this just proves that the teachers are right. Wikipedia is not an accurate source for information.

Practice

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I really enjoyed Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. I have seen him a couple of times on t.v. doing interviews and was glad I had the opportunity to watch his lecture. He seemed to be such an intelligent and strong individual. I liked how he used his life experiences to reach out to his audience.

The main teaching technique that I picked up on was his idea of having fun. He stated how you can get students interested and learn the "hard stuff" if you give them a fun way to learn it. Basically, make it relevant. He used the example of middle school girls writing computer programs. He said they were able to learn it when he asked them to write stories. The head fake was that they were learning how to write computer programs.

Another technique was his use of technology in the class and small group projects. He divided his class of 50 students into groups and had them use technology to learn. Every project they had a different group, so they had the opportunity to work with and learn from different people. He had many really good ideas. His impact on the students and the university was great.

It's really sad that such an intelligent and creative person passed away. I really enjoyed seeing how he succeeded in making his dreams come true. My favorite quote was "experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." This was a long video but completely worth the time.

North Carolina 2007- My Presentation

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

This "award winning" blog was about how basically teachers should be tech literate. He said schools should be held accountable for teachers not being technologically literate on a computer. He compared teachers not being able to use technology today to teachers not being able to read/write thirty years ago.

I read his blog and I did not enjoy it at all. I do however agree that technology is needed in the classroom. Students like using and learning about new technology. It prepares them for the future and gives them confidence.

It's Not About the Technology

I agree with Mrs. Hines 100% that teachers need to be learners as well as being teachers. Like I said in my last blog I don't think technology can fix everything. You can have all the technology in the world available to you but if the teachers don't know anything about it, then it is useless. I also absolutely agree with her statement that you have to work smarter not harder. I say that all day at my job.

I also agree with Dr.Strange when he stated that you cannot be a 21st Century teacher without the technology. In other fields people are required to go to classes and learn new technology to help them achieve the most out of their jobs. It should be mandatory for teachers to learn new technologies in my opinion. Students are motivated today by things they can be a part of. Preparing them for the real world where technology will be used is necessary. They won't have a choice, either learn it or find another job. Technology allows students to be involved with their education. I fully support technology in the classrooms.

A Vision of Students Today

In my opinion, this film accurately depicted college experience. I can relate to many of the signs that the students were holding up. One thing for sure that I can relate to is paying over a $100 for a book that the teachers never use. In fact, that has happened to me this semester...he gives out worksheets instead of using the book, yet required us to buy it. I don't understand it. I don't know if technology is the answer to everything but I believe that it could help in the classroom.

Some of the changes in the film that I would make would be to not move the camera around so much. It was moving around so much I had a hard time reading some of the signs. He could also have taken the message a little further by trying to find out how technology would make a difference. Overall, I really enjoyed it though.

The Benefits of Integrating Podcasting in the Classroom

By watching the video on podcasting, I was able to learn so much more about the it. I didn't think it could be integrated so much into the classroom. It is definetely beneficial to students. Podcasting can be used to help sick students keep up with their school work. It also allows students to be a little more creative in how they learn different subjects.

By using podcast the students will be involved in their learning vs. how students learn in the traditional classroom setting. The one thing I wonder about is how can technology such as this be used if the student doesn't have access to a computer at home? Other than that I think the idea of podcasting and the benefits of it are great.

Summer Semester Podcasts

I listened to a couple of podcast from the past summer. I think the ones that I listened to did very well. They had interesting topics and I could keep up with what they were talking about. It is a good way for students to interact outside of the classroom.

One thing I would try to improve in my podcast would be to try to sound more natural. I thought they did a good job, however, I felt like they were reading a script at some points. I think it is extremely helpful though to be able to listen and make notes of what we can make better in our podcast.