Goodbye For Now

Hi everyone! It was great getting to know some of you this semester. I hope you all have a great holiday and I hope to see you again soon. Bye!

What I've Learned in EDM

I have learned this semester how important it is to be open to new technology (or tachnology period). Before this class, I'll admit, I was very wary of some technology especially computers. I have worked on computers for years, however, I never continued learning new stuff on the computer. I got comfortable with what I already knew. So this semester I have realized that to be an effective teacher, I have to continue to learn new things. I have to be a life-long learner. I beleive that is the most important thing I have learned from this class.

Technology is such an important part of our society that it would be idiotic to not take advantage of learning the new advances in it. I also really enjoyed the Comments 4 Kids project. I loved how I was able to connect to people from around the world. As I have said before in another post, when I was a young student, I would have been thrilled to know that someone from another place thought I was doing soemthing cool. It would have really encouraged me and made school a more interesting place to be. The connections made through technology is amazing. It benefits us a future teachers, with ideas/support and the students with an exciting way to learn.

I never knew there were so many websites, such as ALEX and ACCESS that gives you help. Ex: lesson plans. Podcast/videocast was something else I have never heard of before this semester, but I'm glad I did. I think I can use them in class and also the students can use them at home. I think my favorite project was the Google Docs. It was an easy but fun way to tell the class about myself. I think that is a great technology to know for my future class.

Overall, I was happy with everythng we did in class. I was never bored with anything we learned...nervous but not bored. I wish we had been able to do more with Google Earth because I love Google Earth. Twitter is still my least favorite, it is growing on me, so maybe that will change. I just can't really get into it. I think now, at the end of the semester, I am a medium on the technological literate scale because I have learned so much. I will maintain this and hopefully improve by continuing to learn and have fun with new technology.

Seven Brilliant and Stupid Things Teachers Do

Believing that one's teaching style need not change to take full advantage of technology. Using technology to simply add sounds and pictures to lectures is stupid. Smart technology use is about changing the roles of both teacher and student. The computer-using student can now be the content expert; the teacher becomes the process expert asking such questions as “Where did you get that information? How do you know it's accurate? Why is it important? How can you let others know what you discovered? And how can you tell if you did a good job?” The world has changed and it is rank stupidity not to recognize it and change as well.

I think this statement by Doug Johnson is one of the most important points that he made. I believe that teaching is an ever changing field. Teachers that do not change and become comfortable are not beneficial to their students. Technology is a big part of people's lives. It changes everyday and teacher's need to realize that we are gonna have to change too if we want to impact students. That means we are going to have learn new things all the time...we are going to ask the kids to do it, so we should be willing to do it too.

Accept the role as a co-learner. One of the best signs of intelligent people is that they tend to willingly admit when they don't know something. Brilliant teachers not only accept the dismal fact that they will never know all there is to know about technology, they also turn that condition into a classroom advantage by having their brilliant children teach them how to do something techie now and then.

I think this point coincides with the other point. Basically, it just reinforces what I have said. We have to be co-learners and reach these students. We have to be in touch with the new technology and know how it works, why they like it, how can we use it to benefit them in the class. We are role models and we have to set an example, that if we don't know an answer, we can work together and find the answer. One of the main goals of a teacher is to make it relevant to the student. Learning new technology will help us achieve that goal.

Thinking online communication is ever private. Eventually, everyone sends an embarrassing personal message to a listserv. I've heard of some tech directors who get their jollies reading salacious inter-staff e-mails. Your school e-mails can be requested and must be produced if germane to any federal lawsuits. Even e-mail deleted from your computer still sits on servers somewhere -- often for a very loooong time. Think you wiped out your browsing history? Don't bet that is the only set of tracks you've left that show where you've been surfing. Your Facebook page will be looked at by the school board chair; your superintendent and principal know who the author of that "anonymous" blog is. Not assuming everyone can see what you send and do online is stupid.

I've always been told that if you couldn't let your mother see it then it probably isn't something you should put up. I am amazed everytime I turn on the computer there is some kind of crazy picture or message out there. It really makes you wonder what people are thinking when they do this stuff. All I have to say is keep it to yourself!

Make conferencing real-time. Brilliant teachers don't wait until scheduled parent conferences to communicate with homes. Through e-mail, Web sites, online grade books, blogs, wikis, and, yes, even telephone calls, technology gives teachers the ability to make parents partners who help assure students' timely, quality work. They post newsletters, spelling lists, assessment tools, assignments, grades, calendars, discussion lists, and tips. They read and respond to parent e-mails. Most parents want to be involved, but they like knowing how.

I think this is important because we want the parents involved as much as possible in their child's education. Finding out the best way to reach a parent is very important. Some parents are very busy and sometimes all it takes is an email. Using technology to keep them involved is great I think. It will help both the parent and student stay active in their education. Click here to read the full list of Doug Johnson's seven stupid/brilliant things teachers do.

Personal Learning Network

Before I came into this class I knew nothing about blogging or Personal Learning Networks. I never realized that it can have a such a positive effect on the classroom. Unfortunately, my PLN has started off slow this semester. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to learn more about it. Now that things are slowing down, hopefully, I can spend some more time on it. I definitely see the importance of integrating this technology into the classroom.

I have started following people on Twitter, such as Mr. Chamberlain, Joe McClung, Wendy Drexler, Dr. Strange, and some of my classmates. Before this semester, I was like Dr. Strange, I swore I would not use Twitter. However, it is starting to grow on me. I'm really glad that we were introduced to so much this semester and that Dr. Strange said that it's ok to mess up..that's how you learn. Well, I have learned alot and am excited about future learning to come.

Podcast

Project 11/ Panda Bear's Secret

For this project my group and I decided to make videos of us reading a child's book. I chose to do mine a little different. I found a book that I liked from my childhood. Instead of reading it on camera I took a different approach. I took pictures of the book and uploaded it to my computer. From there, I went to movie maker and put my voice over the selected pages. I thought it turned out pretty well. Dr. Strange made the comment that it was supposed to be children reading the book, however, I think I showed an alternative way to this type of project.

At the Teacher's Desk

At the Teacher's Desk is a collaborative blog where teachers from around the country are able to share ideas and experiences. I found reading their blogs to be very informative and some kind of funny.


The first blog I read was Scary Statistics. It was a very eye-opening blog. Jarrod Lamshed wrote about how we can make school a more successful place for male students. He used statistics from the Pell Institute that included staggering statistics. One example is for every 100 girls suspended from public elementary and secondary schools, 250 boys are suspended. For every 100 girls expelled, 335 boys are expelled. I know that sometimes there is a double standard for boys and girls, however, we really need to find a way to make things fair in our schools.

The second blog I read was about a teacher who was supposed to be doing a Skype in his class when the power went out. Panicked, he tried to call his wife so she could Skype the other teacher.No answer. So he tried his friend to see if he could log into his account to Skype the other teacher and tell her the power was out. No answer. So he used his phone to get to Twitter. He thought he had solved the problem. However, that didn't work out either...so he told this whole story to conclude that if he had just gotten a phone number all of this could have been avoided. Sometimes the most simple solution is right in front of us.

Believing, Inventing, and Implementing Technological Pedagogies

I think Anthony did a great job showing how technology changes so quickly. I agree with him that we need to guide and prepare our future students in this technological world. Great blog! Click here to read Anthony's blog.

Michael Wesch

I really enjoyed Mr. Wesch's speech. I thought it was funny, clever, and parts of it were very true. I liked how he used clips from the Simpsons to YouTube to make his point.

I liked the history of "whatever". I know that I have said "whatever" many times in the past, when I just didn't care about something. However,I never thought about it being negative until now. It was interesting to see how terms change over time. Hopefully, the term "whatever" will begin to mean "I will do whatever it takes to make a change." I see how that statement will have an impact on my future as a teacher. I will have to do whatever it takes sometimes to make sure the students are learning. If something doesn't work, I will have to change my methods. You do what it takes for them to succeed.

I think YouTube is great. It has so many possibilities. It can be fun, inspirational, educational etc. I think some of it could even be used in the classroom. Click here to watch the video.

The Importance of Posting Work To Blogs

There are so many reasons that it is important for students to post their work to blogs. In our class, we have seen first hand how blogging and technology can connect the world. We have seen it in the Comments4Kids to the Kaia videos. Blogging allows people to connect and share ideas. It can be a useful tool for students to have an outlet on their feelings and opinions.


The first example of why posting to a blog is a good thing is the video of the PS22 Chorus in New York City. They posted themselves doing a cover of "Landslide" a song originally done by Fleetwood Mac.Click here to watch the video. Stevie Nicks the lead singer in Fleetwood Mac was so impressed that they had the opportunity to sing with the band at Madison Square Gardens. Posting opened the door for these young students to have an amazing experience.


A second example of the importance of blogging is one that I have already mentioned. Comments4Kids has students from around the world posting stories and pictures to their blogs. In our class we had the opportunity to make comments on their blogs. I know if I had been able to do this when I was young, I would have been thrilled to see someone writing to me from across the world. It's really just amazing how things have changed in the classroom. It can only get better.


The third example is my favorite. We met a little girl named Kaia through blogging. Her father is teaching her about technology and she has touched so many lives in such a short amount of time. I think what makes her so special is the fact that she is only three.