Week 8 Assignment

Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by Randy Pausch

It was hard to differentiate the teaching methods for me because I was too busy listening to his story and sifting through all the people he had to thank. It is so sad that he died. I feel for his wife and children. It's hard to think that this was his last big speech before he left this world. I guess it was appropriate because he was trying to give advice.

The four techniques for teaching that I found were hands-on learning, head fakes, making learning fun, and...

He believed in hands on learning. He used this a lot in his classes. He began a class at his university that had the students creating virtual worlds. He actually turned it into a masters program where students complete project after project in order to earn their masters.

He believed in tricking students into learning by telling them they're learning something else. He calls it "head fakes." He would have the students start a project and tell them the goal was to teach one thing (like the Alice project) and they would end up gleaning something unexpected from the project (like learning how to use Javascript).

Making learning fun. He says that this is the most important thing and that this is what he really wants us to take away form his lecture on teaching. I agree with him. I think that making learning fun is really important. Part of the reason that I want to be a teacher is that I had so many teachers that made learning fun and I wanted others to experience that.

Comments4Kids Week 8

This week I had Michala. Her post was about slavery. I think she touched on empathy with the slaves. It was a very good post. =)
http://mrsshetler.edublogs.org/2009/10/27/i-feel-like-a-slave/comment-page-1/#comment-197

Week 7 Assignment

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

I didn't like that I couldn't see Richard Miller while he was speaking. He didn't explain all of the images flashing by on the screen. I didn't understand how a few of them related. I understand that his presentation was meant to illustrate how we publish our works now, but all of the images began to distract me from what he was saying.

I also don't quite grasp the concept of publishing "using the web itself." He was saying that we didn't need an alphabet and throwing out all sorts of other concepts that were too abstract for me to quite grasp. Did he mean that we didn't need to use the alphabet for our new publications in reference to YouTube? This would make sense. We can just speak our message instead of writing an publishing. The way he worded it just threw me off.

He did make a good point about how much more efficient it is to use the web instead of more traditional methods of publishing because you can reach a much larger audience. I think this points to the fact that we are becoming a global village. I also think it points towards people's willingness to read something or listen to something as long as it doens't take too much time and it's free.

"The Networked Student" by Wendy Drexler

The concept of connectivism is a little intimidating. I think that it could be used to do projects, but I don't think that it should be the main form of learning in a high school class (especially in the subject I have chosen to teach. English/Lang. Arts). I think that English has to be taught with a little more formal structure and that opinions definitely have their place when it comes to poetry and central themes in a work, but that there is also a time for fact. I am also skeptical of a student's willingness to participate actively in this sort of environment in high school. So many of the students I knew in high school were just there to do the minimum of what was required. I don't think that students like this would be successful in an environment that requires them to take a more active role in the learning process. Maybe that's a good thing though. A system like this could reward students who are willing to go the extra mile.

Michael Wesch

I think that Wesch's exploration of the word "whatever" is fascinating. I like how he points out how generation after generation in America has become more and more narcissistic and apathetic due to television and other forms of media. I definitely see this in students around me (hopefully I don't behave in a narcissistic manner).

I also thought that the part where he discusses that on YouTube we talk to cameras initially, not to real people. Context collapse being present on the web is so fascinating. Having to publish things that will be seen be the world and that will be seen in replay for who knows how long makes people uncomfortable. They also feel like they can say anything. Anonymity makes people feel like they don't have to react to people on the web in the same way that they would react to people who were in the room with them. I can relate to this. I've joined discussion groups on Facebook where I have opened up and shared my opinion far more than I would have in a face to face conversation.

He raises the question whether we can conquer the narcissistic disengagement by breaking down boundaries and creating a global village on the web. I think we definitely can. I hope that future generations realize that caring about other people is the most fulfilling thing in life. I don't want to teach a room full of students who don't care.

Week 6 Assignment

Dr. Alice Christie's Website

The section on Dr. Christie's website titled Educational Technology would be very helpful to anyone teaching K-12. It is a list of different resources that teachers could utilize in their classrooms with links that lead to definitions of the subject and different explanations of how it works. This site helps to educate teachers about the technology that is available and shows them how to put it to good use in their classroom and gives them a reason why it would be useful.

The portion on ePortfilios is especially interesting. This gives students a place to publish their work and helps the parents to be more easily involved in their child's progress at school. She makes a point to say that the importance of the portfolio is the involvement of parents, teachers, and other students in that child's growth in the subject matter.

iTunes University

iTunes University has a lot of material that is useful to me both as a student and a future educator. As a student, I can make use of the podcasts uploaded by teachers in order to brush up on some things or to learn new things. I subscribe to free Spanish and Korean podcasts on iTunes. I want to refresh my Spanish for a mission trip I am taking over spring break. I subscribe the Korean podcasts because I want to challenge myself by learning a new language. My sociology textbook has an iTunes component. You can purchase the podcasts so that you can listen to the chapters on the go or while you read the book to help the material to stick in your mind.
In the literature section, iTunes U has a bunch of material available to teacher and students. You can download The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for free! This is helpful for auditory learners or for students who lead a busy life and don't have time to sit down with a book and read, but who do have time to multi-task. They can listen to the books while they're cleaning or making dinner or driving. It's such a great idea!

Duke's iPod Experiment

Duke's experiment with iPods in the classroom for first year students is a fascinating study about how iPods can be used as an educational tool. Duke spent $500k on purchasing 1600 20G iPods with voice recording capabilities for their first year students in 2004-2005. The experiment was successful. Students used their iPods to record lectures and comments on papers and flashcards. They of course used them for entertainment purposes too, but that's not a big deal considering the benefits of the devices. Some reports of students recording lectures for their friends so that they could skip class where noted. Duke decided to only issue iPods to students who were enrolled in classes in which they were most used the following school year.

This is the link to the paper about the actual experiment: http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf. This is a link to a very interesting article about the Dunk experiment: http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2005/06/Bravo-for-the-Duke-iPod-Experiment_633573772543619027.aspx?Page=1. This article sees the experiment as a success and doesn't mention any downsides. This next article carefully mentions some downsides to iPods in the classroom: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2005-07/2005-07-13-voa3.cfm.

Wikispaces: Tech Literate Teacher

Dr. Strange asked us to answer two questions on his wikispace. I posted my responses on his site and here on my blog. Something that I didn't like about Dr. Strange's wikispace is that in his explanation, he states that his students come into the the class tech illiterate and will probably not be tech literate by the time they leave. I found this very discouraging. What is the point of this class if we aren't becoming tech literate during the semester?

What is tech literacy for a teacher?
I think tech literacy for most teachers at the moment includes a basic understanding of the internet and how to use powerpoint and word. I think we are moving slowly towards blogging and podcasting becoming more important, but we're not to the point where they are essential.

Should all teachers be tech literate?
I think that teachers should be as technically literate as is useful in their work. Right now a lot of teachers don't really need to use that much technology in their classroom to get the material across. They do have their students use word and powerpoint but it is not a necessity for students to know how to blog and podcast. I think that this is fine for some classes. Maybe using too much technology in them would end up being more of a hinderance than a help depending on the teacher and the type of students they are handling. Certainly, we are moving towards times where technology is going to become more important. Teachers should be willing to change with the times, but there is no point in changing simply to change without any specific benefits being gained by making the switch.

Comments4kids

This week I posted on a video of a student reciting a limerick that she wrote. You can find my comment at this link: http://pesteam2.blogspot.com/. My student was Gloria.

Week 5 Assignment

NPR and Wikipedia
I knew about Wikipedia and NPR (National Public Radio) long before this assignment. I often go to Wikipedia to get an overview of the general information about a topic. NPR is my boyfriend's favorite station to tune into on his radio's dial. It is a good place to get the latest news going on in the world, the United States, and in your local area. All Things Considered is my boyfriend's favorite program. I prefer to switch between NPR and AFR (American Family Radio) to get different views on the topics being discussed. Both stations strive to remain unbiased, but I don't think anything can be unbiased. It's always best to go to two sources for the news. Wikipedia gives a dry history of NPR and some general information about the programs on NPR.

See Who's Editing Wikipedia by John Borland
This article was about a man named Virgil Griffith who developed a system that tracks who is editing Wiki articles to make sure that the sources of these edits are not overly biased about the topics. This system is not supported by Wikimedia (owners of Wikipedia) as of right now, but the system is helping to ensure users have the most accurate information. I think that it is admirable of Griffith to develop this system to protect the interests of consumers without being asked to do so. The article doesn't mention if he is making money off of this somehow, but I wonder if there is any profit to be made in a system such as this.
I think that Wikipedia is a good place to find general information about a topic, though obviously not a place to use as a reliable source for your research. They list links at the bottom of the page to places where you can find more information about the topic and a lot of times, those sites listed are good sources.

What I've learned this Year by Mr. McClung
This was a blog about a what Mr. McClung learned in his first year of teaching. He said it was important to listen to your students and to be patient with them and to not be upset when a lesson doesn't go as you planned because it's more important that a students understand the material. He also made a point to say that technology is our friend and should be embraced as a useful tool in the classroom. I think that what he had to say was very insightful and I am very grateful that he was wiling to share this information with everyone. I feel that reading his post will better equip me to be a teacher.

Week 4 Assignment

Benefits of Podcasting in the classroom

The Langwitches Blog entitled "It's Not About Tools. It's About Skills." emphasizes that teaching podcasting and blogging skills isn't about using the tools for fun. Teaching technology is about teaching useful skills that students will use in the real world. People need to understand that a good education isn't just about memorizing facts. It's about being able to apply the knowledge in those facts.
Podcasting, video conferencing, blogging and using wiki provide skills such as collaboration, writing, global awareness, media literacy, critical thinking and communication skills. Skills such as these would be useful in virtually every career field.

Week 3 Assignment

Teachers Podcasting

This week I listened to six different podcasts. My objective was to determine the differences in style and format of each podcast and whether or not I found it helpful for learning purposes. The podcasts included in my assessment are: SmartBoard Lessons Podcast, KidCast, Teachers Teaching Teachers, EdTechtalk, MacBreak Weekly, and This Week in Photography.

The SmartBoard Lessons Podcast was more of a radio talk show with two hosts and they had newsupdates with technology and they joked a lot. MacBreak Weekly had three hosts and they talked about the latest news in technology and gave their opinions about it. KidCast is basically a man giving you a lecture about the topic of the day. I enjoyed this group of three because they're more traditional radio programs that are structured, informative, and fun to listen to.

Teachers Teaching Teachers has a host and a few different experts and they have an agenda to talk about but there is room for improvisation. EdTechTalk is more of a group discussion. There were many experts and they had a topic to discuss but there wasn't much of a strict agenda. I didn't really enjoy these two programs. I felt it was a bit chaotic to have everyone trying to jump in with their own opinion. The hosts (especially in Teachers Teaching Teachers) kept talking over everyone else. It made it seem like they didn't really care what the other experts had to say.

This Week in Photography discusses new techniques and technologies being developed in photography. It was mostly just two hosts discussing these things. They mentioned Haiti which I found interesting. They were talking about documenting these images for posterity. I found the podcast informative and fun to listen to. There were too many advertisements in the beginning though.This exercise made me wonder whether or not I will be making podcasts for my class to listen to. If I do decide to make podcasts in the future, I will have to think about the format a lot and how to keep the lesson fun and interesting.

Mrs. Cassidy's 1st grade class. Media Literacy & Little Kids... Big Potential

It’s so awesome to see all the different things that Mrs. Cassidy’s class is doing with technology. When I was in first grade we went to the computer lab to learn how to use the space bar and the shift button. These first graders can find websites and blog and know how to be safe on the internet. It makes me excited about finding ways to use the internet to enhance my classroom environment.

1 Year Old Using iPhone

I think that what this proves is that the technology is not difficult to learn. There are many other videos of babies using iPhones. I actually liked another video better. The child in that video was playing games and watching YouTube videos.

Week 2 Assignment

A Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch

This film accurately depicts what many students experience in college today. Personally, most of what was said does not apply to my educational experience, but I see evidence of each of those facts in the students around me.

I liked the concept of having the different facts written on chairs and chalkboards and different places around the classroom. However, the camera work was a little blurry and it hurt my eyes to try to strain and read everything. Perhaps they could have used a better camera. Perhaps they could have read the facts out loud along with the words on the screen. They need to do something to make it easier to read.

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

I agree with Hines that technology is only a tool. While it can enhance the learning environment, it is not a necessary part of the learning environment in most cases. Technology does go to waste in a lot of schools. Why bother having the school spend thousands of dollars to allow students check facebook at lunch and to print off papers between classes? Why not just have the students write their papers by hand?

If the technology is being used to make the learning experience better, if teachers are willing to learn to use this technology efficiently and creatively, then the money has not gone to waste. Maybe students who don't grasp the material one way will be helped by newer technology, but the teacher has to make an effort to ensure that each student is learning something at the end of the day.

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

Fisch's post about how teachers need to change the way they approach technological illiteracy won Edublog's Most Influencial Post of the Year in 2007 and for one very good reason. Teachers today do need to step back and think about how ridiculous it is that a lot of them are unwilling to learn or teach in a widely accepted medium. Computers are not the enemy and have quickly become part of everday life for many people in our country and in other countries around the world. Why not embrace them? Why not use them to your advantage in the classroom?

The fact is that computers, while not necessary for all forms of learning, can enhance almost any classroom if used properly. Teachers should be sitting idly by and setting a bad example for their students. Refusing to learn how to use and implement computers in the classroom is like telling students that progress doesn't matter.

Gary's Social Media Counter

I can't believe how quickly those numbers are multiplying. As someone going into the teaching field, those numbers might effect my future career in a number of ways. I could use social networking as an advantage in the classroom and set up a page for my students to ask questions and discuss things that are going on in class. This would be a positive thing. Another possibility could be that a can't stop my students from texting, tweeting, getting on facebook and sending im's. My future student might not be able to focus enough of their attention on me to learn anything.

Week 1 Assignment

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman was an interesting concept. Technology has changed the way we live our ordinary lives. Certainly a man from a hundred years ago would barely recognize a hospital or the places we have to work now. Needleman claims that school hasn't changed much in the past 100 years.

I don't agree that schools haven't advanced in 100 years. We've done away with chalk and slates. Students are able to learn foreign languages more easily with cd's and other forms of audio assistance. My high school in Alaska had even started to replace all the white boards with Promethean boards, or smart boards. We had to use the computer on a regular basis to do our work. We watched YouTube videos all the time in class. However, this might only have been because Alaska is one of the wealthiest states in the union. I can't vouch for how much they use new technology in Alabama, Texas, or California.

Did You Know? by Karl Fisch

Did You Know? by Karl Fisch, contained a lot of very interesting facts. They flashed by so quickly on the screen that I had to pause and rewind a few times to catch it all. I have no reason to believe that Karl Fisch would lie to me, but I find it difficult to believe a few of the facts. For example, he said that for a person getting a degree related to technology and computers, the things they learned in first two years of their degree are obsolete by the time they begin their third year. It's unfathomable.

The point of Fisch's presentation was to present us with the unfathomable. 1,300,000,000 people populated China in 2008; China is soon going to be the country with the highest English speaking population; the wire that has the ability to process over 2 million phone calls in one second-- all of these were listed to show us that we are living in the information age and that knowing about the latest technology is important because it's hard to keep up in this fast paced world. I think Fisch makes a good point.

The Importance of Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson

I really enjoyed Sir Robinson's presentation. I thought he made a good point about how all people are different and that our education system doesn't properly address that. We do focus on math, science, and languages and leave those who are more gifted in the arts to fend for themselves and struggle.

The story he told about the woman who is a famous choreographer was a good example. I have known a lot of children who have been labeled ADD who are gifted in sports or music or dance but who perform poorly with their schoolwork unless you spend a lot of time working with them. It's sad that we are putting these children at a disadvantage by forcing students who are right brained to use their left brain. They used to force children who were left-handed to relearn things with their right hand in school because being left handed was "wrong." That practice is now seen as unnecessary and a tad bit cruel. Eventually, educators will realize that forcing children into fields where they don't excel is also cruel.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis' teaching method seems effective and interesting. Digital citizenship is something we should be teaching our students today because of all the technology that is being developed. Students who have a head start using these technologies before they get into the real world will have an advantage over those who don't understand how to use them.

However, I don't completely understand the need for OpenSim. It sounds to me to be a chatroom/video game. I don't know why the traditional chatroom isn't all that's necessary. Maybe I'm behind the times.