Blog Assignment 5

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?Dr. McLeod is a very successful man. According to Scott McLeod's website he is "the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE)"and "is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky". I would have to say he is also a great writer after reading his blog post Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?. Most of the posts I have read before Dr. McLeods have been straight to the point. I liked the twist he put on his post. I would have to agree with the arguments he has made. There are more than enough resources and ways to allow children to use a computer while avoiding "the bad stuff". Parents can not be so paranoid that they keep their children from being technologically literate. Technology is becoming a big part of our lives and careers. Children need to be ready.

The iSchool Initiative
The iSchool Initiative was surprisingly done by a seventeen year old high school student named Travis Allen. I was very impressed with his video! He had so many great points and suggestions on how the iTouch could be used in a school.
Travis Allen suggested that the Apps on an iTouch are all useful tools for learning. There are so many resources available including a scientific calculator, email, and a U.S. Constitution App. He also suggested to imagine a school with no paper or pencils. I believe that it is great to use less paper and help the environment! However, I believe no matter how technologically advanced we become, students should always maintain their writing skills. We should not depend on computers so much, that we can not even write on our own.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
If anyone has not watched this video, they should! It is absolutely amazing! It is still hard for me to believe at how advance technology has become! Who would have ever thought that a whole orchestra could be constructed over the internet. I think this type of video could be very useful in the classroom. Many college classes already attend class over video. I know of classrooms here at South Alabama that watch their teacher from a different city!

Teaching in the 21st Century
Teaching in the 21st Century was created by Kevin Roberts. If you believe that Kevin Roberts is correct, than you better begin to become very technologically literate! This worries me that eventually teachers will no longer be teaching the usual math, history, etc. What if in the near future teachers simply become computer teachers. Once the students know how to use the computers, teachers could merely be babysitters as the students learn by computer.

Reading Rockets
This website could be very helpful to teachers. The most interesting thing I found on the website were the different activities to help teach reading. There are phonemic activities that would be great to use in preschool and lower elementary classes. These games help the students clearly hear and understand the parts of a word.
I found newspapers to also be a great idea to incorporate into the classroom! Newspapers give children a chance to learn about the world and improve their reading skills. They are always up to date and will help increase a child's vocabulary.

Project 9a

My Sentence Video

Blog Assignment 4

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
This website gives a great understanding of what a podcast is. I had never thought about how the term "podcast" is basically "iPod" and "broadcast" put together. A podcast is something that can be heard on a computer or mp3 player. It is a great tool for students and their parents to listen to.
The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom
This link gives some great examples of why podcasts are so useful. It is a way to interact with students outside the traditional classroom. This type of learning is project based and focuses on higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy. If I child is sick and unable to attend school, this is a way for them to not miss any classroom lectures/assignments. It is also a way for parents to have an idea of what their children are doing at school.
Langwitches- Listening Comprehension Podcasting
Langwitches is a blog pertaining to the learning advantages of creating a podcast. Students can not only learn by listening to podcasts but also by creating them. Editing a podcast can be very helpful to a student who is learning a certain language. The best way to learn a language is by repetition. This gives the student the opportunity to hear the language repeated and the format of the words.
Overall, I am very excited to learn about podcasting. I have heard a couple podcasts previously but knew nothing about them. I now have a good understanding of how to create one and incorporate it in the classroom. It is exciting to be a teacher of this time because of all the resources available!

Interesting Things About My Life

C4T

Comment 1
I was assigned to William Chamberlain. Here is a link to his blog: William Chamberlain's blog. The first blog post I read was "Are EdCamps Too Technocentric"? I found this post very interesting because I have never heard of anything like EdCamps. EdCamps is when teachers get together in a non-formal setting. Any topic of their concern can be brought up. William Chamberlain discusses his concern of technology being the main topic of discussion. There are so many other problems in the classroom. However teachers have been concentrating on incorporating technology into the classroom.
I agree wholeheartedly with William chamberlain's opinion. I can see his concern as a teacher. Technology is a great addition to learning. However, with an opportunity such as EdCamp, more important issues should also be addressed.
This is what my comment stated: Hi, My name is Michelle Nix. I am an elementary major at the University of South Alabama. I am currently taking EDM 310. I found this post to be very interesting considering that EDM 310 is completely about technology. I agree that an opportunity like edcamp should be used to cover the major issues that go along with teaching. I was surprised when I read that Edcamps take place in an unconference format. This is something I have never heard of and hope to attend in the future. Is this something that occurs nationally? Can any teachers attend? I will be summarizing my visits to your blog with a post to mine on Feb.12,2012. Here is a link to my blog:
http://nixmichelleedm310.blogs.... You can also view my class blog at:
http://edm310.blogspot.com/.
Thanks!
Comment 2
The second post I read was "The New, Cool Tech Activity Doesn't Fit My Curriculum!". William Chamberlain discusses how although he has all the tools available to incorporate online tech tools into his classroom, he does not. He explains that many of the tools he has available do not always help his students to understand the topic at hand. His priority is not technology but teaching.
As a future teacher, I hope that I am able to accomplish all that Mr.Chamberlain has. I want to be a successful teacher, not a technology teacher. He is still technologically literate by keeping up with his blog. It is not his priority over teaching which is important to remember!
This is what I commented back:After reading this post and your blog post about EdCamp it has become very evident that your main priority is what the students are learning. You are what is considered a successful teacher. You do not just teach, you make sure students learn and understand. It seems like keeping up with technology is the priority of many other teachers. Am I correct to assume this is your opinion?

Blog Assignment 3

Technology in Special Education
Before watching this video Technology in Special Education, I had never thought about how much technology can also help special education students. I would even say that technology is more crucial to children with disorders. The way they learn and interact with others has changed dramatically for the good. It really stood out to me how many of the students were not able to write well, if at all. Computers allow these children to communicate their thoughts faster by typing or using a special mouse.
The joy that technology has brought to special education students is evident. Learning has turned into something fun and intriguing. Teachers can incorporate this technology into all lessons to help the children become eager to learn. It is always more fun to interact with learning rather than listen to someone talk all day!
How the iPad Works with Academics
How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism, is a great video showing how well educational apps can help children with disabilities. I looked through the app store and found a game that I would love to use in the classroom. "Jungle Fractions" is for the iPad and makes learning fractions fun!
Fractions is something not always easy for children to learn quickly. For example, it is sometimes hard for them to grasp that one-third and two-sixths are equal. This game uses a fun version of pie charts to clearly show what a fraction looks like. The whole class would be able to participate with this game. This not only helps children visually learn, but also helps eliminate the issue some have with writing.
Social Media Count
After watching Gary's Social Media Count, I realize even more the importance of edm 310. It is not only to have a knowledge of the the current technology but to be a part of the continuous growth. Technology is growing at an amazing rate. We as teachers will be lost if we do not continue our blogs and social media networks.
These blogs help us to stay informed. Never before has there been a way for so many teachers around the world to stay in contact with each other. This is an amazing opportunity to learn what we are doing wrong and what we are doing right. We are able to find out about teaching techniques that would have never been thought of. In order for us to be the best, we must have a well rounded understanding gained from communication with others and our own experiences combined.
A Vision of Students Today
Michael Wesch's video A Vision of Students Today, helps teachers become aware that learning is no longer done by just sitting in a classroom. Teaching should be changing from how it was even fifty years ago. Yet, the majority if classrooms are still the same.
There was a quote in the video from 1841 saying what an addition the chalkboard was to education. I find this funny considering half of my classrooms still have chalkboards! We should have moved on to something new by now. The world has gained to much knowledge about studying and learning disabilities to still be teaching off a chalkboard alone.

Blog Assignment 2

Did you know?
Did you know? By:John Strange
"Did you Know?" by John Strange is based off the video by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. Both videos give several random statistics and facts about technology and how fast it is growing.
One question in the original video caught my attention because I often think of this:"To whom were these questions addressed before google?". It is amazing how many times a minute the google search engine is used. Personally, I would be amazed if I knew how many times I have searched through google. I believe that is the answer to why technology is growing in such an accelerated way. The answers to questions are easily accessible. We no longer have to go to the library to learn something new.
Mr.Winkle Wakes
Mr.Winkle Wakes By:Mathew Needleman
Mr.Winkle Wakes is a very simple video. Yet, it gives teachers something important to think about. Are teachers making use of the technology avavailable to help students learn more effectively?
Just recently schools have been making an effort to include technology in the classrooms. This is something that should be encouraged by every school. Students should be very technologically literate to prepare them for the future.
A Vision for 21st Century Learning
A Vision for 21st Century Learning
I loved the statement at the end of this video:"If we get it right, kids won't even know they are learning something". This video is arguing that kids need to learn with technological now, to prepare them for their future careers. Their future careers are guaranteed to involve some type of technology. I agree with their comments that if most children are playing video games before they even begin school, than they can learn with technology in the classroom.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
I was very impressed by what Vicki Davis is doing in her classroom. She is a successful teacher who is making a difference in students' lives. The technology her classroom was doing in highschool, I still could not do.
Vicki Davis caught my attention when she was discussing the fact that she encourages students to discover things on their own. The students would search on their own a topic she would mention and they would then teach it to her. I hope that as a future teahcer, I will be able to make learning exciting.