Scott McLeod is an edublogger. This means he blogs and uses other forms of technology to help students learn concepts better. Technology has become a major part of the work force and is steadily becoming more useful in educational settings. Dr. McLeod utilizes this to the best of his ability. I completely agree with his viewpoint in his blog. Students today need technology in their educational environments to be successful after they leave the classroom.
Travis Allen has a very valid presentation in The iSchool Initiative, a video about how the iTouch can be utilized as is in classroom environments. Applications for the iTouch include things such as email, maps, and calculators. Aside from these, there are many more useful applications on the iTouch that could revolutionize learning as we know it. With a few modifications, we would come to have the iSchool.
The idea for the iSchool is very much like that of the iTouch. There are only a few small differences. Students would be able to access only sights approved by their school system. This erases the aspect of doing irresponsible things with such a useful tool. Parents, teachers, and students would all have immediate access to schedules, attendance, assignments, grades, and more, I think the utilization of the iSchool would not only revolutionize the learning process, but it would also be cheaper than buying school supplies, it would make information readily available to all involved, and it would help students capture the essence of technology.
The Lost Generation is a very moving video. It starts out by streaming words across the page. As I saw what was originally said, I was sad. The girl speaking in the background began to tell of a future era, one where work would always come before family and money is the only thing that makes people happy. I, personally, have learned to appreciate those closest to me and thought how sad such a world would be. The young lady told of how we would begin to care less and less about our environment. She says she is part of a "lost generation".
At the end of the streaming words, she says that all of these things will be true unless we decide to change it. she then reads each line backwards and, surprisingly, the words seem to fit in a new way. She speaks of how she will not be part of a quick fix era and how she will love her family. She will not be celebrating the tenth anniversary of her divorce in thirty years. Everything will be different because she will change all of this. I was moved by the way she played back her words and said the opposite. It was creative indeed. I congratulate the person who made this video.
I thought Eric Whitacre's video and production Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir is an amazing feat. To have one hundred eighty people who have never met before compose this is nothing short of breathtaking. I applaud Mr. Whitacre for his accomplishment. I was honestly speechless when I saw the video. I thought it sounded beautiful.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Additional Assignment #1
With Google squared and programs like it, it is much easier to search and find information typically needed for classroom environments. Searches such as WolframAlpha provide ways to make systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to as many people as is possible. No, I did not know about Google Squared or Wolfram Alpha prior to this assignment. I reread my comments on the Did You Know video. My thoughts are still the same on the video after hearing your comments. From this exercise I learned that statistics can be tricky and to carefully analyze them before drawing conclusions. I also read the Food For Thought article. It was, indeed, short. I think it's rather interesting that an illiterate six year old could use such a piece of technology. Maybe the man is a genius.
Monday, September 13, 2010
C4T # 1
My first teacher for C4T is Mr. W. Chamberlain. He teaches at Noel Elementary School in Noel, Missouri. My assigned blog post was one in which Mr. Chamberlain discussed the use of student manifesto in his classroom. This is where a teacher, or anybody really, could look at someone else and ask them to write down a goal they have. The goal should, preferably, be one accessible but not so easily attained that it is not a task. Student manifesto is about getting the student to strive to be the best he/she can. It needs to be something the student needs to try for, but also something the student can, with effort, accomplish. I first commented on Mr. Chamberlain's blog post and said I thought the idea of student manifesto was an incredible idea. In my opinion, it would allow the student to really determine what their goal was, and not only this but also why he/she held this particular goal. I mentioned that many times I've seen other people set goals but not reach them just because they were not sure why they wanted to reach their goal in the first place.
Mr. Chamberlain reposted on my comment and said that while some students simply wrote down what was the simplest goal to achieve, other of his students actually took his assignment seriously and put deep consideration into this project. I then wrote back and congratulated him on those students who took it seriously and wished him well with all of the students.
Mr. Chamberlain reposted on my comment and said that while some students simply wrote down what was the simplest goal to achieve, other of his students actually took his assignment seriously and put deep consideration into this project. I then wrote back and congratulated him on those students who took it seriously and wished him well with all of the students.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blog Assignment 3
A Vision of Students Today is a video concerning the learning environment in colleges. I completely agree with the concept of needing to integrate technology into our college learning environments. Everything I saw in the video is relevant in my college situation. Yes, I buy textbooks knowing I will probably never even open them. I do bring my computer to class. And, no, it's not usually schoolwork I'm doing. So I must agree with the concepts captured in the video.
Students today are technologically advanced. Most classrooms, however, are not. This poses a slight problem. Students typically get bored in their courses today and, therefore, choose to do other things such as talk on the phone, skip class, and get online while in class. I wouldn't take away anything in the video. Everything I saw is completely true. I cannot think of anything else I would add. I think the video encompassed all necessary information.
Kelly Hines’ post It’s Not About the Technology is also inspiring. I do think she makes rather valid points in her post here. Some teachers do have access to the technology and do not utilize it correctly. While I agree with what she had to say, however, I also believe that teachers cannot learn how to utilize these things when teaching without having them. It is true that learning technology can be done without having it on hand. But is it easier when it is at hand or when you look at pages in a book that tell you what to do when you finally get it? I would think more hands-on experience would be needed to really keep up with all the new innovations.
Ms. Hines also made a very valid point when saying teachers are always learners. As a teacher, one also becomes the student. A teacher is always learning new things from his or her students. I must completely agree with this. I think Ms. Hines is right for the most part. It is possible to teach technology without having it on hand. But I think it would take a very special teacher to be able to help the students really retain the information for long periods of time without the hands-on expertise. It would take a teacher who was also willing to be the student to teach with the technology. I think it totally depends on the teacher, the way they utilize what they are given, and the way they interact with their students.
I completely agree with Mr. Karl Fisch in his post on Fishbowl titled Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?. The way Mr. Fisch puts matters into perspective here is incredible indeed. I think the way he compared being technologically illiterate today to being completely illiterate in the 20th century was a good comparison. If we as teachers and aspiring teachers see it as admirable to be illiterate in any sense of the term or unknowledgeable in any matter that could possibly help our students do well in the future, should we be teachers at all? I think not.
To embrace the idea that it would be okay or even admirable to not know something and be proud of it is blasphemy in itself. To think it would ever be okay to be a teacher with these ideals is even more absurd. I applaud Mr. Fischer on his well written and inspiring words.
I think the information given in Gary Hayes' Social Media Count is rather interesting. It shows us how fast technology is being passed on and how very many people are adapting to technology every second. As teachers and aspiring teachers I think it is very important that we keep up-to-date with new innovations so that we can utilize these in our classrooms. As previously mentioned in this post, we as teachers are not here to simply teach, but to learn as well. We need to learn these new technologies with our children and students.
Students today are technologically advanced. Most classrooms, however, are not. This poses a slight problem. Students typically get bored in their courses today and, therefore, choose to do other things such as talk on the phone, skip class, and get online while in class. I wouldn't take away anything in the video. Everything I saw is completely true. I cannot think of anything else I would add. I think the video encompassed all necessary information.
Kelly Hines’ post It’s Not About the Technology is also inspiring. I do think she makes rather valid points in her post here. Some teachers do have access to the technology and do not utilize it correctly. While I agree with what she had to say, however, I also believe that teachers cannot learn how to utilize these things when teaching without having them. It is true that learning technology can be done without having it on hand. But is it easier when it is at hand or when you look at pages in a book that tell you what to do when you finally get it? I would think more hands-on experience would be needed to really keep up with all the new innovations.
Ms. Hines also made a very valid point when saying teachers are always learners. As a teacher, one also becomes the student. A teacher is always learning new things from his or her students. I must completely agree with this. I think Ms. Hines is right for the most part. It is possible to teach technology without having it on hand. But I think it would take a very special teacher to be able to help the students really retain the information for long periods of time without the hands-on expertise. It would take a teacher who was also willing to be the student to teach with the technology. I think it totally depends on the teacher, the way they utilize what they are given, and the way they interact with their students.
I completely agree with Mr. Karl Fisch in his post on Fishbowl titled Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?. The way Mr. Fisch puts matters into perspective here is incredible indeed. I think the way he compared being technologically illiterate today to being completely illiterate in the 20th century was a good comparison. If we as teachers and aspiring teachers see it as admirable to be illiterate in any sense of the term or unknowledgeable in any matter that could possibly help our students do well in the future, should we be teachers at all? I think not.
To embrace the idea that it would be okay or even admirable to not know something and be proud of it is blasphemy in itself. To think it would ever be okay to be a teacher with these ideals is even more absurd. I applaud Mr. Fischer on his well written and inspiring words.
I think the information given in Gary Hayes' Social Media Count is rather interesting. It shows us how fast technology is being passed on and how very many people are adapting to technology every second. As teachers and aspiring teachers I think it is very important that we keep up-to-date with new innovations so that we can utilize these in our classrooms. As previously mentioned in this post, we as teachers are not here to simply teach, but to learn as well. We need to learn these new technologies with our children and students.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Blog Assignment 2
Did You Know? 3.0 is an interesting video. It explains how technologically advanced our world is becoming and how this will change the world as a whole. This includes jobs, databases, phone calls, and many more activities we partake in daily. It is presumed in this video that technology will, one day, be more advanced than civilization. New technology is constantly being produced while old technology is always being changed, altered, and improved.
The best jobs this year did not even exist in 2004. These jobs were probably produced with oncoming technology. What this means is that technology is such a strong influence today that, without keeping up with it, it will be nearly impossible to get high paying jobs. Did You Know? 3.0 is packed with information on how technology is reforming the way people live today. Without this technology being taught in a classroom environment, people today may not be able to keep up with the high demands of employers and technology in the future. This means more jobs and fewer workers.
Mr. Winkle Wakes is a video about how the fictitious Rip Van Winkle wakes after a hundred years to find technology he's never seen before. He goes to offices and a hospital and finds computers, printers, fax machines, X ray machines, and more. This world that he knows so little of is overwhelming to him. When he comes across a school not using technology, he likes it. This is understandable.
But what about the children in that school not using technology? One day they will be thrown into the same places Mr Winkle found himself. They will one day find themselves in a work environment with technology they don't know how to use. This might pose a slight problem to the people employing them. But if these children grew up with technology, would it be so hard to know more about these strange machines? Would these computers and fax machines and printers be so hard to use when in the work place if people were shown how to use them in schools more often? I think not.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity is a video of what I believe to be truth. Mr. Robinson explains how the educational systems all across the globe don't encourage or even sometimes choose to stigmatize the arts and children's creativity. Things such as fidgeting are today being termed ADHD, ADD, or similar diagnoses when seventy years ago it simply meant the child may have had a different talent such as dancing or playing an instrument. When we are children we lack a fear of being wrong. As we grow into adulthood, however, we are looked down upon for being wrong. Therefore, when the time comes for new ideas or innovations, some sort of creativity, we run. Most people, therefore, lose their creativity as they age.
Mr. Robinson explains how we may not be here seventy years from now but we should know our children will. We may not be able to see the world then, but we should want to make it a better place for them. There seems to be an hierarchy within the educational system. What is deemed "most important" is typically math and science with languages coming next. Then come the humanities and then the arts. Within the arts there are even divisions of importance to people it seems. First come dance and art. Then there is music and room for anything else. What we have failed to see is that we are not making it easier for our children to live in today's society. We are simply making them work harder to prosper in it. By not allowing them to flourish in what they are naturally capable of, we are forcing most children today to become uniform with everyone else with the belief that without math and science they will go nowhere in life. I must fully agree with Mr Ken Robinson on the matter and say he is a very brilliant man and I wish there were more people in today's society with his perspective.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts shows how one teacher, Vicki Davis, has chosen to connect her students to the world through technology. She, as many others, believes that someone cannot teach using simply paper and pen. Some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others are hands-on learners. With utilizing what technologies are available to the students, Mrs. Davis is able to reach a larger number of students academically.
Mrs. Vicki Davis does not believe she has to know all the material to teach it. She believes that when a student finds out how to do something on his/her own it gives him/her a sense of empowerment. I must agree with this belief. Students in her class work together to learn their capabilities with technology, something that has become close to a requirement in today's workforce. I applaud Vicki Davis for her effort to improve and reform education as we know it.
The best jobs this year did not even exist in 2004. These jobs were probably produced with oncoming technology. What this means is that technology is such a strong influence today that, without keeping up with it, it will be nearly impossible to get high paying jobs. Did You Know? 3.0 is packed with information on how technology is reforming the way people live today. Without this technology being taught in a classroom environment, people today may not be able to keep up with the high demands of employers and technology in the future. This means more jobs and fewer workers.
Mr. Winkle Wakes is a video about how the fictitious Rip Van Winkle wakes after a hundred years to find technology he's never seen before. He goes to offices and a hospital and finds computers, printers, fax machines, X ray machines, and more. This world that he knows so little of is overwhelming to him. When he comes across a school not using technology, he likes it. This is understandable.
But what about the children in that school not using technology? One day they will be thrown into the same places Mr Winkle found himself. They will one day find themselves in a work environment with technology they don't know how to use. This might pose a slight problem to the people employing them. But if these children grew up with technology, would it be so hard to know more about these strange machines? Would these computers and fax machines and printers be so hard to use when in the work place if people were shown how to use them in schools more often? I think not.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity is a video of what I believe to be truth. Mr. Robinson explains how the educational systems all across the globe don't encourage or even sometimes choose to stigmatize the arts and children's creativity. Things such as fidgeting are today being termed ADHD, ADD, or similar diagnoses when seventy years ago it simply meant the child may have had a different talent such as dancing or playing an instrument. When we are children we lack a fear of being wrong. As we grow into adulthood, however, we are looked down upon for being wrong. Therefore, when the time comes for new ideas or innovations, some sort of creativity, we run. Most people, therefore, lose their creativity as they age.
Mr. Robinson explains how we may not be here seventy years from now but we should know our children will. We may not be able to see the world then, but we should want to make it a better place for them. There seems to be an hierarchy within the educational system. What is deemed "most important" is typically math and science with languages coming next. Then come the humanities and then the arts. Within the arts there are even divisions of importance to people it seems. First come dance and art. Then there is music and room for anything else. What we have failed to see is that we are not making it easier for our children to live in today's society. We are simply making them work harder to prosper in it. By not allowing them to flourish in what they are naturally capable of, we are forcing most children today to become uniform with everyone else with the belief that without math and science they will go nowhere in life. I must fully agree with Mr Ken Robinson on the matter and say he is a very brilliant man and I wish there were more people in today's society with his perspective.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts shows how one teacher, Vicki Davis, has chosen to connect her students to the world through technology. She, as many others, believes that someone cannot teach using simply paper and pen. Some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others are hands-on learners. With utilizing what technologies are available to the students, Mrs. Davis is able to reach a larger number of students academically.
Mrs. Vicki Davis does not believe she has to know all the material to teach it. She believes that when a student finds out how to do something on his/her own it gives him/her a sense of empowerment. I must agree with this belief. Students in her class work together to learn their capabilities with technology, something that has become close to a requirement in today's workforce. I applaud Vicki Davis for her effort to improve and reform education as we know it.
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