Project #8 Podcast

Project 9a Timetoast

Blog Post #5

Don't Teach Your Kid's This Stuff.  Please? 
I thought that the post by Scott Mcleod was really clever.  I learned that Mr.  Mcleod is professor at the University of Kentucky, and that he is considered by many to be an academic expert on K-12 technology issues.  He is also the Founding Director of CASTLE,  UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education , which is the only academic center in the country that is dedicated to aiding school administrators with their needs.  I really enjoyed Mr.  Mcleod's satire about the fears toward technology.  These can lead to another great danger, the lack of knowledge and skill in using technology. I agree with Mr.  Mcleod that there is a problem with being so afraid of technology that you keep the child from it. This can put a student at a serious disadvantage later when competing for jobs and positions against someone well schooled in technology. However, I do believe that it is the job of both the teacher and parent to supervise the child's use of the internet, as well as teach them to use it responsibly.  You would not give a person the keys to a car without teaching them to use it safely and responsibly.  You would monitor their progress until they reach a level of maturity that allows them to be safe.  Children, of course, do not drive cars. However,  the internet does allow them to "travel" and have access to the entire world in many ways.  Although the dangers that Mr.  Mcleod mentions in his post are highly unlikely, they are possible.  Do the benefits of the internet outweigh the risks?  Absolutely.  I think that as educators we can allow our students the advantage of being technologically savvy while being cautious.  We can teach them that with power and knowledge comes responsibility.  That is a great lesson all by itself.


The iSchool Initiative    
In Travis Allen's video The iSchool Initiative, he argues that he has found a solution to America's education budget crisis.  He says that the future of the American classroom is the iSchool.  The iSchool would be based on Apple's i touch technology and would be similar to an ipod touch or ipad.  He says that things like books, paper, copiers, and pencils would become obsolete.  This would save schools much needed money.  He shows that these devices already have many apps that could be used in the classroom.  Email, scientific calculators, and periodic tables are only a few of these apps that are available to users today, and could be utilized immediately in a classroom.  Travis adds up the cost of supplies to be over 600 dollars per student and compares it to the cost of the iSchool at 150 dollars per student.  This initiative also reduces the carbon footprint and improves the environment.

  
In Travis Allen's Zeitgeist Young Minds video, he issues a call to action to change the education system in America.  He and his team travel the country to try to revolutionize the system.  He believes that in order to prepare students to succeed in the information age that we live in, we must completely redesign the education that they receive.  He encourages everyone to join him and visit  The iSchool Initiative  I  love this idea!  I think that classrooms would be much more efficient if they utilized a technology like the iSchool.  There would be so many fewer wastes and things like textbooks would not become outdated and thrown away.  Also, that would be a way for students to become technologically proficient, as well as a method of cutting costs.


Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
When I began watching this video, I thought, how neat, that all of those people could get together via internet and create such a beautiful piece.  Then, I thought about how much work and coordination must go into the production of such a video.  It occurred to me then, that if someone could orchestrate a complex production of music with so many different people, who have never met, or even rehearsed, from all different places, what amazing things could be done in a classroom!  Why couldn't classes, from all different regions, collaborate when studying their school lessons?  Children from different parts of the country could work together to study geography, history, or any other subject. Imagine how much more interesting a science lesson would be if you were sharing the lesson with a class in the region where the theory was founded.  What if students could go on field trips via the internet?  This video was something I had never really considered before.  Really, with the connection the internet provides, almost anything is possible!


Teaching In the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts
In the video Teaching In the 21st Century  , Kevin Roberts discusses how the roles of teachers has changed. He talks about how, in the past, the role of a teacher was to provide students with information.  Now, however, with the ability of students to access any information they need online, a teacher's job is to teach students how to apply that information to  their situation.  He believes that a teacher is now supposed to teach students the skills they need to take all of the information at their disposal and use it in practical ways in their lives.  This will help students to be able problem solve in their future.  When a student is later faced with decisions about jobs, finances and other important issues, they will know how to gather information and use it to make the best decision.  I think Mr.  Roberts makes some very valid points. I know that memorizing information is how teachers traditionally teach their students, and I realize that is pointless. As an elementary school teacher, I will allow my students to discuss their reading assignments by blogging.  I will have them use their social studies lessons to create podcasts.  I will try to help them connect with their peers in other countries to help them understand that our world is so much more than what we can see from our own back door. Unless we are teaching students things that can be applied in a relevant way to their lives, we are wasting both of our times.  The world students are graduating into is not the world where the person who knows the most "things" is the best.  This 21st century world is a place where creative thinking and problem solving skills are sought after.  We must help our students take the information technology offers and use it to create success.

Blog Post #4

Eagles Nest Radio & Class Blog
Wow!  I have to admit that up until I listened to the Eagles Nest radio and class blog, I have been a bit skeptical of the idea of letting elementary age children have access to technology like blogging and podcasts, especially at school.  I have a daughter who is currently a 3rd grader, and I thought that I would prefer to be able to supervise her at home when and if I thought she needed to use those tools.  I could not imagine an "educational" purpose that would merit a child that age having access to them.  I was wrong.  After hearing the Eagle's Nest podcasts, I was amazed at the information they presented, and that they did it in such a professional way!  I can absolutely see how doing those podcasts on things like history and science would allow them to not only memorize the information, but use it in a way they will not ever forget.  The first podcast I listened to was called "Roamin' With the Ancient Romans".  I bet they will always remember what they presented in their podcast, whereas, if they had memorized and then just tested on the material, it probably would be forgotten before the next week.  I can definitely see the difference between what those students did and what Dr.  Strange calls burp back education.  Not only are the students learning the material in a more effective way, but they are also learning poise,  presentation skills, and professionalism...in the 3rd grade!   Their blog allows them to not only read their literature, but to really use critical thinking skills while discussing it.  I would love for my daughter to be able to do that in her class.  I will definitely be doing them in mine.   

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom by Joe Dale
I found this video to be full of really good suggestions as to how podcasts could be incorporated into my classroom.  Mr.  Dale talks about how students today live in a world where technology is part of their every day lives.  Lessons that involves technology, including podcasts, are familiar and relevant to these students.   He made a suggestion that I would use in my own class.  He said that a teacher could record his or her lecture as a podcast, and then students could go back and listen to the podcast for review.  I think that's a really good suggestion, and I will definitely try that.  Students could also use the information that they are learning to make a podcast as a project.  Mr.  Dale said that another reason that podcasts are a valuable classroom tool is that they help students to use the higher level thinking levels from Bloom's Taxonomy.  I really appreciate how he used real life examples of ways this could benefit students, like when they are out sick.

The Education Podcasting Network
This website is a really informative resource for educators.  I thought that it was especially helpful because it gave very basic, practical information, including a section labeled, "What is a Podcast".  This allows teacher who may not be as familiar with technology to go to this website and find the information they need to get started using podcasts.  It also teaches you the best way to search for and subscribe to podcasts that you find valuable.  Having access to so many teachers and people in the education community gives a beginning teacher such a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from.  I can see how, especially as a new teacher, I will turn to this website many times.

Project #6 This is my sentence.

Blog Assignment 3

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
In her blog post, "It's Not About the Technology", Kelly Hines makes the argument that technology, although a good thing, is not the most important thing in being an effective teacher.  Ms.  Hines says that we often get so enamored of the abilities that technology gives us that we forget that the quality of the teacher is most necessary.  She says that teachers must be learners.  A teacher must not get their degree and then become complacent in  what they already know.  Because information and technology is always changing, we as teachers must always be learning.  She argues how can we teach our students something we have not yet learned.


Ms.  Hines also makes the argument that teaching does not always equal learning.  She says that until  a student has learned something, a teacher has not really taught it.  Another thing Ms.  Hines discusses is that there can be an unlimited amount of technology available, but unless a teacher is willing to use it, it is wasted.  She says that thousands of dollars can be spent on technology, but if a teacher is unwilling to learn and use those resources, then students will not learn them.  She also listed resources that can help a motivated teacher with less access to technology become a 21st century learner.


I agree with Ms.  Hines that while technology is important, the quality of a teacher is much more so.  I think it's wonderful for schools to invest money in technology for their classrooms, but I would like them to realize the value of quality teachers too.  


 Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher
In Karl Fisch's post he asked the question, "Is is ok to be a technologically illiterate teacher?"  Mr.  Fisch begins his blog by making a list of the minimum standards that he believes teachers should know in technology and the consequences if they fail to meet those standards.  He argues that people who are not technologically literate should not be proud of that, and that it is past time that everyone should accept technology as a part of life and act accordingly.


Mr.  Fisch goes on in his blog to make the assertion that in our world, being technologically illiterate is the same as a teacher not being able to read or write.  He argues that in the same way that people at the turn of the 20th century were able to live without reading or writing, people in the early 21st century have been able to be technologically illiterate.   He believes that like reading and writing became necessary for everyone, technology is going to soon be the same.  He reminds us that children who are in elementary school are facing a future where technology is mandatory.


While I believe that technology is important, I do not believe that a technologically illiterate teacher should be compared to someone who can't read or write.  I believe that when you make that claim you dismiss all the value that the teacher brings in every other area.  I think school systems and administrators should be more proactive in getting those teachers the necessary training to become technologically literate.  


 Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The social media count on Gary Hayes' blog is astounding.  The thought that, in just the few minutes you are watching, all those things are happening is almost beyond comprehension.  If you think about it on a much more personal scale, though it makes sense.


 If you think about how much you, as an individual, use technology throughout the day, it probably adds up to be more than you realize.  Anything from looking at Facebook or twitter, to checking your bank account, is using technology.  However, when you see the social media count, those numbers make you realize what a powerful presence both social media and technology have in our lives.


 Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
"If these walls could talk, what would they say?"  That is the opening question of  Michael Wesch's video.  He  surveyed 200 students and used their responses to show how the education that students get today is not effective.  In the video he shows the overcrowding of classes and the impersonal relationships between teachers and students.  He shows that students utilize technology and social media much more than they do traditional learning methods.  In the video, the students read 8 books per year, but read 2300 web pages.  The video says that when the students graduate they will probably get jobs that don't exist yet.  At the end of the video is a quote about a system that had totally changed learning and science.  We then learn that the quote was made in 1841, and the invention was the chalkboard.


I actually agree with most of this video.  I think that the classroom today is not effective in a lot of ways.  I am not sure that technology is the answer to all of the problems in education, but I do believe that letting students actually do something rather than listen to a lecture all day has to be a good start.

C4T #1

For my first C4T assignment I was assigned to read and comment on The Spicy Learning Blog. This blog is by Royan Lee who is an intermediate literacy teacher in Ontario, Canada. In reading Mr. Lee's blog, I was surprised at how much I was both inspired and challenged.

The first post I read and commented on was titled, "Where I'm From". In this post, he had gone back to an apartment he had lived in as a child. He talked about how the cultural diversity of his neighborhood shaped his identity as a child, and the experience of going to school. He shared how

school was a place that did for him what the internet does for us today. It allowed him to learn about the world outside his home, and helped to understand both his culture and others. Mr. Lee wrote really beautifully about his kindergarten teachers. He wrote about how his teachers were larger than life figures to him. They taught him to sing, share, and provided a safe place for a child to be. He ended the post with a poignant reminder that as teachers we should be that for our own students. In my comment to Mr. Lee, I thanked him for sharing such a beautiful story, and I told him that I hope to always be the kind of teacher that helps to touch a student's life and helps them to see the world in a better way.

For my second comment on Mr. Lee's blog, I read a post titled, "How Evernote+Skitch+Mobile Device has replaced my Document Camera and IWB". This was a post about how you can use applications on your smartphone to do things that you would do on very expensive white board technology, like smart boards. In my comment to his post, I told Mr. Lee that I had no idea that I could use my iphone as a tool in my classroom. I told him that I thought it was very exciting that there are so many tools available to teachers and that I can't wait to get into a classroom to use them.

I really enjoyed Mr. Lee's blog. I ended up reading all of his posts, and they really made me think. There was a post about a photo essay called Where Children Sleep. I really enjoyed that too. I know that we will be assigned new teachers now, but I will definitely keep following The Spicy Learning Blog.

Project #5 Google Presentation