Blog Post 5

Eagles’ Nest Radio Episode #3: Roamin’ with the Ancient Romans
These third graders did a very good job on there podcast. Although it was not video I could see the newscast happening. I really liked how they had music relating to their subject playing in the background. It was really a good thing that the music did not overpower the podcast. I could clearly hear the students. Another good thing about their podcast was that there picture was the background while you listened to them speak on Rome.

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom
This video was really interesting and gave many different ideas on how podcasting could be used. I have always wanted to record my classes and be able to watch and listen to them later so I could really let the lesson sink in. With podcasting it is possible for teachers to for this for their classes. This way those students who may not have gotten something taught in class or was absent that day could see what happened in class. I believe if teachers really started to podcast their classroom grades would really improve.

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
This post really helped me better understand what a podcast was. May people use the term and I get kind of get what they are talking about but I did not know the actual meaning for the word. Now that I know what a podcast is and the many thing I can use it for I can utilize it for my blog and future classroom.

Blog Post 4

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?
Mr. McLeod's blog post was really good and very true. The parents who do not take the time to teach their children about the internet and technology are putting their children at a disadvantage. Technology is not going anywhere. It is better is a parent teaches their child about it rather than letting them figure it out on their own. This is how children get themselves into trouble using the internet.
Mr. McLeod is an assistant professor and a believer in technological innovations in public schools. He believes that technology is changing much faster than school. He also believes that our schools are not preparing our students for the future. Thanks to Mr. McLeod's blog it was easy to find out a little about him without very much searching.


The iSchool Initiative
This video is by far the best video I have seen. This high school student has all of the right ideas and I believe he just lacks the support for his ideas. The ISchool is very initiative. At first when viewing the video I was thinking how would the schools control internet use in class but it makes sense that because the students would be on the schools network it would be easy.

His plan is really good and with the right support to back him up this could really catch on in many schools and maybe nation wide. I would be willing to teach using this system. It seems to be very efficient and cost efficient. However, it will take a numerous amount of convincing to change our society and school systems of today. This video is a really good start.


The Lost Generation
It is this kind of thinking along with the The Lost Generation video that says that our generation is ready for change and we are willing to set new standards. The Lost Generation video shows that this generation can can change things if they have the initiative. We do not have to "go with The flow" of things. We can make positive changes in our life standards that will effect generations to come. With simply believe we can and that we will make change for the better we have a better shot at getting it accomplished. I think this video goes along with the iSchool video well because they both show that our generation is willing to set higher standards for society. We no longer want things to be how they are or were ten years ago. We are ready to change our schools and our society and it all starts with simply believing your idea can make a difference.


Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
I think this video is a really good use of the internet. The fact that these people had never met and sang together just proves what can be accomplished when using the internet. Imagine what an innovative teacher of the future could do for her class. This is just the beginning and to figure out a way to bring it into the class room would be really great.

Additional Assignment #1

Using Google Squared is a good educational tool to use for doing research. It gives the researcher all the information they need in just a few clicks of a mouse. Another very good thing about using Google Squared is that it is a reliable source for students to use unlike websites such as Wikipedia. I did not know about Google Squared before this assignment but I am glad I know now because this is a good tool to use as a history teacher.

Wolframalpha is another site I had not heard of before this assignment. I do however like this website because it provides researches with the same reliable information as Google Squared but it includes maps and charts for better understanding.

These two websites did not so much as change my thoughts on the Did You Know video but helped me understand the video better. Before it was just many big numbers thrown at me now those numbers mean so much more because they make sense to me. I have learned to never jump to conclusions about the numbers/statistics people give to me. It is better that I research them for myself to get a full understanding about what they mean.

I loved the Food for Thought article myself because I have an Ipad and my three year old cousin picked it up one day and started playing with with. I think products like this can also be a really good teaching tool for reaching those who can not yet read or write in a very fun way.

Blog Post 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I relate to this video in many ways. I am like most of the students in it. I attend college to be prepared for the career path I have chosen. However, most of my class do not teach me a thing. I still memorize answers for a test because I will not use the information after that one test. I do not feel like a student to many of my teachers but more like a piece of cardboard paying their salary. Two of my teachers this year has even tried to learn the students' names.
I like many of the students in this video have a computer in class but it is not for class work. Although most of the teachers know what students are doing they do not care as long as you pretend to be listening. I take a drama class where I just take notes every day. There is no active learning in schools. This makes it hard to want to go to class everyday because you are put to sleep by the teachers who are suppose to be teaching you things that will help you in the future. This video read my mind and illustrated it perfectly for others to see.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
"It's not about technology" was a really good post that summarized exactly how I have been feeling. I am one of those students who wish to learn but the ways my teachers present the material to me is just boring. When I decided to be a teacher I thought about many ways I could present my students history without boring them. All of my ideas included fun learning that did not include technology. Technology is not what makes a teacher a great teacher it is indeed the willingness to learn. Once a teacher is willing to learn then technology can be used to help that teacher share its message.
This post was the most inspirational thing i have read since deciding to teach for a living. It inspired me to keep thinking outside the box and to let others join when they are ready. I believe even more now that i will be a great teacher and it is thanks to Ms. Hines.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch blog post was very interesting. I agree with the standards he outlined for being a teacher. I also agree that is is very irresponsible to not be technologically literate when you are teaching our future. As teachers you have the responsibility to help students do their best by any means. If a teacher is not willing to learn more about computers then they should not be teaching children. A teacher who does not at least try to learn more is not helping their students at all they are hindering them.

I also really enjoyed that Mr. Fisch really let the readers know his inner thoughts in this blog. I liked the way he was constantly contradicting himself because it helped me as a reader understand and really think about what he was saying.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
I believe that the count means that teachers will have to utilize the many new ways of reaching their students. There can be no more simply in class teaching going on. It is time for a change. Assignment can be posted on Facebook and there should be a time slot for questions. Groups can now meet outside of the classroom without really meeting because of the many new ways to stay in touch and share information. I think this count is a good thing. It is sort of a wake up call for teachers to come. Start thinking outside of the box because that will be the only way to relate to your students.

Project 5

C4T#1

Mrs. Dianne Krause

I found all of the post very interesting especially DrillFly. Math is not a strong subject for many students and the fact that there is a website that anyone can create and share drills with students is a wonderful idea. Many students are on the internet for more than an hour a day and with a website like DrillFly it is easier to access help to improve their math grade. The information posted about Google is also very helpful to new teachers. I do however think that it would be hard to use Google in its fullness in many under privileged schools. In Mobile, AL where I live it is very hard to assign work through the internet because many of our schools have students that do not have access to the internet. I do think new inventions like the XO is a wonderful way to reach even the underprivileged students in the world.

I really enjoyed all the links you offered in this post. I want to be a middle school teacher and I sometimes worry about assigning research papers to my future students because the internet can be quite a dangerous place. There are many websites that can not be trusted and many young students do not think about this when looking for information. I have saved all of the links you have provided because they are the best websites I have seen that are kid friendly and also very helpful. Thank you so very much for sharing your finds with everyone. My favorite of the links is the one that gives search engines for kids Only2Clicks.

I was glad I was able to read Mrs. Dianne's blog. As a future educator I love to read about new ideas that will help my students learn. I will continue to look at Mrs. Dianne's blog for educational purposes.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
I can honestly say I did not know most of the things that were presented to me in this video. I did know that technology was progressing but I guess I really never knew how fast. Now that I think about it in the early nineties when I was a child my mother like most other adults had a pager. Cellular phones where basically for business use. My mom's first portable phone was a car phone and they are not even widely distributed anymore. As a child I myself wanted to invent a phone that had a radio inside of it. I thought it was a pipe dream, but a few years later cell phones had FM radio capabilities. Now that I really think about it I guess I did know technology was progressing so quickly.
I also find it interesting that the United States isn't as big as Americans make it seem. The fact that China and India has more honor students than we have student is very scary to me. It makes me think how the United States will remain a super power when we are being passed by nations who are not thought to be as strong and smart as we are. Knowing that many of China's population speaks English makes me wonder why are we as Americans not learning Chinese because it seems obvious that they will surpass our nation in every aspect from currency to education. America really needs to make the effort to keep up with our ever changing world so that in five years we will not be left behind.


Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes is a great representation of how technology has changed while education and teaching methods have stayed the same. We have made technology so much of our everyday life but we have kept it from the schools. Having one or two computers in a classroom does not help children learn how to use technology if they are not being used. Even in the computer classes offered in high schools typing is the only thing taught. Children need to know more about computers than just Microsoft Office. Technology is always changing and one of the fist places it should be taught is in schools to the future of the world.
Just like learning about the new technology that could be used to save a person's life is important for a doctor to know about a child should be learning how to use the technology that they will inevitably be using in there everyday life. We are keeping our children behind in the world because we are not teaching them everything they need to know for them to be efficient in the world. I think all future educators should watch this video so that they can change the way they intend to teach their class.


Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Mr. Robinson's speech about creativity was very interesting. I do believe that it is important to offer more than one method of teaching because students do learn different. However, I am a realist and I understand how it would be hard for school systems to incorporate many different ways of teaching. That would mean having a triple major almost in college for secondary education majors like myself. There would have to also be qualified professors to teach this new way of teaching children who learn differently. I believe that all of the responsibility should not fall onto the schools for making sure creativity is not being taken away. Parents should try to figure out how their child learns by watching their study habits and encouraging them to stick with what helps them the most.
If both parents and teachers made sure the child is getting a well rounded education there would be no issue over creativity in the schools today.


Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
I was a little confused about what kind of class Mrs. Davis was teaching at first honestly. If she is teaching a computer class then I think it is a very bright idea to teach her students HTML and computer programming skills. So many high school computer programs focus on typing skills rather than the other skills that would help a student get a good job in today's society. I also found it to be a good idea to let the students teach the class. It is very boring listening to a teacher lecture all the time. I personally feel that students listen more when a peer is talking and they have a chance to interact with the lesson.
On the other hand if Mrs. Davis is teaching a regular class then she is focusing too much on computer literacy that one way of learning. Students learn differently and it is just as bad to teach only through technology as it is through pencil and paper lectures. She has a very good concept and is trying to keep her students in touch with the world around them and the role technology places in it.