Wednesday, December 3, 2008
My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete
Well, we're finally done with blogging, for now at least. I'm glad that it's over, but I'm thankful for all that I've learned in the process. Hope finals go well and I hope to see all of you around.
What I've Learned
I've learned quite a bit from taking this class and for being responsible for keeping up with this blog. I never really knew that something like this could be so beneficial to my future teaching career. I will definitly be using a blog for my classroom some day because of taking this class. Some of the things that I learned from this class are pretty obvious since I did not really know how do much of this at all. Obviously I learned how to create and to keep up with a blog and the possibilities that doing one has. I learned that blogs are not only used to speak your mind, which is what I thought it was used for exclusively before this class, but to inform lots of people about pretty much anything that you want. I also learned about all of the FREE things that Google has to offer. It's pretty amazing that I had not heard of any of those things until I took this class, but the possibilities are once again endless. It's also cool how you can share all of that information from using things like Google Docs with all sorts of people. It would be a cool way of prof reading students papers without having them turn in a bunch of chicken scratch notebook paper. I also learned a little more about the huge world of iTunes and all of what it has to offer. It was pretty amazing to learn about using and implementing those things into the classroom. All in all I think that it was a great experience and am really glad that I took this class.
Pros and Cons of Blogs
This was the first time that I had ever kept up with a blog before. To tell you the truth, I did not even know what a blog really was until this semester. It was kinda hard to keep up with it because I had never done one and was not in the habit of doing so. But I still managed to do all of them, which I was surprised that I even did that. To me there are many pluses and minuses to blogs in the classrooms.
I read through Tina Dillen's blog for this post because we sat next to each other. She helped me out a lot this year and would always keep me informed about things that I missed or things that I did not understand. Her blog was really good to. Her posts were very informative andwell written. She did a really good job on her blogs.
The pluses that I can see with keeping up a blog for a class are pretty numerous. One reason is to simply keep everyone informed about what is going on in class. I'm sure that parents are going to like the idea of knowing what their child is learning and doing in their class. Blogs seem like a great way to keep parents in the loop, which I'm sure most would like. It would also keep kids who are maybe absent, or just miss an assignment informed about what they have do or what they need to study.
Some of the minuses to keeping up a blog may seen kind of lazy, but to me it's a lot of work to keep up with it. It was especially hard for me because I'm not that into computers and technology, so I would sometimes forget to do one and would have to double up and sometimes triple up the workload some nights. But besides sheer laziness, blogs in the classroom seem like a great idea.
Overall this was really good experience for me to be responsible for keeping up with a blog. I did not always want to do it but I got it done most of the time. I would recommend doing a class blog to any teacher because of all of the benefits that it has. The pluses definitely out way the minuses.
I read through Tina Dillen's blog for this post because we sat next to each other. She helped me out a lot this year and would always keep me informed about things that I missed or things that I did not understand. Her blog was really good to. Her posts were very informative andwell written. She did a really good job on her blogs.
The pluses that I can see with keeping up a blog for a class are pretty numerous. One reason is to simply keep everyone informed about what is going on in class. I'm sure that parents are going to like the idea of knowing what their child is learning and doing in their class. Blogs seem like a great way to keep parents in the loop, which I'm sure most would like. It would also keep kids who are maybe absent, or just miss an assignment informed about what they have do or what they need to study.
Some of the minuses to keeping up a blog may seen kind of lazy, but to me it's a lot of work to keep up with it. It was especially hard for me because I'm not that into computers and technology, so I would sometimes forget to do one and would have to double up and sometimes triple up the workload some nights. But besides sheer laziness, blogs in the classroom seem like a great idea.
Overall this was really good experience for me to be responsible for keeping up with a blog. I did not always want to do it but I got it done most of the time. I would recommend doing a class blog to any teacher because of all of the benefits that it has. The pluses definitely out way the minuses.
Duke Podcast
This post is about the documentary that Duke University did entitled "Looking Back: 9/11 Across America." It was obviously about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was full of interviews and opinions of different Americans that were effected and impacted by the attacks.
Other things that people talked about were the effects that the attacks had on the US socially. Some talked about how everyone became much more patriotic and it really brought us closer as a country. But other talked about the effects it had on people of Middle Eastern origins and Muslim backgrounds, and the discrimination that they underwent. It was a time of unity and division in this country.
One question that was asked was what was the impact and how were you effected by the events of 9/11? Most people stated that their reaction to the terrorist attacks was pure shock. It truly was an unbelievable event in our nations history. Other reactions were pertaining to the war that followed. The views about the war went both ways as expected and people are pretty divided on the issue even today.
September 11, 2001 was one of the saddest days in US history. Everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard what had happened. It impacted many people, and many people lost their live. It is our job to remember those who died and those who are fighting for those people right now.
Other things that people talked about were the effects that the attacks had on the US socially. Some talked about how everyone became much more patriotic and it really brought us closer as a country. But other talked about the effects it had on people of Middle Eastern origins and Muslim backgrounds, and the discrimination that they underwent. It was a time of unity and division in this country.
One question that was asked was what was the impact and how were you effected by the events of 9/11? Most people stated that their reaction to the terrorist attacks was pure shock. It truly was an unbelievable event in our nations history. Other reactions were pertaining to the war that followed. The views about the war went both ways as expected and people are pretty divided on the issue even today.
September 11, 2001 was one of the saddest days in US history. Everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard what had happened. It impacted many people, and many people lost their live. It is our job to remember those who died and those who are fighting for those people right now.
Class Podcast
This was the first time that I think any of us, besides Dr. Strange, had ever done a podcast. I think that for the most part everyone did a very good job, but there are definitely some things that we need to improve on. I listened to three podcast, including my own and I think I learned a lot about how to do a podcast and how to do it better next time.
I did a podcast with Keri Ashworth, Autumn Jordan, and Dr. Strange. We discussed Dr. Stranges thesis that students now are listener/watchers and not reader/writers. I thought that it was a pretty good one, especially with Dr. Strange doing it with us. That was a huge help. But I do think that we could have addressed the issue more, and not just some of the different aspects of the question. I know we were all a little nervous, but I think that we had pretty good composure and that we did a fairly good job.
Another podcast that I listened to was Sara Large and Tina Dillen discussion on how technology is used in their College of Education classes. They talked about USA Online and how it is used in our classes. It was very informative and I got a better understanding about how this site is used. They did a pretty good job, but the only thing was that they kind of read off of their notes a little too much. But overall, it was a pretty good podcast and I think that they did a good job.
I really liked this project and had a lot of fun doing it. At first I was dreading it and was really nervous about talking in front of was soon to be millions of people. But after we started doing discussing our topic, it was really kind of fun. I think that podcasts are a great tool that can be used in the classroom and I definitely plan on using them in my future classroom.
I did a podcast with Keri Ashworth, Autumn Jordan, and Dr. Strange. We discussed Dr. Stranges thesis that students now are listener/watchers and not reader/writers. I thought that it was a pretty good one, especially with Dr. Strange doing it with us. That was a huge help. But I do think that we could have addressed the issue more, and not just some of the different aspects of the question. I know we were all a little nervous, but I think that we had pretty good composure and that we did a fairly good job.
Another podcast that I listened to was Sara Large and Tina Dillen discussion on how technology is used in their College of Education classes. They talked about USA Online and how it is used in our classes. It was very informative and I got a better understanding about how this site is used. They did a pretty good job, but the only thing was that they kind of read off of their notes a little too much. But overall, it was a pretty good podcast and I think that they did a good job.
I really liked this project and had a lot of fun doing it. At first I was dreading it and was really nervous about talking in front of was soon to be millions of people. But after we started doing discussing our topic, it was really kind of fun. I think that podcasts are a great tool that can be used in the classroom and I definitely plan on using them in my future classroom.
Math and Technology
This podcast was titled "Mathematics with Technology" and comes from the Maine Department of Education. The narrated of the video was Judy Chandler. In this video, Chandler expresses her views on the importance of math. She feels that math is one of the most important subjects and that students must learn math well to succeed in school and life. She also talks about different possibilities of using technology in the classroom to help children in the learning process.
Chandler also talked about the idea of using laptops in the classroom. She stated that she felt that teachers taught out of the book entirely too much and that they were getting disconnected from their students. She felt that if you use laptops and other such technology in the classroom, it would give students hands on activities and would enhance the learning process.
Another idea that she had that was pretty obvious, yet very important, was to simply ask lots of questions to the students. Asking them questions helps them to think quickly and critically and if you don't ask them question, how do you expect them to learn anything?
I think that Chandlers podcast was very good. It really makes you think about the possibilities of using different kinds of technologies in your classroom. I think that this is one of the only ways to get though to students today and that we are just going to have to keep up with the times to relate to our students. All in all, it was a very good and informative podcast.
Chandler also talked about the idea of using laptops in the classroom. She stated that she felt that teachers taught out of the book entirely too much and that they were getting disconnected from their students. She felt that if you use laptops and other such technology in the classroom, it would give students hands on activities and would enhance the learning process.
Another idea that she had that was pretty obvious, yet very important, was to simply ask lots of questions to the students. Asking them questions helps them to think quickly and critically and if you don't ask them question, how do you expect them to learn anything?
I think that Chandlers podcast was very good. It really makes you think about the possibilities of using different kinds of technologies in your classroom. I think that this is one of the only ways to get though to students today and that we are just going to have to keep up with the times to relate to our students. All in all, it was a very good and informative podcast.
Growth vs. Fixed
This post is about video cast called "Growth vs. Fixed" and it was about a study that Carol Dweck, who is a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, conducted. In her study she stated that her views were that some people use their intellegence to show people, and other use it to learn. In here study she conducted an experiment were she had two groups of students. One group was learning study skills and the other was learing study skill as well as growth mindset lessons. No one from each group knew that there were two different groups.
The results of her study showed some interesting things. It showed that the students who underwent study skill lessons didn't show any improvement. One the other hand the students who underwent growth mindset lessons showed much improvement. The first group lacked the motivation to learn and to show any improvements.
This was a pretty interesting video. It's pretty cool to see a professor be able to express their views on the study through this kind of media. I feel that this wouldn't have been as effective if it were simply an article written in a magazine or journal. This was a pretty cool video
The results of her study showed some interesting things. It showed that the students who underwent study skill lessons didn't show any improvement. One the other hand the students who underwent growth mindset lessons showed much improvement. The first group lacked the motivation to learn and to show any improvements.
This was a pretty interesting video. It's pretty cool to see a professor be able to express their views on the study through this kind of media. I feel that this wouldn't have been as effective if it were simply an article written in a magazine or journal. This was a pretty cool video
The Reef
The video cast that I watched pertained to coral reefs. This video explained how they worked and what they do. It was a very good video and it explained the process very well. Apparently the coral keeps the whole reef alive. It's a simple food chain in that the coral gets it energy from the sun and the fish get their energy from eating the coral. It's a pretty amazing process.
I thought that the video was pretty informative. The quality of the video was pretty good, and it seemed like a video that you could show in a science class. Video podcast and others like them seem to be a great tool in the classroom today. Kids seem much more likely to listen to a video than a teacher simply lecturing.
I feel that in my field of history, videos such as these can be invaluable. I know that when I was in school, I always loved when we were watching videos in class. Not just because they were not as boring as the teacher, but because I really did enjoy watching them. I think it's a great idea and I definitely plan on using them in my classroom in the future.
I thought that the video was pretty informative. The quality of the video was pretty good, and it seemed like a video that you could show in a science class. Video podcast and others like them seem to be a great tool in the classroom today. Kids seem much more likely to listen to a video than a teacher simply lecturing.
I feel that in my field of history, videos such as these can be invaluable. I know that when I was in school, I always loved when we were watching videos in class. Not just because they were not as boring as the teacher, but because I really did enjoy watching them. I think it's a great idea and I definitely plan on using them in my classroom in the future.
Edutopia
At Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkley, California, they started using a garden to enhance the learning process. Who would think that a simple garden would have such a huge impact on the education of these kids. Alice Waters came up with the idea when she was the school chef. The kids learn about proper nutrition, proper portion size, and other ways to eat healthy. They can also learn about subjects like math too. It seems like a great idea.
This creative idea known as the "edible school yard" seems to be a great idea. Not only does it teach the students basic curriculum like math and science, but it also teaches them more practical lessons. They have to keep up with the garden and make sure that things grow right. This responsibility teaches them work ethic and gives them a sense of accomplishment when they finish. I think that it's great.
The next podcast was the Global Village which was orgainized by the Global Gateway Program, located on the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. This is a pretty good idea in that it opens the eyes of the students to poverty and hunger. This "village" is set up to be like a third world country and resemble some of the poor conditions that some people live in. Some times we don't truly understand how bad it really is until we see it and touch it for ourselves
This truly seems to be a great idea. I feel that it gives the kids a tangible thing to see and touch when they learn about poverty and hunger. It also probably gives these students a better understanding and appreciation for what they have been blessed with and what others have not been. This is a great idea and I love the practicle aspect of this activity, because I've always thought that you learn more if you actually do it.
This creative idea known as the "edible school yard" seems to be a great idea. Not only does it teach the students basic curriculum like math and science, but it also teaches them more practical lessons. They have to keep up with the garden and make sure that things grow right. This responsibility teaches them work ethic and gives them a sense of accomplishment when they finish. I think that it's great.
The next podcast was the Global Village which was orgainized by the Global Gateway Program, located on the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. This is a pretty good idea in that it opens the eyes of the students to poverty and hunger. This "village" is set up to be like a third world country and resemble some of the poor conditions that some people live in. Some times we don't truly understand how bad it really is until we see it and touch it for ourselves
This truly seems to be a great idea. I feel that it gives the kids a tangible thing to see and touch when they learn about poverty and hunger. It also probably gives these students a better understanding and appreciation for what they have been blessed with and what others have not been. This is a great idea and I love the practicle aspect of this activity, because I've always thought that you learn more if you actually do it.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Podcasts
Before this class I had never really known what a podcast was, much less listened to one. The idea of pod casts is a pretty good one and it seems to be yet another way that information can be spread in a huge way. After doing this assignment, it was obvious to me that this could be a great tool for education.
While listening to the podcasts, it reminded me of simply listening to the radio. It has the advantages of the radio, but it's not limited to the relatively small listening areas that radio stations have access to. It was set up very similarly to a radio broadcast in that you had multiple speakers talking about a subject, yet we can be hundreds of thousands of miles away.
One of the podcasts that I listened to was KidCast Podcast. It was hosted by Dan Schmit and it was called "Brainstorming and Planning for Podcasting Success. The discussion involved Schmit and a few other people, and they discussed how to incorporate podcasts into the classroom. In their discussion they expressed how easy it is to have a great idea, but not knowing how to get it off the ground. It was a pretty interesting podcast.
I feel that after listing to some of these podcast, this idea of using technology like this in the classroom is vital. I think that it can be very usefull and can truly aid in the learning process of students.
While listening to the podcasts, it reminded me of simply listening to the radio. It has the advantages of the radio, but it's not limited to the relatively small listening areas that radio stations have access to. It was set up very similarly to a radio broadcast in that you had multiple speakers talking about a subject, yet we can be hundreds of thousands of miles away.
One of the podcasts that I listened to was KidCast Podcast. It was hosted by Dan Schmit and it was called "Brainstorming and Planning for Podcasting Success. The discussion involved Schmit and a few other people, and they discussed how to incorporate podcasts into the classroom. In their discussion they expressed how easy it is to have a great idea, but not knowing how to get it off the ground. It was a pretty interesting podcast.
I feel that after listing to some of these podcast, this idea of using technology like this in the classroom is vital. I think that it can be very usefull and can truly aid in the learning process of students.
Access Lab Visit
For this blog, I'm going to tell you about our visit to Daphne High School's Access Lab. Me and a few of my classmates went on a tour of their lab a few weeks ago. It was a pretty impressive classroom. There were two huge flat screen TVs on either side of the room, and a microphone on the ceiling. There was also a type of a command station at the front of the room that resembled something from NASA.
The lab instructor gave us a pretty extensive overview of what the lab was trying to do and what it actually did. It was pretty amazing to think that you could take a class from so far away. Unfortunately the lab instructor informed us that the lab had many problems and that it was not getting utilized the way it could. But all in all it was a pretty good tour and I can see where this kind of technology can be utilized in the future. You just need to get the interest of the students.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
