Smartboard Lessons Podcast
First, I listened to Timmy's and a Tip #1: Wallwisher. It was a little tip about an application for your smartboard allows you to create post-it notes. You can make whatever notes you want and then move them around the board. It seems like a pretty cool program.
What really stood out to me in the podcast is that he recorded it while ordering a cup of coffee. By the time he got his order, he had explained the product and then wrapped it up. It really is a testament to how simple it can be to make our own.
The first clip was good, but it was very short, so next I listened to a podcast called Teachers Connecting 1: The Beginning with Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger. The first few minutes they had some friendly banter, then they started to talk about some sites.
Joan talked about surveymonkey, which has online surveys. Apparently she uses it to keep connected to all of her teachers. There is a free version that will allow you to create surveys with ten questions. She also found two other sites, the first was zoomerang basic, and then she used the spreadsheet on googledocs. They were all tools that she utilize in her work.
KidCast
I listened to Kidcast 62: Some Thoughts on Video Podcasting. It started with a little music, which to be honest I found a little childish and basic. It sounded like a beat track on a keyboard. Maybe I shouldn't be concentrate on such a trivial detail, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth. From the very beginning it made it a little hard for me to take the podcast seriously.
I did like the fact they he jumped right into the discussion. Not that hearing stories isn't nice, I just like the right to the point approach in a podcast. So he starts talking about video podcasts. He lets us know right off the bat that video is not necessarily superior to audio. You have to take the purpose of the podcast into consideration.
Next he helps us decide if a video podcast it right for us. Do you need to see emotions conveyed? Do you need to show a model or demonstration? This makes great sense to me. If this guy had chosen a video podcast rather than audio, it would probably be more awkward than anything. He has nothing to show us, only a message to tell us.
I did think that he made a great point that you need to be confident in order to pull off a good video. Not only are you concentrating on your words and eloquence, but you have to worry about how you look. So the biggest thing to determine if you are ready for a video podcast is not if you are technologically capable, but are you able to compose yourself.
ConnectLearning
I listened to Episode 90: A Conversation About Podcasting with Media Coordinators/David Warlick. At first I thought this would be a very straightforward video, but again it started with some really goofy music. It was actually like an eighties beat, and it was really corny. This just really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Again, I do like that they went right into the topic after the intro. Within the first two minutes they were getting to the issues. It did seem like it was not that organized, but I guess you have to keep in mind that they are in what seems to be a town hall meeting.
As for the actual subject of the podcast, I like the idea of it, actual teachers sharing each of their own experiences. I feel like everyone in the room was able to get some insight, as well as us the listeners. I didn't really like the idea of using ipods in the classroom, because I think that it is way too easy for the kids to abuse them.
I also like the way that one elementary teacher was talking about relating to the children. I think that is very important. If kids don't know why they are learning what they are learning, why it is important, then why should they care? It is easy to understand that attitude.
EdTechTalk
I listened to Online-Course-Supplements-ID-Live-3-2010-1-29. I really like that they just jumped right in on this one and went without the intro. That helped me to take them very seriously and not be negative from the start. The sound quality is pretty good and they are well organized, unlike the last podcast.
One teacher talks about a program called blackboard. It sounds like a great tool, but I don't know what it is exactly. It's great that she is introducing us to it, but I feel like they should give a description rather than just a testimonial.
I really liked what they said about creating a learning community where the students rely on each other. I'm actually in a class right now where that is happening. Really the teacher has set it up so that we have no other option. At first I felt a little misguided, but I've just started to trust my fellow students and I think that it's gonna be a really good experience.
I also liked the netflix idea. I don't know how much relevancy it could really have to the class, but I'm sure she found a good way or she wouldn't have used it. Either way, I'll bet that it really drew the students into the experience. I love movies, and I know that this idea would peak my interest.
MacBreak Weekly
I listened to MacBreak Weekly 177: iPad. This one also had a little intro. The music was much better than the others, but the scripts was a little bit goofy. Also, it was pretty ad heavy. I understand that they need funding, but they could have maybe had the commercials throughout the cast rather than just a list of sponsors right off the bat.
They immediately start discussing the iPad and it's advantages. They really seem to have nothing bad to say about it, which is fine, but doesn't seem to real to me. One line in particular stood out to me, and that was "my biggest concern, is which one am I gonna buy." It seemed almost like an infomercial.
Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that the iPad is a great product. I have heard about it and have been excited about it myself, but this kind of relentless praise it a little ridiculous. The only problem they seemed to have was with the name, which I really don't see a problem with.
At one point they had some difficulty with the audio, but they seemed to handle it well. They didn't panic, they didn't start over. They even mentioned it and made a little fun about it. They fixed the problem and then immediately moved on and got back to the issue.
This Week in Photography
I listened to 126: Racism in Photography - Don't Blink / This Week in Photography. Again, this podcast started with several ads. Followed by an intro with some very poor music. I'm sorry, but I just hate these intros, or at least most of them. Aside from the music, the verbal intro and the camera sound effects were good.
Next were the introductions, which went well. It is obviously a close and friendly atmosphere, but then they went to some more ads. I know that this shouldn't bother me, but maybe I'm just a little sensitive due to all of the podcasts I have listened to today.
The audio is okay, but kinda sounds like they are in an empty room. Like when you speak to someone on the phone who is in a bathroom. The bad apart about this, is that it had the worst effect on the host, whose audio is probably the most frequently heard.
So finally after several minutes of horsing around, they get to the subject. Apparently, there is some new facial recognition software that doesn't register dark skin tones and reads several Asian people as having their eyes closed. I agree with their initial conclusion that they did not do nearly enough testing, and that they most likely tested mostly white people.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Week 2
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
A Vision of Students Today
This was a very interesting video. To be honest it told me a lot of things that I already knew. It may have given more accurate statistics, but every college student in America is aware of these issues. We have to be, we deal with them everyday. While I wouldn't say that all of the facts listed here apply exactly to me, I understand that I go to a fairly small college.
I consider myself lucky that I can count on one hand the number of classes I have had with over 100 students. When in those classes I have really felt the disadvantages, and can't imagine that being the norm throughout my entire college career. I also realize that this is not the only issue brought up in the video; However the fact that it was just one of many, and it alone is a serious problem really gives us something to think about.
It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
It's Not About the Technology
I really enjoyed reading this. I especially liked what was said about teaching not taking place unless learning takes place. That is an excellent observation. I do have a slight problem with it. While I do not think that she is wrong about teachers having to change the way they teach, I genuinely believe that there are teachers who are totally unwilling to change.
I know this because I remember them, they taught me. I have also worked with many as a substitute teacher. I am not saying that they are poor teachers, or even ineffective ones, but they are stuck in their ways and unwilling to look into new ways of thinking. That said, I think that this will be the biggest obstacle in evolving our methods of teaching. I think that new teachers like me are the ones who wanted to use our computers in the classroom, and will be the ones who are most comfortable with the new technologies in the future.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch
I can really relate to the sentiment behind this post. I feel like it actually talks about some stuff that I touched on in my previous comment. There are still teachers out there who refuse to learn. That really is unacceptable. I think that the statement about not being able to read was a bit of an exaggeration, but unfortunately it was not too far off. I think it may be more accurate to say that a teacher unwilling to use the Internet today, is like one who would not use a copy machine twenty years ago.
Without the copy machine, the teacher couldn't run off tests or worksheets, which are valuable tools in any classroom. Not using the technology that is available today is would have basically the same consequences, but on a much larger scale. There is just so much more available that you will be missing out on. Overall, I felt this post was something that needed to be said, and now has to be addressed in order for us to move forward.
Gary's Social Media Count
Watch the Social Media Count change every second when you click on this sentence
I definitely think that these stats should effect not only the way that we see teaching, but the way that we see the world. The advantage that some of us have is that these statistics don't surprise us too much, or it doesn't mean. Don't get me wrong, the actual numbers are astounding, but I have no trouble trying to believe them. We have grown up in the technology age and therefore we are aware of it.
Unfortunately, even though we grew up in this age, we didn't learn any of it in school. We are just now as a teaching community starting to really recognize the need for technological advancements to spread to the classroom. So I feel that it is up to us, as the next generation of educators in America, to take the reigns and use them to change the game.
A Vision of Students Today
This was a very interesting video. To be honest it told me a lot of things that I already knew. It may have given more accurate statistics, but every college student in America is aware of these issues. We have to be, we deal with them everyday. While I wouldn't say that all of the facts listed here apply exactly to me, I understand that I go to a fairly small college.
I consider myself lucky that I can count on one hand the number of classes I have had with over 100 students. When in those classes I have really felt the disadvantages, and can't imagine that being the norm throughout my entire college career. I also realize that this is not the only issue brought up in the video; However the fact that it was just one of many, and it alone is a serious problem really gives us something to think about.
It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
It's Not About the Technology
I really enjoyed reading this. I especially liked what was said about teaching not taking place unless learning takes place. That is an excellent observation. I do have a slight problem with it. While I do not think that she is wrong about teachers having to change the way they teach, I genuinely believe that there are teachers who are totally unwilling to change.
I know this because I remember them, they taught me. I have also worked with many as a substitute teacher. I am not saying that they are poor teachers, or even ineffective ones, but they are stuck in their ways and unwilling to look into new ways of thinking. That said, I think that this will be the biggest obstacle in evolving our methods of teaching. I think that new teachers like me are the ones who wanted to use our computers in the classroom, and will be the ones who are most comfortable with the new technologies in the future.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch
I can really relate to the sentiment behind this post. I feel like it actually talks about some stuff that I touched on in my previous comment. There are still teachers out there who refuse to learn. That really is unacceptable. I think that the statement about not being able to read was a bit of an exaggeration, but unfortunately it was not too far off. I think it may be more accurate to say that a teacher unwilling to use the Internet today, is like one who would not use a copy machine twenty years ago.
Without the copy machine, the teacher couldn't run off tests or worksheets, which are valuable tools in any classroom. Not using the technology that is available today is would have basically the same consequences, but on a much larger scale. There is just so much more available that you will be missing out on. Overall, I felt this post was something that needed to be said, and now has to be addressed in order for us to move forward.
Gary's Social Media Count
Watch the Social Media Count change every second when you click on this sentence
I definitely think that these stats should effect not only the way that we see teaching, but the way that we see the world. The advantage that some of us have is that these statistics don't surprise us too much, or it doesn't mean. Don't get me wrong, the actual numbers are astounding, but I have no trouble trying to believe them. We have grown up in the technology age and therefore we are aware of it.
Unfortunately, even though we grew up in this age, we didn't learn any of it in school. We are just now as a teaching community starting to really recognize the need for technological advancements to spread to the classroom. So I feel that it is up to us, as the next generation of educators in America, to take the reigns and use them to change the game.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Week one
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes
The video Mr. Winkle Wakes is obviously a takeoff of Rip Van Winkle. Mr. Winkle awakes in our modern world after a one hundred year nap. He is scared and uncomfortable in this technological society. His journey begins at an office building, where the computers were used to communicate throughout the world. When he went to the hospital, he was surrounded by machines that helped people to breathe and kept them alive.
Finally, he finds a place that he is comfortable in, a place that hasn't changed much since he fell asleep. Unfortunately, this place is a school. This video points out the lacking that exists in our school systems, and how we are behind the times technologically. Our entire society is reliant upon technology, and yet we are not teaching it to our children. So how can they be expected to handle this world if they are not exposed to it now and taught about it by technologically literate teachers?
Did you know 3.0
Did you kno2 3.0
Did you know 3.0 was an informative video about how technology is effecting the world today. More importantly, it is about the effect technology will have tomorrow, and over the next several years. It gave several statistics and a few predictions involving technology, for the most part in the United States, China, and India.
In the beginning, the stats mostly concentrated on the discrepancies, in size and growth for the most part, between India and China verses that of the US. Gradually, they worked more toward the trends that technology becomes outdated so quickly in our day and age. It also showed how global trends have become more and more quickly spread as we move forward.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
The Importance of Creativity
In this video, Ken Robinson addresses a crowd of educators. He is talking about the waste of creativity of in young minds. He tells them that children seem to be more willing to take a chance because they are not afraid of being wrong. And if you are not willing to be wrong then you will never be able to come up with anything original. Since we live in a society that discourages mistakes, we suppress creativity.
He also talks about the hierarchy of subjects in schools around the world. Math, Language, History, and Science are always at the top. The bottom rungs are are always the arts. He argues that dance can be just as important as Math. He says that schools are made this way to prepare people for jobs involving only those few subjects and is structured as an entrance to university. He then talks about an extremely successful dancer and choreographer who was thought to have a learning disability as a child, when she was actually just not made for the type of learning that they tried to force upon her. What he is saying is that we have to look at what we teach children with and open mind.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis is a teacher in Georgia that uses technology to connect her students to the rest of the world. This opens up the kids to various opportunities that they would never get in your standard classroom. She also realizes that she cannot know everything, and that by encouraging these kids to teach themselves, and even teach her at times, she is breaking down the limitations set before them.
These kids live in a very rural area, something that I cannot relate to. And yet they are more connected to the global society than I have ever been. This really shows what a difference technologies in the classroom can make on our young minds. It also proves to me that the kids will be teaching me while I teach them, and that I need to have an open mind about that.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
The video Mr. Winkle Wakes is obviously a takeoff of Rip Van Winkle. Mr. Winkle awakes in our modern world after a one hundred year nap. He is scared and uncomfortable in this technological society. His journey begins at an office building, where the computers were used to communicate throughout the world. When he went to the hospital, he was surrounded by machines that helped people to breathe and kept them alive.
Finally, he finds a place that he is comfortable in, a place that hasn't changed much since he fell asleep. Unfortunately, this place is a school. This video points out the lacking that exists in our school systems, and how we are behind the times technologically. Our entire society is reliant upon technology, and yet we are not teaching it to our children. So how can they be expected to handle this world if they are not exposed to it now and taught about it by technologically literate teachers?
Did you know 3.0
Did you kno2 3.0
Did you know 3.0 was an informative video about how technology is effecting the world today. More importantly, it is about the effect technology will have tomorrow, and over the next several years. It gave several statistics and a few predictions involving technology, for the most part in the United States, China, and India.
In the beginning, the stats mostly concentrated on the discrepancies, in size and growth for the most part, between India and China verses that of the US. Gradually, they worked more toward the trends that technology becomes outdated so quickly in our day and age. It also showed how global trends have become more and more quickly spread as we move forward.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
The Importance of Creativity
In this video, Ken Robinson addresses a crowd of educators. He is talking about the waste of creativity of in young minds. He tells them that children seem to be more willing to take a chance because they are not afraid of being wrong. And if you are not willing to be wrong then you will never be able to come up with anything original. Since we live in a society that discourages mistakes, we suppress creativity.
He also talks about the hierarchy of subjects in schools around the world. Math, Language, History, and Science are always at the top. The bottom rungs are are always the arts. He argues that dance can be just as important as Math. He says that schools are made this way to prepare people for jobs involving only those few subjects and is structured as an entrance to university. He then talks about an extremely successful dancer and choreographer who was thought to have a learning disability as a child, when she was actually just not made for the type of learning that they tried to force upon her. What he is saying is that we have to look at what we teach children with and open mind.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis
Vicki Davis is a teacher in Georgia that uses technology to connect her students to the rest of the world. This opens up the kids to various opportunities that they would never get in your standard classroom. She also realizes that she cannot know everything, and that by encouraging these kids to teach themselves, and even teach her at times, she is breaking down the limitations set before them.
These kids live in a very rural area, something that I cannot relate to. And yet they are more connected to the global society than I have ever been. This really shows what a difference technologies in the classroom can make on our young minds. It also proves to me that the kids will be teaching me while I teach them, and that I need to have an open mind about that.
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