My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

Hope you all had a fairly manageable semester. Hope many more will come. Just keep in mind we will be finished soon. I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know some of you. I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other as we continue on this wonderful journey. I wish all of you the best of luck, take care. Peace out!!

Last hoo-rah!!

Well, I was very hesitant in the beginning and was afraid of all the computer technological words. Once I got the hang of the class and learned the lingo I felt more at ease. I enjoyed learning how the construct a web site even though it has been very time consuming. I am also glad I did learn how to reuse spreadsheet tools. I learned a little bit in high school but that was a while back. I have decided to keep using it so that I will not lose the ability to use it later in life. I learned how important it will be for us as future teachers to be able to keep up with technology and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. I am satisfied with how much I did learn, however it probably would have helped me if I had received a crash course in basic computer skills, such as how to use some of the functions, for example; copy and paste, hyperlink and such.

Do we trust Wikipedia?

Okay, so I just read the article about the reliability of Wikipedia's information. I have used Wikipedia a lot when doing research papers. I wrote one on the Berlin Wall, thankfully I used other sources to, but it makes me wonder how much was accurate. I can only cross reference the information to see if they say or believe the same thing. I think companies should butt out of Wikipedia especially for the benefit of making themselves look or sound good. I think if you truly believe you are a good company then you should not be concerned with what other sources are printing about you on Wikipedia. I am glad this has been exposed because with more and more students using the Internet to find information for certain projects and assignments, this will show the students that you can not base your facts on one web page alone. On the other hand, I wonder how much misinformation is being taught to our children because of the laid back Wikipedia page. Maybe more guidelines should be placed on Wikipedia, like they should have references to back up their statements. I think when someone brings a lawsuit against them they will change their tune. This is America and that is possible.

Improving K-12 Education

The podcast video discussed the difference in children who think they have different types of learning abilities. Some students consider themselves as limited learners, meaning they only have a certain capacity to fill. While others think they do not have a limited amount of knowledge they can acquire. The psychologist talked about an eight session workshop that was used on a group of students. One group received the study skills mindset and the growth mindset lesson, the other group received only the study skills mindset. The results showed that the students who received both mindset lessons showed an increase in their ability to absorb more knowledge.
I could incorporate this into my daily teaching. Children should know that they have an unlimited capacity for knowledge. I can explain to them that even adults are still learning new things each day. First of all, as a teacher I will have an open mind so that I will not think of my children as having limited knowledge. I will be working with children with disabilities and even with this disadvantage, these children can still have the ability to learn new things each day. I will never let myself think that a particular child is unable to learn anymore than what they already know. I think that would not benefit either of us.

Teacher's Domain WGBH

Playing catch up :)
I watched the video on how a solar eclipse happens. It was very short but informative. I think these videos could be used in the classroom as an extra step to teaching a certain lesson. This video would be something I could use as a visual aid to correspond with my description of what a solar eclipse is. This could also help students who are needing extra help to understand a particular lesson, for instance they could find the link on their home computer to watch with their parents. Parents could also benefit with the iTunes U, this could make their child's lesson more accessible, so that they would have an idea of what their child is studying in school.
The video was a brief clip of how a solar eclipse happens. The video describes how the moon and the sun have to be lined up with one another. The narrator also described how the moon and sun are of different sizes even though they look the same size when you see them in the sky. She compared the size of the moon to a softball and held it up to cast a shadow on the sidewalk. There was also an animated version of the eclipse taking place. I think this was the best part because it could help students visualize the eclipse taking place.
I think I will keep this site under my favorites for further reference. I have a child in school, so this may be of some help to him. I am planning on working with special needs children, so I believe this site will come in handy, since a majority of my children will not have the ability to possibly read. In that case I could incorporate videos to allow my students to learn about the same subjects as the regular education students.

iTunes University

I found a website for apple products and the way to use iTunes U in schools. Apple offers a variety of resources for teachers and students. 1 to 1 learning is a program that creates an engaging environment for the students. This environment is where the students and teachers have 24-7 access to apple technology. Some of the goals stated by school districts using the 1 to 1 program are improvement of student's academic achievement and preparing students for today's workplace. Although 1 to 1 sounds great. It is impossible to provide each student and teacher with a notebook. This is extremely impossible in some lower income schools.
iTunes is a great idea for students especially middle and high schoolers. I like the learning on the go option. Today's kids are so overwhelmed by extra cirricular activities that by the time they settle down for the night to do homework they are so exhausted, that they can not focus on the problems. Learning on the go could be benefical to use on the way to ball, karate. and band practice. This program is also a way to get children engaged. I believe that is one of the barriers of a child is lack of engagement. Many children today need that because of everything else being so technological advanced. We cannot rely on textbooks and the teachers voice to keep the children excited to learn.
It would be nice if colleges would include ipods and itunes products in tuition prices. This would be a way to get more bang for your buck. I do not see this becoming very popular in K-12 grades because of lack of funding. It is a great idea but not fisible in the real world. This is the website I found:http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu_mobilelearning/itunesu.html

Universities and iPods

I read an article about how Duke University used iPods and how they figured out where the iPods are most beneficial. The article was written as a reflection of their first year of using iPods in connection with learning. Duke researchers noticed there were more benefits to using iPods with classroom learning than the traditional way of learning. Some of the benefits included a convenience for both faculty and students. It stated that using iPods reduced the dependence on physical materials. Other advantages were flexible locations, greater student engagement and easy to use tools. This link will take you to the article. http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf
I also found a blogspot that list ways you can use your iPod for learning and studying. This blog list a variety of programs to upload study materials to your iPod. A side from programs for your learning the blog list classroom help to aid you in keeping up with your assignments (some of need that for this class). It also supplies a list of other websites for access to more audio books and iPod learning devices. The blog states that using iPods for learning can make learning on the go easier. So now when you go for that 5 mile run you can increase your knowledge while decreasing your pant size!! Here's a link to the blog enjoy.http://the-ipod-hacker.blogspot.com/2008/02/100-ways-to-use-your-ipod-to-learn-and.html

180 Days

I chose the month of April which has the topic as 180 days as one of the best blogs. I read the blog and watched the powerpoint on this topic. This blog talks about how many days students go to school during the school year and about how many days are actually used for instruction. This was interesting to me because I never thought of how many days are taken away when you take away days for test, weather, graduation, and emergency drills. While some may not take the full day away, it does take the concentration of the students away from the actual instruction. I've never been one to agree with year around school but with so much on students plates now it should be a consideration for all schools.
I personally do not think school districts will ever find a way to accommodate the state's policies and the students' best interest. The author pointed out that his school used only 120 of the 180 for actual instruction days. You have to wonder if the school districts did add days to the year would they be used for curriculum or would they be used for makeup days taken away by tests, weather and graduation. I currently have a child in school and it amazes me how much time he spends on reviewing for standardized test, and he is only in the fifth grade. I dread when he enters middle and high school. Someone please pass the Tylenol.

Image with ALT and TITLE Modifiers

Technological illiterate teachers

I personally think as older teachers begin to retire, schools will be filling up with younger generation teachers. Younger generation usually means they are more familiar with today's technologies. I went to school mostly in the 80's, so I can relate with how much teachers should know in today's times. I am still learning a lot as far as computers, but I am not afraid to ask for help. I also know that most of the time I will have to work on the task that I am having trouble with. I was introduced to a computer in my last years of high school and it doesn't even compare with what students in a Pre-K class are doing now.
I think the Fisch post was more of a rant of being tired of helping teachers who were having technological difficulties and not on the fact that most teachers do their best at learning new stuff especially if it will benefit the students. I think the post was a little extreme. I believe with computers being such an important part of our lives today that students aren't going to miss out on learning because of teachers. Most students actually know more than most teachers when it comes to computers.

Internation school blogs

One of the international schools I found that uses blogs is that of Hangleton Junior School in Hove, Sussex, England. The students use blogs to learn more about the things that interest them. The teacher John Mills set up and afterschool club about weblogging. The children do "extra" homework, for example expanding their weblogs. Mr. Mills has noticed the children who use weblogs in school are reaching above the target level for their age. Here is the linkwhere I found the information on this school. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3804773.stm

The other school I found is located in Nova Scotia Canada. The teacher is Kathy Cassidy who teaches Grade One there at Westmount School. The students use the blog everyday and they also connect with other children in other countries. The teacher uses the blog to post everything the students do. The parents also have access to the blogs so that they can read what their child wrote about. This classroom blog was very organized and fun to look at. Check it out at:http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337

Blogs used in schools

As my fisrt example I will talk about a teacher from Kempton Elementary in Maryland who used a classroom blog for her students to tell about a field trip they took to a Native American farm. She decided to allow the students to "blog" their thoughts instead of having a classroom discussion about the adventure. The blogging tool is great for students who necessarily don't like to talk much in front of the class. The students can also use the blogs as a way to interact with one another, display their projects or post what they observed from their science experiments. The following link is where I found this particular teacher. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html

My second example is that of Forest Park Elementary in Portland, OR. This particular school uses a blog for each grade and even the principal uses a blog to post important announcements. This school uses blogs for individual classes, such as Mrs. Morris' 4th grade. The students in her class with her help created Hut 10 blog. The class posted a blog which was titled " The Best Part of Me" in which the students told about what feature of their's they liked the best. The students also posted a picture of their favorite feature. The following is a link to Forest Park Elementary.http://forestpark.pps.k12.or.us/ This is a picture of Forest Park Elementary.

Oh, summertime how I miss thee!!

ACCESS

The idea behind the ACCESS program is great. It is very important for today's students to be able to take advantage of other courses that are not offered at their high school. This is a major key, especially for the lower income schools who do not have the funds to keep their classrooms up to scale on technology. The video conferencing sounds great, but I'm not sure how many students would take it serious outside of the classroom. I guess that would all depend on how motivated the individual student is.
The other thing I noticed the power point mentioned was an increased number of teachers. This might be a way for teachers to actually teach the subject without having to worry about discipline, safety, and other issues that come up in the middle of a lecture. I have seen this method used in some of my classes at the college level. I feel it is a great way for students to get the extra help they might need on a particular subject. I am sure that if all school boards could afford this, it would be used in every Alabama school.

How I would use ALEX.

Since today's internet is so full of information, I would probably use ALEX as a beginning point in my search for ideas to use in my classroom. I do, however, like the lesson plan option on the website. Lesson plans are so important in education that you can not teach without them. I viewed some of the lesson plans offered on this site. I would use as many as ideas as I could to incorporate activities in with the subject. Even if I am not fond of the specific lesson plan I found, I could alter the materials being used.
I believe I will use ALEX in the future. I found the Special Education resource page helpful. This page offered a lot of links to other websites that I know that I will have to acquire knowledge from. I have a feeling I will be lost in the beginning of my teaching career. In an ever changing career like special education it is good to know that there are websites available that do their best to keep you updated.

ALEX review

ALEX is an excellent place for a basic start in that the website offers links to more specific information. This website is very useful for finding resourses in many content areas. Lesson plans are one of the resources that can be used. A list of subject areas are given so that a lesson plan can be acessed for that particular subject. The lesson plan also describes the objective that the students will learn.
This site also offers links to various other sites. I clicked on Special Education under professional learning and was given a list of other links to search dealing with special education. Another resource link that is useful is the Professional Development. This link supplied information pertaining to some of the programs and evaluations in Alabama schools. We all, as future teachers, must be aware of these programs.

comment to video

This video is an eye opening view of how technology has changed the world as we know it, and will continue to change it as our children grow. Our future generations will most likely be capable of controlling all electronics with the touch of a button. I understand now why it is very important to educate our preschool children the basic skills of a computer, or any kind of technology. I think in today's society we take technology for granted. It is truly amazing what can be controlled just by knowing computer skills. I hope that technology continues to grow and that we as a society can keep up with it to some extent.

Almost Friday!

Hey, It's almost Friday. Can you say, Yeah, Hope everyone has a great weekend. Be safe and have fun, don't study to much. Later

Isn't this fun!!!

Yeah, I did it, I deserve a brownie!!! Good Luck with this semester!