Project 8 Podcast

http://www.wix.com/blakecurran/iclassroom

Dr. Scott McLeod

 Dr. McLeod posted about how important he thinks technology is for students to learn. Dr. McLeod is a professor at the University of Kentucky. I agreed with Dr. McLeod about the importance of students learning technology. However I think Dr. McLeod laughs off some very real threats of technology and puts technology on a pedestal above basic essential academic skills. Pen and paper are not going anywhere. Students need to know how to write and read. That is what we need to teach kids. Now technology can help do that but the real important part is the academic side. He states the threats of pornography, cyber bullying and cheating but those are all very real threats that computers pose. Facebook is not a place for elementary students I believe. And they shouldn’t have access to many of the blogs or pages that are available. Technology is important but we have to remember what we truly want our students to learn.

The iSchool initiative (Mobile Learning)

 Travis Allen believes that the American education system is broken and he believes technology can go a long way to helping fix it. He claims that the iPod has everything it needs to replace all classroom supplies. The iPod does have many great applications that would be very helpful and interactive for students. I think he does a terrific job of combining both education and technology. His video clearly shows that technology can work for educational purposes on a grand scale. I think at higher levels some of the math, science, languages and other subjects would be extremely difficult to learn on a iPod. But the potential is definitely there for those wanting to use it.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 'Lux Aurumque'

 I am a big fan of music and I thought this video was very cool. It may not offer the same effect of a live performance but being able to do these things through technology is truly amazing. Technology offers us an opportunity to connect people from all over the world and do things together that we could have never dreamed of before.

Teaching In the 21st Century

Students have access to a limitless amount of information. Everything we teach in a classroom can be found on the internet. This means it is necessary that as teachers we provide something more than what can be viewed online. But we would be naïve if we did not use this new technology to our advantage. As educators we need to teach students how to use these resources effectively. I am a perfect example. I knew how to Google things for research and fun but learning how to you use things like Google Docs and Google Presentation offers a whole new dimension and way to learn. We need to teach skills in school just as much as we need to teach facts and data. Teaching in the 21st century is not the same as it used to be and in order to be effective teachers we need to adapt to that.

Individual Timetoast

Blog Post # 4

http://www.rev2.org/2009/05/11/iphones-and-ipods-tools-of-learning-and-warfare/

Podcast Tips
Judy Scharf has a lot of great tips for having successful podcasts on her page.  She provides a lot of links along with some helpful advice in order to create successful podcasts.  A point she stresses continually is that you must know the program that you are using to create your podcast.  She suggests scheduling a lot of time to learn the program and to create the podcast.  She also provides link in how to use Audacity.

  

100 Ways to Use your Ipod

This page provides a list of ways to use your Ipod other than for listening to music.  And the site is very student friendly as well.  The first use is Sparknotes, which a lot of students have grown up loving while many English teachers hate it.  But the resources that you can have at your fingertips can truly change the way you study.  Schools are beginning to use Ipods for classes and extra study sources so it is important that students take advantage of these new opportunities.

Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog

The Eagle’s Nest Radio and Class blog is a clear example that a podcast can be used effectively by anyone.  I listened to the classes podcast about Ancient Rome and learned about Roman architecture and the Roman culture.  This class is learning history but also learning how to use this technology which will be necessary for them to succeed in future years.  This is how technology should be combined with education to achieve success in both areas.  Their podcasts were fun to listen to but also very educational.

Project #6: My Sentence

Project #5: Presentation

Blog Post #3

"It's Not About the Technology"

In this post Kelly Wines I believe accurately states the role technology should play in a 21st century classroom. We hear constantly about the importance of making our children technologically literate and it often seems the technology aspect takes precedence over the education side. Technology should be used as a tool to further enhance education, not as the method for teaching. Teachers need to challenge students to think and learn for themselves and then back that learning up with technology. Technology can be so useful in many situations but often technology can only be as smart as the person using it. A student could look up all the facts and information in the world, but knowing how to apply it is a different story. So at the end of the day, it is not about the technology. Technology is extremely important in today’s world but it has to be viewed as a resource to advance education, not education itself.


Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch expresses in his post the importance of technology in education today. He clearly states that he believes technology is a tool and not the end all of education. But, he also feels that in order to be an effective educator in the world today it is essential to be technologically literate. Technology underlines almost everything we do in society so it is important that we understand and are able to effectively use technology. Now I do believe his claim that being technologically illiterate is the same as not being able to read or write 30 years ago is very extreme. I have stated before that I believe there are people who are still very effective teachers without the use of technology and I will continue to stand by that. I believe they could be overlooking a great resource, but they are effective teachers none the less. Now, if a teacher is not able to read or write they would be incapable of educating. I do believe technology is much more important in today’s classrooms, but do not believe it is even close to being as important as fundamental skills such as reading and writing.


Garys Social Media Count

If anyone doubts how much people rely on social media in today’s world, you must check out this page. The majority of people, especially in the United States are linked in to some sort of social networking whether it be Facebook, Twitter or blogging. Instead of viewing these networking opportunities as wastes of time, we need to use them as a resource. I feel so often these sites get linked into the “video game” conversation. What I mean is that many adults think kids are wasting their lives sitting in front of a screen when they could be learning or being productive. A way to fix this is to make “sitting in front of a screen” part of learning. It is important to meet students where they are at. And they are all on these networking sites. These sites offer students opportunities that never previously existed such as meeting kids from other parts of the world which in the growing global world, is extremely important.


A Vision of Students Today

This video offers a glimpse into what many students feel about the modern day classroom. The fact is clear that technology is a crucial part of most student's lives. And this trend does not appear to be changing any time soon. Students are spending more time and energy on social media than they are in the classroom. Teachers and administration have to do a more effective job of reaching out to students and engaging them in different ways. They will not be able to reverse the trend social media has started so they must try to use it to their advantage. Allow students to use the resources that the modern world offers. Now that I am not suggesting to get rid of classrooms and teachers because there are things that cannot be taught across a computer screen. But technology can be used to motivate and inspire students. It can offer them a way to use what they enjoy doing to achieve a greater understanding of what they need to learn. It seems sad that we have these resources but we continue to fail to use them.

C4T #1

http://www.angelamaiers.com/2011/08/5-ways-to-tweet-like-a-champion.html

Angela Maiers wrote about the benefits of using Twitter in the professional field. She states that despite the many skeptics, Twitter can be used as a productive and valuable resource. I told her that I am one of those skeptics but am finally trying out Twitter because of EDM310.

The second post that I commented on talked about the power of noticing people, especially students. She cited this as a cause for why social media has exploded in recent years, especially Twitter. Social media offers people a continual opportunity to be in contact and to be noticed by their peers. I read a few more of her posts and I highly recommend this blog to anyone who wants to engage in some very interesting topics. They are very well written and really make you think.

BLog Post #2

Did You Know?

            This video is very eye opening because it shows how big the rest of the world is and the amount of work required of the United States to keep up.  Countries like India and China are so populous that their children will soon be taking over every good profession if we do not work to keep pace with them.  It is scary that the jobs that we are preparing our children for may not even exist right now.  We live in a world that is changing every day and the people who will be most successful are those who can adapt to those changes.  We take all modern technology for granted but it has greatly changed the landscape of American the last 20 years.  The population is growing rapidly and technology is getting better everyday which means that the competition for kids going to school is greater than it ever has been.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

            This video criticizes the education system for not keeping up to date with modern technology.  The work place and hospitals seem to always have the latest technology because it makes for a more productive environment but the school landscape has changed very little compared to those other places.  Personally I believe that some things in schools are more beneficial than modern technology.  For example, I think my calculus class would agree that having a full chalk board was very helpful in learning the difficult subject.  My teacher was offered a SmartBoard but it did not provide the same benefits.  Being able to all stand up and work out problems next to each other while erasing and changing mistakes allowed us all to get experience with the subject matter.  When problems were put on the SmartBoard we often ran out of room and had to scroll which then confused the class because the whole problem was not available to see.  I know for many classes the technology is very helpful and I think it is important for students to be literate when it comes to technology but, sometimes the traditional way can be better and more helpful than the new way.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

            This video talks about the amount of unpredictability in today’s world and the necessity for kids to be able to adapt to that unpredictability.  Schools today are suppressing students creativity because they make them afraid to try new things and be wrong.  If people live in the fear of being wrong or failing then they will never dare to try new things.  Our education stresses the importance of mathematics but not the importance of the arts.  When we don’t value the arts then kids who are good at the arts or enjoy it feel like they are not valued either.  We praise the kids that are good at math and science which we should, but we criticize the students who excel and want to focus on the art.  Also, the arts can help students excel in the other subjects we see as more important.  The brain is interactive and the arts can stimulate the brain and help us excel in other areas.  The arts need to be funded and supported in schools because they are often the only thing that encourage students to push them selves.

Sir Ken Robinson Interview

The United States is falling behind in the education competition.  Despite having funding and often less kids to focus on we still are behind many countries when in terms of education.  Our drop out rate is very high and our test scores are lower than a large percentage of our competition.  We need to push our kids to be creative because the creative thinkers are going to be the new inventors and scientists discovering cures to disease.  We can teach science and math all we want but if kids are not encouraged to push the limits of their learning then the current boundaries will never expand.  The arts are crucial in that sense if the equation.  The video also stresses that we can teach people and encourage people to be more creative.  We have to push the limits of the students while they are growing up.  They can not be afraid to make mistakes, they have to learn how to grow from their mistakes.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

            This video shows how important and useful technology can be in today’s classroom.  Every student can learn but how we reach out to these children is an extremely important part in whether or not the children will learn or not.  Many children do not react well to pen and paper so we have to try to reach them in different ways.  Technology can be viewed just like the arts which we talked about earlier.  We have to reach students where they are coming from and allow them to try to things and push themselves.  When we only teach using one method we only reach out to one group of individuals.  It is important to create an environment in which the highest percentage of students can succeed.  By looking at students strengths and interests we can create a more productive setting for learning to take place and students will be more encouraged to put their highest effort in if they are enjoying what they are doing.