Blog Post 5

Why Smartboards are a Dumb Initiative

I've never been taught with a smartboard. I visited my old high school a couple years ago and I saw that my old physics teacher had one in his classroom, but not all the teachers had one. Judging from the article, is it kind of like making the whiteboard a big touch screen? I've said this before, young people feel the need to be entertained by fancy gadgets. I'm sure you can do some pretty neat stuff with the smartboard, but you can probably do a lot of interesting hands-on stuff with the students also. We are educators, not entertainers. I'm not condoning monotone teachers because they certainly are hard for anyone to pay attention to, I'm just saying when the students have more respect for a fancy gadget than for the knowledge and wisdom from the teacher I think it would be a hard classroom to manage.

Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards

Wow, this person was fired up about this topic. But I can't help to agree with him. Why spend so much money on a fancy overhead projector? And one lady said that you can't buy change. Progress takes time and America is such a quick fix society that people think they can just buy their way up. I believe it's contradictory to promote independent learning and discovering and then purchase something that promotes total lecture from the teacher. It would be like the early 1900s all over again with a fancier chalkboard. I'm sure for some subject material at some grade levels the smartboards would be alright if the school didn't mind spending that sort of money. But in higher grades where we want the students to be more innovated I think having a smartboard can hinder their own creative ideas.

Blog Post 4

Eagles’ Nest Radio Episode #3: Roamin’ with the Ancient Romans

I was very impressed by the thorough research this third grade class did on ancient Rome. I can only imagine that they used internet sources to gather their information. Most of the time in our society, time is of the essence and using search engines such as Google or Yahoo does save a lot of time vs. going to a city library and finding out information. I do wonder though, if these young kids know how to use a catalog card in case they had to go to the library.

So, now that I know a podcast is just an audio file, I think, the children were not shy at all. I'm not that brave of a person, but I do commend them on their teaching style, broadcasting the information like a news show.

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom

Children of the millennium are a whole new breed of learners. I do agree that technology is a huge part of their lives and takes up a lot of their time. Using only textbooks with a generation that is so used to interactive things could hinder their learning I suppose. I do believe podcasts to be a good idea, but not for every lecture. Well, actually I guess I wouldn't mind doing podcasts for my lectures, but if the attendance starting dropping I would stop making podcasts for a while.

Having podcasts can help parents to better understand how and what their child is being taught. When I was growing up I always told my parents how my day at school was and we talked about what we learned or did that day. The podcast can share that information also, although I would warn against only listening to podcasts to relive what your child did at school that day.

Hearing books over podcast seems fun. The voice actors from that one story I heard in the video did a really great job. My only concern is that by doing those we limit the children's imagination. There were a couple toys with talking voices when I was growing up, but the rest of the pretending came from my imagination. Not everyone finds as much pleasure in reading as some of us do, but I would still like young people to try.



EPN: Education Podcasting Network

This website was very insightful. I was able to go to the subject area that I plan on teaching one day to see some examples of podcasts and videos of discovery learning. It's neat how so many educators can come to one place and see and swap ideas to further help learning in the classroom. I saw one video on the rainforest and the child was the one narrating. She did a good job.

Also this website had links to show you how to put up a podcast and share it, which is a blessing because a lot of us don't know how to do things like this yet. Honestly, I'm still struggling with the idea that all education is going so digital that real people will be obsolete soon.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better

They were definitely not kidding when they said "100 ways" to use your iPod. I had no idea you could do all those things with an iPod. I had my iPod for at least 3 months before i figured out how to change the volume correctly. Cliff notes, spark notes, building vocabulary for the SAT and all sorts of things all at the touch of your finger tips. I guess my question is: are iPods wireless or something? Or would you have to download what you want to study just like you download music?

I think my curiosity in actually learning how to use all this technology has finally been brought to my attention. Mostly because I have an iPod and it was a lot of money so I might as well learn all its applications. Almost every young person I know has an iPod/mp3 player of some sorts. I suppose putting something educational on it aside from music is a plus.

My 2009 Summer Timeline

My Google Presentation with Audio

My Webcam Video

Blog Post 3

Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please?

This is my initial response to this blog:
Hi Dr. McLeod
My name is Pauline and I’m a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class.
Your blog was very sarcastic and almost childish to me, personally. Technology and the internet are a part of the academic curriculum of this day and age, but at the same time it’s cruel to ridicule the adults who care enough to want to protect the innocence of the next generation.
I don’t know your age, but I’m only 25 and I’m grateful I didn’t have all this current technology at my disposal at a young age because I like reading books, and being able to spell 3 syllable words without having to go to dictionary.com to check my spelling.
Yes, technology is needed because the current world we live in demands it, but certain people don’t take well to being bullied into a decision and taunting is beyond foolish when we are adults.

Okee, now that I am a little bit calmer after reading that particular blog, I think i will try to elaborate on my thoughts a little bit more. You can't throw two totally different issues in the same bowl. Yes, the whole world apparently has to learn to write blogs, create hyperlinks, and pod casts, etc..., but learning those particular skills have nothing to do the fact that all this open internet, chat, skype etc... can be dangerous. Do we need to learn, yes. Do we have the responsibility to protect the upcoming generation, yes. Challenging and taunting doesn't change the fact that some people would prefer to teach their children how to use all this technology in the parameters they feel is safest for their child.

The iSchool initiative (Mobile Learning)

I think it was a nice try. Some valid points. I might be being a scrooge when say this, but text books and learning how to write in cursive, and how to add numbers in my head without a calculator, and having to think for myself seem to work pretty well for me. Seriously, no paper and pens, no rough drafts, brain storming, how are we to come up with innovated ideas if little computers do all the thinking for us? I'll give credit where credit is due, it was convincing and I'm sure there is a happy median somewhere between old school and iSchool.

Lost Generation

Honestly, that was the happiest thing I've seen all night. It totally reminds me of Jeremiah 29:11, where it talks about a hope and a future. Reading it in reverse was totally awesome. When she was reading it from the beginning it broke my heart, to be so young and so defeated, but then she flipped the script. It was very heartening.
God first, family second. The roles in this society has been lost and priorities have been so mixed up and we wonder why we are broke, busted, and disgusted. But I agree with her, it's a choice and it can change.

VIRTUAL CHOIR

The choir was amazing. I forgot that people can still sing like that. I can't sing, but after hearing those lovely harmonies I wish I could.
It looked like all the singers were at their own home computer or something. I guess they logged on to a website and song in the mic at the same time? He was conducting so maybe something like skype? I really have no idea how they managed to do that, but it was pretty amazing. Makes me a little sad that eventually I can be replaced in my classroom by a web tutor, but what can we do?

My Presentation

Video Posts 2

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

This video does capture the world of students today. I can agree with most of the signs that I read throughout the video. I have bought $100 textbooks and have never used them because the teacher makes up tests straight from their slides, which cut a lot of the textbook out. One sign read that she only got seven hours of sleep each night, honestly that would be a blessing if I got seven hours of sleep a night.

Spending time online throughout the day seems to be the normal protocol. I'm on facebook all the time to wind down because sometimes things just seem overwhelming between school, ministry, wars, and life in general.


It's Not About the Technology

In this article she talks about having an evolving mindset when it comes to the use of technology. Feeling as pressured as I was, especially in this class, her perspective helped to put me a little at ease. Yes, technology is here and yes, innovation is certainly a great thing, but having the training to use these great things are the key. I don't even know what a $5000 white chalkboard is, I'm just thrilled so I can turn the subheadings in my blog to a link.

She does agree with mingling in all the digital-age stuff, but she seems like a person who would be patient in teaching others how to make the most of this new technology for the sake of the classroom and students. I do want to learn all these new things so I can be a good teacher also, but it's hard for me to learn when i feel pressured and like I'm being judged because I don't catch on.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I honestly couldn't find the article. I searched the site and read some of the comments about the article though. And I saw the virtual room, a second location I think they called it. I couldn't quite tell what it was for. I'm sorry I couldn't find the article, but at least I can answer the question. No, it is not alright if a teacher is technologically illiterate. At the moment being in such a state is costing me a grade, I'm just hoping that by the time I'm done in this course I won't mess up my classroom.

Garys Social Media Count

I believe it wise to be familiar with the times. As a teacher, knowing what's in, knowing how your students prefer to communicate, whether it'd be facebook or text messaging, is all a plus. Sometimes looking at all those numbers increasing, I'm almost not surprised at the thought that a hologram teacher would be preferred over a physical one in the classroom.

For now, being able to interweave all this technological innovation together in a classroom seems to be my personal task at hand.

First Video Blogs

Did You Know?
There were a lot of things in that short video that I didn't know off the top of my head, but at the same time nothing displayed in that video shocked me. In actuality, the questions posed in this video compels me to acknowledge the fact that even if I wanted to, I cannot afford to be ignorant about the world around me any longer.
After studying other specific things, it's only natural that all those current facts come into play. They definitely do not make me happy. The mere thought that one day some machine can replace the entirety of the human mind, not only intelligence, but emotions and spiritual things as well is enough to give me goosebumps and not in a very good way.
I do think technology is great, but I'm not the sort of person who rejoices about being connected to a million people I don't know. And I certainly am not looking forward to being replaced with a robot who can apparently teach and love teenagers better than a real person.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes was a cute story. In the beginning of the story, I even felt a little angst for the unsuspecting Mr. Winkle. It is definitely an old-fashioned story with a modern twist. It's incredible to think about how much technology had changed the world in such a short period of time. The internet, in particular, has literally infiltrated almost every aspect of life. And computers and technological machines in general are enough to give anyone a fancy light-show and make their heads spin with what they could do. Yes, I can imagine a very disturbing feeling creeping in on poor Mr. Winkle who awoke to such a world as this.
At the end of the story, it was comforting to see that even with all the flashy computers and media players, Mr. Winkle felt peace at the school. The term, "undisturbed," when describing the school was endearing. My only question is: Did Mr. Winkle want to go back to sleep or stay awake?

Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
Mrs. Vikki is truly an astonishing teacher. It is very overwhelming for me, personally, to be suave with all sorts of new technology venues. But seeing how she ran her classroom made it seem very inviting to actually want to learn and discover what this extreme digital age can offer.
It's amazing how all these young people learn how to maneuver through all the digital information at a rapid pace. The teacher said they were learning and doing all that in just three days. It took me three months to learn how to work my ipod properly.
I do agree with her statement about how different students need different things to prosper in their educational experience. It is almost intimidating to think about all the things we need to at least heard of so we, as teachers, can give a coherent answer to a question a student might ask one day about technology.

The Importance of Creativity
Out of everything i watched this night, his speech was by far my favorite. It helped that he had am English accent and a good sense of humor, but everything he said was very true. Creativity has been but on the back burner since the industrial age. If you think about, people from long ago, who we consider geniuses, had to have been creative. I'm positive the people who thought up laws of physics and created microscopes and invented airplanes didn't put a cap on imagination. A lot of things we take for granted now-a-days. Sure, there are Nobel Prize winners in all subject areas, but would the current winners even know where to look if the people from long ago didn't suspect there could be something more?
Imagination has always been the element that made human beings different. And over time, that very special trait that only we possess as humans has been squashed. I'm relieved to hear that imaginative prodigies could be on the rise again.