Blog Post #4

Reaction to Podcast Resources:

   For those of you who are not sure of what a podcast is I will tell you. A podcast can be defined as a media file that is freely available for download from the internet automatically with software that can handle RSS feeds. This file is then played on a personal computer or mobile device at the listener’s convenience. A podcast can be only audio, only video, or audio/video. I was shown a few different examples of ways and uses of podcasts in an educational setting and chose to look at a certain 3 resources given to me by my EDM310 teacher, Dr. Strange. 
   The first one I looked at was Langwitches. In this blog article, a teacher is helping kids engage in a read-along story by recording her students' individual voices, while reading as the different characters in the story. She claims that it was amazing seeing her young students closely following the story as they waited to hear their voice played out loud. She claimed the kids brought their own personality to the recordings once the became comfortable with the setup. They started to change pitches and attitude towards the feeling of the words. I feel as if this is an awesome way to keep young students engaged about reading. You are truly getting I would say, 100% attentiveness.
   The second resource was The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom. In this video and description, it shows how podcasts are very helpful in education. They claim that it promotes innovation and creativity, which I definitely agree with. This is much easier and fun way of learning things you need to know. Many students do not really progress with traditional ways of teaching. The benefit with a podcast is that you can learn material the way you want to and learn from people you respond to best. This also is an easier way for teachers to interact with students outside of the classroom. A normal school day is a very long day, and sometimes over-capacitates students. Now that teachers can mingle with students away from school, maybe it'll create an easier environment for some students who don't do very well in a classroom setting. 
   My last resource was Judy Scharf's-Podcast Collection. In this resource, Miss Scharf put together a collection of podcasts from examples, to tips, to how-to guides. This collection would be a tremendous help for students, teachers, or any person wanting to know more about a podcast. It is simply laid out, all you have to do is scroll down the page and through the different types and find what you are looking for. This will definitely help me out on my soon-to-do podcast for my EDM310 class.

-- Special thanks to Ms. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano for all of her hard work with podcasts and teaching her students to use these special tactics!! This link gives you access to a few of her "Langwitch" examples and her use of podcasts with the kids. Click Me and scroll down to Blog Post #4... Disregard the directions and pay attention to the blue links. The directions are for me.

Have an amazing day!!

Project #5 Presentation

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student:

   The video The Networked Student, is a very insightful source on how hopefully the future of education may be. This video was created by Wendy Drexler and narrated by her son. It is just a little over 5 minutes long so I encourage you to take a little time and watch it! It really gives you an idea of how the traditional ways of teaching and the infamous "burp-back" method is on its way out of the door, hopefully for good.
   Throughout the beginning of the video, it is elaborating on how a male student is trying to catch on to connected learning or connectivism as a way of getting more out of learning. This guy is trying to take control of his learning without having to rely on a teacher hand and foot, and actually having to get his own hands dirty to understand the material he wishes to learn. He begins to build a learning network from the ground up. He begins to grasp new ways of figuring out what it is he needs to know. Before you know it, he starts to understand the concept of connected learning and synchronized communication, he has the ability to access and validate information properly, he begins to bookmark sites, he creates his own blog, and he starts using iTunes for learning podcasts on different subjects from the best teachers all around the nation and world. He finds that it never hurts to as questions even if he is asking an expert's opinion. He then begins to share his ways of learning and research information for the world to view.
   The question is "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" Clearly, he has made huge strides in a positive way but he will still need guidance along the way. I think a teacher's mission should be to educate his/her students to be able to solve their own problems and build their very own, individual learning network like you seen in Miss Drexler's video. Prepare your students so that the only time you intervene is for small problems and supervision. The teacher is there to show the students ways to ask respectively for help from experts, how to differentiate between factual information and propaganda, how to turn a web search into something more broad with more helpful information, and how to get excited when a he/she finds the desired content. Overall, I think that a teacher should hope that once a student is beyond his/her class, that they continue to use their effective learning network to navigate their future.



Personal Learning Environment:

   The girl in The Personal Learning Environment video, has her stuff in order and I commend her for that. She seems to know where everything she needs to get to is located and has all of her assignments and fun sites organized the way she likes it. The girl in this video sounded a good while younger than me and to be honest I wish I was as organized as she is. She really made me realize how much easier things would be if I slowed things down and organized all my technological learning sites and devices. I'm not saying I am a slob or extremely unorganized, I am just saying she seems to have it a little easier because of her preparedness. She has also had ver good guidance as you can tell, on the uses of technological organization and a personal learning environment. To be honest, until now, I haven't ever been introduced to this method of learning and now that I am, I intend to use it to my advantage.

C4T Post #1

   In my first C4T, I encountered a teacher who was very passionate about a particular somebody that was a historical figure but, was undoubtedly never recognized like he should have been. She wrote passionately about a guy named Aaron Swartz, who was a brilliant software programmer and an internet activist. Swartz, proclaimed and protested bravely about online web issues and believed that the government could do a much better job of providing the efficient technology for our younger and older students so they would be prepared for life after school. He was convicted of several charges by a grand jury which included wire fraud, that had a maximum sentence of up to 35 years. Shortly after the allegations, Swartz was found dead by suicide. The blog I read didn't elaborate much on who he was but gave great detail about what he could have been. Also, she believed he died much too young. She believes he was an unsung hero.
   In my response, I was aware of the emotion that was put into the post and told her I was unaware of who this man was. It made me curious as to what this man did and why she was so passionate about his premature ending life. I went and researched this man and now I understand what his beliefs were and came to an agreement with him and the blog poster about the majority of the blog post.



   In my second C4T, I came across Jen Deyenberg's-Journey Through Teaching with Technology blog which is titled Trails Optional. Her post was titled "Blogging Using Blogger." In this post, she was trying to encourage her fellow teachers to get on board using either or a seperate blogging website in order to get their students interacted with the cyber world. She had a great presentation that clearly illustrated growth from blogging students from the beginning of the year to the end of the school year. Also in the presentation, the last few slides clearly directed the instructions to creating your own personal blog using blogger. She basically showed the teachers what the benefit was and then showed them how to create a blog, very good marketing on her part!
   In my response, I proclsimed to her that I also understood the positives of using a blog and online sources to learn new things. I told her about EDM310 and how helpful it was. I encouraged her presentation and let her know that she had done a great job of marketing her idea. I agreed fully with her that this was going to be a major part of our present students future, no matter the age or grade level.

Blog Post #5

Krissy Vinosdale:

   Not only a degree makes you a teacher, the initiative to help younger people succeed also has to matter deep down inside of you. That's what Krissy does; she's always learning more and more to make her better at her profession. She thinks of school as being a comfy environment to allow the student to be a sponge. She basically wants it to be a place that kids want to attend every day, and while they are there, learn something valuable to them. I think she is an innovator, and I hope somehow, someway she gets her wish in the near future.

My Own School:

   I've never really thought about creating my own school, but once you do, there are many ideas you come up with. Like Krissy, I would want to make it appealing to young people on the inside and out. The environment would be laid back and the curriculum would be on the point of future use for the students. I'm thinking of elementary school when I say this, but my jungle gym would be out of this world. I would require my teachers to reward there class daily with a trip to this magnificent structure. I would cut school hours, and raise teacher's pay. Students would decide the lunch menu! Wouldn't you want to come to this school?

Virtual Choir:

   This video is amazing. I wish I could claim this video. This video shows that technology is simply limitless! The choir is from all around the world, they never meet, and that's what makes it great! Eric Whitaker is the man and an innovator.

Teaching in the 21st Century:

   In this video, Kevin Roberts believes that teachers need to change their way of teaching. I thought at first, Kevin didn't see the need in teachers at all, but that's not the case. He just points out that students can find out anything they want through the use of technology. Students rely on teachers for information too much these days, when it's a click away. Of course, teacher's have to be in the classroom for many reasons like teaching life lessons, educating how to do things, and moderating. I think as future educators, Robert's has showed me that it is time for change. Use technology in your everyday curriculum. Make the students do their own research on things they need to know. Use technology for problem solving!

Flipping the Classroom:

   I believe this will work. I think that classrooms are so different these days it allows this to work. This method helps all kinds of students. It helps the slower learner and the learners that catch on easier. The only problem is the students who do not have the use of technology in there home. This makes them stand out and also gets them behind. I think this method can work but the schools will have to provide the technology to all students, so they can bring their work home with them.

Special Blog Post #1

WolframAlpha Search:

This search yielded India's Population-1.21 billion, United State's Population-309 million, China's Population-1.35 billion
Numbers added up =318 million, United State's Population-309 million... That's 9 million more English speaking Chinese than the total population of our home country.

2 Other Searches:

What is the population of Australia-21.5 million
What is Canada's population-33.9 million

WolframAlpha:

   WolframAlpha can be very useful for many things. This site is basically a resource similar to Google search. It is very helpful and also shows visuals to help you better understand your overall search.
   This can be used for any class to find info. This can also be used for anything that you want to learn more about. Things that you ask yourself, "I wonder?" This site can answer all of those questions. This is a great educational tool and it also comes as a smart phone app.

Gary Hayes Video:

-I watched the video and used snippet for a screenshot to try all combinations.

Changes... Based on Gary Hayes' Video:

   This video is amazing. This is a must watch. Make sure you try every combination and watch all these stats and money pile up over the days, moths, and years. After experiencing this site and playing with the combinations, it helps you see that as a future educator, I have to understand and buy in to the concept of change.
   I have began to slowly take my mind off of the traditional ways of educating. I understand the traditional ways because I was brought up with traditional teachers that hardly ever stepped out of the box, other than a few. I was taught the burp-back method that Dr. Strange talks about. As I see over and over again these mind-blowing statistics and numbers of technological advances in our society, the more it makes me want to develop some kind of change in curriculum that exposes students at an early age to things they will have to learn in the future to be successful.

Blog Post #3

Paige Ellis/Peer Editing:

   All of the links, A, B, and C were very helpful in defining and giving a helping hand about peer review and editing. In Paige Ellis's blog she makes it known that peer editing can be difficult and sometimes uncomfortable. This is true in many cases such as, bad papers, friends papers, and just simply not wanting to be sound mean or harsh.
   The videos are all very similar in making it known how peer editing is very important and useful in all grade levels. They show helpful ways to critique your classmates and even helps in how to compliment your peer that you are editing. All in all, it was very helpful to watch the videos and read Paige's blog. It also can help in your writings by not wanting to make these mistakes and get a great review!

Assistive Technologies:

   In these videos, I learned that there are barriers in classrooms all over the world. These barriers can be removed and overcame by the usage of assistive technology. These videos made me aware that as a teacher I cannot think that all children are the same and learn at the same speed. It made me aware that I will have to be prepared for children with barriers and find ways to overcome those barriers. Assistive Technology such as talking calculators, sensory aids, screen magnifiers, and Ipads will make it somewhat a little easier to help the kids with vision and hearing defects.

The Mountbatten:

   This device should be very helpful for students with vision impairments. Its is a Braille writer and it provides quick feedback for blind students. This makes it much easier for blind students to be involved in regular classroom activities with the students with no impairments. It is also computer compatible, so that's a plus! I am a PE major so I'm not certain how I would involve this device in my curriculum, but if there is a way I will certainly do so!

Issues In My Classroom:

   After watching these videos, I have now became aware that most educators will have to educate a student with an impairment. These videos helped me learn new ways to diminish these barriers put in between these students with disabilities and education.
   The thing is, I am going to be a physical educator and be in the gym and outside and not in a classroom. I believe the Ipad and voice-overs will be a tool used by me. I will get the impaired student's parents involved and teach her the ways to use these things at home. I believe us as future educators need to be completely up to speed on how most of assistive technology works, therefore, when we have a student who is deaf or blind, we do not stutter but find the best way to benefit each other.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts:

   In this video, Vicki Davis is teaching her students how to readily use almost every form of technology available. Some people may think her way of teaching is non-traditional and it is, but I believe it is the way of the future. She allows her students to lead classroom discussions and wants her students to find their own solutions to problems. This new innovation of teaching method should be adopted by all schools and grade levels all around the country in my opinion.
   Ms. Davis believes that not only does she teach the class but the class teaches her, and also that peers are the greatest teacher to each other. She teaches her students to use blogs and software, some don't learn that until adulthood, and some never do! She created two different programs to help her students get out and understand the internet abroad. She wants to make sure her students learn the great uses and values of technology. Her video has honestly inspired me to go away from traditional ways of teaching physical education and find ways to bring technology into play.