Project 8 - Podcast

Project 9A

Blog Post 4

After reviewing several sites on the importance of pod-casting in the classroom, I came across several websites that were very informative. The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom By Joe Dale was very informative and gave several key points to the importance of  classroom podcast. This is a few things that I thought were good points.

• an effective way of interacting with students outside of the classroom
• it promotes creativity and innovation
• it can offer distance learning opportunities for absent students
• parents can see and hear what their children are doing at school

After viewing What is a Podcast? I feel like It helped me to understand what a podcast actually was and how it can be used efficiently in the classroom.   It opened my eyes to the fact that the term podcast is a cross between "broadcast" and "iPod." Podcast allow things to be shared via the internet! Doing a podcast is very inexpensive and the children tend to really enjoy participating in the podcast.

In Langwitches blog it was amazing to read about the first grade students and their podcast that they made using a chapter book on the Vacation under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne from the Magic Tree House series. It was really neat reading about how they put their podcast together and worked hard to make it great!

My Sentence Video

Blog Post 5

After viewing Don't teach your kids this... at first I thought that Dr. McLeod was serious, then after further reading I realized that Dr. McLeod was using a sarcastic writing style. Dr. McLeod was getting his point across that we should not discourage our students against technology. There are in fact dangers lurking online no doubt, but it is our job as educators/parents to teach our students/children the dangers and how to protect ourselves against these dangers.  Technology is now and will continue to be a huge part of our future. Times are changing and our children need to be prepared for their future.

In watching the video The iSchool initiative I was very impressed with Travis and the effort he has put into this wonderful idea. He has come up with an excellent way for the school, parents and students to save money. It was very eye opening to me the amount of things that you can do on your iPhone.
I think sometime in the future the iSchool idea could defiantly be possible. With the rate of growing technology iSchool could in fact potentially take the place of pencils, paper, calculators and more.

WOW!Is the only word to describe Travis Allen's ZeitgeistYoungMinds entry. Travis was a Georgia High School student who used YouTube to launch an internet sensation. In Travis's own words" To thrive in the information age we must rethink, retool and rebuild our public educational institutions to prepare our youth for the digital world they were born into!" What an awesome idea! Travis has not only come up with an excellent way to prepare our students for a digital future but to save our school systems TONS of money! I say "Great Job Travis." 


If you have not checked out Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir you have got to see 
it! Prepare to be amazed! It is absolutely beautiful.It was composed from 185 people from 12 different Countries who all come together via the internet and sing alone and once put together sounds this incredible. These people have never met face to face nor have they practiced together! This video allows me to realize that anything is possible via the World wide web. Technology is all around us!

 
In  Teaching in the 21st Century Kevin Roberts is speaking of the importance of how teaching in the 21st century is changing, being that teaching is not the
same as it once was. Thanks to the use of cell phones, blogging, twitter and  Google, students have fast access to anything they want to know any time of day! I believe Roberts is trying to get the point across that  we, as teachers will need to be able to handel these resourses. We need to have the skill to teach our students how to properly use these important resources. 


Reading Rockets is an excellent site for teachers. It offers a wonderful variety of all things reading! There are many ideas to motivate young readers that are having reading difficulty. The ABC's of reading was interesting. It spoke about the importance of good teachers teaching reading. I have always had a passion for reading myself. This site will defiantly be something I will be using in my future teaching profession.

Blog Post 3

Technology in Special Education

Technology in the classroom helps students participate who are otherwise non verbal or have a physical problem. The teacher in the video says that technology has changed the way that she teaches and how her classroom functions. Without technology life can be difficult for teachers and students. Students are able to use an  I pod touch to aid them is silent reading time and it allows them to be more independent. Students who are non verbal are using computers to help them to communicate. Computers make special needs childrens assignments a little easier. It also sparks the children’s interests and makes them eager to learn.  I for one loved this video it makes me smile to see how these children were able to communicate through technology. They were so proud and so was there teacher!

After watching the video How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism I decided to do a little research on my own into some different iPad apps that may work well in the classroom. I really liked Alphabet Animals. It is an educational and fun app that is used to help with vision, speech and can also be used if the child has limited reaching ability. The app has great sounds and animations that will keep the children interested. It is used for teaching letters of the alphabet. I see how much all children benefit through the use of technology. The iPad improves learning as it  allows special needs children to be able to work on there own with out the use of an aid.

 After checking out Gary Hayes Social Media Count  I was astounded. The amount of time that people all over the world are spending using some form of technology is amazing. I know that we live in a technological world but to actually see for yourself the numbers is very eye opening. I think that technology is great! It helps us every day in almost everything that we do. My children both were taught to start working on a computer in 3K. They are six and four and can navigate an iPad or iPhone like a pro. I feel that as teachers it is our job to make sure that our students are technologically prepared for the real world. I love to see the interactive lessons that are taught on things such as smart boards. I will defiantly be using technology inside my classroom. I truly feel that technology allows the students to enjoy learning the materials that they are being taught. 

In the video A Vision of Students Today watching this in the mindset of an educator or a University Professor I feel that students are not interested in the old way of teaching where the teacher stands in front of the classroom and writes on a chalk board. The students spend the majority of there time talking on cell phones, sending text messages and reading Facebook or Twitter. I feel that college students are charged and outrageous price for textbooks that are not used.

 But, on the other hand I feel that if given too much access to technology in all classes it could cause the students too much distraction to actually focus on learning the materials rather than trying to play on Facebook while they are supposed to be focusing on the subject at hand. 

C4T 1

I was assigned Manaiakalani's Blog for my EDM 310 C4T assignment. Here are two of Manaiakalani's blog posts that I commented on.

C4T#1 Post#1
Got a blog? Make a book.
The Teacher printed up blog posts and had them printed up and published into books. She created them for friends as a gift as they were closing one chapter of their life and opening another chapter. This is what I posted to her blog: Manaiakalani

Hi, my name is Melissa Harrison and I am an Elementary Education major at The University of South Alabama. I have been assigned to your blog and I am very interested in reading your posts. I think creating a book from a blog is a great idea. What a great gift idea for that special friend or family member!

C4T#1 Post#2
Generations of Bloggers

The teacher has had the privilege to work with her two daughters, son-in-law, and husband on several different workshops that have to do with blogging. Her daughters are teachers and they are working together to share different experiences with Blogging, and lessons that they have learned along the way. This is what I posted to her blog: Manaiakalani


I agree that Blogging is a possibility for everyone. I am new to the "Blogging World" and am really enjoying seeing the benefits of blogging in the classroom. I think it is great that you were able to work with your daughters!

As of February 11, 2012 She has not commented or emailed me a response

Presentation Project #5

Blog Post 2

Did you know?
After viewing this video, I am really surprised to see actual numbers and percentages of the amount of time that we spend using some form of technology. Most people use some kind of technology everyday!
Technology sure has come a long way. It is amazing the technology that is in the world today. I cannot wait to see technology of the future.

Mr. Winkle wakes:
Mr. Winkle wakes really opens your eyes to the technology that is used all around us. We have grown so accustomed to the technology that is used in our everyday world that it just becomes like second nature to us.
Mr. Winkle realizes that after having been a sleep for 100 years notices that school is the same way that he remembers it when he was a student. This video reminds us that we should make sure we are using modern day technology to keep our students interested in learning and to keeps things fun and exciting in the classroom.

The Importance of Creativity:
Ken Robinson’s video states that creativity and Education are extremely important. Every child has talents and creativity and the schools “Squish” these talents. I really like the fact that you should not follow the mold of other people.
If you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original. I feel that this is telling you not to be afraid to step out of the box. You should be yourself



A Vision for 21st Century Learning
The video states that students come in from one grade to the next and leave crammed full of facts. I agree that we need to re evaluate our learning method. The technology in the History video game that the video showed was AWESOME!
The video states that by making learning fun the students will not even know that they are learning something! I want my students to enjoy learning in a fun environment! Who wants to sit at a desk all day and listen to repetitious teaching?

Vicki Davis: Harness your Students’ Digital Smarts
I love the fact that Vicki Davis uses technology to help her children succeed. She teaches her children to learn using technology and brainstorming methods.
The video also stated that “Teachers did not need to know everything, you learn through your children.” I agree totally with this statement. I also like the idea of the flat classroom. The students work with other students throughout the world and it empowers the students to learn with one another.