Blog Post #5

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Dont Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?

Scott McLeod is a Associate Professor. CASTLE Director. Blogger. Idea generator. Solution builder. Agitator. Catalyst. He is a person who makes very strong opinions and does not care if people disagree with them. While I was reading the Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please? post, I found it very interesting how he was writing his post in a very sarcastic way. I feel that he did that because so people would understand it more. I had to read it at least two times to fully understand what he was saying. People in today's world are telling students that technology is bad and it will get you in all kinds of trouble. I disagree with that. I believe that there are many things that students can do with technology and it be perfectly appropriate for their age. Smaller children can use the SmartBoard for example to play games on and learn different strategies for learning things. Older children, for example in high school, can use the internet to do research on projects that they may have to do.


The School Initiative
The School Inititative

I feel that the iSchool initiative is a very interesting idea. But I also feel that students need to have the old school type teaching as well. I understand that technology is a very important part of today's classroom. The apps shown in the video that replaces maps, homework, notes, calendars, emails, and other classroom assignments that I find to be very interesting. I see how people are trying to save schools money and the big impact that there would be on the environment. But at the same time, I feel that if technology is all that students have, then there is no point in having a teacher in the classroom since students are doing everything online or with their computers.

ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry
ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry

With watching the Zeitgeist Young Mind's Entry, I see how the ischool initiative has taken a role in some classrooms today. Travis Allen and the other 25 members of his time go all around the country trying to get people to convert to the ischool idea. With seeing that, I still stand the same with saying that technology should not be the only thing used in the classroom. With children today, they are born into a very technologically advanced world and it is important for them to understand it but at the same time it is also important that they get the old school type of learning as well while in school.


Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
Virtual Choir

After watching this video, all I can say it WOW! It is so amazing how one person can gather that many people together, get them to sing the same song and sound so good. They have never met before and they sound as if they have been practicing for months. I do believe that this video is one of the most intriguing things that I have watched that was clearly made with just the internet. I would never have thought a person could sit down and make this possible. I enjoyed this video very much and it makes me appreciate the internet so much more.


Teaching in the 21st Century
Teaching in the 21st Century

After watching the video, I thought about the question what does Roberts think it means to teach in the 21st century. Teachers today have a very different approach than the way teachers did when I was growing up and in school. When I was in school, teachers just told me facts, theories, and laws. As Dr. Strange would say a "burp back" style of teaching. Today, teachers have many resources that can be used in the classrooms that are a form of technology. If Roberts is correct, this will affect my teaching in many ways. I feel that when I graduate, I will be in a classroom that is full of technology and the children will be more involved with it. Also, some children that have disabilities can still be involved in the classroom if they are using computers like the other children.


Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets

I found this website so helpful. There are many different things that I could use in the classroom. One thing that I found that I really enjoyed was the podcasts. I find that podcasts are very easy for children to make and they love them. Also, all of the childrens books and ideas that are listed. I can not wait to have my own classroom so that I can use some of the resources from this website to incorporate in my room. From a teachers standpoint, I think that every type of learning is appropriate for children. If some understand better by listening to a book rather than reading it, then they could use a podcast if there was one available for that book. I just want to see my students succeed and if that means making use of all technology out there, then that is what I will do! (:

Time Toast- Project #9a

Blog Post #4

Podcasting with First Graders
Podcasting

After reading the Podcasting with First Graders, I found it very interesting how well the students reacted to actually doing the podcast. I think that letting the children see and hear the comments that other teachers from across the world has left makes them feel "on top of the world". Having a audience that will comment back is a very helpful thing to smaller children. The kids were very eager to get their own podcasts in many other peoples "ipod and computers" as well. I learned that it may be better to not read from a specific script. Several people say words differently and reading from that specific script may hinder the liking of the podcast at the end.



Listening-Comprehension-Podcasting
LTC

When learning a new language, a person must hear it at least 70+ times to actually remember it and how it is pronounced. It is hard for a person to learn a foreign language by just reading it and listening to it a couple of times. It is important to attach a feeling to a word in order to make meaning of it. For example, if someone is trying to learn the Spanish word for family it is la familia. Family and familia is close in spelling. So one can keep that in mind while learning some Spanish vocabulary. I learned that editing a podcast is very important. You can hook up your computer and project it onto a SmartBoard so that it is easier for children to insert and take out things as needed.



First Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook
Read Along Audiobook

While reading a book, teachers would write down a "script" for the podcast that the children were going to use. With that script, the students would be able to read along with the story but speaking on a first grade level. With the teachers creating the script for them, I believe that the students feel as if they had some help from the teacher but when they were actually recording the podcast it was all on their own. That makes the kids have a sense of responsibility that they like to have because it will all come together in the end.

My Sentence Video

Project #5

Blog Post #3

Technology in Special Education
Technology in Special Education

After watching the video Technology in Special Education, I learned how simple technology that we use everyday can help children with special needs communicate everyday. Technology can help children who have nonverbal and who have physical/cognitive limitations For example, to get Corbin to participate in class readings he would need an assistant to go in the hallway with him and read to him. With technology, he can use a ipod to download the book on audio for him to read in the classroom while the others are reading the book as well. Also, for those students who can not speak or can not speak very well, they can often use computers to spell out things they want to say. It is easier for them to type on the computer than to try to speak.

In my classroom, I could use one major piece of technology to help students with special needs called the SmartBoard. I think that is a piece of technology that every student can learn from. It allows students to touch and interact on the board rather than just use the normal pencil and paper. I believe that using the SmartBoard, it gets the children more interacted with the materials that they are learning. With that being said, the children are more willing to sit down and do a lesson without interruptions.

How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism
How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism

Intro to Letters, by Montessorium
I could use this app in my classroom by letting the children who have problems writing some letters, practice more. I believe that if they interacted with the game on the iPad, it would help them want to learn more and get a in-depth lesson of what they are learning. I do know that when I was a child I did not particularly like learning my letters and always practicing them. With having the iPad with this app, children could learn how to write their letters and have fun while doing it.

Gary's Social Media Counts
Social Media Counts
After seeing the numbers of the technology things that are happening every second, it is remarkable how numbers change. With seeing this, it put some things into perspective for me. I realized that it is important to incorporate technology into the classroom. One reason being is because many of the jobs in today world has to do with some sort of technology. I feel that students should have some computer knowledge just for the simple fact that we are turning to technology to help us in everyday life.




Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
A Vision of Students Today

While I was watching this movie I feel that I could relate to these students very well. Some facts that I saw that I have often experienced was the small population of teachers knowing my name, spending hundreds of dollars on textbooks that I never opened during the semester, having to be a mulit-tasker in school, and filling out exams that will not help me later on in life. Often times, you may ask yourself, "Will I ever use this stuff in real life?" Nine out of then times, the answer will be no. The reason being is because the teachers today seem to have as Dr. Strange would call it the "burp-back method" of teaching. Drilling facts into students heads until they are tested on it then after that a person will never see those facts again. I believe that students need to have more interaction in the classroom.

If I was a teacher and I just watched this video, I would rethink some of the things that I assign to my students. I believe that you have to get to know students on a person to person basis, not just a name on the roll sheet. I have had several teachers that never once knew me by my name during school. I was just a name on the roll sheet that she never called out, just sent around the room and let the class sign it. I truly believe that if the teacher is more interactive with his or her students, they will participate more in the class and have more opinions about things around them.

C4T #1

Jarrod Robinson aka Mr. Robbo- The PE Geek
The PE Geek





Top "APPS" for PE Teachers- Part 8
In the first C4T that I commented on, Mr. Robinson was talking about the various types of activites and apps that you could have on your mobile device to use when you are working out and exercising. The one that caught my attention was iCelsius. The description of that is your iphone or ipad can measure your bodys temperature while you are performing various exercises.

After I read his blog, I commented back and asked him if he has personally used any of the apps or activites that he described in his blog. I would want to know if they actually did work from someone who has used them before I downloaded them to my phone.


Top "APPS" for PE Teachers- Part 10
In the second C4T that I commented on, Mr. Robinson named seven more apps that could be downloaded and used in the PE classroom setting. Those seven include Instant Replay Camera, Tap A Lap, Fleetly Fitness, MyFitness Pal, Instant Replay: 5 Seconds Back, Kinetic GPS and 10K Runner. He describes what each app is and what the functions of it are.

After reading this blog, I commented back on it and told him that I used MyFitness Pal myself. Even though I was not a PE teacher, I found it very useful. I found it interesting that some apps that lots of people have, teachers actually use in their classrooms today.

Blog Post #2

Did You Know by John Strange
Did You Know? by John Strange

From watching the video, "Did You Know?" there was several facts that I did not know or was not aware of. The number one fact that caught me off guard was that India has more K-12 Honor Students than all of K-12 students in the United States. To me, I find that very odd. One reason being, is because one would think that it would be the opposite because the United States in the country that has schools and more highly educated people living in it. I do understand that there are several other people all over the world that can and are as smart if not smarter than people in the United States, but they do not get as recognized as they should.
Also, there was a fact stated about YouTube videos. In one minute there are 1,097,220 YouTube videos being watched. Have you ever wondered if there was someone out there somewhere in the world watching the same video as you were. I have often thought to myself that it would be neat if there was a way to see who and how many people were watching the same movie as you were at the same moment.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes is a video that I believe older people can relate to. Mr. Winkle wakes up from his 100 year slumber to find that the world has changed. What he sees around him is totally different that the things that he saw before he went to bed. He walks into a large office building and finds several things that are making several noises. Mr. Winkle is not sure what they are. He then decides to leave and go to a hospital because he is feeling sick. Then when he comes into the hospital he finds that there are those things making weird noises as well. He then leaves the hospital. After the hospital, he runs into a school. In the school, he feels as if he is back in his time because the students are just sitting there listening to the teacher lecture while the computer is just sitting in the back and it not being used.
In my opinion, I feel that this is how older people feel this is how life today is. When my grandparents were small, they did not have computers like many and most people/families have today. It is somewhat new to them. Most older people learn how to use them but there are some that do not feel that it is useful for them to learn how to operate.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
The Importance of Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson states that everyone has a interest in education. Creativity is just as more important in education as literacy. I do fully one hundred percent in that. One reason being is that children are more engaged in something if they can be "hands on" or "interacting" with other students or friends. Teachers today are more worried about going in and teaching straight from the book and that is it. Mistakes are the best thing that you can make. If you do not make a mistake then, you are not willing to try other or new things.
All children are born artists. Children are always making things up and using their "creativity" to create new things, games, artwork, and works of art. If a teacher punishes a child for being creative then that child may grow up and realize that they are just the same as the others.

A Vision for 21st Century Learning
A Vision for 21st Century Learning

Children in classrooms today are forced to just sit in a classroom 7 hours a day and listen to a teacher lecture while facts are crammed in there heads. As Dr. Strange calls it, the "Burp Back" style of teaching. That is where students are basically forced to learn and memorize facts, tested on them and then those facts are just gone out to waste. A student, as I can say for myself, never really "learns" what the teacher is saying. Nine out of ten students remember it for a test so that they can get a grade and then forget it.
With the 21st Century Learning, I believe that it will give the children a way to engage themselves with different learning styles so that they can learn things in a different way. If a student is actually engaged with something and are hands on then their brains are more prone to learning that specific material.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is a teacher from a small town in Georgia that is helping students understand how to blog and do various things on the computer. She believes that if you just have pen, paper, and textbooks all children may not be able to learn. One reason being is because some children learn differently from others. There are several children who have to actually see or hear something for them to be able to understand it. With having the internet and software on the computers, students are more capable of doings things that they would not be able to with just the normal items that everyday classrooms use.
Also, Vicki does not consider herself a teacher. One reason is because she states that teachers today think they must know everything before they can become a effective teacher. That is no true. Students help the teacher learn things that he or she may not know. Students can teach teachers just the same as teachers can teach children.

Project #2