Wednesday, December 3, 2008
My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete
I hope everyone had a great semester, and enjoyed this class as I have. I know every one is looking for to the end of the semester. I know I need a month without school! I hope everyone has a great break, and I wish everyone Good Luck in their future!
Blogs
I read Taylor Irwin's blogs. I enjoyed her blog, because she seemed to have a good sense of humor. She was good at typing things how she wanted them to be read. I did not read one thing and think she meant it in another.
I really enjoyed doing blogs this semester. It is a great thing to use, because all of the work is online. I will not lose the work, and it can be viewed by other people while interviewing for jobs. I like how I can express myself freely. In blogs a person can say exactly what she wants and not have to worry about being intterupted. If anyone else is like me, I can be on a roll about a subject, and then gett intterupted. I will then forget everything I was going to say about the topic.
Another good things about blogs, it is a great way to interact with other people. People can look at the page and respong if needed. Google also gives you the option of posting your personal email to your blog. This way if a person wants to discuss something personal with the writer, everyone else dose not have to have access to read the material. It is also a great way for teachers to put out information about classroom activities and assignments. If a students misses a day from school, which we all know happens occasionaly, he/she can go on the blog and get the work to make up. It can also be a great source of communication between teachers and parents. Every is so busy now. Everyone seems to miss calls way to often. This way teachers can let parents know everything that is going on in the classroom at the convience of the parents.
One disadvatage of blogs is the fact that anyone can view it. It is a dangerous world now, and a person can not go back and see who all has looked at the blog. If blogs could be private and viewable by select people, it would be much better. Also, some students whom are not computer literate may have a hard time using blogs and may feel left out of the process. Also, some students are not good at putting their words down in writiting (or in this case typing). My personal experience has been benificial, and I plan to use blogs in my career.
I really enjoyed doing blogs this semester. It is a great thing to use, because all of the work is online. I will not lose the work, and it can be viewed by other people while interviewing for jobs. I like how I can express myself freely. In blogs a person can say exactly what she wants and not have to worry about being intterupted. If anyone else is like me, I can be on a roll about a subject, and then gett intterupted. I will then forget everything I was going to say about the topic.
Another good things about blogs, it is a great way to interact with other people. People can look at the page and respong if needed. Google also gives you the option of posting your personal email to your blog. This way if a person wants to discuss something personal with the writer, everyone else dose not have to have access to read the material. It is also a great way for teachers to put out information about classroom activities and assignments. If a students misses a day from school, which we all know happens occasionaly, he/she can go on the blog and get the work to make up. It can also be a great source of communication between teachers and parents. Every is so busy now. Everyone seems to miss calls way to often. This way teachers can let parents know everything that is going on in the classroom at the convience of the parents.
One disadvatage of blogs is the fact that anyone can view it. It is a dangerous world now, and a person can not go back and see who all has looked at the blog. If blogs could be private and viewable by select people, it would be much better. Also, some students whom are not computer literate may have a hard time using blogs and may feel left out of the process. Also, some students are not good at putting their words down in writiting (or in this case typing). My personal experience has been benificial, and I plan to use blogs in my career.
Teacher Contact
For my teacher contact, I went to a chatboard at I was able to discuss technology with quite a few teachers from different areas. One teacher I chatted with stated they did not even have computer use at their school. As I began discussing with the other teachers many of them did not use much technology anyway.
One teacher from California, said her main use of technology was videostreaming. SHe would use them to play 1-3 minute clips before beginning a discussion. When asked about blogs, she stated she taught kindagarten. She felt like blogging would leave her students unprotected. I am not judging anyone, but she seemed as the type who did not like technology. She was describing one program she was taught about, and stated she could do the same thing with wooden blocks.
Another teacher I discussed with seemed more technology advanced. She was located in Canada. She used blogs in her classroom, and the students loved the experience. She also mentioned something about United Streaming which I did not know anything about, but it is a line a videos to improve test scores and students achievement.
Another teacher from texas, said blogs were blocked from their school.
One teacher from California, said her main use of technology was videostreaming. SHe would use them to play 1-3 minute clips before beginning a discussion. When asked about blogs, she stated she taught kindagarten. She felt like blogging would leave her students unprotected. I am not judging anyone, but she seemed as the type who did not like technology. She was describing one program she was taught about, and stated she could do the same thing with wooden blocks.
Another teacher I discussed with seemed more technology advanced. She was located in Canada. She used blogs in her classroom, and the students loved the experience. She also mentioned something about United Streaming which I did not know anything about, but it is a line a videos to improve test scores and students achievement.
Another teacher from texas, said blogs were blocked from their school.
Access Lab
I went to Mary G. Montgomery on my visit to the Access Lab. There we met Mr. Rose, and he showed us around the lab. I was quite suprised, because I had not known what to expect. It was a very nice lab, and very well equipped. Each of the students had their own laptop for taking IVC courses. The classroom also had a smartboard. Mr. Rose stated that the students had adjusted well to the courses. One student came up and spoke about some of the disadvantages of the courses. He stated one bad thing was the teacher was not right around the corner to answer questions.
Mr. Rose told us the student adjusted well to the video cameras in the class. He laughed as he told us about the beginning of the use. He said the students would giggle and wave at the cameras, but he said now the students do not pay attention to the cameras. He talked about his hopes for the programs. He hopes to have more labs and IVC courses given at MGM. He described the advatage of the lab, such as students were given the oppurtunity to take classes not offered at the school. Mr.Rose also informed us, they were trying to make it mandatory for all advanced students to have to take at least 1 IVC course. He was a very helpful and enthusiastic person, and I enjoyed my visit.
Listening to Podcast
At first, I would like to start off by saying I think every group did an excellent job for their first experienc with creating a podcast. The first podcast I listened to was "YouTube as an Educational Tool" by Chris Borchardt, DelanaBemis, and Heather Rodgers. In my personal opinion, the speakers did not seem interested in the topic they were discussing. They also had several pauses in their conversation. I think it could be improved by having notecards or deciding the order of speakers beforehand. I also think they could have talked about more specific uses of YouTube in the classes. They spoke about using videos in classes.I think adding more specific examples, such as a planet video for science, could have gave more detail to the conversation.
The next podcast I watched was "Technology used at South" by Jennifer Harris, Alison Hawes, and Amelia Perkins. This group did give many ideas about the technology at South, but I think the conversation turned more to the professors. On the subject of online classes, one speaker spoke about the professor of an online course. The way the classes were set up and the content of classes was not brought up. The way the professor interacted with the students was the main topic of that subject. ALso, on the Folieoteck the speakers trailed back to the professors. They did not describe the way folieoteck works. Instead they spoke about teachers helping with Folieoteck.
The third podcast was "Facebook as an Educational tool" by Theola Harris and Larrica Smith. I think the speakers should have concentrated more on ways to use facebook as a teacher and in the classroom. It seemed as if they focused on profiles and uploading pictures. The lsat one I listened to was "Experiences with Blogs". This group did a good job. I think they may could have switched the speakers up a little more. It seemed to me as if one person spoke for a majority of time.
The next podcast I watched was "Technology used at South" by Jennifer Harris, Alison Hawes, and Amelia Perkins. This group did give many ideas about the technology at South, but I think the conversation turned more to the professors. On the subject of online classes, one speaker spoke about the professor of an online course. The way the classes were set up and the content of classes was not brought up. The way the professor interacted with the students was the main topic of that subject. ALso, on the Folieoteck the speakers trailed back to the professors. They did not describe the way folieoteck works. Instead they spoke about teachers helping with Folieoteck.
The third podcast was "Facebook as an Educational tool" by Theola Harris and Larrica Smith. I think the speakers should have concentrated more on ways to use facebook as a teacher and in the classroom. It seemed as if they focused on profiles and uploading pictures. The lsat one I listened to was "Experiences with Blogs". This group did a good job. I think they may could have switched the speakers up a little more. It seemed to me as if one person spoke for a majority of time.
Coming to an End
I have learned many things during my time in the EDM310 class. My favorite things I have learned about is the free educational videos on ITUNES. I was normally an ITUNES user. I had previously believed a person had to purchase every item on ITUNES. I thought it was mainly movies and music. I was not aware of the free videos and podcast. As I have been working on my blog and with ITUNES, I have found many educational videos I would love to show to my future students. I
I also learned about blogging. I had heard of blogging before this semester, but never looked at or participated in one. I have learned a great deal about conducting a blog. I have learned that it can be a great way for teachers to keep parents informed about classroom assignments and activities.
I learned a great deal about podcast. It was very educational to be able to participate in a podcast. It was also a great oppurtunity to be able to discover educational podcast.
I also learned a great deal about google. The only use I had out of google previously was as a search engine. I thought the documents sections was an excellent resource to have as a student and future-teacher. I do not have Microsoft Word on my personal computer, so previously I would have to use the schools computers to type my work. I love the idea of the free resource of documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
I also learned about blogging. I had heard of blogging before this semester, but never looked at or participated in one. I have learned a great deal about conducting a blog. I have learned that it can be a great way for teachers to keep parents informed about classroom assignments and activities.
I learned a great deal about podcast. It was very educational to be able to participate in a podcast. It was also a great oppurtunity to be able to discover educational podcast.
I also learned a great deal about google. The only use I had out of google previously was as a search engine. I thought the documents sections was an excellent resource to have as a student and future-teacher. I do not have Microsoft Word on my personal computer, so previously I would have to use the schools computers to type my work. I love the idea of the free resource of documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mathematics with Technology
The podcasts given by Judy Chandler about using technology with mathematics was very useful. She discussed the importance of integrating technology with math. It talks about students need to learn math, not just memorize formulas. Judy stated that teachers can use the technology to apply these concepts and give students visual aids in math. She also discussed these will allow more students to grasp the concept of this particular content area.
This podcast will be useful in presuading reluctant teacher to begin using technology. It will also allow teacher to go to the website Judy Chandler gave to get ideas on how to use technology with course content. It will allow teachers who are not sure how to use it, the oppurtunity to recieve ideas.
I also think this podcast and other podcast related will open up teachers eyes. We have to use technology to allow our students to get the most out of their education. These podcast give teachers the oppurtunity to learn about technology in order to keep up with times.
This podcast will be useful in presuading reluctant teacher to begin using technology. It will also allow teacher to go to the website Judy Chandler gave to get ideas on how to use technology with course content. It will allow teachers who are not sure how to use it, the oppurtunity to recieve ideas.
I also think this podcast and other podcast related will open up teachers eyes. We have to use technology to allow our students to get the most out of their education. These podcast give teachers the oppurtunity to learn about technology in order to keep up with times.
"Growth" vs. "Fixed"
Stanford University did a study on "growth" Mindsets and "Fixed" mindsets. They took students and divided them in hald. One of the halfs went to a "Fixed" workshop, and the other went to a "growth" workshops. In the "Fixed" workshops, the students recieved study skills. In the "growth" workshop, the students recieved study skills and the idea of a proper mindset. The study showed the students that went to the growth workshop begin to pick their grades up and want to learn more. The fixed workshop participants remained the same.
The video stated that the teachers could tell which students participated in the growth workshop. The idea of a fixed mindset is based on the student. The student will have a basic intelligence, and worry about how he will look. This means worry about wether or not he will appear smart. The speaker also stated that the brain is a musscel, we have to work it for it to grow. This applies to all aspects of life, not just education.Everyone should admitt their mistake and learn from them.
The teachers have to have a growth mindset. If not, the students will learn only basic stuff. The students will pick up the habits of the teacher. Only doing what is nescessary, and not looking for a challenge. Teachers should continue learning throughout their lives. Everything is changing in our world, and we can not stop keeping up with the times. This video taught me to have a better outlook on education, and not worry about what others will think.
The video stated that the teachers could tell which students participated in the growth workshop. The idea of a fixed mindset is based on the student. The student will have a basic intelligence, and worry about how he will look. This means worry about wether or not he will appear smart. The speaker also stated that the brain is a musscel, we have to work it for it to grow. This applies to all aspects of life, not just education.Everyone should admitt their mistake and learn from them.
The teachers have to have a growth mindset. If not, the students will learn only basic stuff. The students will pick up the habits of the teacher. Only doing what is nescessary, and not looking for a challenge. Teachers should continue learning throughout their lives. Everything is changing in our world, and we can not stop keeping up with the times. This video taught me to have a better outlook on education, and not worry about what others will think.
Educational Videos
I watched two videos for the grade level K-5. The fist I watched was " Why Doesn't the Moon Fall". It explained to students idea of the moon orbiting. It stated the moon does fall, but its falls in an orbit around the Earth. It also went into detail about the Earth and other planets fall into rotation around the sun.
The second video I viewed was " What is a Planet". In this video they talked about the defenition of a planet. The stated that in the 1800's, they had many more objects classified as planets than we do today. They discussed UB 313, which use to be classified as a planet, but then downgraded to an asteriod. They said the definition for a planet was it's body orbits a start, it has cleared it's neighborhood, and it has enough mass to create gravity. Although this is a defintion, there is still great debate on what should be called a planet and what should not be called one.
These videos are great to use in the classroom. They can go right along with course content in science. A teacher can use them in the discussion of space. I also glanced over a few other of the videos. They discussed precepitation and clouds and coral reefs. These videos can be used in science also. They can give the students another opputunity to learn besides using their textbooks.
The second video I viewed was " What is a Planet". In this video they talked about the defenition of a planet. The stated that in the 1800's, they had many more objects classified as planets than we do today. They discussed UB 313, which use to be classified as a planet, but then downgraded to an asteriod. They said the definition for a planet was it's body orbits a start, it has cleared it's neighborhood, and it has enough mass to create gravity. Although this is a defintion, there is still great debate on what should be called a planet and what should not be called one.
These videos are great to use in the classroom. They can go right along with course content in science. A teacher can use them in the discussion of space. I also glanced over a few other of the videos. They discussed precepitation and clouds and coral reefs. These videos can be used in science also. They can give the students another opputunity to learn besides using their textbooks.
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