GOODBYE

I have to say goodbye for now to a great group of classmates. I have enjoyed this semester with you all. I wish all of you the very best as you continue to pursue your degrees and future careers. I hope to stay in touch with many of you and maybe see you again in other classes. Thanks to everyone that I worked with on projects! Major, Bailey, Emily, and Angie, I really enjoyed getting to know you, and working with you on the projects was fun. Each of you are great people and will make great teachers. Thanks to Ms. Averitt for trying your best to make sure the stress level stayed as low as possible. There were a lot of projects to do, but you were always encouraging and tried to make sure that we weren't too stressed out. I really appreciate that. Best of luck to you! Thank you all again for a great semester! :)

Summary

I have learned many technological tools used in education through this class, and most importantly, I have learned the importance of technology in the classroom. I learned about class blogs, which is something that I hope to use in my classroom. Google docs and iGoogle were things that I thought may be very useful to me as well. I found that my PLN is something that I can keep up with and use a lot in the future. iTunes U is an excellent resource and one that I plan on using with my future students. I learned about the usefulness of Excel, podcasts, videocasts, Skype, and Smartboards. I don't think there is anything that was left out that I wanted to learn about. We covered a lot of things this semester. I think that the videocast was something that I will probably not do in my classroom, but I think that videocasts and podcasts are good resources for research and curiosity. The thing that excited me the most was my introduction to blogging because it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of connecting students to the world and all of the other many uses of class blogs.

Although I didn't find anything in the class too challenging, some of the material was interesting to learn about because it affects me as a future teacher. I know that the things I learned in the class are things that I need to know to help my students succeed. Sometimes, I found a lot of down time in class. I know that while some class members worked on their projects, I had little to do because mine were finished. I think that this will not be a problem next semester, though, because the class will be online mostly and students can work at their own pace. I don't think I would change this course because the material is helpful and useful to future teachers. I think that while I am not completely technologically literate, I am more than I was at the beginning of the semester. Also, I have the resources to keep myself updated thanks to this class. For the sake of myself and more importantly, my future students, I need to keep up with my PLN and developments in educational technology. I know that technological skills are becoming more and more important, and I am glad that I learned to be more open minded about technology through this class.

7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology and New Classroom Rules

The two most important lists, to me, were Doug Johnson's 7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology and New Classroom Rules by Education Innovation. I picked these because I found them interesting. I liked the praise that Doug Johnson gave in his list. He commended teachers' good use of technology in the classroom, and explained his reasons. The things that he listed were ones that I need to be aware of and use in my own classroom in the future. I enjoyed the New Classroom Rules list because the technology twist on the traditional rules caught my attention and made me think about the future of education and the growing role of technology in, and out, of the classroom.

In Doug Johnson's list of brilliant things teachers do with technology, he listed many things that I need to do in my own future classroom. He said, "Technology is an amplifier of good abilities," which is very true. He also talked about the importance of getting students in touch with the world, which is a major advantage of incorporating technology in the classroom. Doug Johnson had many things to offer in his list of 7 Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology. In the New Classroom Rules list, I found several great modern twists to the traditional classroom rules. I noticed that a lot of the rules included a phrase about sharing information and ideas with others, through the use of technology in some way. I thought that this was a great representation of the collaboration that needs to take place more in classrooms today, especially with the technology movement. Teachers need to learn to think with these added phrases to the old rules, for the students' sake. These new rules really triggered my thoughts about the upcoming years and the endless possibilities that lay ahead. Both of these lists were helpful to me, and proved even more that technology is going to play a vital role in the success of students, and therefore, my success as a teacher.

At The Teacher's Desk

The blog, At The Teacher's Desk, is one that I find to be very helpful. There are many experienced professionals that collaborate to make this blog a great, useful resource for educators. This blog is a part of my Personal Learning Network, and it is one that I will go to for many future references, I am sure. I have found several posts that were interesting to me and could be helpful to me as a future teachers. I like the post by Mr. Chamberlain, Teachers Need to Become Social Networking Experts. It talked about the importance of teachers connecting themselves to other teaches, and gave a great example about him asking for help on Twitter for finding games for students. He received a ton of suggestions from people that he didn't even know. This shows that we never know what can come out of trying something different. Another post that I found helpful was Jarrod Lamshed's Using Technology for Effective Communication . In this post, he explained how social communities such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as using a cell phone, can be good means of communicating with parents, if the parents are willing to check these things regularly as well.

I found an entertaining post that really caught my attention and made me think; it is called Pencils and Crayons to be Banned in Schools . The post sounded like an article from a newspaper, and it was discussing children's improper use of pencils by poking each other with them and sharpening them while they could be working. There was also the mention of colored pencils and how they stimulate creativity that is distracting in the classroom. At the end, the post said that the ball point pen is gaining popularity too and posed the question of what schools will do to handle that. It was obviously a joke, but it does grab your attention and make you think. Another good post, to me, was Mr. McClung's, Why I Blog. He discussed his reasons for blogging. He mentioned learning and sharing ideas with other teachers, and that is one point that makes me want to have my own classroom blog when I am a teacher. He also discussed criticism he receives for incorporating technology in his classroom, which is good for people to see and know that it is not always easy to introduce and try something new but it is worth the risk. There are several posts similar to the Google Wave post that explain and promote technological tools in educations. I find these helpful and ones that I need to pay close attention to in order to stay updated on new tools that will benefit my students and myself and allow me to incorporate technology into my classroom. I think that a collaborative professional blog, such as this one, At the Teacher's Desk, serves as a great resource for educators. More people contributing means that more ideas, suggestions, experience stories, and feedback are available, which are all tools in themselves.

Michael Wesch- Toward A New Future Of Whatever

After watching Michael Wesch's video, I felt that he was summing up my generation and my daily life. Too often I see the people with the "Whatever, I don't care" attitude as well as those with the "Whatever, I do what I want" attitude. These are both selfish ways of thinking and these attitudes lead to lifestyles of narcissism and no compassion for others. I think that people today are focused on themselves, their own goals, their own lives, and getting ahead, instead of helping others achieve their goals and helping others with their lives. We are seeing fragmentation from this type of self- centered lifestyle. Because of text messaging cell phones and computers, there is less and less human interaction, which people are enjoying because it gives them more time to focus on themselves. However, Michael Wesch does make a good point by saying that even though there is less face to face real conversations, people reveal their most private thoughts and feelings on the internet through communities like YouTube. Through these personal expressions, people are learning more and more about themselves and not just about each other.

Though I do not personally like the fact that media interaction is replacing person-to-person conversations, I think that good things can come from these media communities. I agree with Mr. Wesch that it does allow for collaboration. Because of instant access to other people and media resources, we are able to share more with a large audience easily and learn more from a variety of people. I think that it is great to be connected with many other people and work with them. I really like the free hugs video as well as the hand messages video because I love to see many people working together to send a powerful message. We need more people that are willing to try to make a difference. And I realize that would not be possible without those social communities created on the internet. I also thought it was a great point about how we learn more about ourselves through our interactions with others. Those YouTube videos were perfect examples of that. This talk made me realize that I am part of a selfish generation. However, that does not mean that I have to be like that. Change always starts small, and it looks like some people are already doing their part to send a call to action, like those on the hand messages video. One of the main reasons I want to be a teacher is to help others, and I hope that by doing that, I will become more about community and less about self. I want to have the future "Whatever" attitude that Michael Wesch discussed: "I'll do Whatever it takes by whatever means necessary."

Why Post Students' Work on the Internet?

After watching the PS 22 Chorus Landslide video, I was so moved. I think that it is important for children, like these, to be able to share their work, their thoughts, their feelings, with whomever will listen. I think that it is empowering to students and gives them confidence. They can share their work with others and see how it affects others, and it allows them to get feedback through comments. In these children's case, they received an invitation to do the song again at Fleetwood Mack's show in Madison Square Garden, which would not have happened if their video had not been posted on the internet. I also think that students need to share information with others as a part of being an active member of the world in which they live. They receive information from the internet all the time, so posting their work to their blogs, and sharing it in other ways, allows them to give back. These reasons I just listed are why I want to have my future students do blogs.

This is just one example of why students should share their work, by posting a YouTube video and getting a major response from it. There are a few other reasons that students should share their work on the internet and connect themselves with the world. They can share their work through blogs, just like Mrs. Goerend's class does. This allows students to share stories and thoughts with a vast audience. The comments they receive about their posts can be used as feedback for praise or for improvement, both are good. Also, when students connect with other students through programs such as Facebook, they can share ideas, information, and advice. They can support each other, help each other in problem areas, and share stories that will help each other get through similar situations. They can connect with other students outside of their area and learn from them as well to get a very different point of view from their own. Another reason why students should share their work on the internet is because they can help others. Students are always looking to the internet as a resource of information. Posting their own work gives them the opportunity to help other people or make other people think. I think that some students can do this through their blog posts or by posting a video on YouTube. One example that I have encountered that really made me think was the video of A Vision of Students Today. I considered my own college experience and how things could be better, and I think that most people that watch that video have to be stimulated to think about college classes. Another video that moved me was the video that Mr. Chamberlain's class did, Dear Kaia, because those students took the time to make a little girl and her dad happy by encouraging her photography and his "find the beauty in everything" attitude. I thought that it was so nice for them to do this, and I am sure that it helped Kaia and her dad by supporting them. So you can see, it is important for students to post their work to their blogs, or in other ways. It gives them a chance to get connected with the rest of the world, which helps them learn more and have a better chance for success.

Comments4Kids 3

This week, I visited and commented on Kasey's blog post. She was assigned to write a letter to Mr. Goerend's class. Her letter was about her school's homecoming week. She talked about how she enjoyed the parade and dressing up like a pirate. She said that her team beat the Hawks, just as they had the previous year. She reminded me of how much I enjoyed homecoming in school, which I told her in my comment. I enjoyed reading Kasey's post.

ACCESS

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a distance learning program that allows students to take web based courses. These courses are sometimes taught through Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) or are just simply web based. The program allows schools to offer more classes such as foreign language classes, AP courses, and many electives. Also, ACCESS allows a multitude of resources- internet sites- for teachers to use to supplement the web instruction. There are a lot of resources available like Alabama Virtual Library, ALEX, ChemLab, and more for students to use with their courses. The goal of ACCESS is to provide equal access to high quality learning through 21st century technology. There has been a lot of positive response to the program so far, and it is only 5 years old.

I think that ACCESS is a great program that really does connect educators and students statewide. I like that the students are using technology in their work because knowing about technology is going to be soon be a key component to success. Also, the program allows students to work at their own pace, in a way, and can provide a better learning opportunity through all of the internet resources available. I know that in my small home town, students are now starting to use this program and some of them enjoy it because they feel like they are on the same level as other students from bigger schools. I can see that a draw back of the program might be the little person-to-person contact between the student and the teacher, which I do not like. However, the e -mailing and Interactive Videoconferencing allow sufficient communication. I think that ACCESS is very beneficial to Alabama students, and I hope that the program will reach every state school soon so that all students will have the same great opportunities.

ALEX

The Alabama Learning Exchange is something that is new to me, but I am very glad that I am learning about it now. It is a very useful resource for everyone involved in education. There is information that is beneficial to teachers, students, and parents available on the ALEX website. While ALEX is a work in progress, there are already so many helpful resources available. There are lesson plans for any subject at any grade level, links to helpful websites for teachers and students, a variety of podcasts to access, a personal workspace for teachers, and an educational search engine. The ALEX Thinkfinity project gives teachers a search engine that will access lesson plans and students activities that are discipline specific and very helpful. Also, teachers can receive Thinkfinity training that will teach them all about ALEX and Thinkfinity so that they have a strong knowledge of the program that they can share with others near them. This allows better use of ALEX.

I think that ALEX is an excellent idea for Alabama teachers and students. I like it because it allows quick and easy access to material that will benefit me as the teacher, such as lesson plans and activities that pertain to the subjects I will be teaching. Also, there are materials, like podcasts and web links, available for students and parents, so it benefits everyone. I like the Thinkfinity search engine because it produces useful, educational material that I can use. The personal workspace for teachers is also a good idea for teachers to be able to save their lesson plans and web pages to this site. The main thing that I like about ALEX is that it is a collaborative project so teachers are working together and sharing information through this program, and it has potential for a lot of growth.

Comments4Kids 2

I visited and commented on Andy's blog. Andy talked about how much he likes video games. He has a Wii and likes to play a lot, and I have a Wii too which I really enjoy playing. He said that also enjoys games on the internet. I suggested that he check out some educational games because they are helpful and surprisingly fun.

Comments4Kids 1

I visited Mr. Goerend's class blog and I left comments for Shelby, Cassie, Matt, Ian, and Maddie. They had some very cute stories that I enjoyed reading. For the most part, their stories were well written and had lots of good details, which made them even better to read. Shelby talked about going to a horse camp in her post. She talked about riding horses, eating marshmallows, and seeing bats. It sounds like Shelby had lots of fun at the farm and she said that she will miss it. In Cassie's post, "The Moment", she described how she got her dog, Chester. She said that her parents surprised her and took her to the Animal Rescue League and told her just to look. When she found a cute little dog that was in need of much help, though, her parents let her have it.

Matt's post was about his first tackle football game. He described how hot the day was and gave some pre-game details. He said that he plays for a team called the Giants and he plays on the line. He said that when his team scored, the crowd cheered loud and sounded "like an NFL game". Matt said that his team was up 13-0 at the half, then scored again in the last quarter to win the game. Ian's post was about his weekend bike rides with his dad. He described one ride where they rode on a path around the town. They saw birds and other wildlife as well as a lake and a bridge that was partially made of glass. He said that they rode all the way to the city water treatment plant. This reminded me of when I was young and used to ride my bike around town with my best friend. It is great to get out and explore any chance you get. Maddie's post was called "Cats Galore", which I thought was a cute title. She talked about going to pick up her two cats. She said that her favorite song was on the radio and that made her feel happy and excited, which I can totally relate to. She said that on the way to get them, she was trying to think of names for her cats and when she saw them, she decided to name them Sassy and Bingo. I enjoyed this week's Comments4Kids posts; I thought that these were some great stories.

My Peronal Learning Network

The Edurati Review- Kelly Hines

I have found that the Edurati Review site is one that has endless resources for me. There are so many great posts that I can read now and refer back to when I am teaching that will help me be successful. Kelly Hines is one of my favorite contributors to this blog because she has some very interesting points about technology in the classroom, and her thoughts about it are similar to mine. She made the point that technology is an important tool in the classroom, but it is not the most important thing. There are many factors that go into teaching and learning, and technology is a part of that list of factors, so we cannot focus too much on the technology and forget about the other skills that will help teachers be effective. However, we do need to emphasize technology in the classroom in order for the students to be successful. Confusing enough? There is a happy medium, I think, and I hope to find that in my classroom. Kelly Hines's posts and many others at the Edurati Review will be useful to me now and in my future teaching career. I am following this blog, and I am following Kelly Hines on Twitter.

At The Teacher's Desk

The blog site At The Teacher's Desk is full of useful tips and advice for teachers. There are posts that I have read that taught me things about technology, leadership, communication, and more. One post that I really enjoyed, and will definitely read again before my first year of teaching, is Mr. McClung's "What I've Learned This Year". The first thing I noticed was the picture at the top with the words "stay positive" written on the paper. That spoke volumes to me because I know that is going to be a struggle of mine when things do not go how I think they should. He had some very inspirational advice to give about things that he learned from his first year teaching. Another post that stuck out to me was the "Teachers Need To Become Social Networking Experts" post by Mr. Chamberlain. He made some very good points and used good examples to support them. I think that social networking is something that I need to work on myself, so I think that Mr. Chamberlain will be a useful contact to me presently and in the future. I am following Mr. Chamberlain on Twitter.

Jackie Gerstein

I am following Jackie Gerstein on Twitter. I love her quote, "I don't do teaching for a living, I live teaching as my doing, and technology has amplified my passion." That is a great way to look at teaching, and it inspired me to try and develop that attitude as well. She has a lot of useful links on her twitter and she is always giving ideas about technology tools in the classroom. She had posted a link about iPod use in the classroom, which is an interesting topic to me. One of my favorite things that I have gotten from her is the PowerPoint search engine site. I love PowerPoints because I find that the organization helps me understand the information. This made me so happy because it is a resource I can use and pass along to my students to use.

Mr. Byrne and Free Technology For Teachers

I am following Mr. Byrne on Twitter. Mr. Byrne contributes to the Free Technology For Teachers blog. He is always posting useful resources and technology ideas for teachers and it is all free. What I really like about the Free Technology For Teachers blog is that you can select a subject (like science) and it will show you resources for that subject. I saw a post from Mr. Byrne that included a list of educational games and game resources, which is always good to have because students sometimes need the interaction games can give them when writing gets to be too monotonous and boring. Also, I found that Mr Byrne uses cell phones in his classroom. On one of his Twitter posts, he said that he had his students text their parents Civics questions because it is a good way to get parents involved in the classroom. I thought this was a great idea. I know that Mr. Byrne's ideas are going to be useful to me as a teacher and the Free Technology For Teachers blog will be a helpful resource as well.

Edutopia

I am following Edutopia on Twitter and Facebook. I find that Edutopia has some great ideas about technology in the classroom and teaching in general. The Edutopia website always has many great stories on the front page to read. There is a section of the website that I found interesting that talks about Teacher Development, which includes things like community partnership and classroom management, to name a few. There is also a section labeled Technology Integration which includes things like social networks, interactive whiteboards, and simulations. The Edutopia blog, which can be accessed from the website, has some great ideas too. There were posts about tips for teaching new media and current events like President Obama's back-to-school speech. I have found interesting posts on a wide variety of topics. They are up-to-date on current technology in classrooms, and they have very good ideas and helpful advice. Edutopia's website and blog are things that are helpful to me now and will remain useful resources in the future.

Dear Kaia...

My first reaction to all of this was astonishment. I just got started with blogging, and I do not know much about it other than how to post. Then, I see that this three-year-old, Kaia, has her own blog. That shows me just how fast the technology world is changing, and communication is effected majorly by that change. Kaia's dad explained that her blog started out as a way to share photos with family and has become way to document her life. Kaia's pictures were wonderful, especially for such a small child to have taken them. I thought that it was just awesome that her dad is teaching her to explore her surroundings and look for the good in all of it. Then, they made the video of Kaia explaining the pictures that she had taken. I think that it is a very good thing that her dad is introducing her to this technology at a young age because she will need to be familiar with technology such as this throughout her life.

I went on to find that Kaia's dad communicated with Mr. Chamberlain's class via Skype and suggested that they make a video for Kaia with their comments because she can't yet read. The class's video with the voicethread was great! The class from Missouri communicated with a child and her father across the world in Qatar. Kaia's father posted the story to his blog and brought up some good points about parents' negative feelings toward their children's availability on the internet. Many parents, I am sure, are skeptical about their children having a blog on the internet for anyone to see. Like Mr. Jabiz Raisdana said, we have to trust that the good will outweigh the bad. I totally agree because we have to be willing to take chances in order to learn and grow. I think that Kaia's story will help people see that the risk is worth taking. To think that in a matter of minutes, we can share ideas with, and learn from, people all over the world, is empowering to me because I can see how useful that could be especially in education. Also, I could see how videos could be helpful as well to communicate and even use as presentations for reports or projects. I could connect my students with the world and help them gain the experience with technology that they need to succeed; the sky is literally the limit... for now.

New Media Literacies Project

Project New Media Literacies began in 2006 as a research project to find out ways that technology is changing students' learning, socializing, and participating in life. They hope for the outcome to be better educational and social institutions that can meet the needs of the present and future generations. Today's youth are actively participating in their learning, socializing, and culture in ways that past generations never thought of. They are creating media designs and sharing them with the world. They are connecting themselves to the world through affiliations like Facebook and Myspace. They are making videos and putting them on sites such as YouTube for anyone and everyone to see and comment on. They are working together to create new knowledge and posting their ideas to things like Wikipedia. They are influencing media through blogging and podcasts. There are many good things about this participatory culture, such as peer-to-peer communication and learning as well as skill development that is admired in the work place. These skills are part of the New Media Literacies and are ones that can be used in the classroom and in day to day life.

The New Media Literacies are skills that are needed to participate in this world of new technology. It is the educators' job to make sure that students are gaining these skills. There are some problems with this because some students do not have personal computers, but there are ways for teachers to help those students gain those skills at school. These skills are vital in students' success in the technology culture of today. Using those skills, most of the youth today have created some form of media such as a Facebook profile or YouTube video, so they are considered media creators. By creating their own works, students are in control of their learning and social development to some extent. By participating in creating things like this, they are learning to become more involved with others and less involved in just themselves while still being able to incorporate some form of individual expression.

The New Media Literacies Project hopes to solve some problems such as the participation gap and the transparency problem. The participation gap is the unequal access to experiences, skills, and knowledge that prepare youth for the new participatory culture that has developed. In order for all youth to gain the skills needed to succeed, they need to be taught how to participate in media creativity as well as the New Media Literacies skills. The transparency problem is young people's inability to see how media shapes the perceptions of the world. They need to understand how media, including their own creations, are affecting the world. The New Media Literacies skills, such as judgement, negotiation, play, transmedia navigation, performance, visualization, and multitasking, are all skills that will help students succeed in school as well as in their future work place. These skills will not only help with participating in a media dominated culture, but also help with day to day life.

You can visit the New Media Literacies Project website and find out more!

New Media Literacies Video

The New Media Literacies Staff's video covered many different skills that are important to acquire and maintain in today's society. These skills, as mentioned, are needed for basically all areas of life. They can be used in the classroom, in the work place, and in social activities. I think that these are skills that teachers definitely need to have and make sure to pass on to their students. Judgement is one of the skills mentioned and I agree that it is important to know if information you find is reliable or not. Also, negotiation was mentioned, which is a skill that helps a person work in groups of different types. Appropriation is a good one for teachers because teachers need to be able to explain content in a meaningful way so students can understand better and learn easier. I really like that they mentioned play as a skill, saying that it is the "capacity to experiment with our surroundings". I think that it is important to be willing to explore and try things and learn. There will certainly be a lot of playing in my classroom because science is a subject that requires experiments and exploration and lots of learning.

Another skill mentioned was transmedia navigation, which will aid in finding resources of different types and gaining large amounts of information. Simulation could be useful to teachers because by using this, they could help their students visualize what they are explaining. Visualization will help with this as well. Multitasking is very important on a day to day basis. Multi tasking saves time and can be very helpful in relieving stress by checking off multiple things on your To Do list at the same time. Performance was another skill mentioned. I think that you should always do your best in whatever you do, and make sure that you are satisfied with your performance at the end of each day. There is not time for What ifs in education. Teachers need to put their best foot forward every day in order for their students to be able to succeed and put their best foot forward in the future. Some other skills mentioned were collective intelligence and distributed cognition, which were not explained in detail. I think that these are skills that would aid in gaining and retaining information, and are important. I think that I possess quite a few of these skills, though I need to work on acquiring others such as better appropriation, simulation, collective intelligence, and distributed cognition. I think that it is important for me as a future teacher to acquire the new media literacy skills that I do not have and work to improve those that I do possess.

Networked Student

Wendy Drexler's video, The Networked Student ,was interesting to me. I found some very good points about student networking. I agree that it is important for students to get connected to the rest of the world. There is a vast amount of information available and people to communicate with, whether they are experts in the field or students interested in the subject. I think that it makes for a more informed and well rounded student if the student can gain insight from people with different ideas and points of view. Also, I think that it is important for students to be able to share their knowledge and ideas with others. It makes learning more exciting and rewarding to be able to share the information with others and communicate with people about the things that interest them.

I liked that Ms. Drexler's video mentioned that networked students take control of their learning. I think students who are actively involved in their learning process may learn better because they can learn as much as they can and are not limited to only the information in a text book and they can learn at their own pace. Several things were mentioned that would aid the networked student in learning. A social bookmarking site is where the student posts his or her findings and can view links to other resources related to their topic of interest. Blogs could be found that discuss the student's topic, and he or she can post comments to these blogs to share ideas. Then, the student can create his or her own blog to share what he or she has learned. Others can comment on the student's blog posts which can be useful information and ideas for the student to consider. Also, iTunes U was mentioned in the video, which gives students access to a lot of information, which sometimes comes from some of the best experts in the field from some of the finest universities.

I think that student networking is a vital part of education in the 21st century. I think that students should be more active in their learning. Networking can help students learn efficient researching, open mindedness, creativity, and can help them learn beyond the restrictions of a text book. Students do need teachers, though, for guidance and help. I think that I need to be willing to teach a networked student. I think that there is so much information out there just waiting to be discovered and I do not want to hold students back from that. However, I see where some responsibility issues and computer availability may create problems for some students, so I think that I would rather incorporate networking into my class rather than have the entire class dominated by networking.

"This Is How We Dream"

After watching Richard Miller's videos, This Is How We Dream, I realize that there are possibilities out there for education and all other areas of life that I cannot even fathom. At first, I was not really following his talk, but I began to see what he was explaining. His idea is a very creative one, which I think is good. People need to think outside the box more often and push the boundaries. Like Mr. Miller said, "The limits and restrictions are largely ones we place on ourselves." This statement stuck out to me because I agree that we are sometimes lazy and do not try hard enough to be creative and come up with useful ideas. Instead, we wait for someone else to do it or just don't think about the possibilities at all.

Richard Miller mentions that we are living in a time where we can communicate instantly and globally. I agree that now is a good time to bring in some new ideas for that communication. His idea of writing with multimedia is a transforming idea for the education field. For students to be able to be "authors" themselves and actively contribute to the projects is great. Also, the collaboration that would take place is a great skill that many students need to practice. What I really liked about this was that it incorporates text, audio, images, and even video. There is a huge range of possibilities when working with so many different media, and the information that you could supply when creating these compositions is endless.

Mr. Miller is correct that we cannot teach this mulitmedia writing yet. Many people, including myself, do not fully understand the process of creating this type of composition. However, if enough teachers are willing to learn, we could see this being introduced into education soon. I think that even though it would benefit English and writing classes more, I could use it in the Scince classes for research and some projects. Also, I think it is possible that if it gains enough support, students shouls be learning to create mulitmeda compostions because it could possibly replace today's word processing compositions. I think that the multimedia writing is challenging, but I agree with Richard Miller that it can and should be done.

iPods in Instruction

I was surprised to find how many ways iPods could be used in the classroom. Being from a very small town and school, I have never heard of iPods being used in the classroom. However, I found that several instructors use them for various reasons. The Education World website had a list of links that contained information about iPods in the classroom. From this site, I found that it is better if the iPods (or iPhones) that the students use have access to the internet because there are many more classroom uses for the iPod. Also, I found a website called Learning In Hand, which lists several uses for iPods in the classroom, including ways to help students with math and reading. From the School CIO website, I found that iPods can really enhance the information you give students through images, audio, and video. In Orange County, California, one way teachers are using iPods is they are having the students record a podcast of what they learned during the week and using that for review throughout the year.

I was surprised to learn that in 2004, Duke University handed out free iPods to entering Freshmen. Several classes incorporated the iPods into the classroom to enhance the students' learning and allow them access to the information outside of the classroom. This test run became the Duke Digital Initiative that aims to put emerging technology into the classroom for academic enhancement. The Duke Digital Inititiative website has a lot of information to offer about the uses of iPods and other technology in the classroom. Though I am not going to teach elementary school, I found a very good website, Pre-K Pages, that gives many good ideas for iPod uses in the classroom. This teacher uses music from the iPod to help the children learn numbers, letters, and shapes. She also mentioned a listening center, which is used for homework. The teacher can record his/her own voice, so the students can listen to a story he/she read. Those were some pretty neat ideas for younger students, so just thought I would share.

iTunes U

I think that iTunes U, or iTunes University, can be useful to me both as a current students and a future teacher. As a student, I can search for a certain topic and there will be multiple resources available to help me learn. I was surprised to find just how many things were available because prior to this class, no one had ever mentioned iTunes U to me. I am going to be taking many science classes, so I clicked on the Science topic tab and found that there were are videos and podcasts available for me to download that cover a variety of concentrations of science. There are have downloadable lectures, called "tracks"that can assist me in studying as well. There are many more subjects and topics available as well, so if I want to learn something new and not necessarily just for school, I certainly can using this program. I have an iPod, so I could download things and view them at any time on my iPod or computer.

iTunes U could also be helpful to me as a teacher in the future. There are podcasts that discuss teaching and some have helpful ideas that I can later use. There are a few episodes, which I liked, that give an overview of blogs in the classroom as well as classroom blog features. There are also episodes that show how to use certain programs such as Microsoft Excel in the classroom. The information on iTunes U is updated, so by using iTunes U, I will be able to keep up-to-date on developing technological tools in the classroom. I am glad to know about iTunes University because it is going to be a useful tool for me as a current student as well as a teacher in the future.

Google Earth From Dr. Alice Christie

I viewed Dr. Alice Christie's Google Earth tutorial. Google Earth will be a very useful tool for me in my classroom because I am teaching science. By using Google Earth, my students will be able to explore the world from the classroom for free. Dr. Alice Christie's explanation of Google Earth was very helpful to me and easy to understand. I learned that though all images are copyrighted, Google allows educational use of the images, which I am glad to know. I also appreciated the list of layers provided. This helped me see what I might be interested in looking for and will help me direct my students in the right direction when they are searching for sites. The Gallery list included some things that caught my attention such as NASA, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes because these are things that my Earth science students will be learning about.

Dr. Alice Christie has some very good points as to why Google Earth should be used in the classroom. I agree with her that it is a good way to get the students involved in and excited about learning about the world in which they live. I know that students find technology more appealing that paper and pencil work. This means they are more likely to pay better attention to the information and retain it easier since they are more involved in the lesson. I also agree with her in that it helps connect the students to their world. They can virtually tour any place in the world, which makes it seem as if they are visiting the place instead of just seeing a couple of pictures in their textbooks. I loved the example lesson she had about measuring as well as the list of other possible lessons a teacher could use. I also saw that there is a Google Earth Blog, which may be helpful to me in the future. I enjoyed learning about Google Earth from Dr. Alice Christie, and I will most likely use her site as a future reference when I am using Google Earth in my classroom.

Mr. McClung- What I've Learned This Year

I really enjoyed this post by Mr. McClung. He shared his feelings and experiences from his first year if teaching, and he had many helpful things to say. This will be a post that I may need to refer to before I enter my first year teaching. There were quite a few things mentioned that will help me in my own classroom. I thought it was great that he mentioned that the lessons should be student centered. Different classes will learn in different ways and at different rates, so this is an important thing to remember. He also mentioned that the lessons do not have to turn out just as the teacher expects. It is alright to make mistakes, even for the teacher. Mr. McClung mentioned the importance of communication. I am a firm believer that communication is one of the key ingredients to a strong foundation for a relationship.

Mr. McClung tells us to be reasonable. This is one of the most important things that I got from this post. No one is perfect, and teachers have to allow room for the students to improve. I think that it is good to challenge students and encourage them to do their very best, but I think that it is important for students to feel that glorious feeling of accomplishment more than they feel the disappointment of not reaching their goals. He also says that we should not be afraid of technology. I agree that technology can be a useful tool in the classroom, and students need to be comfortable with technology because they will be using it daily. Mr. McClung said, "Listen to your students. You may be the only one that does." This is very true, and I hope that I am a teacher that the students can approach and talk to because, again, communication is important. Another big statement that Mr. McClung made was, "Never stop learning." I think that teachers should want to learn as much as possible for the students and for themselves. I know that I am excited that I am going to teach a field that is constantly changing and growing-science. So, sometimes I may have to learn with my students, and that sounds good to me.

Can Wikipedia Be Trusted?

I have not trusted Wikipedia for some time now because I had heard from a former teacher that it is not a reliable source, since anyone can make edits to entries. After reading these few pieces: the NPR news blog, the NPR article,and the Wired article, I think that Wikipedia may be a trusted resource, but very rarely. I think that the Wikipedia Scanner that has been developed by Virgil Griffith is an incredibly helpful tool for Wikipedia users. Now, everyone can see who is making the edits to the online encyclopedia and judge whether or not the information is true. I also think that people will think before they edit Wikipedia since they can be traced using the Wikipedia Scanner. I think that Wikipedia can be used as a trustful source of information if, and only if, the information can be found true when compared to other sources. Also, other sources must be searched for information that may have been left out or deleted from Wikipedia. I think that because of the development of the Wikipedia Scanner, Wikipedia will become more trustworthy. However, I think that as long as the general public can edit entries, it is not completely reliable. I, personally, do not want to use Wikipedia because there are more trustworthy resources available.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Before I begin to discuss the information presented in Randy Pausch's Last Lecture I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this video. This man is so energetic and optimistic while going through something that causes most people to be depressed. His talk inspired me as a future teacher and a person. These things I should know and do, but I needed to be reminded to live my life to the fullest, take everyday for granted, and know that everyone that I come into contact with is important. He discussed several ideas and techniques that are not only useful to teachers but good principles for life. He talked about chasing your dreams, helping others, and also gave very good advice.

Randy Pausch mentioned dreams throughout the entire lecture. He talked about how important it is to go after your own specific dreams. I think that it is important to recognize your goals at a young age and practice making effort to achieve those dreams and goals. This sets up a lifestyle that will bring more success than one with no determination to reach any goals. He also talked about how important fundamentals are in your life. We learn certain things at a young age that can be used throughout life. He called those fundamental lessons "head fakes" because we get them indirectly from learning something else. His example was how sports teach us teamwork, discipline, and perseverance which is exactly right. This concept can easily be used in the classroom because you can make learning fun and interesting by playing games or doing fun projects while teaching the students the lesson behind it all.

In his lecture, Randy Pausch also discussed the importance of other people in our lives and us in other people's lives. He worked on several programs (Alice, Building Virtual Worlds, and Entertainment Technology Center Masters) that required students to work together in groups. Their success was determined by the group. Throughout life, we have to learn to work with other people. Teamwork and an open mind are required of most people on a daily basis, so it is important that we learn those skills at a young age and continue to practice those things. His students received a bar chart that showed them the feedback from their classmates as to how well they worked with others. Feedback is always important, and we should take that information and use it to fix the problems and better ourselves. Randy Pausch made the point that when no one bothers to tell you that you are doing something wrong, that is bad because that means they have given up on you. He made the point that everyone in our lives is important; teachers, friends, colleagues, and even students are all people that we can learn from. Also, I completely agree with him that we need to take advantage of opportunities to help other people.

Randy Pausch had very good advice to pass on in his last lecture. One of the most important points to him seemed to be to always have fun. I agree that this is something that will definitely help teachers because students are always eager to have fun. It makes it easier to learn something that is presented in an interesting, enthusiastic manner. He also said that we never need to lose our childlike wonder. This is so true. One of my favorite things that he said was that brick walls do have a very important purpose. He said that they are there to keep out the people that did not want it badly enough and to let the people that did want it badly enough to prove that. This was something that is inspirational to me because I often get overwhelmed and ask "Why?" when I hit a brick wall. He also made the point that you have to decide if you are Tigger or Eeyore. Only you can decide if you want to be happy and optimistic about life, or pessimistic and become a victim of your circumstances. Even in spite of the fact that he is dying, he decided to be a Tigger, and that spoke to me because I find myself being more of an Eeyore sometimes and I would love to change that. I like that he closed with the "head fake" of the entire lecture, and that was that he was trying to tell us that the big picture of his talk was that these things are ways that we should live our life. Thank you Randy Pausch for a wonderful, inspirational last lecture.

Karl Fisch- Is It Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teahcer?

After reading Mr. Fisch's post, I thought that it was very blunt, but needed to be said. There are so many teachers that think that is it okay to be technologically illiterate. Some teachers think that if they only use PowerPoint to teach, that is enough. Others think that if they give students a list of helpful internet sites, they have done enough. This is not true. To be technologically literate is to have a number of abilities and qualities. Technologically literate teachers are a necessity in schools today in order for the students to reach their full potential and be successful now and always.

I must agree with Mr. Fisch's statement, "If a teacher today is not technologically literate- and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more-it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." He is right that people who are technologically illiterate do not have as many opportunities for success as those who can use technology. Teachers have to be willing to accept changes in technology, learn how to use new technological tools and incorporate them into the class, and learn, sometimes along with the students. Although I do not think that technology is the top priority in the classroom, I have to agree that it is a vital tool. Almost every day we are required to use some form of technology, and it is going to continually move in that direction. Who are we, as teachers, to hinder the students from being able to perform what will be basic tasks in a few years?

It's Not About the Technology

I completely agree with the post that Kelly Hines wrote. She said quite a few things that I have believed and tried to get other people to see for a while. Technology is not the key to education in the future. It is important, useful, convenient, and is a great supplement. I just don't think it should be the top priority. She mentioned some things that teachers must understand and be willing to do before they can be successful. I believe that the teacher is the foundation in the classroom, and if the foundation is not strong, it cannot support the rest of the structure (students), with or without the help of the technological tools. Mrs. Hines said that teachers must be learners and have a pro-learning attitude. That is exactly what I hope to be. If the teacher is unwilling to learn, I do not think that he or she will be keen to learn to use and get creative with technology enough to be successful with it and benefit the students.

I especially liked when Mrs. Hines applied physics to education and said that if the students did not learn anything, then no teaching was done. She said, "Teaching in the 21st century is going to be about working smarter, not harder." That is exactly right. Too many teachers push and push the information onto students, but they do not get creative enough and manipulate the method of teaching enough for the students to learn. I think that technology could be used as an aid to present the material differently and more creatively, but I think that it would have to start with the teacher being willing to get creative. There were several topics that present things that teachers can improve themselves before getting technology involved that would be beneficial. I think that the bottom line is that in order for technology to be used successfully, the teacher must be able to be successful without it, by having those qualities that Mrs. Hines listed. Better teachers is the priority, technology is the supplement that, when combined with a great teacher, will bring a number of possibilities for achievement into the classroom.

A Vision of Students Today

This video, Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today, hit the nail on the head. In the college education system, there are more wrongs than rights, I believe. Students like myself are desperate for a degree because there will be no bright and hopeful future without it. Yet, students are just making their personal debt pile higher and higher because the expenses are so outrageous. Sure, it is an investment in our future. However, I think there needs to be a reform in the financial aspect of college education. I think that is is unfair to overwhelm students with such a huge financial burden when they are already dealing with so much in the transition process of becoming a college student. Plus, students are seeing more and more problems in and out of the classroom, which makes it easier to complain about the cost. I am paying a very large amount of money, and while I know that college is not a business, I do not think that I should feel like there are more wrongs than rights with the college education system. I think there is a way to combine customer and student into one and make college more in favor of the students since they are the ones that are paying most of the bills and keeping the college in business.

The video pointed out some problems in the classroom environment. There was a sign that said the student's average class size was 115. This is not uncommon in most schools. I have a couple of large classes, and I have noticed that the teacher may or may not make an effort to get to know individuals and names. Most of the time, students are just a number to those teachers, which usually makes the teacher seem less personable and approachable to the students. Also, most teachers just present the material in a lecture format, and they do have a thorough knowledge of the information but the way in which it is presented is hard to understand or keep focused on. Maybe that is why so many students skip class or browse the internet while the instructor is speaking. I know that personally, I want to learn those things that will help me in my future career and I think it would benefit many students to have more hands on training in their field and less time sitting, listening (or not) to a teacher repeat themselves in an unappealing manner. Also, those classes that are irrelevant to my field are just costing me unnecessary money. There may be advantages to becoming more "well rounded", but there are too many of those classes that are in the general studies category that are required. I am not saying cut out all of those, but I don't want to spend two years of time and money reading and hearing things that I am going to forget before I even graduate. As a college student, I am trying to prepare myself for a future career and I want to learn the things that will aid me in that. All of those extra classes are just a waste of time and money that I could be spending on job training. Also, the price of textbooks was brought up in the video. It is hard for me to understand why I need to spend so much money on a book that I barely use for only four or five months. Even if I use the textbook, I do not usually keep it. Then there goes five or six hundred dollars usually per semester in textbooks, down the drain.

The video had several students saying that they facebook in class and do other things on their laptops than take notes. I do not bring my laptop to class, but I see students in all of my classes browsing the internet and looking at things that have nothing to do with the class. We are paying all this money ( or borrowing and will pay later) to sit in class and play around on the computer or not come to class at all. That is the students' faults, of course. However, don't you think that if the lecture was presented in a way that caught and held our attention that we would be more apt to stay focused? I know that college professors and doctors do not have to have a teaching degree to teach, and I am not sure that is the problem. I just know that without having training in teaching, they may not know some methods to present the material in a better way that would benefit the students and themselves. It seems as if sometimes the teachers are not interested in helping the students at all, and I think that is wrong. As for the comment about people thinking that technology can save us, I am not sure what my opinion is yet. I can see where technology can be convenient, and a time saver, but as for a life saver in college, I am not so sure.I think that a lot could change in the attitude of the students and in the polices of the colleges to make college into a better, more beneficial institution.

Plagiarism

The United States' copyright regulations protect original works in many different types of media. Authors who produce an original work, even if it is unfinished, can get a copyright for their work. Literature is not the only thing that get a copyright, but musical works, dramatic works, architectural works, and more can be protected too. This is to ensure that the public will know the original creator of the work so that everyone does not claim the credit for it. Because of the copyright laws, it is important to give credit to the original creator or author of the work when the ideas or statements you are presenting are not yours originally. If you fail to give credit to the original author, you have committed plagiarism.

Plagiarism is one of the worst offenses that a student can make and is usually grouped in the academic dishonesty category (cheating). There are several ways to give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarizing. For example, when using a direct quote from someone (as in an interview, for example) or someone else's work, use quotation marks and give the name of the source from which it came. Also, if you are paraphrasing someone else's words, you must use your own words to summarize the work and cite the source from which those things came. There are some things that you do not have to cite a source for such as common knowledge and, of course, your own experiences, thoughts, and ideas that did not come from anyone else. Sometimes people accidentally plagiarize because some things are unclear whether to cite or not, but when in doubt you should go ahead and cite the source. That will avoid trouble in case you would have plagiarized without citing. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and it is completely avoidable. We must all remember to give credit where credit is due.

This information is a summary from the following plagiarism websites:
The OWL at Purdue 1
The OWL at Purdue 2
Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services
Bates College Statement on Plagiarism
U.S. Copyright Office

Alternative Web Browsing

There are several useful alternative tools that make it possible for people with disabilities to use the internet. There are several federal acts and guidelines that require the availability of information via internet sources to the general public, which includes people with disabilities. Examples of these include the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Web Accessibility Initiative is an effort to better the accessibility and use of the internet for those who have disabilities as well as for people who have alternative devices to use, such as cell phone users. Because of these things, several helpful tools have been developed including alternative we browsers and user agents. By using voice recognition, Braille and audio output, and other methods, the entire general public can access information and maneuver around the world wide web effectively.

Certain browsers are designed specifically for the disabled. These include Braillesurf, with speech and Braille output as well as large text; Marco Polo with speech output, auditory icons, and simple keyboard commands; and MultiWeb with screen magnification, speech output, and scanning for switch to devices just to name a few. There are also browsers that are for general use but include adaptive technology that allow enhanced screen navigation options. A few examples are Lynx, Internet Explorer, and Opera. Certain useul devices are available to use with a computer such as a screen reader that reads all parts of the screen for totally blind users. The screen magnification software, voice recognition software, screen readers, and alternative browsers make it possible for people with disabilities to access and browse the internet effectively.

This information is a collaboration from Stephen Sullivan's blog presentation and an Alternative Web Accessibility website.

Podcast Resource

I visited the Langwitches Blog site, click here to see it, and it had some very helpful guidelines on creating a pbodcast. They talked about finding what fits your group and purpose of the podcast. There was a list of different types of recordings, which is a good reference. They listed the steps for each step in developing a podcast. The list included some things listed that I would not have thought of in the process of creating a podcast. One of those things was showing the students what their voices "look" like in audacity. They also said to add in sound effects to mark transitions. This list will be a great tool to use in my classes in the future.

The site also included several examples of students' podcasts. They were fun to listen to and were nicely done, especially for such young students. Those will also be something useful to listen to when I am doing podcasts myself. There was also a list of several sites that might be interesting to visit under the heading Interesting Stuff to the left side of the page. It is always good to be able to see additional resources while you are looking at a site. The Langwitches Blog is useful now and will be a great tool later as well.