The podcast are pre done audio sessions done by one or more people. Podcasts are not live and can be recorded at any time then able to be replayed when desired. The KidCast podcast says that, “podcast are like TiVo for a radio.” This means that it is pre-recorded and can be accessed at any time of day or night. Podcast can be found everywhere on the internet and can be downloaded to your computer, IPods, IPhones, or to a separate blank CD so that they can be heard where ever you are go to be.
KidCast talked about when it is appropriate to use podcasting or vodcasting. Vodcasting is a visual images as well as audio. If you used the right program when recording your podcast or vodcast, you can add music to the backgrounds as extra excitement. To me, podcast are just like radio news. You can record anything from current events to books. If you were doing more than one person on the podcast you can always record one person and add others later. It can make scheduling around others easier.
EdTech Talk podcast has useful information about a professional development in the education field. In one of the episodes, it talks about information on state requirements and certification and re-certification for different states. To teachers, it gets more student interaction and makes assignments and learning fun. Podcast can involve slide shows, pictures and movies to elaborate on different topics being discussed and to have a visual guide.
Like discussed in Connect Learning podcast, podcasting is causal and easy to understand. Podcasting is also very informative. For Example, in a classroom environment, podcast can be useful for teachers to communicate with their students. A teacher can record on a podcast about school assignments that were given that day or on previous days for the students who were sick or for the students that were there that day but needed to get refreshed in the assignment. This is also a good way that teachers and parents can communicate to each other. The teachers can keep separate podcast with school information that all parents need to know like school closing. They can also, give information about the classroom, like field trips and parties for the class.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Is Technology Ruling the Classroom? (week 2)
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
“A Vision of Students Today” by Michael Wesch depicts the day of an average student. Mr. Wesch demonstrates that a student spends 26.5 hours a day on activities such as class time, listening to music, and studying. He further shows that the time spent in the classroom and studying is less than that spent on social interaction. Mr. Wesch also points out how an average college classroom holds 115 students in a single session. Finally, Mr. Wesch states that students bring their laptops to class and many do not use them for class work.
It is clear from Mr. Wesch statements that we can conclude the average student today focuses primarily on social interaction while studies are secondary. This emphasis on social interaction at the expense of education has lead to poor performance in the classroom. We can further conclude that the size of an average class and the abundance of social networking tools, which are now so easily accessible through advances in technology, are contributing factors to this trend.
My personal experience in recent years support Mr. Wesch’s statements and these conclusions. For example, a student in one of my previous classes sat in the very back corner listening to his iPod, never making eye contact with the power point slides. The result was that he failed exams and continued with the attitude that it did not really matter. In most of my Standard English, History, and Math classes, the size was over a hundred and set in a stadium style environment. It is not possible for a teacher to remember every name and face of his/ or her students when they have seven or eight classes such as this. Students did not get the individual attention necessary to remain focused and most did not have the self discipline to do so on their own. I have also noticed students have their personal laptops out typing during class, the majority of which are on social sites or e-mailing. This seems more prevalent in recent years as technology has become more easily accessible and focused on social and entertainment based content.
"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
In her article Ms. Hines states that she has begun to question the direction many teachers are taking in their use of technology in the classroom. While most of her colleagues believe it is the future of education Ms. Hines believes that a more fundamental change must take place within the education community before technology can reach its full potential within education. Ms. Hines lists four things she believes every teacher must realize before determining how technology should fit in their theories on the future of education; “Teachers must be Learners, Learning and Teaching are not the same thing, Technology is useless without good teaching, and be a 21st century teacher without technology.”
Ms. Hines’ first statement is supported by the fact that new things are happening around the world, textbooks become outdated, and new discoveries are being made. Teachers have to keep learning and expanding their minds to remain effective in the classroom. I believe the second statement, “Learning and Teaching are not the same thing”, suggests that just because teachers are teaching students doesn’t necessarily mean students are learning the material. It’s up to the students to learn the material, but teachers must find effective ways to promote this. Ms. Hines’ third point addresses the effectiveness of technology with respect to the effectiveness of the teacher. I believe this emphasizes that technology is a tool in the classroom and not a replacement for a good teacher. Without an effective teacher and good curriculum the technology is useless. Finally in her last statement Ms. Hines demonstrates that most of what her piers believe should be the focus of education in the 21st century requires the use of little technology. I agree that those things that have promoted learning in the past, such as creativity and enthusiasm for the subject matter, are still what are most important in the 21st century. At the same time I do not believe that technology should be completely ignored. If used correctly it has the capacity to enhance creativity and increase a student’s interest.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch states that in his opinion there are groups of educators who are illiterate in terms technology, and to a certain extent proud of it. In his belief this is not acceptable. He goes further to make the 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.” It is clear that Mr. Fisch believes that technology has penetrated so many aspects of today’s society that in order for students to be successful and compete in the workforce it is as important for them to understand how to use technology as it is to know reading and writing. Teachers must adapt with the advances in technology themselves in order for their students to gain the same skills.
I have done several long term subbing rotations in middle schools, high schools, and elementary schools giving me the opportunity to observe teachers in their classrooms. I tend to agree with what Mr. Fisch is saying as teachers seldom utilized technology and demonstrated little more than rudimentary skills. Most of my experiences were in special education classrooms, which would have benefited greatly from the use of technology. I agree that teachers must become more techs literate and the attitude of those who lack basic computer skills must change. Mr. Fisch’s analogy between safety on the internet and that of not understanding the mechanics of the internal combustion engine but still knowing how to safely navigate streets is one I find particularly true. We do not need to know everything there is to know about the technology we are using in order to do so in a safe and effective manner.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Gary Hayes web page shows the incredible rate at which people’s use of technology for social networking and entertainment purposes is growing. Every second of the day there is somebody creating accounts on social networks like twitter and facebook. It is clear that people are spending hours using technology to communicate and network. It is safe to assume that this trend will only continue and most likely accelerate. New technologies will come that will allow an even greater population to interact with one another at faster speeds.
I believe this will impact my future career as a teacher in two major ways. First, the ability to easily and quickly communicate with my students and peers will provide many opportunities that have not been available to teachers in the past. In order to take advantage of these opportunities I must find was to incorporate these social networking and communication tools into my curriculum. One such way would be to upload homework assignments to websites so they are accessible to students at any time. The second way that these social networking tools will impact my career is that they can be a distraction to the students. While the advances that have been made in terms of ease of communications can greatly benefit the classroom they can also have negative impacts as well. These tools are currently used mainly for entertainment and casual social communication which can detract from the effectiveness of the tool in the classroom. Additionally these tools can make cheating much easier and harder to detect.
“A Vision of Students Today” by Michael Wesch depicts the day of an average student. Mr. Wesch demonstrates that a student spends 26.5 hours a day on activities such as class time, listening to music, and studying. He further shows that the time spent in the classroom and studying is less than that spent on social interaction. Mr. Wesch also points out how an average college classroom holds 115 students in a single session. Finally, Mr. Wesch states that students bring their laptops to class and many do not use them for class work.
It is clear from Mr. Wesch statements that we can conclude the average student today focuses primarily on social interaction while studies are secondary. This emphasis on social interaction at the expense of education has lead to poor performance in the classroom. We can further conclude that the size of an average class and the abundance of social networking tools, which are now so easily accessible through advances in technology, are contributing factors to this trend.
My personal experience in recent years support Mr. Wesch’s statements and these conclusions. For example, a student in one of my previous classes sat in the very back corner listening to his iPod, never making eye contact with the power point slides. The result was that he failed exams and continued with the attitude that it did not really matter. In most of my Standard English, History, and Math classes, the size was over a hundred and set in a stadium style environment. It is not possible for a teacher to remember every name and face of his/ or her students when they have seven or eight classes such as this. Students did not get the individual attention necessary to remain focused and most did not have the self discipline to do so on their own. I have also noticed students have their personal laptops out typing during class, the majority of which are on social sites or e-mailing. This seems more prevalent in recent years as technology has become more easily accessible and focused on social and entertainment based content.
"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
In her article Ms. Hines states that she has begun to question the direction many teachers are taking in their use of technology in the classroom. While most of her colleagues believe it is the future of education Ms. Hines believes that a more fundamental change must take place within the education community before technology can reach its full potential within education. Ms. Hines lists four things she believes every teacher must realize before determining how technology should fit in their theories on the future of education; “Teachers must be Learners, Learning and Teaching are not the same thing, Technology is useless without good teaching, and be a 21st century teacher without technology.”
Ms. Hines’ first statement is supported by the fact that new things are happening around the world, textbooks become outdated, and new discoveries are being made. Teachers have to keep learning and expanding their minds to remain effective in the classroom. I believe the second statement, “Learning and Teaching are not the same thing”, suggests that just because teachers are teaching students doesn’t necessarily mean students are learning the material. It’s up to the students to learn the material, but teachers must find effective ways to promote this. Ms. Hines’ third point addresses the effectiveness of technology with respect to the effectiveness of the teacher. I believe this emphasizes that technology is a tool in the classroom and not a replacement for a good teacher. Without an effective teacher and good curriculum the technology is useless. Finally in her last statement Ms. Hines demonstrates that most of what her piers believe should be the focus of education in the 21st century requires the use of little technology. I agree that those things that have promoted learning in the past, such as creativity and enthusiasm for the subject matter, are still what are most important in the 21st century. At the same time I do not believe that technology should be completely ignored. If used correctly it has the capacity to enhance creativity and increase a student’s interest.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch states that in his opinion there are groups of educators who are illiterate in terms technology, and to a certain extent proud of it. In his belief this is not acceptable. He goes further to make the 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.” It is clear that Mr. Fisch believes that technology has penetrated so many aspects of today’s society that in order for students to be successful and compete in the workforce it is as important for them to understand how to use technology as it is to know reading and writing. Teachers must adapt with the advances in technology themselves in order for their students to gain the same skills.
I have done several long term subbing rotations in middle schools, high schools, and elementary schools giving me the opportunity to observe teachers in their classrooms. I tend to agree with what Mr. Fisch is saying as teachers seldom utilized technology and demonstrated little more than rudimentary skills. Most of my experiences were in special education classrooms, which would have benefited greatly from the use of technology. I agree that teachers must become more techs literate and the attitude of those who lack basic computer skills must change. Mr. Fisch’s analogy between safety on the internet and that of not understanding the mechanics of the internal combustion engine but still knowing how to safely navigate streets is one I find particularly true. We do not need to know everything there is to know about the technology we are using in order to do so in a safe and effective manner.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
Gary Hayes web page shows the incredible rate at which people’s use of technology for social networking and entertainment purposes is growing. Every second of the day there is somebody creating accounts on social networks like twitter and facebook. It is clear that people are spending hours using technology to communicate and network. It is safe to assume that this trend will only continue and most likely accelerate. New technologies will come that will allow an even greater population to interact with one another at faster speeds.
I believe this will impact my future career as a teacher in two major ways. First, the ability to easily and quickly communicate with my students and peers will provide many opportunities that have not been available to teachers in the past. In order to take advantage of these opportunities I must find was to incorporate these social networking and communication tools into my curriculum. One such way would be to upload homework assignments to websites so they are accessible to students at any time. The second way that these social networking tools will impact my career is that they can be a distraction to the students. While the advances that have been made in terms of ease of communications can greatly benefit the classroom they can also have negative impacts as well. These tools are currently used mainly for entertainment and casual social communication which can detract from the effectiveness of the tool in the classroom. Additionally these tools can make cheating much easier and harder to detect.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Dramatic Facts About Schools (week 1)
Mr. Winkle Wakes
In the movie “Mr. Winkle Wakes”, by Matthew Needleman, you see that n old man wakes after sleeping hundreds of years to a world that is technology. Mr. Winkle wandered into a business filled with technology. He was disturbed by all the technology because it was new to him. He felt ill, then found a hospital to get some help and saw the computers and x-ray machines there as well. He was unable to stay in the hospital because the technology made him uncomfortable if not ill. Then Mr. Winkle found a school and went in. He felt right at home. It was just like his school a hundred years ago. He noticed that the school was using pencils and paper and the computer that was in the class was left in the back collecting dust.
My belief is, despite Mr. Needleman’s suggestion that schools should put technology to use and modernize like business organizations and hospitals, so that people depend on technology too much now when it comes to children. Yes it is good to have the World Wide Web at a child’s finger tips, but the same information can also be found going to the school’s library. Face book, for example, can be beneficial but it also can cause problems. Teens use technology too much. They fail to get outside or do not concentrate on their studies.
Did you know? 3.0
The “Did You Know?” by Kari Fisch gave me knowledge of facts that I never knew about. The fact that many things have increased in the last few years have been astonishing. Another thing that intrigued me was when Mr. Fisch said that technology coming out today can be advanced and updated by the near future. He then continued to say that the information that a freshman student in college learns about technology in school will be updated by the time that the same student reaches his or her junior year of college.
During family discussions, I heard that China and India had a lot more numbers when dealing with people population then of the United States, but it’s hard to picture these countries are much smaller in land size then ours. To also find out that China and India have so many children in cramped classrooms but are able to learn and get an education that can excel the children in the united States, that have so many resources is beyond amazing. This just tells us that every county can learn from other countries. Also, the countries that have a high number of intellectual children do not use all this high tech devices that America does.
An example of how fast technology gets updates is most video game units. By the time you save up the money to buy the unit and some games, the manufactory has come up with a new and improved unit and puts it on the market. Are we realigning on technology to much? You can’t go outside your house without seeing cell phones attached to people’s ears or computers strapped to people’s backs at schools going class to class. When all is said and done, we have to live in a world of technology that advances from one day to the next. It’s your choose if you keep up with it or not.
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
Ken Robinson talks and gives examples of how children in school show creativity through drawings, plays and words. Mr. Robinson also talks about how in the past before ADHD was diagnosed, they would say that if this girl wouldn’t sit still, they were a dancer. This girl went on and created musical plays that are watched and enjoyed around the world. Children use their creativity towards their imagination, and their imagination is used when they read and write. There are things that a fact that all children and adults should know is true, but when it comes to fiction and imagination, creativity should be allowed in the world and minds of every child. Creativity is a child.
I agree on when Mr. Robinson said, ‘you can’t be creative unless you are prepared to be wrong. ‘Children can make the most magnificent ideas and perception on how they see things. Schools are starting to take more creative classes, like music, art, and drama out of schools and pushing the more academic classes like math, English, History, and Science classes as the major classes. I was in school musicals and chorus from elementary school to college and the creativity that I got by this was entwined with my English and math classes. For example, to help interpret answers I used music and art to help me understand better.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis talks about how she interacted into her classroom with technology and blogs so they can learn from their classmates and from other students around the world. Ms. Davis’ explains that using Google Docs can allow the accurate material to reach each student to their needs. The part of this that I enjoyed hearing about is that the students are able to learn about technology by themselves or from other classmates as they are able to learn it. It also allowed them to connect to students around the world and see different cultures and how other students in different continents use technology.
What concerns me is, are we allowing too much technology in the classroom? I understand how using certain tools to learn about different cultures right from the mouths of those other students, but I don’t entirely agree with Ms. Davis when she said that using pencil and paper does not allow students to strive. You can turn on news stations and hear them tell parents how to limit their child's computer use in a single day. To me, I think that teaching students to learn this way is keeping an excuse to stay on so long to networks.
In the movie “Mr. Winkle Wakes”, by Matthew Needleman, you see that n old man wakes after sleeping hundreds of years to a world that is technology. Mr. Winkle wandered into a business filled with technology. He was disturbed by all the technology because it was new to him. He felt ill, then found a hospital to get some help and saw the computers and x-ray machines there as well. He was unable to stay in the hospital because the technology made him uncomfortable if not ill. Then Mr. Winkle found a school and went in. He felt right at home. It was just like his school a hundred years ago. He noticed that the school was using pencils and paper and the computer that was in the class was left in the back collecting dust.
My belief is, despite Mr. Needleman’s suggestion that schools should put technology to use and modernize like business organizations and hospitals, so that people depend on technology too much now when it comes to children. Yes it is good to have the World Wide Web at a child’s finger tips, but the same information can also be found going to the school’s library. Face book, for example, can be beneficial but it also can cause problems. Teens use technology too much. They fail to get outside or do not concentrate on their studies.
Did you know? 3.0
The “Did You Know?” by Kari Fisch gave me knowledge of facts that I never knew about. The fact that many things have increased in the last few years have been astonishing. Another thing that intrigued me was when Mr. Fisch said that technology coming out today can be advanced and updated by the near future. He then continued to say that the information that a freshman student in college learns about technology in school will be updated by the time that the same student reaches his or her junior year of college.
During family discussions, I heard that China and India had a lot more numbers when dealing with people population then of the United States, but it’s hard to picture these countries are much smaller in land size then ours. To also find out that China and India have so many children in cramped classrooms but are able to learn and get an education that can excel the children in the united States, that have so many resources is beyond amazing. This just tells us that every county can learn from other countries. Also, the countries that have a high number of intellectual children do not use all this high tech devices that America does.
An example of how fast technology gets updates is most video game units. By the time you save up the money to buy the unit and some games, the manufactory has come up with a new and improved unit and puts it on the market. Are we realigning on technology to much? You can’t go outside your house without seeing cell phones attached to people’s ears or computers strapped to people’s backs at schools going class to class. When all is said and done, we have to live in a world of technology that advances from one day to the next. It’s your choose if you keep up with it or not.
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
Ken Robinson talks and gives examples of how children in school show creativity through drawings, plays and words. Mr. Robinson also talks about how in the past before ADHD was diagnosed, they would say that if this girl wouldn’t sit still, they were a dancer. This girl went on and created musical plays that are watched and enjoyed around the world. Children use their creativity towards their imagination, and their imagination is used when they read and write. There are things that a fact that all children and adults should know is true, but when it comes to fiction and imagination, creativity should be allowed in the world and minds of every child. Creativity is a child.
I agree on when Mr. Robinson said, ‘you can’t be creative unless you are prepared to be wrong. ‘Children can make the most magnificent ideas and perception on how they see things. Schools are starting to take more creative classes, like music, art, and drama out of schools and pushing the more academic classes like math, English, History, and Science classes as the major classes. I was in school musicals and chorus from elementary school to college and the creativity that I got by this was entwined with my English and math classes. For example, to help interpret answers I used music and art to help me understand better.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis talks about how she interacted into her classroom with technology and blogs so they can learn from their classmates and from other students around the world. Ms. Davis’ explains that using Google Docs can allow the accurate material to reach each student to their needs. The part of this that I enjoyed hearing about is that the students are able to learn about technology by themselves or from other classmates as they are able to learn it. It also allowed them to connect to students around the world and see different cultures and how other students in different continents use technology.
What concerns me is, are we allowing too much technology in the classroom? I understand how using certain tools to learn about different cultures right from the mouths of those other students, but I don’t entirely agree with Ms. Davis when she said that using pencil and paper does not allow students to strive. You can turn on news stations and hear them tell parents how to limit their child's computer use in a single day. To me, I think that teaching students to learn this way is keeping an excuse to stay on so long to networks.
Monday, January 11, 2010
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