PLN

Personal Learning Network
I am currently following Dr. Chamberlain on twitter. I also signed up for classroom 2.0. To be completely honest, so far nothing has helped me. Although, I really enjoy reading Dr. Chamberlain's post on twitter! I frequently visit Dr. Chamberlain's class blog just to see what is new and exciting for his students. Overall, I have not learned much, but I am sure I will!!

Click here

Comments for Teachers!

February 25th, 2010 -- Post about Wesley Fryer
I went to Wesley Fryer's post about Moving at the Speed of Creativity; he had a video on Skype. I was really intrigued by this video that he had posted. I recently used Skype about a week ago, I talked to my cousin who is overseas for the military. I was so happy that I was able to use it! This video actually helped me with Skype! I can't wait to talk & see my cousin again!

March 2nd, 2010 -- Embedding video on Wikispaces site
Yesterday Mr. Fryer posted a blog about embedding videos on wikispaces sites. He actually went in and took still frame shots of the site and he also gave us step-by-step directions on how do it. I find this very helpful. For those of us that are visual learners, this is a wonderful idea!

March 10th, 2010 -- A professor who takes laptop banning to far
WHOA!!! Ok, Mr. Fryer posted a video from Youtube about a professor who poured nitrogen on his laptop and then explained that nitrogen wouldn't harm the laptop but then he picked up the laptop and slammed it on the ground!!! WOW!! Most colleges encourage the usage of laptops in the classroom, I am not sure about high schools, etc, but I thought this professor took it a little too far. He should be embracing technology not smashing it. WOW, that's all I have left to say.

March 24th, 2010 -- Google Reader Play -- just in time for the iPad launch
In this blog Mr. Fryer explained and informed us about the Google Reader. I felt really behind in the times about this because I NEVER heard of the Google reader. Yes, I know, I am not too "up" on the technology. I really enjoyed reading Mr. Fryer's blog posts.

February 28th Blog Posts

Richard Miller: This is how we Dream
I really enjoyed watching Mr. Millers' videos. I liked how he used the many different aspects such as Dr. Martin Luther King. Although, listening to him wasn't so much what I wanted to listen to. He stated that when he had to research about Virginia Tech he said that he did all his research without the need of the library. This scares me a little because our libraries may not be as useful as they once were. I believe that libraries may become extinct one day, which is a sad thing to think about. Although, if all libraries had the funds to have different technology then I think they could have a real chance. Part one of This is how we dream was very interesting listening to Mr. Miller about the different sources and his ideas about the situation. When he said something about research online, online it lives on as a web base document. "...This is an incremental change not a fundamental page..." i liked this portion of his video because once something is on the web, it is on forever. The new approaches that Mr. Miller brought out was simply amazing. I liked it when he said that the ideas we have can be shared to everyone freely and globally. Multi media writing is a great idea to have. The many websites such as You Tube can offer so many people because a teacher can post his or her lecture onto you tube and everyone could view it. Creativity is the key! I do not think that I am personally ready for multi media writing but I am getting there. I hope that students now can understand this new need for multi-media writing. By the time I am a teacher, I feel that I will be ready and I hope that my future students are too!
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
I really enjoyed watching and listening to this video. I have a better understanding about PLNs. I really like their creativity in making this video. I would have never thought about doing something like that. I also learned about connective learning, it's amazing how much technology can offer. Connective learning can happen and is happening everywhere! I also liked the end of the video when he talked about the teacher and how she can help guide a student and making the right decisions for his or her future. Even though, technology is growing and its helping people do things independently we still need teachers to help us work around this new and improved technology. I feel that I will be more prepared for the networking student when I have successfully completed this class!!

Michael Wesch -- Toward a New Future of Whatever
The first point that I liked was that "Media is ecology...Media are not just tools..." I liked this because ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Media is interacting with many people throughout the world, so in a way Mr. Michael is correct, in my opinion. I really liked the quote by Marshall McLuhan, "We shape our tools, and therefore our tools shape us."

I also enjoyed the quote about American Idol, but when he later announced that that quote was written in 1926. I think it still holds true today. I enjoyed his history of "whatever" also. I thought it was funny how incorporated "The Simpson's" to help explain the word "meh". Some of the things Mr. Wesch said I agreed with because the future is new and whatever. The future is what you make your present about now.

February 21st Blog Posts

Dr. Christie's Site
I began exploring Dr. Christie's website with the "We are all co-learners" video. I really enjoyed the different student's and Dr. Christies statements about their interning and their thoughts about incorporating technology in the classroom. I really liked the part where it stated, students and adults are learning together; I found it enlightening when one of the teachers said that she learned something about photo shop that she had forgotten that previous year, and an intern helped her with it. So, even if your "older" you can still learn the technology!!
I further explored Dr. Christie's Constructivist Learning Resource page and the first thing I read was the very first bullet that stated, "Learning is an active process facilitated by an environment that encourages: risk-taking, creative thinking, and critical thinking." I couldn't agree more! I loved the art below the listed bullets about Our Sole Design, what a great idea! I found Dr. Christies' website easy to follow, unlike some other websites that I have visited in the past, it had some great features. I really enjoyed visiting this website, and I will definitely be visiting this in the future!

I Tunes University
I explored I Tunes University, I found this very awkward at first because hello, this is on I tunes made for ipods, etc. I guess it's just me that found it awkward, but after I started looking around at the different podcasts and such I found it very helpful. I looked at the link with Teaching and Education and found many different podcasts that were actually very informative. I looked at the different universities that are using I tunes U, and I looked at the University of Alabama and I clicked on the movie about the "ABC's of Education: School Bus Safety," I just found it amazing that the University of Alabama is using I Tunes U, how great is that!
click here to visit the University of Alabama
I think that Itunes U could definitely be a useful tool in the classroom because a teacher could post their lectures for the students that miss class that day, if they want to and if they care. It could incorporate the different learning styles of the students as well. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner so show me how visually and then let me do it! I thought this was a very useful tool to be used, now that I am a student as well as in the future as I will become a teacher. Technology is amazing and it has so much to offer!

The Use of Ipods...in school!
Click Here to visit Duke ipod First Year Experience. I googled this topic and I found this article about Duke University incorporating ipods in their school. How great is this that we can listen to ipods and still learn the material! Even engineer majors used ipods for some of their courses. If we could get all colleges to do this, think of how much money the students would save (kind of) with NOT having to BUY useless textbooks that some students NEVER use!!! Although, the price would be that either the schools would have to require students to have ipods and such or the school would have to provide such technology to each student, which could in time be costly. But, if learning is happening, would it necessarily be a bad thing?

Check this link out.
I found this article and I found it very interesting about the usage of ipods at Duke University! 280 students used ipods in 19 courses, this is such a remarkable thing that is happening!! I wish I could go to Duke University just so I could try using my ipod as a way to learn! Fall of 2009, Duke University issued about 1,600 pre-loaded ipods with orientation information to the first year students, what a great idea, instead of a BORING orientation, you can listen and watch orientation on ipods. I cannot express how wonderful this idea is. I think more schools need to catch up with Duke University with the use of technology!

Week 5 Assignment

NPR Blog on Wikipedia
I enjoyed this blog post because everyone I know warns me about Wikipedia, and how some things may or may not be fact. I haven't found many untrue statements, but I do not use Wikipedia for that reason. Even college professors tell their students not to even use Wikipedia because they have found untrue posts.
I enjoyed the part where he wrote about anyone can edit things on Wikipedia. I actually did not know you could go in and edit posts. I found it ironic that the people in politics could change what others wrote about. Such as, if their opponent wrote something about the other then that politician could just go in and edit. The internet ceases to amaze me at times.

NPR Article on Wikipedia
This article was similar to NPR Blog on Wikipedia. I did enjoy reading this article though, it had more of an insight about Wikipedia, I thought. Like I have mentioned before, I do not use Wikipedia for the simple fact that not everything you read is true. I did find it interesting about the scanner of the documents to make sure that the statements are true.
I also liked the fact that with the scanner it will provide who wrote the articles on Wikipedia. Anonymous isn't so anonymous after all. I listened to this article also, I really enjoyed their chat. It was amazing that a college student came up with the idea of the scanner! Wikipedia in my opinion is untrue facts and anyone can update the posts.

Wired
It is a fact that anyone can update Wikipedia at anytime and any day. So, how is this fair, because if Wikipedia is really an online encyclopedia then why can we not change or delete entry's in our current encyclopedia (the books)? Hello, it costs too much money to keep producing entries. It is not fair to keep editing and/or deleting information that that anonymous person doesn't want anyone to know about. It is setting the image of they are hiding something.
34.4 million edits on Wikipedia! WOW!!! It's astounding how many big corporations have edited posts on Wikipedia! Virgil Griffith is so talented to come up with the scanner and show how many different edited posts and how many times! "Everything's better if you do it on a huge scale, and automate it," he says with a grin, I really liked this statement because I think it holds some truth. I don't think Wikipedia could ever be trusted because how are we suppose to know the truth about a specific topic.

"What I've learned this year"
I liked how Mr. McClung discussed the different aspects of his teaching. I really liked the section about how to read the crowd. Many teachers, even in college, loose sight as how they are not student focused just how the content is delivered. Key component is to be flexible, I couldn't agree more! I am one of those perfectionist and I have learned that not everything goes as "perfect" as I would have wished it could have gone, but that is the beauty of teaching. Teachers must must must be flexible.
Communications...what can you say about that, it is a must just like being flexible. You cannot resolve a problem without communicating with that person and dealing with the problem. All teachers need to set expectations for the children and also for themselves, but those expectations needs to be realistic. I loved the statement Mr. McClung used, "Technology is our friend..." we cannot function without learning about technology, it's forever improving and we must improve with it! Another important key, never stop learning. Many teachers, even in college, stopped learning because they simply didn't want to learn anymore. I believe knowledge is power. (Thanks to School House Rock!)

Week 4 Assignment

Benefits of Podcasting in the classroom
I thought this podcast was very informative. I really liked hearing the different statistics about the "Millenial" children learning on their own computers, etc. I think that podcasts are a great new way of learning for children and adults. They can listen to the lecture at any given time. So, if the student doesn't grasp the concept in the classroom, they can listen to it again later to understand the concept.
I especially like the part where he says "it's a way for creativity..." I think it's a wonderful idea for children to express their creativity for others to enjoy. I think that podcast are a great way for children to not only express their creativity, but to learn about the various things in the world. I liked to fact that he used a sick child that needed to know what was being on the big test coming up, but with a podcast she was able to study for the test. How great is that!

Eagles Nest Radio
Can you believe that these are real kids doing a podcast? Maybe I am just too amazed by this, considering I am 22 years old and I have no idea how to do a podcast (yet). These children are so smart to use technology, such as a podcast, to do a history project! I am just so amazed by this!! Trey, I thought, did a great job explaining the gladiators!
Jackson had a fun, energetic voice when he told me about the gladiators. I actually learned something! WOW! I really wish I was introduced to podcasts and the various technology when I was a child! I enjoyed the history spotlight with Mark! I found this podcast very entertaining and I learned more in this podcast then I have in all my history classes, that should tell you something!

My Life as a Volunteer Presentation