Blog Post #5

The ischool Initiative
This video was created by a high school student by the name of Travis Allen who argues to do away with paper, books, and pencils and put all schoolwork on an iPod touch. Allen feels that iPods as they are today could be capable of performing ischool with additional apps such as Wiki, Word, Formulae and Chemical Touch.
I personally don’t agree with Allen whole idea of ischool. When writing essays I personally need paper and pencil, so that I can be able to write different things down and be able to starch
through it if I know longer need it. I never like sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time doing work. Well, I guess be reading this that I totally dislike the whole idea of ischool.

Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? By: Scott McLeod
Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. Dr. McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens).
Reading the post by Scott McLeod he tells us many reasons on why you should limit children the use of technology, because of its danger. Well, I must say that I both agree and disagree with him. I agree that we should protect our children but I don’t think it’s a great idea that we should keep them from using technology, because technology is basically taking over the world. One of the ways we can protect our children from some of the danger on the internet is by blocking sites and telling them how dangerous it is to communicate with strangers; most important how very dangerous it is to give out personal information. I think instead of not allowing them the use of technology we should teach them the right we to use it.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
I think this was a very amazing video! I would’ve never in a million years thought this been possible. They sounded really good for them not to have met before recording. It’s so amazing what you can do with technology, I must admit that I am very behind with technology and must do better because it’s changing day by day.

The Lost Generation
This video was very interesting! During this video I was shocked by some of the comments made. I don’t understand how someone can tell they own kids that they are not the most important thing in life? WOW!!! I couldn’t imagine telling my daughter something like that, because my daughter means the world to me. As the video went on, I realized it was only used as an attention grabber. VERY CLEVER!!!
I must say that I was very blessed to have grown up in a home where I had both parents, because so children are not blessed with both their mother and father in the same household. Neither of my parents was previous married before. I pray that one day I can give my daughter the life my parents had given me.

Blog Post #4

I found this video very interesting because it give you many reason’s on why podcasting in beneficial. Today children born after 1980 are born into a world of technology. In today’s world children use technology on a daily basis from computers, iPods and video games, so podcast is something that can also keep the interested in learning.
Podcast can benefit children when they are sick and cannot make it to school, as mention in the video. They still are able to do their homework, and possible even test. I think that this is a great video to watch if you plan on using podcast in your classroom.
100 Ways to Use Your IPod to Learn and Study Better
This site give you several different sites to visit that can help you get application on your ipod. One of the sites I will be downloading very soon is Sesames Street, because of my two year old daughter. I recommend everyone to visit this site; because it is a very helpful site it will refer you to a completely different site if the one your one is out dated. This site is really a helpful site.
Eagle Nest Radio and Class Blog
I really enjoyed this video!! How the teacher had it set up was great. This video really gives me many ideas to use one day. I think that this is a great way to get children excited about learning by getting creative.

Project 6 "This is My Sentence" Video

Blog Post #3

Karl Fisch: Is it okay for teachers to be technologically illiterate?
Well, I think that all teachers should have some type of knowledge about technology, but they don’t have to be computer genius. Knowing about technology does not make you a great teacher; However, I think being able to teach each individual using a method that they are comfortable using is what makes a great teacher.
The teachers I’m talking about are the “old school” teachers. Teachers that are not just teachers, but someone who care just as much as you about your education, and make sure that you succeed. Teachers that help you find better ways of doing things to make it more understanding for you. Can you get that from technology? NO!!!! Like I stated before it’s good to have that knowledge, but that’s not what makes a teacher.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
This video really sums up my college experience. I think this idea was a great way of showing what we as college students go through. I can truly relate to the students in this vide, and all the signs that the students were holding up are so true. As a college student I can honestly say that I too have spent hundreds of dollars on book that I never even opened. What a waste of money that we already don’t have and to make it even worst, you don’t get half of the money back when you resale it to the bookstore.
It was one other sign that really shocked me. I think it’s crazy that some of the students attend classes with two hundred students, and that the teacher don’t know them by name. WOW!!! I guess it’s shocking to me because I came from Faulkner State Community and I never encountered that before. The lagers class I could think of attending was a class of maybe thirty and that was a science class.

Kelly Hines: It’s Not All about the Technology
I really agree with Kelly Hines view about technology. I must also agree that it is incredible and can make learning a lot exciting for students; however, there has to be teachers that can demonstrate and know how to correctly use the technology. One of the ways that it could make it exciting is power points. Power points are better than just listening to someone standing in front of a classroom going on and on about something that you could care less about, but with power points you’re able to add pictures and even sound effects to make it more interesting for your students.
No, it’s not all about technology but it’s good to have some type of knowledge about it. We as teacher must be all around skilled because it’s our job to know. Students are depending upon us to help them get the education that they need and it’s our job to do so. At the same time we have to remember that all children learn different and we have to do whatever it take to make learning interesting so that we can keep their attention and make learning exciting, even if that mean using so type of technology.

Gary Hayes: Social Media Count
These rates are shocking! It is one thing to know that millions of people have a face book and twitter account or text messages, but it’s another thing that the numbers are still rising. The statistics really make you think about how technology is going to be years from now. Technology is getting even more advance as time go on and is a big of everyone’s lives.

Blog Post #2

Do You Know?
I just watched the YouTube video “Do You Know?” by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. This video gust out information informing us on how much the world is changing: in population, media, and communication for the future. Honestly, the information presented was very shocking to me.
During the video there were many statistics presented, but the one that really shocked me was how fast technology will be outdated by the time a student finishes the third year of a four year program. That’s shocking knowing that what we are learning today might change before we completely finish our education.

“Mr. Winkle Wakes”
Mr. Winkle Wakes YouTube video is hilarious! I couldn’t imagine waking up to a completely different world after 100 years. In the video Mr. Winkle takes a walk into a world full of changes. First, he visit a hospital filled with machines. Second, he visits the city streets filled with cars and traffic lights. Finally, the visit a school filled with computers. Mr. Winkle was very overwhelmed about all the new technology around him.
As educators we must be able to adapt to as much technology as possible. Technology is a very helpful and beneficial tool. It’s useful in teaching skills that are necessary for life and provide educational entertainment. As future educators we must encourage our students and others around us to take full advantage of today’s technology, because it’s a very helpful and beneficial tool.

The Importance of Creativity
In the YouTube video Sir Ken Robinson talks about the important of creativity. Mr. Robinson feels that the children today are being educated out of creativity. He believes it’s a hierarchy of value in specific subjects in education such as: arts- music, arts, drama, and dancing. These subjects are rarely taught in schools today. I personally think that’s not right, simply because some students may not be as gifted in academic areas, but they may have the chance to succeed in arts.
As educators we must allow our children the right to explore all different types of education including arts. We all have different gifts in different areas, some might be very gifted in the academic area and others in art, but we just can’t look over any of our students. I hope that when I have a classroom of my own that I can incorporate all modes of learning.

Harnessing Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis is a Teacher at a high School in rural Georgia. In the video” Harness Your Students” Teaching Digital Smarts “Found at “Utopia” the viewer is invited into her classroom. In her class she expresses her ability to customize a learning to fit her students. She created an experience so her students are responsible for the own learning. She believes that if a child is just giving instructions some might not succeed.
I must say that this classroom is very different than any one I ever seen before. Ms. Davis won an international award for her teacher blog, and honestly I’m still not too sure on how to work a blog. After watching her video I have learned a lot about how important it is to customize learning to educate the children in your classroom.