Vocaroo

This is my Vocaroo assignment. I used one of my Comments4kids post to record. In that particular comment I mention how creative the class was for making their own school buses and even getting on the news.

Group Project 14

My group consisted of A.W Farris, Sam Blackman, and myself. We did our presentation on Xtra normal characters who explain the importance of technology. Pretty awesome stuff!

March 7th Blog

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture:
Randy Pausch's last lecture was very moving and inspirational. From a young age Pausch set specific goals for himself. Though some were more realistic than others, he achieved all the main goals he set out to do. Paucsh is a great example of what we as living, breathing humans should stride for. Even thought Pausch had terminal cancer he lived a very fulfilled life, and touched other people's lives in the process.

Pausch was a college professor, who challenged his students on a daily basis. Even when goals were reached he set the bar higher and higher. His virtual experiences allowed students to experiment with technology and all it has to offer. These virtual experiences were intriguing to Pausch's students and they all respected Pausch for it. Pausch's virtual reality experience are continued at MIT, though Pausch is not there to teach it anymore he left a lasting impression.

Pausch's lifelong dreams where fulfilled by the time he was in his 40's. It is so moving to see how passionate he was about not only his life but work. Pausch talks about "head fakes" which in the end he explains that his entire lecture was a "head fake." Meaning life is about setting goals and being ambitious, living out your dreams. Pausch's students and faculty all had respect for him.

Though Randy Pausch died a few months later, he accomplished everything he set out to do. He never quit even when funds were low and time was short. This video is a great example of how we as not only future teachers, but as people should go about living life. We need to set goals for ourselves and always put fourth out best effort. Life is not about the highs and the lows it is about who we are as people. Pausch's last lecture will be something I can think about and use on a daily basis.

April 25th Blog

7th graders PLE:
Sadly this 7th grader has a larger PLE that I do. It blows my mind that students can actually learn this way. When I was a 7th grader it was text books, number 2 pencils, and lectures. it is astonishing that technology has come so far. This way it makes it easier for a student to learn at his/her own pace kids can actually have a say-so when it comes to their education. Technology is taking over!!

Pertaining to the two questions that could change your life; I thought was very interesting. When we wake up in the morning we have to be the one to ask ourselves will I better myself today, or stick to the same old lackadaisy routine. We get caught in the day-to-day grind that we forget about goals and lessons we have made/learned. It is so important to better ourselves, or life will be lifeless and boring. I myself have a lot of self improving to do, i do not have my own sentence yet but hopefully in the future it will go something like this,"I helped shape future generation." That might seem like a big goal but as a teacher I want to at least have an impact on one student, preferably more, but I know I am only one person and it is a big world.

Final Farewell

Final Farewell:
To all my classmates and teachers, may all your dreams come true! May your lives be filled with happiness and love. A special thanks to my two wonderful project partners, A.W Farris and Samuel Blackman, for putting up with my tardiness and procrastination, you will be missed. And my life motto: it has been real and it has been fun, but it aint been real fun!!
Peace and Rockets,
Brittany :)

EDM final

This semester has been quite a stressful one, but I have learned so much about technology from this EDM class. I am your typical internet user, I surf the web, facebook, myspace, and itunes. I have never really been a computer person but understanding new technologies is important being that I will be a teacher in less than two years. Which brings me to my next topic, blogging. Blogging is also new to me this semester. I had heard of it before, like on the Twix commercial, but never participated. I won’t lie it is a pain in my rear end to have to write a blog every single Sunday, but then again it is a chance to learn something new and pass it on to my future students. Most of the stuff we covered this semester I had heard of or had participated in. My PLN consist of facebook, itunesU, myspace, skpye, blogging…just to name a few. I also did my comments4terachers and comments4kids. It is a great place for really anyone top visit. You can get a feel for what is going on in classrooms around the world. I had seen Google Earth previous to my EDM class, because my father has a mild obsession with looking at our house from a far-away distance. Delicious though was a new experience for me as was, ACCESS. For one of my other classes I was asked to use ALEX so I was aware of how it worked and tied into ACCESS.
Speaking on the topic of future schools I can honestly say I do not think that technology will completely take over, and teacher’s burn out. Students will always have a need for a one-on-one connection, and so as technology advances it is every teacher’s job to be up to speed on what is in and what isn’t. My technological journey has definitely expanded from being in EDM310. Though I wouldn’t have considered myself technologically insufficient I have expanded my horizons and have taken a technological jump, and crossed over to the other side. I range more in the medium technologically literate. I think everyone can always learn more, and be educated daily but I have honestly learned so much from this class. I think that everything I will take from this class will better my technological learning process; I will be using most of these systems in the near future. I wouldn’t say EDM excited me, because hey it is still school but I was intellectually challenged throughout this course. My classmates are probably tired of me asking “HELP ME! I don’t know what I’m doing.” To answer the question of boredom, at times yes and sometimes interesting depending on the topic of conversation. I think the way this course is set up is great! It is pretty much an online course at your own pace; I can even sit and blog at work. So overall EDM 310 was a decent experience, I will maintain what I have learned through my teaching career. Thanks!

April 11th Blog

The Dr. Seuss video was a great example of how we as humans are stubborn and set in our ways. We are not susceptible to change, we don't like change. It is easy to do the same thing you always do because you are used to it. it is the same concept with technology. My generation and generations after mine are the technological generations. We have only been given a preview of what is to come. The Landslide video, with the chorus, had to be my favorite video so far. I am really into music and have been in numerous choirs so it was so refreshing to see this chorus line make a video and share it with the world.


To answer the question why is it inmortant for students to post their work to blogs, it allowes people like Mr. Chamberlain to reach other people around the glob. Click here for Kaia's video. It also allows students like me to contact teachers from anywhere! Comments4teachers is a great way to see how technology is advancing in the classrooms almost daily. Click here for comments4teachers. Another source we use is comments4classmates. This allowes not only my class but all the other classes to read each others blogs. Click here for one of my classmates blogs.

April 4th Blog

A lot of things in this article sparked my interest. I never really thought of stuff like blogging, facebook, and Twitter as being connected around the world. Which if you think about, it is pretty scary. Who knows who all can see pictures of you and find out information. But to be involved with technology that is a risk I am willing to take. kaia's father gives a great perspective about how his daughter can look back and see how something sparked all the way across the world. This just shows me that technology is always growing by leaps and bounds. Which is a scary thought because who is to say that technology wont advance to where there are no teachers in the classroom. Technology is taking over! The voicethread was neat also. Kaia can look back years from now and watch herself.

March 28th Blog

After reading, and watching this video I am a little empowered. Dan Brown pretty much helped show me that change isn't always a bad thing. Dan spoke so passionately he really grabbed my attention. I thought it was interesting how he said he dropped out of school because he was not being educated. Both Dan and Morgan hit the nail on the head. going to a University usually includes being in an over-crowded classroom, with one professor who lectures for hours on end. Frankly, it is just flat out boring. Neither me nor my classmates are listening. Also, we do not communicate with our classmates. I usually meet maybe two or three people in all of my classes, and never see them again after that class is over. Education needs to step it up. Because if they do not then technology will take over and standard education will fall through the cracks. Teachers should be using technology on a everyday basis. Students should be allowed laptops, smart boards should be in every classroom, and students should have to write required blogs. Our generation today has to be constantly entertained. If educators don't step up to the technology plate then they will be jobless. Maybe not now, maybe not in ten years but eventually. Both Dan and Morgan did an excellent job of highlighting the problems within our school systems.

TimeToast timeline

I did my timeline on John Mayer. Mayer is a successful musician and has the Grammy's to prove it. John's music has been featured on T.V shows, and movies. He continues to play for sold-out houses, and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Click here for timeline!

Group Podcast

My group consisted of A.W Farris, Sam Blackman, and myself. We did our podcast on Google Lit Trips. We talked about how to use Lit Trips, and what Lit Trips was all about. It is a simple way to find information for not only students but teachers as well.

Click here for group podcast

SKYPE

I have never been a big skype user. But since we have been required to use it this semester I have skyped a few friends. I also skype a friend from my class. Skype is such a great way to talk back and forth virtually. Using skype I am able to talk to my friend from Texas. Skype is a very useful tool for communicating.

Project 5 Survey Results

My survey was pretty general. I asked questions about why him/her is going into education. If him/her uses an ipod or zune. If they thought technological advances should be used in the classroom. Most of my responses where yes. I also got a lot of the same answers as to why he/she is going into education. Overall very good results.

Click here for survey results

Comments 4Kids Week 9,12,13

Week 9: This week the kids made bird houses, cut out ducks, and talked about Abraham Lincoln. My comment: What a fun day! Thanks for sharing all your stories about the ducks and bird houses. I remember making those in kindergarten.

Week 12: This week Jadah drew a picture of a boat.
My comment: Good Work Judah! Your boat looks awesome. I love going boat riding in the lake down the street from my house. Very artistic, keep up the good work.

Week 13:This week a young girl goes rock climbing.
My comment: Awesome rock climbing. I am 20 years old and I would never go rock climbing. I am deeply scared of heights. Thanks for sharing.

Comments4Teachers 13 and 14

Week 13: Role playing in the classroom, Civil War Exercise.
Hi,
My name is Brittany Lewis and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM class. In this class I comment on my classmates blogs, teachers blogs, and kids blogs. After reading you blog I was intrigued by how you use role-playing in your classroom. I am not a teacher yet but hopefully I will be able to use some of the things you have suggested in the future. It was very interesting how you used your lesson plan to teach about the Civil War. Thanks so much. My class website/blogs is http://www.edm310.blogspot.com, my personal blog is http://www.lewisbrittanyedm310.blogspot.com.

Week14: Teachers and Vacation, the stress of being a teacher.
It is so refreshing to see a teacher who loves their work. I am not a teacher yet, but I can imagine that the daily tasks can be stressful. My mother who is a 30-year retired teacher tells me everyday that teaching is not always easy. Each student needs individual attention and being one person in a class of 20 or 30, can be a stressful task. I am only a 20-year-old so my stress level hasn’t even begun. But I appreciate your input, very enlightening.