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.

Comments4Teachers 10,11,12

Week 10
In this weeks Comments4Teachers my teacher Shelli Terrell's blog was about planting seeds into students. She goes on to talk about having a mustard seed of faith, and how we as teachers should encourage our students to strive for goals. My comment: Hi,
My name is Brittany Lewis. I am a student in Dr. Starange’s EDM class. In a few semester’s I will be going into my first English classroom. When I read this blog the first thing that I noticed was your emphasis on passion. I think to be any kind of teacher you must have passion for what you are doing. I myself have been a Christian since I was 4 years old. And it is nice to hear someone else share their faith. My blogspot is lewisbrittanyedm310.blogspot.com. My course blogspot is edm310.blogspot.com

Week11
In this blog, my teacher talks about micro-blogging and how tools like Twitter are useful not only to communicate to others but for learning purposes. My comment: I am currently on Twitter, but do not use it for learning purposes. I never really thought about it as a learning tool. But from what I have read it is an awesome source to stay involved. Though it is just one source to a micro-world of many, it is one of the newer updated blog spots. So I think that yes we do learn more from micro blogging.

Week12
This blog is about Google Reader. Google Reader allows blogger's to put all your blogs and favorite websites on one page. This video gives step by step directions on how to add Google Reader. My comment: Google Reader is such an interesting way to keep your favorite sites and blogs in one spot. And what is even better is that your favorite sites are updated, and Google Reader allows you to see when.

PLN

Though my PLN is not very long, I am currently adding more to it to become more technologically advanced. I am an active member on Facebook, which is an awesome way to connect with people from all over. I am also on Twitter, and Myspace. I have just started using ALEX, as of last semester. And am now involved in ACCESS. I am on itunes, and subscribe to SMARTboard's podcast.

Comments 4Teachers Weeks 7,8,9

Week 7
In this weeks blog, my teacher Eric Langhorst, made-up a dozen ways to use technology in the classroom. Here is my comment: Hi, I am Brittany Lewis. I am currently enrolled in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course. In this course we are taught to integrate technology into our soon-to-be classrooms. In a few semesters I will be a secondary English teacher. I own a facebook and Twitter account, but I have leaned about a lot more technological advances I could be using. Thank you so much for the tips, I will definitely be using many of your ideas!

Week 8
In this weeks blog, Mr. Langhorst made a powerpoint on bringing novels to life. He showed many groups that gather together and read, in and out of the classroom. My comment: I am not the biggest reader but I do occasionally find something I am interested in. I remember being in middle-school and having Silent Sustained reading. Then I wanted to go play outside, but now I would love to have 20 minutes to read to myself. My blog spot is http://lewisbrittanyedm310.blogspot.com. And my course blogspot is http://edm310.blogspot.com.

Week 9:
In this weeks post Mr. Langhorst has a personal video of himself. He was intervewed about his classroom and how he liked being a student a Walden University. He is currently in his second year for his doctorate. In his video he discusses how to incorporate technology into the classroom. My comment: I am not a teacher yet, but I like that you do an in-class review, and not only is it in-class, but on itunes, and on podcast. This makes it so much easier for students if they have missed that day of class, or need extra study time at home. I thoroughly enjoyed this video thanks for sharing.

Comments 4Kids Week10

In this weeks comments 4Kids, the student talked about Percy Jackson and The Olympians. My comment: Ive never really been into series like these, but I did see the previews for this movie, and it looked interesting. I will more than likely see the movie.

March 12th

The new and upcoming cite ALEX is helping teachers to be more organized in the classroom. ALEX stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. To enter this cite click ALEX. When ALEX's homepage appears a search engine will pop-up, different web links, courses of study, lesson plans, personal workspace, professional learning, and podcast treasury are provided.

The courses of study include: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Arts Education, and Physical Education. These courses of study allow you to find different links to lesson plans you can use. ALEX also allows you to view different web links for the student, teacher, and administrator. ALEX allows teachers to find new and innovative lesson plans in a range of subjects. ALEX is also a great place for personal workplaces, professional learning, and podcast. I have personally used ALEX myself. And as a teacher I will most definitely use ALEX for interesting lesson plans.

ACCESS is for Alabama teachers. It allows teachers different resources, courses, educators, and students. ACCESS's goal is to to create equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama public high school students. ACCESS allows teachers to view courses in graduation exams, course offerings, course catalogs e.t.c. ACCESS is just another cite for teachers to become more integrated with technology.

I have never used ACCESS, or even heard of it for that matter. But it looks like a really good source for teachers to use in the classroom. I also thought it was interesting that ACCESS allows you to view other universities and gather new ideas. As a future teacher ACCESS will definitely be something I'll look more into. ACCESS and ALEX are both great cites for teachers to explore.

February 28th Blog

This Is How We Dream:
Dr. Richard Miller's video was very interesting, and also provided some new ideas on multimedia writing. Dr. Miller shows ideas on how we as students can use the internet for new and exciting sources. Dr. Miller says in his video that "Now is the time to be technologically literate." Through technology new information can be shared and discused, and in Dr. Miller's video he shows us just that. Dr. Miller showed many examples of how we can become more up to date on current issues, presidential elections e.t.c.

I really liked how visual this video was. Dr. Miller shows exactly how to use new technology and multimedias. I thought it was pretty awesome that he never stepped foot in the library when he had to write a paper about the Virginia Tech shootings. Dr. Miller also showed images of collaborative work with some of his colleages. He can talk to four and five people at the same time. He showed clips of Dr. Martin Luther King, and even added music and sound to the presentation.

Altogether, Dr. Miller's point in this video is to show us as educators that we can spand our horizons and use techniques, such as the ones he has shown in this video. Change is not always bad, we can use new and intergrated techniques in our classrooms. Changes like these allow students to become more interenet savy, and allows them to have fun at the same time. I will be grauating soon, and hope to use some of Dr. Miller's techniques in my classroom. This video was very interesting and informative.

The Networked Student:
This was a cute video, about how students can blog and connect with other students. Wendy Drexler's video goes on to tell about how we as students can use things like iPod's to hear educational podcast, listen to music, and even virtual books. Connective learning is a way to get updated information from the web and other souced on the internet. This learning network will allow students to not only be current with the pace of our society, but to learn more effectively. In this 21st Century teaching is different. New tools and technology are developing almost daily.

A personal learning network is where "you" as a person asses information for your personal learning. This also allows you to connect and share with other students. You can even find bookmarked cites that match topics you are looking for. It also talks about setting up your own blog and actively using it. Wendy Drexler's video personal showed me that being technologically involved is important these days.

The question of whether I will use sources like Dexler's is yes. I found this video a very useful tool, to maybe show my students in the future. By being connected, which this class allows me to do, I will be able to become more multicultural, and also better involve myself in new technological advances. I thought this was a very creative video, and really caught my attention. I as a student will try and become more diverse when it comes to technology.

Toward's A New Future:
When you look around so many new things have emerged. This video was very witty. It showed clips of things like South Park, images from American Idol. I thought it was awesome that every year students gather together and talk about new technology and try their best to break it down. I myself live on Youtube, so I enjoyed the segment that he did about Youtube. Youtube is huge!! I thought that Michael Wesch had a very cool outlook about technology and integrating it into our learning processes.

Comments for Kids Week 4,5,6,7,8

Week 4 Comments for Kids:
In this weeks comments for kids my blogger Anthony wrote a descriptive analysis of a book he was reading about an assassin named Alex, here is my comment:
Hi, I am in an EDM class (micro-computer class) and I also make blogs weekly. Your blog was very descriptive it made me want to pick up this book and read all about Alex. Very thorough analysis of this book great job.

Week 5 Comments for Kids:
This weeks kids made up there own planets and colored them multiple colors. I commented by saying, your planet is very interesting. The color plate you choose reminds me of Easter. Great job, keep up this creative work! Click here for blog

Week 6 Comments for Kids:
In this weeks blogs team 6 did "Don't Stop Me Now." These kids got on stage and sang and dance. Here is my comment: So cute! Really enjoyed the performance. Very entertaining. Click for song


Week 7 Comments for Kids:
In this blog students made a video about a guy named Matt. In the video Matt went all over the world and in each city he did a little dance. This particular class did the same except in different places around their community, it was hilarious to watch these kids dancing, some of them were even good. Here is my comment for week 7: This was super witty! Some of these kids can for real dance. Thanks so much for sharing, it was such a cute little video I could totally follow it.

Week 8 Comments for kids:
In this kindergarten class students made thank you cards and made pictures of school buses and it even ended up in on the news. Here is my comment:
Hi class, I am Brittany Lewis and I have an EDM class that allows me to preview all kinds of blogs. This was such a creative blog. What an interesting idea to decorate the bus, and it was even on the news! Keep up the good work class.

iPhone Baby

This was such a cute video, It is absolutely crazy that a little baby can use an iphone. I myself don't have an iphone but I do know how to use some of the apps. But I get confused and have to be told how to use some of the apps myself, and here a baby can do it. This video just show's how technologically advanced our society is, and that it will only become more and more advanced throughout the years. I really liked this short little video and It gave me an insight to how advanced our society is becoming. Hopefully, when I have kids they can use my iphone and I can make cute videos like this.

February 21 Blog

When visiting Dr. Alice Christie's site, I was interested in her digital media and photography resources. It is all about incorporating digital photography/media into the classroom. Dr. Christie's goes into great detail on how to do these things. She gives general digital camera links about how to use photography as an educational source, digital features, and even a power-point photography review. I was most interested in this because I love pictures, and seeing beauty in nature. By using things like photography in the classroom you as a teacher can use innovative lessons and allow students to be creative. Students today are so bogged down with homework and test, they cannot use their creative side and express themselves. Yes, we need astronauts and scientist, but we also need the Picasso's of the world. She also talks about digital camera tips and the do's and dont's of photography. She lists tips for buying cameras and how to use them after you have bought them. Dr. Chrisite's website was very interesting and unique. I as a new teacher will apply photography to my lessons.

itunes University is a place that students or teachers can go to hear podcast, share educational information, and gain academic knowledge. I visited the University of Alabama's site, and found movies and podcast on the ABC's of education. The movie's are free and some of the site included topics on the no child left behind policy, social groups, and even cyberspace. I visited Auburn Universities site. I entered the special education site where you can subscribe to movies and podcast. Each episode focuses on certain issues dealing with special education and disabilities. iTunes University is a pretty solid idea, it consist of a variety of topics and is available to the general public. Almost every top institution and University was listed. All the way from Brown University to Columbia University. The fact that things like this even exist, allows students or just about anyone to find topics of interest.

I found a site called The Principal's Partnership, that uses iPod's for instruction. This site ask the question, can iPod's be used in a high school classroom? It goes on to talk about how the iPod is one of the most recognizable icons of the twenty-first century. The iPod is being used in everyday classrooms to help students become not only technologically advanced but to actually help them with classwork and homework. Where as you can store crazy amounts of music and photos, students can also use the iPod as a tool for school. The site also says that the iPod is becoming a source for study aids, making it convenient and fast to get classwork done. iTunes U was created because of the technological advances of the ipod. The Principal's Partnership also gives great resources on the iPod.
The Principals' Partnership

A Program of Union Pacific Foundation>
Duke University is one of the college's involved in this program. By using the iPod Duke had seen a dramatic growth in the classroom. Duke even distributed free iPod's in 2004 because the demand was so high. Not only has Duke began using iPod's for instruction they have also widened there range to other things in technology. The use of the iPod has expanded Duke's students learning experiences and classroom experiences.
news.duke.edu/2005/12/ipodupdate.html>

Presentation

February 14 Blog

Wikipedia:
As an English major the majority, if not all, of my teachers say, "Do not use Wikipedia." But when we Google, pretty much anything, Wikipedia is the first to pop up. This article was by far my favorite, I am all about exploiting evil corporations, who's only goal is to make more and more money at anyone's expense. I am a total conspiracy theorist, and do not doubt that top names such as, Wal Mart, Exxon Mobil, and other big shot corporations would go into Wiki and change entries that are not "Aesthetically pleasing" to their company. I personally, use Wikipedia. If I need something quick it is always the first thing to pop up. I do dislike the fact that anyone can change it, especially company's. But the designer of this Wikipedia Scanner is a genius! Not only can you see who is changing vast amounts of information of Wiki but you can see what dirty corporation is behind it. But I do think If technology can advance in this area then Wikipedia will be a new and improved source to use. Pro Wikipedia!!!

What I Have Learned This Year Article:
This article is what we as future teachers need to live by. Mr. McClung spoke very simple and precise. His seven main points were; how to read the crowd, be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, don't be afraid of technology, listen to your students, and never stop learning. I think the one that spoke to me the most was, listen to your students. In a year or so I will be teaching high school. And if I haven't heard it a million times most students say, "He/she just wont listen to what I have to say." Dealing with teenagers mostly, they deal with this with their parents, siblings, and school. Me being a 20 year old myself can definitely relate. We as teachers must be intuitive with our students, and listen to what they have to say. All seven points are valid, but that was probably the one point I most agreed with. This article is a good resource to look back on when I start teaching. Mr. McClung has a pretty solid idea of his students, and I enjoyed this article.

February 7th Blog

I watched the video integrating ICT into the MFL classroom. Most of everything that this podcast was about I agreed with. By using podcast in the classroom it makes it very easy for students to gather information or find out things they missed that day at school. Podcast are an innovative way for students to learn and understand new forms of technology. It is also easy to upload new podcast, this teaches students how to do it themselves. By getting involved with technology it helps students understand materials better, and actually want to learn. Our world today is full of technological advances such as; video games, t.v, facebook, e.t.c. So to teach students today we have to be on their level. We almost have to think like our students do. If learning is made to be fun and different then maybe the dropout rate wouldn't be so high. This podcast was very informative, and helped me to realize that we must understand technology and use it in the classroom.

January 31st Blog

Podcast:
I was a bit confused as to how podcast worked but I got the swing of things as I went along. From what I gathered from learning from all this is that I am going to have to eventually make a podcast using itunes. From some of the podcast I listened to were random, but It helped me get a just of what I will be doing on my podcast. I liked how they mentioned other sites affiliated that you could go visit. In Building a network Ben Hazzard goes into detail about educating our youth today and how we can use technology to get students more involved. They go into detail on how it is not all about the technology its about staying affective. By using smart board you can learn new applications to use in the classroom.

I also noticed they mentioned things like skype, facebook, and other networking programs. They also mentioned a program that teaches you about what technology has to offer, what there all about, and the pros and cons in using them. They talked about non traditional teaching styles and how to get teacher involved with new technology. Teachers can easily connect with teachersconnecting.com/podcast. Teachers can colaborate with their students and can join in with classroom discussion. It was just a very informative podcast that allows us to understand technology and why it is important.

Ed Tech was another podcast that talks about technology in the classroom. One of the podcast I listen to was about gaming and how it fits into curriculum. They also talked to gamers on the importance of gaming in the classroom. Many of these games tie into education and the availability to young students. Not all the games are educational but are creative. Students can use gaming to make there own games that others can play. Gaming is not just for entertainment but can also be extremely educational. Gaming can allow students to make strategies and learn how to understand complex systems.

Kid cast is a way for kids to get involved with technology. Kid cast allows students to learn new and exciting facts about learning and growing. Kid cast features kids educating kids. Kid cast teaches children about biographies, discrimination, and global warming. Each episode features different children of different ethnicity's talking about topics that kids can understand. Kid cast is an easy way for kids to get involved and understand technology. So over all the podcast where all ways for our youth to understand how to use technology to further there education.

January 24 Blog

Michael Wesch's "A Vision of Students Today" was a pretty accurate look at what college is like in our society. We spend thousands of dollars in tuition and miss half of our classes, we hundreds of dollars in textbooks and barely open them, we buy laptops only to surf the net while we are suppose to be taking notes. This is what college has become and from the looks of it will stay the same fir generations to come. I personally have never been in a class with more than 50 other students but at large Universities students are sitting in classrooms with over 100 students. Most of the students in large classrooms are not even learning, and will never make it in the real world. Though technology advances and can be a beneficiary, it is substituting important skills that students should be learning in the classroom. All together this video was very interesting it made me stop and say "Wow that really is how college is."

Kelly Hines' "It's Not About the Technology" was also insightful. Hines pinpoints on what teachers in the classroom are failing to do. And Like Hines says, yes we all have facebook, skype, twitter, and all the other web crazes but technology isn't replacing real teaching. One of her main points, teachers must be learners, was interesting because it showed how many teachers are not up to speed with technology and therefore cannot understand why their students do not get the material time and time again. The teacher should be up to date on technological advances to help students learn better, and at a faster rate. To be a teacher in some ways you need to be on the students level, you have to understand their world to better teach them properly. Teachers must be learners, was also insightful because it talks about how not only students are learning everyday but how the teacher should also be learning. To become a teacher you have to take a bunch of classes, enter the classroom to get a feel for it, and learn about what your suppose to be teaching, but the teacher also should be on many different levels. Its not about hashing material over and over its about learning what is best for not only the teacher but mostly the students. Each individual student learns a different way, so it is up to the teacher to understand those different ways. Her other topics shared on how learning and teaching are completely different and without good teaching technology would be useless.

The Fisch Bowl was super witty. I enjoyed reading this blog. Fisch has a very interesting way of looking at how technology should be a part of teaching methods. He has a pretty blunt way of saying if your technologically stupid then do not be a teacher. Which I can agree with in some ways but in others not so much. Teaching does not have to be futuristic for children or even adults for that matter to understand. Yes Fisch is right, we do need to keep up with technological advances but just because your not a computer nerd does not mean you cant learn the good old fashioned way. I mean he has a funny way of saying things but I personally do not agree 100 percent. I did like when he said that if a teacher today is not technologically literate, and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more, It is equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read or write. Fisch has a very interesting way of putting sarcasm into words which is somewhat refreshing. His vision is a bit extreme but not completely unrealistic. I thoroughly enjoyed his blog.

Gary Hayes' virtual graph blew my mind. I never realized how much people are on the internet! It is pretty ridiculous. Which got me thinking if it is like this now, what will it be like in the future? I in no way can answer this question but it is interesting to know that millions and millions of people are surfing the web, uploading photos on facebook, and are tweeting on twitter. It is a scary thought to even imagine what those numbers will look like in the future. Career wise, as a teacher this could have a large impact. Who knows years from now there might not even be teachers, students might walk into there living rooms and turn on their flat screens and some robot technological teacher could pop up on the screen. It is a lot to think about. I myself am a facebook-aholic but I did not know that it was so big! It is amazing how technology changes on a minute to minute basis. It is a lot to wrap my brain around.

January 17th Videos

All three videos in someway tied in with each other. In Mr. Winkle, Rip Van Winkle wakes from his 100 year slumber to find that the world around him has changed drastically. Mr. Winkle is terrified by the new technology and changed surroundings. He visits a hospital, a office, and a school. He is quit surprised by all of the changes except when he visits the school. To his surprise nothing has changed. Children still sat in desks and learned from teachers, this was such a relief for Mr. Winkle. What is ironic is that education has changed in various ways but the general concept is still the same. Students still learn and teachers still teach.

The second video was a bit witty. The speaker went into great depth about the negatives of education. Where when I was in school we had art, music, and P.E, education has turned into a strictly academic schedule. The is "no room" for the arts anymore. When students cant expand their creativity they are forced to conform to uncreative education. The speaker does a wonderful job of telling his listeners that the arts are important and that students must expand their horizons, to become more versatile. Really great and inspiring video.

The third video was about a teacher who uses new and advanced technology to teach her students. By uses computers and other equipment she is able to teach and entertain in a way that makes all students want to learn. This video kind of relates to Mr. Winkle in that technology has to advance to keep up with our youth today. To many technological advances such as ipods', laptops, facebook, and YouTube, are used for entertainment. Though we can all still learn by the art of lecture, the way our society is today if our generation is not entertained 24/7 we become bored and uninterested. So this video had a lot of pros but some cons as well.