Well, fellow classmates, the semester is coming to an end. How sad! Can you sense the sarcasm?
I am going to miss seeing you all on Wednesday nights from 6:00-8:30. I'm going to miss Dr. Wakeman eating my food. I am going to miss Dr. Wakeman's humor, especially the one about me pretty much failing my midterm before I started it. I am going to miss getting scared when Dr. Wakeman's speakers are on and we don't know it. I am going to miss looking at Dr. Wakmean's sailboat on the edm310 blog. I am going to miss when Dr. Wakeman's computer has articles up in a different language.
I am going to miss everybody getting up in front of the class and feeling awkward when giving their powerpoint presentations. I am going to miss not understanding one thing that Dr. Wakeman does up on the big screen and then being lost for the next 10 minutes. I am going to miss talking into the little headset microphone thing for our podcast and playing it back and not sounding like myself. I am really going to miss doing four big project things the last 3 weeks of class.
I am going to miss looking up and seeing Amanda(Brooke) Williams across the way and facebook chatting her before class starts. I cracked myself up. I am going to miss looking across the way at Sean and shaking our heads about all the crap we have to do for school. I am going to miss Daphne asking me a billion questions because she is lost! =) I am going to miss Tommy trying to get us to download music in his powerpoint presentation. I am going to miss that guy behind me being way smarter than me.
As you can see, I will miss a lot of things! It's been fun!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Last Post!
I did learn things in this class. We also covered alot of things I already did know. I felt like we did stay on the things I already knew a little too long at times, but I guess some people did not know it.
The biggest thing I learned was the whole hyperlink thing. I always wondered how people did hyperlinks and so I am pretty excited I can do that now. I also had never heard of RSS feeds. That's good to know to keep up with certain things like sport pages, weather, etc. I also did not know that google docs had the "document" application. I could never make powerpoints at home because I didn't have powerpoint on my computer, just a viewer. Google Docs definitely came in handy this semester and I am sure it will be handy in the semesters to come. Also, on excel, I learned about how F2 switches to the formula from the actual outcome of the formula.
This may seem kind of stupid, but I did not know how to insert pictures into Word. I would try to do it and I wouldn't open it through insert on Word and so it would just come up as a bunch of symbols and stuff. I am glad I know how to do that now. That seems simple, but I really didn't know. I also didn't really think about the difference between a picture being as text or floating over text.
I also never really knew what podcasts or blogs were. I heard on movies or tv about blogging, but I didn't think educators used it. It's a good way to see what my peers think about things. I wasn't really excited about the podcast, but the program we used to make them was really cool. I downloaded it onto my computer at home.
What would I have liked to learn? I think Dr. Wakeman could have explained WHY we did some of the things we did. Like with the whole float over text vs. picture as text, I'm not sure why they wouldnt all be float over text. I think he covered pretty good what we should know. I think that the whole excel thing should have been more aimed toward what teachers use them for, instead of just random information with money.
The biggest thing I learned was the whole hyperlink thing. I always wondered how people did hyperlinks and so I am pretty excited I can do that now. I also had never heard of RSS feeds. That's good to know to keep up with certain things like sport pages, weather, etc. I also did not know that google docs had the "document" application. I could never make powerpoints at home because I didn't have powerpoint on my computer, just a viewer. Google Docs definitely came in handy this semester and I am sure it will be handy in the semesters to come. Also, on excel, I learned about how F2 switches to the formula from the actual outcome of the formula.
This may seem kind of stupid, but I did not know how to insert pictures into Word. I would try to do it and I wouldn't open it through insert on Word and so it would just come up as a bunch of symbols and stuff. I am glad I know how to do that now. That seems simple, but I really didn't know. I also didn't really think about the difference between a picture being as text or floating over text.
I also never really knew what podcasts or blogs were. I heard on movies or tv about blogging, but I didn't think educators used it. It's a good way to see what my peers think about things. I wasn't really excited about the podcast, but the program we used to make them was really cool. I downloaded it onto my computer at home.
What would I have liked to learn? I think Dr. Wakeman could have explained WHY we did some of the things we did. Like with the whole float over text vs. picture as text, I'm not sure why they wouldnt all be float over text. I think he covered pretty good what we should know. I think that the whole excel thing should have been more aimed toward what teachers use them for, instead of just random information with money.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Edible Schoolyard/A Night in the Global Village
How inspiring! "The Edible Schoolyard" was so very inspiring. This podcast takes place at Martin Luther Kind Junior Middle School.It was about how kids are working in the garden and the kitchen as part of their education. The garden part is partly used for social studies. A few of the things mentioned were about photosynthesis, composite, condensation, etc. Also, there is a "kitchen classroom" where they cook and learn different concepts about the kitchen that kids back in the day learned at home. It also talked about how kids are learning about where their food comes from, working in a community, etc. Also, the kids do not feel like it is school, so its a better environment for learning. The kids also get to taste all different kinds of foods from the ground, etc.
Unfortunately, "A Night in the Global Village" would not work. I tried it several times, but every time it would get to "28 seconds" it would go back to zero. I tried to fast forward ahead, but that would not work either.
I think the big thing that these podcasts can do for me, as a teacher, is just broaden my view of education. It can give me good, creative ideas that I have not thought of to educate my students and get them excited about learning. I feel the traditional way of schooling is just plain boring. With entertainment at the root of our existence, nowadays, education has to be modified to fit this age of technology and entertainment around every corner.
It can also give my students a way to kind of have a say in their education. They can watch different edutopia podcasts and can tell me which ones they would like to experience. I also believe that these podcasts can be shown to inspire my students.
Unfortunately, "A Night in the Global Village" would not work. I tried it several times, but every time it would get to "28 seconds" it would go back to zero. I tried to fast forward ahead, but that would not work either.
I think the big thing that these podcasts can do for me, as a teacher, is just broaden my view of education. It can give me good, creative ideas that I have not thought of to educate my students and get them excited about learning. I feel the traditional way of schooling is just plain boring. With entertainment at the root of our existence, nowadays, education has to be modified to fit this age of technology and entertainment around every corner.
It can also give my students a way to kind of have a say in their education. They can watch different edutopia podcasts and can tell me which ones they would like to experience. I also believe that these podcasts can be shown to inspire my students.
iTunes University
iTunes University, or iTunes U, is a remarkable idea. Things can be looked up by category or by specific universities. It is completely free. College students always love hearing that.
As a student, I believe that iTunes University would dramatically increase my interest in lecture classes. I love my hands on/active classes this semester, but during my Freshman and Sophomore year, I hated sitting in class for hours and hours. It is education on-the-go. If I took notes, but did not understand what I meant from what I wrote, I could just go back and listen to the lecture again. Also, I could listen to lectures over and over and rewind to parts that were more difficult to understand and fast forward through the things I already got.
As a teacher, I would probably spend less time repeating myself if my students used iTunes U. Because we all know that teachers get asked the same questions over and over because there is always someone that is not paying attention. Also, as one article said, teachers would have more time for their students, like interacting with them, and not just lecturing them and spitting information at them.
Click here and here for links to the information I found.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Using Ipods in Teaching
I read two articles for this blog post.They are "Ipods in The Classroom" on the CampusGrotto.com and "Duke Sees Growth in Classroom Ipod Use" on news.duke.edu. I must be out of the loop because I have not really heard about the use of Ipods in the classroom, although I think it is a brilliant idea. The two articles I read talked about how Duke University has adopted this use of Ipods.
The main problem with using Ipods in the classroom is that some people abuse the privilege and do not use them correctly. Some people are using them for their intended purpose of entertainment and making it rough for everybody else who is trying to use them to learn. Other than that, everything is else is good. It makes studying easier and more convenient because the Ipod can be taken anywhere, essentially. Class lectures can be uploaded, as well. It's pretty much on-the-go education. With life being so hectic and crazy, this idea seems perfect. I wish South Alabama used this teaching method.
The main problem with using Ipods in the classroom is that some people abuse the privilege and do not use them correctly. Some people are using them for their intended purpose of entertainment and making it rough for everybody else who is trying to use them to learn. Other than that, everything is else is good. It makes studying easier and more convenient because the Ipod can be taken anywhere, essentially. Class lectures can be uploaded, as well. It's pretty much on-the-go education. With life being so hectic and crazy, this idea seems perfect. I wish South Alabama used this teaching method.
Dr. Christie
Under Dr. Christie's Educational Technology Guide, the first thing that caught my attention was the instant messaging part. There are articles about instant messaging, lists of instant messaging "vocab," etc. As a teacher, I need to be up to date on the latest "fads" with the age groups that I am teaching. I need to know how my students tick and what interests them. Although I am still young enough to know the "fads" with kids in school and the "vocab," I will not always be and I can refer to her website to keep me updated.
She also has a page for instant messaging and text messaging that describes what they are. Also, she goes into some detail about the pitfalls and potentials of them. Children are only going to be more technologically savvy as the years go by. The information she gave got me thinking about how I can use this progression of technology knowledge as a way to reiterate life lessons in safety in driving(on phone, texting,etc.), not interacting with strangers(online), etc.
Under her Educational Technology Guide, she has a whole portion for rubrics. She has sample rubrics that I could use, depending on the projects that I want to do. She also explains why rubrics are important. I see that rubrics are important because it gives students a way to kind of grade themselves before turning in assignments. I think that is a really good idea and something I would like to use when I teach. I always hated when I was not really sure what my teacher wanted from me for assignments.
The other thing that caught my eye under her Educational Technology Guide is different roles a teacher can take in the classroom. The different roles a teacher can take are a facilitator, collaborator, curriculum developer, team member, community builder, educational leader, and an information producer. She had some samples of how other teachers have succeeded at these different roles. This can help me by letting me see which roles are best for me in my class or school.
Wikipedia: Is it reliable?
It is kind of intersting that this is our blog post for the week because this is also my group's podcast topic. I did not know about companies, etc. changing information on their wikipedia pages to make them sound better. I guess I never really thought about that. I did not think that people would care that much about what Wikipedia said about them, their companies, etc.
I personally believe that Wikipedia can and cannot be trusted, to a degree. I believe that Wikipedia is alright for a general overview of a certain subject, but not good for details. If you look up "Boston Tea Party," it is good for getting the idea that it was a protest by Americans against the British Government, but the little details might not be correct. It is a good idea to check the sources that are posted and research how trustworthy they are. Also, it is a good idea to look up the same information other places and compare.
I personally believe that Wikipedia can and cannot be trusted, to a degree. I believe that Wikipedia is alright for a general overview of a certain subject, but not good for details. If you look up "Boston Tea Party," it is good for getting the idea that it was a protest by Americans against the British Government, but the little details might not be correct. It is a good idea to check the sources that are posted and research how trustworthy they are. Also, it is a good idea to look up the same information other places and compare.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch was something else. He is very laid-back. His lecture was very informal. You can tell that he loved life by his lecture. Pausch went ahead and put everything on the table at the beginning of the lecture. He was open about his cancer and even made a few jokes about it. He did not want there to be an "elephant" in the room.
Most people summarize at the beginning of a lecture and let you know what they are going to talk about. Pausch explained what he was not going to talk about. It made his lecture unique. Throughout the whole lecture, Pausch included humor as a big part of his lecture and that made it easy to pay attention to. He also had powerpoints that had alot of pictures or short phrases. They were simple and not loaded with so much information that I was struggling to read it in time or overwhelmed by all the information.
Another thing that made his lecture really good was that he talked about his own personal experiences. He shared life lessons that he has learned. An example of a life lesson that he learned was, "When you are screwing up and nobody is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up" on you. He was just explaining that those that love you continue to try and make you better.
Pausch gave credit where credit was due. He commemmorated the people in his life that he felt deserved it. He did not have a problem with saying he did not know something. He gave good advice. He had good morals and believed in honesty, humility, forgiveness, and thankfulness. He was a good motivator. Throughout the lecture, he talked about overcoming "brick walls." At the end of his lecture, on the very last slide, he told everybody that the lecture was not for anybody else, but his kids. That really touched me and ended his "last lecture" perfectly.
Most people summarize at the beginning of a lecture and let you know what they are going to talk about. Pausch explained what he was not going to talk about. It made his lecture unique. Throughout the whole lecture, Pausch included humor as a big part of his lecture and that made it easy to pay attention to. He also had powerpoints that had alot of pictures or short phrases. They were simple and not loaded with so much information that I was struggling to read it in time or overwhelmed by all the information.
Another thing that made his lecture really good was that he talked about his own personal experiences. He shared life lessons that he has learned. An example of a life lesson that he learned was, "When you are screwing up and nobody is saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up" on you. He was just explaining that those that love you continue to try and make you better.
Pausch gave credit where credit was due. He commemmorated the people in his life that he felt deserved it. He did not have a problem with saying he did not know something. He gave good advice. He had good morals and believed in honesty, humility, forgiveness, and thankfulness. He was a good motivator. Throughout the lecture, he talked about overcoming "brick walls." At the end of his lecture, on the very last slide, he told everybody that the lecture was not for anybody else, but his kids. That really touched me and ended his "last lecture" perfectly.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Once Again, The Fischbowl...
I read posts from August of 2006 on the Fischbowl blog. I believe that the video that we watched the first few weeks of school actually began as a powerpoint presentation for teachers at Arapahoe High School. The powerpoint was just updated to a video.
Karl Fisch, creator of the fischbowl blog, was asked to speak at a faculy meeting. He keeps the teachers and the school updated on technology upgrades. He did not want to just have another faculty meeting. He wanted to do something different to inform them about things, so he created a powerpoint. I watched the powerpoint and it had some information that was not in the video that we had to watch. Overall, it was pretty much the same message, though.
He uses his blog to spread his ideas and opinions, and information, in general. He has his powerpoint presentation posted to his blog for easy access. He has posted his updated video to this 2006 blog post also, even though the video was made in 2007.
After the presentation was shown initially, he answered questions/concerns regarding the powerpoint presentation on his blog. He also expounds upon things, clarifies, and explains why he made changes to some things. He tells some of his sources of information.
I like his blog. I think it is well done. I like how he writes like he is talking and it is laidback and comfortable. It is also well organized.
Karl Fisch, creator of the fischbowl blog, was asked to speak at a faculy meeting. He keeps the teachers and the school updated on technology upgrades. He did not want to just have another faculty meeting. He wanted to do something different to inform them about things, so he created a powerpoint. I watched the powerpoint and it had some information that was not in the video that we had to watch. Overall, it was pretty much the same message, though.
He uses his blog to spread his ideas and opinions, and information, in general. He has his powerpoint presentation posted to his blog for easy access. He has posted his updated video to this 2006 blog post also, even though the video was made in 2007.
After the presentation was shown initially, he answered questions/concerns regarding the powerpoint presentation on his blog. He also expounds upon things, clarifies, and explains why he made changes to some things. He tells some of his sources of information.
I like his blog. I think it is well done. I like how he writes like he is talking and it is laidback and comfortable. It is also well organized.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Old Podcasts
I listened to two podcasts. The first was "My Classes at South: How is Technology Used in Them?" by Matt Cline and Jill Revette. The other podcast I listened to was "Can YouTube Be Used for Educational Purposes?" by Adrienne Lynch, Joylyn Reese, and Brian Stevens. I thought they were alright, but I would change a few things.
In the technology podcast, I felt like there was a little bit of pointless information. I also felt like the first time Jill spoke, she rambled and did not just get straight to the point. I feel that she should have been more prepared in what she was going to say. If your answer is too long, you lose people.They also talked about a "clicker" for like a minute before they ever explained what it was. I felt that it should have been explained before they went on about it. I wish that the podcast had been a little more laidback and not so awkward. I could feel the tension. It is important to make your listeners feel comfortable. The introduction and the end were pretty boring. I felt that it needed to be spiced up a bit. It needed some upbeat music or something.
In the YouTube podcast, there two different times where the girls were explaining things and they said something I did not understand. I went back and listened to both spots again and I still did not understand what they meant. They should have made sure they explained what they meant by what they said. Also, at one part where one of the girls said something kind of funny, no one laughed. They need to lighten the mood and respond like a person would in normal conversation. It was just awkard. There were also some awkward silences.
I have learned from the podcasts from last semester. I want to make mine "spicy" by having upbeat music at the beginning and end. I want my podcast to be more laidback, like normal conversation. I want to make the listeners feel comfortable and interested in what I am talking about. I will also try to not ramble, but get to the point. I will also try to make sure everything is clear about what I say.
In the technology podcast, I felt like there was a little bit of pointless information. I also felt like the first time Jill spoke, she rambled and did not just get straight to the point. I feel that she should have been more prepared in what she was going to say. If your answer is too long, you lose people.They also talked about a "clicker" for like a minute before they ever explained what it was. I felt that it should have been explained before they went on about it. I wish that the podcast had been a little more laidback and not so awkward. I could feel the tension. It is important to make your listeners feel comfortable. The introduction and the end were pretty boring. I felt that it needed to be spiced up a bit. It needed some upbeat music or something.
In the YouTube podcast, there two different times where the girls were explaining things and they said something I did not understand. I went back and listened to both spots again and I still did not understand what they meant. They should have made sure they explained what they meant by what they said. Also, at one part where one of the girls said something kind of funny, no one laughed. They need to lighten the mood and respond like a person would in normal conversation. It was just awkard. There were also some awkward silences.
I have learned from the podcasts from last semester. I want to make mine "spicy" by having upbeat music at the beginning and end. I want my podcast to be more laidback, like normal conversation. I want to make the listeners feel comfortable and interested in what I am talking about. I will also try to not ramble, but get to the point. I will also try to make sure everything is clear about what I say.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Fischbowl: Best Blog of September
This is a blog by Karl Fisch. It is especially for Arapahoe High School, where he teaches. He says that he annoys his staff all the time, which I think is funny. I like how matter-of-fact he is in his posts. He gives his views and opinions and does not sugar coat them. He seems like he almost welcomes negative feedback and likes discussions.
One post that I read was about how a lot of teachers are illiterate when it comes to technology. Fisch does not agree with that. He thinks teachers should put out the effort to become current. They are teaching kids in the 21st century, so their knowledge should be up-to-date.
He states certain standards that he feels all teachers must meet when relating to technology and I agree. He also says, "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." Technology is an essential part of the future, so teachers need to quit living in the past, even if they have been teaching for 30 years. What ever happened to continuing education and professional development? Technology should be a part of that.
On Fisch's blog, he has all the blog links for the rest of Arapahoe's different grades and classes. He also has his posts that he made to other blogs. He has all Arapahoe's teacher's blog links posted. He has posted the latest teacher posts and the latest class blog posts, as well.
One post that I read was about how a lot of teachers are illiterate when it comes to technology. Fisch does not agree with that. He thinks teachers should put out the effort to become current. They are teaching kids in the 21st century, so their knowledge should be up-to-date.
He states certain standards that he feels all teachers must meet when relating to technology and I agree. He also says, "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." Technology is an essential part of the future, so teachers need to quit living in the past, even if they have been teaching for 30 years. What ever happened to continuing education and professional development? Technology should be a part of that.
On Fisch's blog, he has all the blog links for the rest of Arapahoe's different grades and classes. He also has his posts that he made to other blogs. He has all Arapahoe's teacher's blog links posted. He has posted the latest teacher posts and the latest class blog posts, as well.
Podcasts
The first podcast I listened to was the "SmartBoard Lessons Podcast." It was talking about community between parents, teachers, etc. The description on what this podcast is about on iTunes is, " using interactive whiteboards in the classroom with lessons and links." They were talking about some issues with the SmartBoard Lessons idea. This podcast was about informing people about the SmarBoard. This podcast was like the radio to me. The guy talking sounds really close to the microphone, while the woman sounds far away in the background. It is like they are having a normal conversation that just happened to be recorded. It is very informal and laid back. On one part I listened to, they were telling pointless stories. It was like no one else was listening. There are some advertisements, but the guy doing them sounds like the same guy that is doing the podcast.
The next podcast I listened to was "KidCast." I believe it was just one lesson out of many because it read "KidCast 58." This podcast lesson was called, "The Medium is NOT the Message." This podcast was just one guy talking, who started off his podcast with how his weekend went. He then got more serious and started talking about student podcasts and I could tell he was really passionate about it. He was formal, on track, and not random. He was trying to persuade people why kids should create podcasts,etc.
"EdTechTalk" is a podcast that had music at the beginning of it. I thought that was pretty cool. This particular one had the person leading the podcast with 2 guests. This podcast is live. This podcast is used for discussion. Teachers can talk about issues and their opinions about those issues. The teachers can talk about solutions to problems and what they do or do not like about their schools, education, etc. Once again, one person was really close to the microphone, while the other sounded farther away. It got really loud at a few points when different people would talk. It was annoying.
"MacBreak Weekly" is a podcast with five men. It really reminded me of the radio talk show portion in the mornings. This podcast had advertisements and started off with the men talking about the Superbowl. It was formal, but not too formal. It was just right. It was entertaining. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss technology. Also, the microphone volume was constant and did not get on my nerves.
The last blog was "This Week in Photography." This blog had advertisements, as well. There was music at the beginning with little camera sounds. It was cute. I think there are two people who do the podcast. I could not really tell how many people there were because it was mentioned that other people were connecting in through their computers from other parts of the country. I liked that, before the podcast actually started, the guy told about what the podcast would be covering. This podcast consisted of random conversation, questions, opinions, and personal experiences with cameras and photography.
I could not find the "ConnectLearning" podcast.
The next podcast I listened to was "KidCast." I believe it was just one lesson out of many because it read "KidCast 58." This podcast lesson was called, "The Medium is NOT the Message." This podcast was just one guy talking, who started off his podcast with how his weekend went. He then got more serious and started talking about student podcasts and I could tell he was really passionate about it. He was formal, on track, and not random. He was trying to persuade people why kids should create podcasts,etc.
"EdTechTalk" is a podcast that had music at the beginning of it. I thought that was pretty cool. This particular one had the person leading the podcast with 2 guests. This podcast is live. This podcast is used for discussion. Teachers can talk about issues and their opinions about those issues. The teachers can talk about solutions to problems and what they do or do not like about their schools, education, etc. Once again, one person was really close to the microphone, while the other sounded farther away. It got really loud at a few points when different people would talk. It was annoying.
"MacBreak Weekly" is a podcast with five men. It really reminded me of the radio talk show portion in the mornings. This podcast had advertisements and started off with the men talking about the Superbowl. It was formal, but not too formal. It was just right. It was entertaining. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss technology. Also, the microphone volume was constant and did not get on my nerves.
The last blog was "This Week in Photography." This blog had advertisements, as well. There was music at the beginning with little camera sounds. It was cute. I think there are two people who do the podcast. I could not really tell how many people there were because it was mentioned that other people were connecting in through their computers from other parts of the country. I liked that, before the podcast actually started, the guy told about what the podcast would be covering. This podcast consisted of random conversation, questions, opinions, and personal experiences with cameras and photography.
I could not find the "ConnectLearning" podcast.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
International K-12
The first blog that I found was for Wanaka Primary School in New Zealand. The main page is for "Room 10," but it has links to other blogs for different rooms at the same school. This blog has a welcome note from the teacher about the new semester and about the teacher's policies. This blog also shows what the class learned before the Christmas holidays. It also has pictures of arts and crafts that the students made. Click here to access this blog
The other blog I found was very interesting. It was for the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University. I know what you are thinking, not international right? Well, the blog is about how a group of nursing students went to South Africa to study abroad. The blog is a way for them to write about what they are learning in South Africa. It also allows them to update family, friends, etc. back in the states what they are experiencing and learning. Also, it is a more concrete way for the nursing students to share what they are learning with each other.Click here for a link to this blog
Saturday, January 31, 2009
K-12 Blogs
The first blog that I found was one from Mr. Clung's sixth grade class at Noel Elementary in Missouri. Mr. Clung uses his blog to post announcements about assignments. He also posts about things that the students covered in class, using what his students did that day to educate the people reading the blog. One way he educates his readers is by using vocabulary words that have hyperlinks to further explain what he means. Here is a link to Mr. Clung's sixth grade blog: http://mcclungsblog.blogspot.com/
The other blog that I found was by a guy named Joel, who is a band director in Texas. He has a blog about teaching. He writes his personal experiences with teaching, so that others can get an up-close look at what being a teacher is really like.He also writes about some of the situations teachers will come in contact with. After each blog post, he gives related articles that pertain to what he wrote about that day. These related articles correspond to other blogs posts he has written. Here is the link to Joel's "So You Want To Teach?" blog: So You Want to Teach?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Shift happens!
Wow. That is what I was thinking throughout the whole movie. I had no idea what the movie was going to be about. When I clicked on the play button, the question, "did you know?" poppped up and it got my attention immediately.This movie showed how our technology has grown at an amazing rate. The number of people who set up myspace accounts just today blew my mind. The facts about the kids who had never had a textbook, but were given computers, was pretty amazing. They now have the whole world in their hands and they can be connected to you and me! That part about the kids who had never had a textbook before really just shows me how lucky I am to be given the opportunity to get an education. I know I complain alot about having to go to school, but at least I can have an education.
The U.S. is, alot of times, seen as the best in the world, but these facts from the movie skewed that idea a little bit. It talked about Great Britain being the richest, etc. at one point. I do not really pay attention to most of that kind of stuff, but I did not know that. I did know that our education system is not that great, compared to those of other countries, but why? One of the really big issues that the political campaigns focus on is education, so why is our system crappy?
The movie also talked about how some people are in school, learning about things that do not even exist yet. Another thing that kind of goes along with that, is that some of the majors that we have now did not exist in the years past! I really did not know that! That part of the movie was the coolest to me!I'm going to spread this movie because I think it is worth watching. It is interesting and gave me a different perspective than I am used to. Remember, shift happens!
The U.S. is, alot of times, seen as the best in the world, but these facts from the movie skewed that idea a little bit. It talked about Great Britain being the richest, etc. at one point. I do not really pay attention to most of that kind of stuff, but I did not know that. I did know that our education system is not that great, compared to those of other countries, but why? One of the really big issues that the political campaigns focus on is education, so why is our system crappy?
The movie also talked about how some people are in school, learning about things that do not even exist yet. Another thing that kind of goes along with that, is that some of the majors that we have now did not exist in the years past! I really did not know that! That part of the movie was the coolest to me!I'm going to spread this movie because I think it is worth watching. It is interesting and gave me a different perspective than I am used to. Remember, shift happens!
ACCESS
ACCESS stands for the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide program. I mentioned it in the ALEX blog I wrote, but I will expound upon it now. ACCESS "provides opportunities and options for Alabama public high school students to engage in Advanced Placement (AP), elective, and other courses to which they may not otherwise have access."
ACCESS offers video conferencing and web-based courses. ACCESS also offers what is referred to as "blended" courses, which are in-person meetings or virtual field trips, in addition to the video conferencing and web-based courses. The courses are offered in English, social studies, science, mathematics, foreign languages, health, and the arts. There are also electives to choose from.The courses are accessed during normal school hours and the schools must provide computers to the students. The courses are also free of charge to public high school students in Alabama. Besides being able to access courses some people would not normally get to take, students can get exempt from certain exams by following certain procedures and meeting certain criteria.
I heard about Advanced Placement when I was in high school, but I never took advantage of the opportunity. I also did not know that it was part of a bigger program (ACCESS). I was already busy enough and I knew it would be more challenging and I was not willing to put out the effort. I do believe that ACCESS is a great opportunity that students should be encouraged to take advantage of!
I will encourage students to make use of ACCESS where I work. It is a way to take their education into their own hands and excel to a higher degree. It does seem like students have to be more self-motivated to be successful because this program is not required. Students will need all the support they can get! Also, who wouldn't want to get exempt from an exam here or there?
ACCESS offers video conferencing and web-based courses. ACCESS also offers what is referred to as "blended" courses, which are in-person meetings or virtual field trips, in addition to the video conferencing and web-based courses. The courses are offered in English, social studies, science, mathematics, foreign languages, health, and the arts. There are also electives to choose from.The courses are accessed during normal school hours and the schools must provide computers to the students. The courses are also free of charge to public high school students in Alabama. Besides being able to access courses some people would not normally get to take, students can get exempt from certain exams by following certain procedures and meeting certain criteria.
I heard about Advanced Placement when I was in high school, but I never took advantage of the opportunity. I also did not know that it was part of a bigger program (ACCESS). I was already busy enough and I knew it would be more challenging and I was not willing to put out the effort. I do believe that ACCESS is a great opportunity that students should be encouraged to take advantage of!
I will encourage students to make use of ACCESS where I work. It is a way to take their education into their own hands and excel to a higher degree. It does seem like students have to be more self-motivated to be successful because this program is not required. Students will need all the support they can get! Also, who wouldn't want to get exempt from an exam here or there?
ALEX
No, ALEX is not my boyfriend of 2 years or my best friend. In fact, ALEX is not even a person. Come on now. No one is so important that their name should be written in all caps. What I am talking about is the Alabama Learning Exchange. As easy as I can put it, and seemingly very self-explanatory, ALEX is a resource for information dealing with education. It is a useful website that people from all over the world can access and learn about common ideas underlying education.
ALEX's home page has a series of buttons that you can choose from that include: courses of study, web links, lesson plans, personal workspace, professional learning, and distance learning. Courses of study allows access to different subtitles of education, like math, science,etc. You can then look at specific areas in those subtitles. Web links gives websites for teachers, students, and administrators dealing with the same subtitles that were mentioned earlier, etc. Lesson plans deals with sample lesson plans for certain subjects. The personal workspace button allows a personal account with all the information and resources that pertain to a certain person and their particular field. The professional learning button has more resources to better a person in their field and their life, in general. The distance learning button explains about ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide). ACCESS deals with giving students opportunities they may not get from their schools. Two examples would be electives or Advanced Placement.
While this website has awesome resources already, it allows for people to add things if they feel like it is important enough. This hints to the "exchange" part of it. Since i am a physical education major, i definitely think I can use this as a resource for information that pertains to my job in physical education. I also can get ideas from others who share their ideas on the website. I still think that experience is the best way to really learn things, but it couldn't hurt.
ALEX's home page has a series of buttons that you can choose from that include: courses of study, web links, lesson plans, personal workspace, professional learning, and distance learning. Courses of study allows access to different subtitles of education, like math, science,etc. You can then look at specific areas in those subtitles. Web links gives websites for teachers, students, and administrators dealing with the same subtitles that were mentioned earlier, etc. Lesson plans deals with sample lesson plans for certain subjects. The personal workspace button allows a personal account with all the information and resources that pertain to a certain person and their particular field. The professional learning button has more resources to better a person in their field and their life, in general. The distance learning button explains about ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide). ACCESS deals with giving students opportunities they may not get from their schools. Two examples would be electives or Advanced Placement.
While this website has awesome resources already, it allows for people to add things if they feel like it is important enough. This hints to the "exchange" part of it. Since i am a physical education major, i definitely think I can use this as a resource for information that pertains to my job in physical education. I also can get ideas from others who share their ideas on the website. I still think that experience is the best way to really learn things, but it couldn't hurt.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Hi There.
Hello. My name is Lauren Mott. I am 21 years old and I am from Mobile. I am a physical education major. I wanted to stay in Mobile after graduation and I picked South because I liked it better than it's competition of Univeristy of Mobile and Spring Hill. Supposedly getting my teacher certificiation would make me more marketable, so that's why I am a physical education major. I really just want to coach, so physical education is right up my alley anyway. I want to coach basketball, for sure, and maybe cross-country or track. I am currently a volunteer and assisting coaching at St. Luke's Middle School. I am helping with basketball, track, and cross-country. I love coaching! I think it is what I want to do for my career. It is my passion!
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