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.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
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?
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