My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

Well, I have not had a chance to get to know most of you. Maybe in the future our paths will cross again. Hopefully you had as good of an experience in this class as I have. Good luck to everyone in the future, wherever it may lead you.

What I've Learned

I have learned quite a few things in this class. I learned that Blogs can be really useful as a teaching tool. I learned that Google offers many free online tools that can be very useful to me now and in my future. I had never previously had a reason to use excel, so all of the lessons on Google's Spreadsheet Program were very interesting and helpful. I will definitely use the payout table in the future. The brochure I created using Microsoft Word turned out way better than I hoped so that was nice. I have always been pretty good with computers, having built my last two and maintained them, but I had never learned much html in regards to images. The lessons on Picasa and html were very helpful as well. I have already used Picasa to enhance most of my photos at home thanks to the instruction on the subject. I am sure there are some things that I am leaving out, but just know that yes I did learn quite a few things in this short time. Thanks.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia, a great idea that needs allot of work before it can be of any use to me. The reliability of the sources of the information offered by Wikipedia are one of my main concerns. Also, the fact that information can be changed for whatever reason by whomever, at any time, and all while maintaining anonymity. I have yet to use Wikipedia for any reason and have no intention of using it in the future without the necessary improvements first being made. The Wikiscanner offers some reassurance that information will be less tampered with. But even with the use of the Wikiscanner I feel that if an individual has a strong enough desire to control the information that is being shared online, there is always a way to stay one step ahead of the "Virgil Grifiths" of the world. Hackers will always find a way to stay one step ahead and will surely be sought out by the large corporations to do their dirty work...for a small fee of course. Anyhow, think twice before trusting any information from Wikipedia.

"Growth" vs "Fixed" Minds

Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford university, believes that students with a "fixed" mindset are limited mentally by their own belief system. Those students with a "growth" mindset are better suited to evolve, absorb information, and ultimately succeed in all aspects of their life. Everyone should feel this way, especially educators! I understand that some people posses this "fixed" mindset but it is hard for me to determine how they think this way, and impossible to ignore this problem. I agree that Carol's statement on the "brain is like a muscle", and "that it grows with use" holds true, but this needs to be instilled in our young students minds ASAP. This video was no eye opener for me, but it has addressed a topic that was in need of discussion. Knowing that there are students that feel doomed to a set basic intelligence level is saddening. It is the duty of educators to reassure these students and provide them with the tools to overcome their personal boundaries.

As an educator I will encourage students to feel as I do, that there is no limit to the possibilities of the human mind and body. Children especially should be taught that you are only limited by your belief and commitment to a task. If you believe in yourself and put in the "work", anything is possible. No one is born with the ability to perform a back flip, it must be learned. If everyone possessed the "fixed" mindset, life would be extremely boring.

WGBH, Teacher’s Domain

Using iTunes in the classroom is just too easy. There are so many free tools available. I was checking out the Earth and Space Science video within the teachers domain of WGBH public broadcasting, and I found that all of the videos were very informative. The animations were also excellent and very descriptive. All of the material that I observed was of great quality, especially considering the fact that the information was all free of charge!

Within the Earth and Space Science section there were 12 videos, all of which focused on a different aspect of our planet and solar system. I can see myself using such videos in addition to textbook material for a visual aide. Having the information available to everyone at no cost is nice for research assignments as well.

iTunes University

As a teacher having an iPod can be an extremely useful tool. The same is true for students. The ability to download and store information is always a plus. Its small size is nice for anyone on the go. Having your music and video files when you need to take a mental break is nice also. On a more serious note, setting up podcasts and linking up to your class from anywhere in the world is a definite advantage. Entire lesson could be saved and made available for download to your students for visual step by step instruction. Documents are able to be made more appealing and attention grabbing than printed documents could ever be, without the wasted ink and paper.

The list of positive uses for an iPod and iTunes University is at worst a very long one. Check out THIS SITE for more information and develop your own opinion. I have already made up my mind, and I am completely on board with the iTunes University's methods of education!

iPod In Eduaction

Using the iPod as an educational tool is simply the next logical step for education in our society. It was inevitable, and the versatility and convenience of the iPod could not be ignored any longer. The compact size and capabilities make it well worth the cost and effort. Duke universities plan to give all incoming freshman an iPod equipped with a bounty of useful material is an excellent idea. I hope that this is only the beginning and that more and more institutions from elementary school through college embrace these ideas, and continue to incorporate technology into instruction.

The iPod gives educators and students so many tools to take advantage of. From memo recording programs to email usage between student and instructor. Its exciting to see schools such as the Chapin School in New York, who are now experimenting with iPods in their 8th grade classes. I found lots of information regarding iPod's for educational use HERE. You should check out the site.

Fischbowl Best Of November

The Fischbowl's best of November blog discussed the use of wireless internet access being made available for staff and students at Arapahoe high school. The blog sheds light on the positive side of the issue. I feel that any distraction brought on by this advancement would not out way the benefit. I also agree with the author that there is so much more that can be done within the classroom through the use of the web. Perhaps the most valuable point made in the Blog was that, "There is a wealth of information and resources available to our students via the Internet." The fact that there students could view, at anytime, their grades and assignments, notes, worksheets via the web. Unlimited storage space for their work. Interaction with students and teachers worldwide is also a plus. There are countless advantages that come with this step forward.

I feel that it is necessary for everyone, especially young students, to become familiar with as much technology as possible. The world is advancing at such a rate that if you do not accept it, you will fall way behind. Having students use the internet as much as possible will do nothing but better prepare them for the world ahead. I wish secondary schools in our area would do the same. I also envy the Littleton Public School System for allowing this. Here is a link to their site Click Here

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OK for educators to be technologically illiterate?

Karl Fisch has a strong opinion regarding technological literacy and todays educators. Within his best of September blog, HERE I must say that I agree with most of his points. My mindset has always been, if you can not complete a certain task yourself, how can you effectively teach someone else to? Many times when I was thinking this way it was in regards to physical health. I found it quite strange that the majority of physical educators that I came across were not only out of shape, but were lacking the basic physical skills necessary to perform tasks which they were attempting to teach. I feel that this holds true in any area of instruction. Especially in regards to technology. How can a teacher prepare a student to be successful in todays technologically advanced world if he/she themselves are not proficient in the area.

Teachers of today should be embarrassed if lacking in technological capability. I am not one to go surfing the net for Blogs in my spare time, but I really agree with much of Karl Fisch's rant. I'm glad to have visited his site and suggest that you do the same.

International Blogging

The Sandaig Otters Primary School in Scotland uses their blog to display the students classwork and experiments, as well as upcoming events. The site offers links to educational games. There is also a list of other schools using blogs, and an archive section dating back to 2004. This site is an excellent example of school using blogs. This really lets the outside world see what is going on within an institution. Here is a picture of a experiment on series and parallel circuitry. Here is a link to there site HERE!



















Jo Mcleay, a secondary English teacher in Melbourne Australia, has the kind of open minded view on using Internet technology that is both exciting and contagious. Her site mentions quite a few of her great ideas, but it was her 1001 Flat Tales Writing Project that really got my attention. Jo has created a blog where students from classes around the globe will participate in story writing and share them all together. People like Jo are just one more great example of how educators around the world are using blogs to improve education, no matter where the student lives! Here is a Picture of JO with a friend, Jo is on the left.
Here is a link to her site Click Here!

Blogs In The U.S. Classroom

While searching the web for examples of blogs being used in the classroom, I came across the EA Teachers Blog, eateachers.blogspot.com. This blog offers insight to grade levels 2 - 6. Information within the blog listed the days assignments as well as any homework assignments and upcoming events for the entire school. This photo shows the 5th graders working with Legos during their Robotics Unit. I can see where an involved parent could use this blog to check up on their child's class work. This blog is a great example of how blogs can be used to make it easier for parents to be involved and informed of what is going on at their children's school. I believe this is very important when trying to improve education in the U.S.

The next educational blog I came across was the ICT in my Classroom Blog, tbarrett.edublogs.org/. The blog encouraged educators to share their teaching tools with one another and discuss problems and methods of improvement with one another. For example, this teacher has completed a diagram in SMART NOTEBOOK illustrating the water cycle. The post is asking for constructive criticism. Many links are provided. By the looks of the site, their are quite a few participants to the blog. By far one of the best ways to utilize the Internet for educators is the blog. The more the educational system accepts and takes advantage of the internet/blog technology, the faster we will see improvements in education!

(ACCESS)

Access, Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, is a program that allows students throughout the state of Alabama to use today's growing technology to their advantage. By 2010 the program will be mandated state wide. Students will be able to take courses that are not offered at their schools. Electives, foreign languages, advanced placement, and much more will be available. Some schools will now be able to offer advanced diplomas, this would not have been possible with the lack of teachers and resources at some schools in AL.

The possibilities of the ACCESS program are endless when it comes to the use of the Internet. With the virtual classroom, teachers can instruct countless numbers of students from one end of the state to the other. Also, teachers specializing in rare arts can now offer their instructions to students who would never, otherwise, have the opportunity. Its exciting to see how the world will continue to accept and incorporate the use of technology in all aspects of life. Cant wait to see how ACCESS works for my nephews!

This is a picture of me and my wifes nephew in Cambodia. His name is Aya.

Alex In The Classroom

I feel that all of Alex's resources would be very valuable to me. I believe all of the tools would help throughout my learning experience as a teacher. I would definitely use the lesson plan feature to help me stay organized. Also, I would check out the web links for alternative ideas and methods towards teaching. Maybe I would use the personal workspace to save some information for future use or share some ideas of my own. Also the section on grant opportunities would be very useful to me. I plan on teaching where I grew up, in a very poor community, so having access to grant opportunities would be very beneficial when trying to keep my students as well equipped as any other student.

I believe that all educators should observe one another and consider different opinions and approaches towards accomplishing a common goal.

My Presentation

My presentation will simply be a brief description of my family members and a few influential people from my past.

Little Bit About ME

Alabama Learning Exchange

The Alabama Learning Exchange, or ALEX, is an online reference site full of useful tools for educators and students. Alex offers quite a few useful features. For one, it provides lists of helpful websites and help with mapping out lesson plans within its "Lesson Plans" feature. There is a "Personal Workspace" feature that allows users to store, share, and access lesson plans, as well as lists of teacher friendly websites. The "Course Material" feature has mapped out grade level appropriate class work and content standards for students. Alex also offers a "Distance Learning" feature which allows students statewide to engage in courses they may not otherwise have access to. Also, the "Professional Learning" section offers a list of websites offering development opportunities, teaching and learning tools, and links to pages offering resources to promote growth as a professional and communication skills.

Alex has much to offer both veteran and rookie teachers. The sharing of information and ideas over the Internet should be used as much as possible within Alabama's school system. Having these tools available over the Internet is also a good way to encourage teachers, (both young and old) to understand and use the technologies which our students will be undoubtedly have grown up using.

The Fischbowl!

Technology has quickly improved and spread to all corners of the planet in the past few years. This technology is helping to improve the overall quality of life and most importantly, I feel, the spread of information and ideas. Karl Fisch brought to my attention that children who have never held a book will soon have access to computers and the Internet. This will give these children access to endless amounts of information. These communities where it would take much donation and fund raising to open new schools and staff them, could now offer online educations for the poorest kids in the world via the Internet. The possibilities are endless. An entire generation of the young people living within the confines of their impoverished third world communities, could band together, educate themselves, and develop ideas to improve their communities and even their countries. Technology, at the rate of its improvement and spread worldwide, will surely reveal unimaginable possibilities in years to come. Thanks Karl Fisch!

Welcome

I want to welcome everyone to my first blog. I will try to make these posts as interesting as possible. Bye for now.