Week 3 Blog : Due January 31, 2010

Little Kids...Big Potential

This is definitely an eye-opener if you haven't already realized how advanced children are in technology. I'm not sure how ready I am for this! I'm sure I could learn how to use any piece of technology out there with some practice, but it is still a little overwhelming. Even a 1-year old can navigate around an iPhone! I have a 4-year old and a 7-year old cousin who are both really good with technology. They love their Nintendo DS, Wii, and computer games. Most of the time, I have to get them to explain how to do things on this. This is not okay! My 4 year old cousin is a pro at the Nintendo DS. The first time I saw her with it I was amazed. She's also learning to read at a faster pace because she has to read the instructions before she can play the game. I was astonished at some of the words she was reading, and this is just because of playing a video game.
The other video Mrs. Cassidy's class posted was just as impressive as the last. Not only do these kids know what they are doing, but they can teach others how to do it. That's the most important thing in my opinion. It goes along with Blooms Taxonomy. There are so many levels of learning, and knowledge is just the first. The fact that these kids can explain what they are doing shows they comprehend it, and that they have analysed and synthesized to create a method of teaching others. Classrooms in the future are going to be unbelievable!

Podcasts

My assignment was to listen to various podcasts and determine the pros and cons of the methods they used. Some of these podcasts resembled traditional radio shows with a host who shared his/her opinon on certain topics. Other podcasts had one or two hosts and featured guests that were experts on the topics at hand. There were still other podcasts that featured more of a group discussion. I really enjoyed the few that had some improvisation and humor.
I listened to Teachers Teaching Teachers first. It was interesting, but it seemed a little unorganized. Debates and discussions need some order, otherwise, you can't really understand what anyone is trying to say. It reminded me of the pre and post games on NFL network. These shows always have 4 or 5 people that are talking about the games. They rarely agree, and it turns into chaos when each one of them wants to share his opinion at the same time. I also listened to EdTechTalk and it was very similar to Teachers Teaching Teachers. It was a group discussion, and it was also a little chaotic.
This Week in Photography was probably the most interesting to me, but this has nothing to do with the format. I really enjoy photography. This one was a very simple podcast, which I liked. It was just a couple of hosts speaking about the new technology in the photography field. The topics they discussed were very interesting. I believe this is one way to keep the audience's attention. They were also pretty organized and seemed to have fun with it.
The podcasts I've mentioned in my blog are the ones that stuck out to me. I also listened to SmartBoard Lesson, KidCast, and MacBreak Weekly. These three were very similar to talk shows you normally hear on the radio. It was a host with a topic to speak about. When I do a podcast, I think I'm going to focus on making it interesting and fun. I love to learn when humor is involved. The information sticks with me longer if I learned it in an entertaining way.

Week 2 Blog : Due January 24, 2010

Social Media Counts

Gary Hayes' Social Media Counts are UNBELIEVABLE! The increase in the numbers is unreal. It's kind of hard to explain it all though because it seems so unbelievable; however, in our society, I believe it. I guess the unbelievable part about the entire thing is not that the numbers are actually increasing so rapidly, but that our society is actually to this point in technology. I am only 20 years old, and ,even in my lifetime, technology has made so many advancements. When I was in elementary school we did not own a computer. My family got our first computer when I was in 6th grade. I can't imagine life without one now! I don't know how my older brother survived high school with a type writer and word processor. I use the internet so often for research. I have probably completely forgotten how to use the reference center at the public library. When I was a young child, our librarian at school would always show us how to look up books in the public libraries using the index card reference system. Now, librarians are teaching students how to use the internet. It's crazy how quickly things have progressed!

A Vision of Students Today

This video does a very good job of representing the average student life at most colleges and universities today. This is my first semester at the University of South Alabama. I began my college career at Auburn University which is located in a very small town in eastern Alabama. Although the town is extremely small, the university is very popular. My first year of college consisted of many core curriculum classes. In these classes, there would be 300-450 students. This was very intimidating when coming from a high school classroom of maybe 25 students. While sitting in these crowded classrooms, I noticed that many people around me were checking emails or Facebook while the professor was lecturing. Are the large classes really beneficial? Teachers can't possibly monitor that many students at a time. While college students should be mature enough to come to class and learn, it takes a lot of self discipline to do so when alternatives are so easily accessible.
I suppose there are a few things I could add to this assessment about student life today. The main thing I've noticed since entering college is that the focus of lectures and class discussions is often only on information that will be on the test. Dr. Strange often refers to this method of teaching and learning as the "burp-back method." I agree completely. Teachers are assessed by the number of students that do well in their class. In order to improve their statistics, teachers focus on giving students good grades. Everyone knows a teacher can not simply give students good grades without proof that they earned them. This is where the burp-back method comes into play. If a teacher stands in front of a class and says, "This next sentence will be a question on the next test," how many students do you think will listen? The answer is all or most. The term test question triggers the ears of those students that are not listening intently to the professor. This allows them to get the information that will be on the test, but they do not benefit from anything else said in the classroom. This has been the main thing I've noticed about school these days.

It's Not About the Technology

I believe Ms. Hines makes some very good points. I also have to disagree with some of the points she made as well. I love the inspiration she gives for teachers to continue learning. This should not be a 21st century idea. No one knows everything. This means everyone has something to learn (teachers included). While today's children are often teaching teachers about technology, yesterday's children had their own valuable lessons to teach. There is so much you can learn from a child.
Ms. Hines also says that she doesn't think it's all about the technology. I agree that it's not ALL about it, but technology, whether we like it or not, is a big part of our society. While education should not revolve around technology, teachers should know how to benefit from the technology that's offered to them. Ms. Hines makes a very good point about wasting money on technology in the classroom that's never being used. Teachers should be learners. She says so herself. In my opinion, teachers should take the initiative to learn how to use this technology to benefit their students. While the technology cannot make you a good teacher, it can improve some methods of teaching. I believe the technology helps to bridge the gap between students and teachers. I know I have seen quite a few of my teachers and professors on Facebook. This allows a more personal relationship. While some may say that a personal relationship with your teacher is not beneficial, I don't think it hurts. It is very helpful to see your professor in another setting other than the classroom. I'm not saying that professors should invite their students to dinner or anything, but to see them involved with something you are, such as Facebook or Twitter, opens up a new relationship.

Is It OK to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I've been asking myself this question for some time now. I would not call myself technologically literate. I can make my way around a computer and the Internet, but there is so much out there that I can't do. Is this acceptable since I am going to school to be a teacher? I love the comparison made between technology today and reading 3o years ago. It was never acceptable to not know how to read, ESPECIALLY if you were a teacher! In this day and age, technology is easily compared to reading in its value in education.
I want to teach the 2nd grade or below when I begin my teaching career, and I really don't know that much about technology yet. Imagine a similar scenario 30 years ago. I want to be a 2nd grade teacher, but I just can't read that well. Would this be accepted? NO! As a younger elementary school teacher, there should be very little that the students know and you don't. When I was in high school, there were always those kids who liked to question the teacher. They had, perhaps, researched on the subject more or just happened to know more details. This very rarely happens in lower elementary grades. (At least to my knowledge.) Teachers need to keep up with the times. Technology is today's world, and we need to join it!

Week 1 Blog : Due January 17, 2010

Did You Know? 3.0

This video had quite a bit of surprising information to offer. The rapid, exponential rate at which technology is increasing within our world is astonishing. It is also surprising that America is so far behind other major nations on the globe. China will soon be the number one English speaking country on the globe. Does this mean that English will soon be the predominant language everywhere? It seems that many nations teach their students English, starting at a young age. While Americans typically learn a foreign language, most of us could not survive very long in a country that speaks that language. Why are we not teaching our students to speak another language fluently? India has more honors children than the US has children? Is it just the large difference in population that causes this, or is our education curriculum really that far behind?

Technology is becoming so advance that most jobs that existed years ago are obsolete. Most jobs these days require schooling. If a college education is not required, technical training is almost always necessary. I think it's very disheartening that a student enters their college career hoping to find a job upon graduation, but graduates only to find out that what they learned as a freshman is no longer correct or relevant. It seems as though the job market is going to have to adjust for this new technologically advanced society to function properly.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes is a short movie created by Mr. Needleman to show the changes in technology over the past 100 years while Mr. Winkle slept. He makes the point that many business and hospitals have made huge advancements in technology while schools seem just as they were 100 years ago. I believe this is true to a point, but I believe this movie exaggerates it a bit. Hospitals and business have advanced much more rapidly than the school system. There are many new ways to communicate instantly across the globe. Not only can you hear a person that is half way across the country, or even the globe, but you can also see this person as well. There are advances to the cell phone and computer programs of which I am not even aware. Hospitals have ways to helping people that were not even fathomable 100 years ago. Doctors have learned to prolong life in so many ways. This is mostly possible because of technology.

The exaggeration within this movie is the school systems lack of advancement. While I do agree that the schools have not advanced as much as businesses or hospitals, I do not believe they are anything like they were 100 years ago. There are computers located in almost every classroom in every school. We have moved past chalkboards to more advanced technology. At USA, smartboards have been installed in most classrooms. Even if technology at some schools has not come this far, overhead projectors replaced chalkboards years ago. The issue in the school system, in my opinion, is not the lack of technology, but the lack of knowledge as to how to use this technology. As I have already mentioned, USA has installed SmartBoards in most classrooms. While this is clearly an advancement, most of my teachers are not familiar with how to use these. Because they are not familiar with them, they tend to avoid them and look for alternative methods of teaching. This is not the case with all teachers or all schools. Many teachers are very technologically savvy, but for those who are not, it shows.

Killing Creativity

This video sums up almost exactly how I feel about school systems. I have lived in Alabama my entire life. I have never attended a school outside of the state of Alabama, so I never knew that the issue of creativity was a problem elsewhere as well. I always hated to make generalizations, but after watching this video it seems that this is, indeed, an issue in most places across the globe. Creativity is almost always stifled at a young age. I believe a reason for this is because there is no right and wrong answer when dealing with a creative subject. Many teachers that I've encountered like to grade things with right or wrong answers because it's easier. Yes, sometimes it's hard to grade a work subjectively, but creativity it what's it's all about in the present time. With the issues in today's world, creativity is going to be the only answer. Mathematics and science can only take us so far. Eventually, we are going to have to get creative with our methods if we want to change anything. If the education system continues to stifle the creativity in children, not much will ever change.
I loved the example of the dancer, Jillian. This seems to be a common occurrence recently. His point about ADHD really hit the nail on the head. I know that some children truly suffer from attention deficit disorder, but I believe that doctors are too quick to diagnose them with this. As in the case with Jillian, she simply needed an alternative method to learning. She was not apt for sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher lecture throughout the day. This leads me into the idea that, not only do teachers need to allow their students to be creative, but teachers themselves need to be creative. There are many different children entering the education system. Each of these children has a different method of learning, and teachers need to be able to identify these methods and adapt to them. I believe if teachers become more creative in their teaching, students will learn that creativity is not a bad thing. This could greatly improve our world.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I really enjoyed how involved Mrs. Davis was in the education of her students. She seemed genuine in her teaching, and very interested in what they had to say. She understands how rapidly technology is advancing, and she does not want any of her students left behind. It is so easy these days to get behind in the advancements. There are many people who believe they are technologically literate, but generally have no idea what has recently been developed. There is so much more than instant message, e-mail and social networking sites. The programs Mrs. Davis has her students use are some that I've never even heard of myself. I do not consider myself up-to-date with technology at all, but I've already discovered so many things that I did not know in my first 2 days of class that I'm further behind than I thought.
Not only did I like the programs that Mrs. Davis chose for her students, but I also really liked her method of teaching. Technology is not something you can learn through instructions. It takes hands-on interactions to actually master it. Mrs. Davis had her students very involved in all of the programs. They each had to navigate through the program themselves. I also liked how she allowed her students to teach. One sure way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. She was also very quick to say that she was not finished learning about this technology herself. I think that's one of the joys of technology. There is not true point when you know everything there is to know about it. I love learning, and I find technology interesting because there is no point when you stop learning. Mrs. Davis has a bright outlook on the technological advancements of the day, and her students will definitely be up to date with all advancements made in the near future.