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.