GOODBYE :(

This will be my last blog that I will be posting and I appreciate everyone for taking the time out to read my blog as well as comment. I really does mean a lot. Thank you to Dr. Strange for teaching me many tools that I can use in the classroom as well as for my personal use. :)

INTERVIEW ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

I chose to interview my classmate Lauren Walker, she is a P.E. major at the University of South Alabama. I asked her a few questions on using technology in the classroom.

HOW TO CREATE A FACEBOOK

With all the different tools that we learned how to use, we decided to make a video to show you how to create a FACEBOOK page. This is a great way to keep in touch with people as we all network. Hope you enjoy and everybody should get a FACEBOOK.

HONEST REFLECTION

ANSWERS TO DR. STRANGE'S HONESTY REFLECTION

1. There are many things that I had thought I knew about technology and all the different types of tools there are out in the world but, when I cam to this EDM310 I felt like I knew nothing. There are so many different little things that you can do that are online and free. I think that as a future teacher I really have no excuse no to do the best and have a classroom that is interactive. Of the many things that I have learned in this semester I enjoyed the website Google very much. It was not only a search engine but a place where I was able to an numberless amount of things to do, such as Google Docs, this was a place where I could create surveys and analyze the results, create presentations, share documents with my classmates and teacher, and type and save research papers online in case if my computer should ever fail me. I had to create this blog and had to post many assignments. In some of the assignments I had to create videos and upload them using You Tube. I also created many voice comments using the website Vocaroo. I learned how to add links to web pages that I talk about in my posts which helps get whatever point I am trying to make across to my reader. I also learned about Twitter as well as Skype. I think I will use most of these tools in the classroom.

2. I learned many things in this class there was nothing that I did not want to learn as well as did not get a chance to learn. Dr. Strange really opened my eyes to many new avenues of presenting work as well as creating new and innovative projects.

3. Honestly all the things I have learned in this class will help me in my other classes in the future as well as in my own classroom that I will have one day.

4. I was interested in most of the topics. I had fun blogging and towards the end of the semester when we got to do more of the fun little projects.

5. Nothing was to hard to understand and do I think everything was more tedious if anything. It took some getting used to when learning how to wither embed things or make links to different web pages. It was hard at first but when you play with everything a bit it becomes much easier.

6. I was not bored in this class too much. I was bored in the beginning but towards the end of the semester I was having much more fun and I was much more engaged. I liked to do the projects at the end of the semester. The Google Earth project was much fun. I would use it when I plan my next vacations or have places to explain about.

7. I don't think that there was too much work I think that some of the work just could have used more directions and maybe not more directions just easier directions. I think if the assignments were in one place as well they could be found easier and much easier to keep track of.

8. I would say that I am very technology literate after taking this course. I wouldn't say GREAT but on the path to getting there. I am learning more and more as i keep playing with many different applications and tools. I would have to say that I do know a lot more than I did before starting this course.

9. I will keep working towards becoming more and more literate about technology. as well as commenting on my friends blogs in the later future. Like i have said before if I was to keep playing and messing with more applications I will learn more. When I start teaching I will try and attend different workshops on how to keep updated with technology as well as teaching me how I can use the things I already know about in a new way.

ANSWER TO TWO QUESTIONS-

I cannot say what exactly my sentence would be but, I think it would be something along the lines of this. "Each day that I get older, I strive to open my eyes and learn as much as possible without ever giving up!". This sentence I believe embodies what I truly think about life and how someone should live their life.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #13

POST ON ANY TOPIC THAT STEMS FROM EDM 310

I think that the topic I will choose is the benefits that you can get from posting Voice Comments on each others Blogs by using the free tool called Vocaroo. This is a free online tool that allows you to record yourself and then provides a link for you to be able to post it wherever you would like. I feel Vocaroo is special because it is a more personal way to comment on someones blog or just speak to a person in a way that you necessarily do not have to be there in person. I have used this tool many times and at first it took some getting used to but I have learned how to properly work it and i must say that it is quite easy. Below I will have a link to an example as to what exactly a Vocaroo Voice Comment is. I hope that many of you will find this as fascinating as I have.

EXAMPLE OF VOCAROO COMMENT

VOICE THREAD COMMENT

I have left a voice thread comment for a classmate in Class E. Her name is Kim McNorton and I commented on her WORDLE project.

here is a link to my work.

KIMS ASSIGNMENT

HOW TO FRENCH BRAID

UPDATE OF MY PLN

This is an update of my PLN. I am currently following many teachers on twitter by the gracious help of my fellow classmates. They all tweet about many good teaching strategies as well as many new lesson plans. I like how some of the teachers I follow put up many pics as well as links to good articles and stories that pertain to teachers all over the United States. I have asked many questions and the responses came in ten fold. Many teachers are willing to help you with any question you have, you just have to be willing to ask.

MY PLN

I have created my PLN by following many teachers on twitter that Dr. Strange has provided for us. I also have follow different teachers in their blogs. This is giving me lots of new information as what to expect when i become a teacher. They have provided many tools that I can use for my own use, such as lesson plan ideas, different project ideas, as well as general tips as how to conduct my future classroom.

Summary of responses to survey

GOOGLE SURVEY SUMMARY

I had many more responses but the summary only accepted 4 responses. Here is a link above to see these responses.

GOOGLE EARTH

MY VACATION SPOTS

ASSIGNMENT #12

ZAX CARTOON CLIP-

I think that it is very important to embrace change. Even though many not enjoy it or find it hard to constantly be learning new tools to use or new technology to use, it will be well worth it. To see the students in your classroom be excited to learn and have brought something to the classroom that they might have never seen before or will probably never have access to will always keep their attention. We as teachers have to learn how we can relate to our students and plan curriculum that is always fresh and could teach the children what types of different tools you can use to get ahead, not only in the classroom but, also the real world.

PS22-

This video is great. I really enjoyed their version of this Fleetwood Mac song. It is important to post work on blogs that children do because for one reason, that student will be able to look back and see the work that they have done. It is also important because you are able to track how you are progressing in your work. Let's say that you are beginning singing lessons or join a choir, if you make a little video from the first day you start and keep making videos during the time you are taking lessons, You can see how much better or worse you are getting. It can also show you what you might need to work on to perform at your peak.

TIMETOAST TIMELINE

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/49153

This link will take you to my Time Line. I hope you enjoy!

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #11

KAIA'S PHOTO ESSAY-

Kaia is a child whose father (Mr. Raisdana) decided to take her outside, have the world be her classroom and her only tool to use was a camera. Mr. Raisdana is trying to teach Kaia to appreciate her surroundings, you can learn anywhere, and you can find beauty anywhere and in anything. As a child I can recall most of my favorite childhood memories taking place outside. I loved to be outside playing with friends or just being outside on my own. Either way i think that it has helped shape me into the person who I am today. Which is a person who loves sports, appreciates the outdoors, and has become a great observer. These are all attributes that were learned from the exposure of being outdoors. I believe that it was a great idea for Mr. Raisdana to give Kaia a camera and let her loose into the world. Children have a different perspective of things and to be able to capture what she is seeing and feeling is great. Not many parents would think to do something that is so easy, yet educational and a chance to bond together. I believe that you creating her essay for her, as well as letting her know what you are doing is great for her future. Little things like such will give her a few extra steps ahead of everyone else. This shows that more and more children are being exposed to technology at younger ages. This means that if a education system wanted to keep their students engaged, they must compete with the Internet and other technologies. This is a prime reason why it is important for future teachers and teacher of today to be well informed about technology and how they can use it in their classrooms.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #10

MORGAN BAYDA BLOG AND DAN BROWN'S VIDEO-
This blog posting was very interesting. I feel as though many of the things that both parties are writing about make great sense. For Miss Morgan saying that she feels that it is sometimes a waste to sit in lecture for hours at a time and spend hundreds of dollars on books to get an education on stuff that is so ancient. Many times you can type in a subject in Google or other search engines and find more information than you were getting out of those classes. I loved how Mr. Dan said that "Education is now free....not only free as in no cost but, free as liberated!" I think that it is great that you are able to find any information you need at the tip of our fingers. It is great that the Internet allows you to post information that you feel is important as well as finding the information you really need. I also think that education does need to step up the level of keeping the students engaged. Certain subjects get very boring and when you can use interactive tools such as the Internet or computer. it makes the class more fun to want to go to and participate.

SKYPE ASSIGNMENT

SKYPE-

I use Skype to keep into contact with my friends who are away at different colleges around the U.S. I talk to my friend in between classes and at night, she is in Missouri and it is more convenient that calling her sometimes. We both had not used it before and learned about it through Facebook. Every time we get on we are still able to do our homework and talk. sometimes when she wants me to see something in her screen, she clicks a certain option for me to be able to see. I really thought that was interesting. I enjoy finding all kinda of different things that you are able to do. we also had figured out that we were able to chat while we skype. Sometimes there are problems with the lighting so we have to make sure we are both in a well lit area. We try to listen to music during the times of our chat but, we often have to cut it off because we cannot hear each other and the sound gets very distorted. I do enjoy all the times that we chat and the convince of Skype. If anyone would like to add me onto their list my Skype name is Trollie2808.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #9

ALEX (ALABAMA LEARNING EXCHANGE)-

ALEX is a website that will help teachers implement technology into their curriculum. This website offers information to anyone or any teacher who might need suggestions or help coming up with different lesson plans that involve technology for different subjects. This site offers lesson on subjects such as Math, English, Science, and Social Studies. Along with different lessons, they offer access to different podcast, access to personal learning networks and objectives for each lesson provided. A very interesting option that they offer, is that you can create an account that you can upload your lesson plans as well as get plans from other teachers as well. On this site you can search for the latest news and practices that are being used in classrooms in various places. I feel as though this would be a good website to use when i start teaching, to help give me more ideas as how to use technology in my lesson that i might be teaching that day.

ACCESS DISTANCE LEARNING-

This is a website that is for public high school students that live in Alabama and provides access to distant learning. This site offers online learning tools as well as other courses that are offered through distant learning. It is not only for students but it is also available for teachers to access lesson plans and other ideas through searching in the Alabama Statewide Database. This program was funded by 70 grants that were given to 70 different schools throughout Alabama. Over time since the program was first started, there has been a large increase in the enrollment of schools participating in this program, as well as a increase in the courses offered. This website offers a great explanation as to what all would be included in a Distant Learning Classroom. Some items that were listed were projectors/smart boards, cameras, wireless routers, and technical support. Theses are only a few common items but, there are many more. Overall this program is a big success, many students are very responsive and enjoy this new avenue of learning.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #8

RANDY PAUSCH'S LAST LECTURE-

Mr. Randy is a gentleman who is diagnosed with about 10 tumors in his liver and was told that he was only gonna live 3-6 months ago. He is very humorous about his sickness. He is in very good shape and seems to be healthier than the average person. This lecture is about what Mr. Randy's childhood dreams were, how he achieved them, enabling the dreams of others and the lesson learned as time went by. He says that the inspiration to dream should never be lost in the children we are educating. Sometimes the dreams that we do not accomplish, are the most important life lessons that learn from. A important lesson that Mr. Randy learned was that when nobody is talking to you anymore about what you are doing that is when they have given up on you. It is very good that people tell you about yourself or inquire about what you are doing and how well you are doing something, are just signs that someone does care about what you are doing.

Mr. Randy speaks of "Brick Walls", the walls are imaginary walls that are up to prevent us from getting our ultimate dream or aspiration. These imaginary walls are put up to separate the people who are really trying to pursue a dream and those who will give up at the moment when it begins to get hard. This is an example to show how much a certain person may want something. He explains that most of his dreams had many brick walls that he thought he could not get over yet, with hard work and determination he was able to either achieve the dream or learn from what wasn't achieved. Another good lesson that he had learned in his life was that, you should never set the bar for education and your dreams too low because it is not only doing you a disservice but, it is doing a disservice if you are a teacher and you set the bar too low for your students.

Another concept that Dr. Randy speaks of is that as a parent you should let your children explore their imaginary thoughts and feelings. Randy painted his room as a young child and his parents let him and did not get upset that he wanted to do so. Mr. Randy explains that this is a very important key to letting your child be creative and explore their intellect. When we let children feel free to do whatever in a n education setting, it goes along with not setting any limits or bars as to when the child should reach full capacity of education. Don't ever set limitations on what you are teaching and what you expect from your students.

I completely agree with lots of the different topics that Mr. Randy is speaking of. You should always keep trying when pursuing anything in life as well as never set any limitations as to what you are able to learn.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #7

DR. MILLER DISCUSSION ON WRITING WITH MULTIMEDIA

Dr. Miller is a teacher at Rutgers University, he is discussing how writing and reading has changed throughout the years and how technology is helping change this. He is letting us know that technology is bringing together previous writings and new technology to help students and teachers understand the material a little better. Dr. Miller is explaining how that many books, articles, and newspapers are all starting to use technology to get through to their readers. Many times on the Internet when you are looking for information, you are often presented with many different types of media that have the information that is needed. Many times there will be pictures, YouTube videos, links to other articles, and even sometimes you can find a podcast. Dr. Miller is letting us know that with the use if technology you can find information that might be changing instantly and will constantly be updated. Dr Miller shows how he and other teachers that he was collaborating with were able to make a presentation and a lesson through Google Docs and all teachers that were involved were able to add and change what they wanted. He makes a good point of when someone is using technology in the class they need to make it beautiful so that people will pay attention to it and really know that you are serious about whatever it may be that you are presenting. Dr. Miller finishes up by saying that we need to develop learning/ teaching strategies for implementing technology in a classroom setting.

THE NETWORKED STUDENT BY WENDY DREXLER-

This video was very interesting. I felt as though it was explaining our class. Miss Wendy explains how the teacher was needed because they are the ones who will teach the student how to use different tools to build their personal learning network and how to get more information on any subject if they are not fully understanding something. This video gave an excellent explanation as how to build your learning network from the very beginning with the first step as how to look up information on the web and to make sure that it is valid. The teacher is there to motivate and clear up any information or help that is needed from the students. With the motivation from the teacher the students can begin to use many different applications to help manage all the information they are collecting from all over the Internet. I tunes U is mentioned in this video for a while, i believe that it is an important tool that can be very helpful and that many people overlook. Many of the lectures that are on there can help you further understand a topic that you may be studying or that you just might have lots of interest in. You might find a lecture from a professor that might explain the material in a better way so that you understand a bit more. By the 21rst century student setting up their own blog, they are able to share their thoughts about any topic and others are able to comment and give feedback on whatever may be written. Overall I believe this video was done very well. I could hear the speaker very well and the drawings were very clear and easy to understand. I liked this video very much.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #6

DR. CHRISTIE'S WEBPAGE

Dr. Alice Christie is a retired teacher who had taught for over 25 years. She has conducted research on gender differences in the uses of technology, scaffolding teachers as they integrate technology in their classrooms, and the use of electronic portfolios for assessment. She has created a website that could help someone apply these topics in their classrooms. Dr. Christie often gives many lectures or speaks at different conferences, on this webpage you are able to find information as to how you can attend or just get more information about the different events. Her webpage offers lots of information as to how to incorporate technology into your classroom and lesson plans. On her webpage she also shows you how to set-up a web page for your classroom and all other types of technology tools that you can use in your classroom such as how to do podcasts, instant messaging, and some work from her favorite hobby, which is photography. This can help you in your classroom with possibly connecting with other classrooms that are across the country and possibly across the world. This would be good for the students to understand how there are different people in the world yet we all have the same goal in the classroom, which is to get a good education and get ahead in the world.

I tunes University

I tunes university is very helpful to any student, not only college students. It seems from the label it would only be useful to a college students, but in fact it is available for students from kindergarten all the way to the university level. This site allows you to find a specific school and even a specific teacher if needed be, from that point after pod casts will be pulled up that will have different topics that you can listen to and will help you with your studies or anything you need to know for that class. You can also find out information about the university or school itself, such as where it is located, the school social life, athletics, and the faculty. To be able to use I tunes university you must set up an account with I tunes which only requires your email address and a password that you will need to remember. From that point you will be able to access I tunes and I tunes University. With the creation of I tunes University, students are able to use many different types of media to help them with their education.

Duke University

Duke University is among many schools that are using I phones and I pods to connect with the

students that attend their University. There is a Duke application for the I phone and I pod that is

actually run by students who attend Stanford University. This app has many different things that

you are able to do. For instance if you were interested in attending the university and wanted to know

more about the school, you can have the option of reading about the campus life-such as fun activites

going on around campus, classes offered, and an exact location as to where the classes are located.

This application is also good for a student who is attending the university currently, they can find information

such as professor's email adresses and phone numbers, what is on the menu for any meal in the cafeteria,

and even updates on athletics. The fact that there is a specific option to be linked with athletics is ideal

for those die hard Duke fans. This app will let you know of all times and locations to all games that will be played.

This goes for any sport not just one specific sport. This will also let you know the standings as to where

Duke lays and other statistics dealing with athletics at Duke University. I think more Universities should

do this because it will help with their recruitment of students to their university and help put the students who are

already attending.

For more information here is a link to an article:

http://www.mactropolis.com/software/iphone-apps/dukemobile-app-brings-duke-university-to-your-iphone/

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #5

NPR ON WIKIPEDIA-

As long as I have been in school, every class has told me that Wikipedia is not a reliable source. It is amazing how just anyone can log on to the website and change information for their benefit or just laughing. Many of those who do not know about Wikipedia will try and cite it as a reliable source without knowing if the information is true or not. It was very interesting to read that many companies would go on the site and change information that would make the company sound negative or bad in any way. they keep the information up but, they alter it to make it sound not as bad. I also thought it was amazing how someone was able to create a program that is able to track who is changing information. This is going to help show who is changing information for their benefit.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED THIS YEAR-

This blog was very informative as to what i should think about when going into my first year of teaching. I appreciated the advice about communication. I think that if i were to ever get confused or frustrated at anything on the job, i should be able to be vocal about it and confide in a fellow teacher or principal to help me get through whatever the issue may be. I also liked the part of how it was said that a lesson that is planned will never be the same lesson that you will teach. There are always different things going on in the classroom and as teachers we have to be able to adjust to keep the lesson going.

BLOG ASSGINMENT #4

PODCASTING IN THE CLASSROOM

This video gave good information as to how a podcast could help in the classroom. If a child was sick the child could log onto the class blog and find a link to a podcast that will give them the assignments that would have been doing if they were there in the class. This particular one had very good information and was very clear at presenting the information. The gentleman mentioned that you can use podcasts to help explain lessons and help elaborate on the objectives of the lesson. It was helpful to see how to create a podcast and how easy it is. The students were able to sit there on their own without a teacher and create the cast.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #3

SMART BOARD LESSON PODCAST

This podcast was very interesting but, it was hard to hear the people speaking at first and the music was a little loud. They were having very casual conversations and it just seemed as though they were putting a lot of their personal experiences and stories into the topic. They did not give a good enough intro into the topic and even though they were giving step by step directions, they did not give any background information as to what the step by step lessons were for. Later into the podcast the speakers started to speak more slowly and clearly. I thought it was good when they offered to answer e-mail questions and gave lots of different information as to where they can go if they needed more help.

KIDCAST #53- PODCASTING AND FIELD TRIPS

This podcast was more interesting and better than the Smart Board one. This podcast only had one speaker and it was a lot easier to understand and follow. It was a good idea to have made a podcast to go along with introducing the information about the field trip and what should be taken from this trip. Preparing a podcast before taking a trip will allow you to present the information in another media that might appeal better to the students and that will keep the students engaged. This was a cool idea. The way this podcast was set up, was very efficient and well done.

TEACHERS CONNECTING- BEN HAZZARD & JOAN BADGER

This was a podcast for promoting the use of collaboration, the use of SMART BOARD's and podcasts to create teaching communities. This particular cast was very informal and had jokes to keep me listening. Both speakers spoke very clear and spoke about topics that were very personal. Many different social websites are mentioned and music was brought up at random times, then did not stop even while one of the hosts was speaking. I found that to be very distracting and really had to listen closely to understand what she was saying. The power of the comments and use of Google docs was also mentioned.

AUTISM PODCAST- MICHAEL BOLL- MOMS ON AUTISM- EPISODE #4- POTTY TRAINING

This podcast was very simple and straight to the point. There was no music or extra sound effects that went on during the whole entire time of the discussion. There are two ladies discussing their personal experiences with going through potty training with a child who has been diagnosed with Autism. They gave out lots of good information as to how to try and make this hard task run a little smoother. By these ladies sharing their stories they are letting their audience know that everyone goes through almost the same struggle and that the main key is to be consistent and be very patient. These two ladies are sharing their feelings as to how they felt in certain situations and are once again giving the listener positive motivation when referring to going through potty training.

3 BLOG VIDEOS-

The video of the 1 year old using the i-phone is very interesting. It is amazing how a child that young knows the basic functions of their parents i-phone. Many adults do not know how to use an i-phone, this shows that America is moving fast and a child will be able to use a computer before you know it. It is amazing how much children are learning when they begin to blog. They are able to post their work for their family and friends to see. They also give and get comments on their posts and the students understand the rules of being respectful of other peoples work and to only leave comments that are nice. These children also know how to research for information that they would need for an assignment and also know which search engines or specific places to go to find the exact information needed. The use of computers in the classroom does in fact show that their is an improvement of literacy and reading.

PRESENTATION OF MY LIFE

A VISION OF STUDENTS TODAY-

This movie is very correct about the college experience. I have never understood how or why textbooks

for class are so expensive for class and the teacher NEVER uses them or only uses a couple of chapters.

This very aggravating because at the end of the semester you do get to sell your books back, but you don't get

the full price back, you get less than half usually. As a college student it is very important multi-task and

be very time efficient with your days. Teachers say that for every hour you are in class, you should be

doing two hours of work outside of class. Most college students have to work as well so there is a lot of stuff

college student has to think about when planning their day. It is very scary to see that over 1 billion people

make less than $1 a day. This scares me when thinking about finishing college. The fact that the average

college student leaves college with $20,000 of debt also contributes to the fear of graduating college. Overall,

this is a good film although I thought that when switching to the different facts around the room, the

director could have gone a little bit slower.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY-

This article is very true about saying that we do not need to have all the newest technology for

children to be able to learn the best. We just need teacher who actually care about the students and who will

use the technology as just a tool in the classroom to get the lesson across better. Some lessons might need

a visual or a certain movie clip to help the children to better understand the subject matter, but as a necessity

it is not. Just because it is the 21rst century it does not mean that we need to throw out all of our old teaching methods for some technology. The most important thing is to

make sure that the students are learning the material and understanding the material as well. We can use technology

as a tool to enhance the lesson but we never have to only rely on the use of technology. Basically the teacher of a class

needs to always be aware of what is changing in technology just to maybe apply something to their lesson to further get the

lesson across.

IS IT OK TO BE A TECHNOLOGY ILLITERATE TEACHER?

Technology is very important to learn because our world is constantly changing and more and more times

technology is replacing many of our everyday tools we use. When you do not keep up with what is constantly

changing then it makes it even harder to learn anything. Many times when you finally learn a certain program

or piece of technology, a new version would come out to replace the one you just learned and the new item

more often then not has many new features. This applies to teachers because teachers need to constantly relate

their lessons to the students and the tool that keeps the students engaged is usually technology. Almost every

job that each student will have or experience in their lives will 9 times out of 10 involve some sort of technology.

It is also important for the staff of the school to know what type of technology is out there and how to access it and

use it because even tho they are learning for their classroom, they are also learning for themselves!

GARY'S SOCIAL MEDIA COUNT-

This constant counter of many things that are changing and how technology is a resource that we need to

constantly keep up with. All of these things that are being counted, are prime examples of how fast the world

is changing and how we constantly need to be aware of what is new in the technology world and how to use that

technology to reach the students that we will be teaching in the future. Technology is a huge key in the world

and it will require many of the students to be able to know how to use it and all of the benefits that it has.