Mr. McClung's "What I've Learned This Year" has really given me insight as a future teacher. His approach to becoming a more effective teacher is great and very helpful. His main points can be used by any teacher or future teacher. One of his points was about "How to read the crowd". He says, "In order to be effective, you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction" (Mr. McClung's "What I've Learned This Year"). I agree completely with what Mr. McClung is saying. If teachers do not read their audiences at the time of teaching, then they may or may not know how their audience works. Every class of students is different year to year, and if teachers teach based on them alone, then they are not being effective. As a future teacher, I want and will need to know my group of students in order to instruct them properly.
Another great point that Mr. McClung made was about communication. He says, "Communication is the best medicine" (Mr. McClung's "What I've Learned This Year"). If teachers do not communicate with other teachers or students then they are not being effective. Teachers can gain great insight from other teachers as well as other students. Also, if there is ever any type of drama in a school with another teacher or student, communication should be advised before anything else. People need to talk about their differences and work them out versus not talking and holding grudges. Communication is key to teaching as well. Teachers must listen and communicate with their students in order to be effective as well.
The two lat points that I learned from Mr. McClung were about listening and learning. Mr. McClung says to never stop learning. Teachers need to learn as they grow to be better teachers. Just because teachers have degrees and certificates does not mean that they cannot nor should not learn. To me, a great tool for learning is a student. Students can help teachers learn many different things in many different ways. Also, it is important for teachers to really listen to their students. Teachers can only provide the best education for their students if they listen to what the students say.
Mr. McClung's "What I've Learned This Year" is very inspirational for future teachers. His first year teaching experience can help any teacher or future teacher. I have gained so much helpful knowledge from Mr. McClung, and I appreciate his advice.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wikipedia
"Wikipedia calls itself the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit, which is another way of saying it is not fact-checked" (NPR article on Wikipedia). Wikipedia is usually the first source to come up on a search, yet people hardly ever use Wikipedia as a source of information. Wikipedia especially cannot be used as a source of information for school-related papers or projects because of Wikipedia's credibility. Wikipedia does not have credibility like other scholarly sources because anybody can edit information to Wikipedia.
Wikipedia's reputation is not credited because it is known for articles or information not being factual. Anybody reading Wikipedia can go and edit anything to any piece of information. Numerous companies such as Walmart and Diebold have been found to edit pieces of information on them to make themselves look better. Wikipedia cannot be trusted like a normal scholarly source that is based on facts alone. When people, especially from their own companies or groups of interest, can make changes for themselves, then the information is not reliable because it is biased. Biased information does not provide anybody with good, creditable information because the information is coming from one side only. Wikipedia should never be able to be used in a scholastic paper, project, debate, etc nor should it be used in any business function such as a meeting. Wikipedia is just not a trusted source of information; therefore, Wikipedia cannot be used in a professional way.
They only time Wikipedia should be used or can be used is if somebody wants to take information that may or may not be true and use it in his/her everyday life. If somebody agrees with information from Wikipedia then he/she could use it for his/her own personal satisfaction, but as far as being reputable, Wikipedia cannot be a trusted source of information. "Don't trust what you read on Wikipedia because you just don't know where that information came from" (NPR blog on Wikipedia). If Wikipedia wants to be known as a credible site then they must find a way to not allow people to edit information. Until just anybody cannot edit information, Wikipedia will continue to not be a trusted source of information.
Wikipedia's reputation is not credited because it is known for articles or information not being factual. Anybody reading Wikipedia can go and edit anything to any piece of information. Numerous companies such as Walmart and Diebold have been found to edit pieces of information on them to make themselves look better. Wikipedia cannot be trusted like a normal scholarly source that is based on facts alone. When people, especially from their own companies or groups of interest, can make changes for themselves, then the information is not reliable because it is biased. Biased information does not provide anybody with good, creditable information because the information is coming from one side only. Wikipedia should never be able to be used in a scholastic paper, project, debate, etc nor should it be used in any business function such as a meeting. Wikipedia is just not a trusted source of information; therefore, Wikipedia cannot be used in a professional way.
They only time Wikipedia should be used or can be used is if somebody wants to take information that may or may not be true and use it in his/her everyday life. If somebody agrees with information from Wikipedia then he/she could use it for his/her own personal satisfaction, but as far as being reputable, Wikipedia cannot be a trusted source of information. "Don't trust what you read on Wikipedia because you just don't know where that information came from" (NPR blog on Wikipedia). If Wikipedia wants to be known as a credible site then they must find a way to not allow people to edit information. Until just anybody cannot edit information, Wikipedia will continue to not be a trusted source of information.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was very inspiring to watch, and anybody that watches this video will learn so much after it. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture in summary is about childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of other people, and lessons learned from all of that. Randy Pausch gives great life experiences of his own to help people see that childhood dreams can come true if somebody takes the time to pursue those childhood dreams.
Randy Pausch gave great and important teaching methods during his Last Lecture. One of the teaching methods that Randy Pausch spoke on was the importance of enabling other people's childhood dreams. He said in the Last Lecture that enabling other's dreams is often better than enabling your own dreams. As a future educator, I want to enable other children's childhood dreams because that is what makes every child different and unique. Enabling other's childhood dreams is what teachers across the world do. Educators are in classrooms to educate, and part of that is enabling their children's dreams.
Another important teaching method that Randy Pausch lectured on was the importance of a "head fake". Head fakes are teaching techniques that enable children or anybody to have fun when learning how to do something else that is hard. An example that Randy Pausch gave was children playing computer games but really learning how to program. Head fakes are very helpful in any teaching environment. Head fakes can help children learn things that they would normally be afraid to attempt. Head fakes make learning more relaxed.
The most important thing that I learned from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was the importance of brick walls. Randy Pausch states in his Last Lecture, "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things". That quote is so true for anybody. Anybody, especially children, that encounters a brick wall does not need to look at it as a wall but as a way to prove themselves. If educators teach all children the concept of a brick wall then all children would not get let down or upset when they face a wall; they will look at the walls as a sort of challenge they need to overcome. Also another great quote that I learned from Randy Pausch in his Last Lecture was, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". That quote is so important, especially while teaching children. As educators, teachers must teach children that every situation is a learning opportunity.
The other important teaching method that Randy Pausch spoke on in his Last Lecture was the importance of creativity. Randy advocates the importance of creativity versus straight test scores. He uses his examples of applying for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University. His GRE scores were not great, yet he, along with many others, helped create the ETC program. Creativity is extremely important to children because it is what enables children to do well in school. Randy Pausch states in his Last Lecture, "Never lose the child-like wonder". Randy is stating that all children are creative and children being creative do wondrous things.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is a lecture on the importance of childhood dreams and enabling those dreams. Randy Pausch gives the fundamentals needed in order to enable other's dreams. Randy says that everybody wanting something needs to have something to bring to the table. The lessons learned from Randy's Last Lecture are helping others and learning from others as well.
Randy Pausch gave great and important teaching methods during his Last Lecture. One of the teaching methods that Randy Pausch spoke on was the importance of enabling other people's childhood dreams. He said in the Last Lecture that enabling other's dreams is often better than enabling your own dreams. As a future educator, I want to enable other children's childhood dreams because that is what makes every child different and unique. Enabling other's childhood dreams is what teachers across the world do. Educators are in classrooms to educate, and part of that is enabling their children's dreams.
Another important teaching method that Randy Pausch lectured on was the importance of a "head fake". Head fakes are teaching techniques that enable children or anybody to have fun when learning how to do something else that is hard. An example that Randy Pausch gave was children playing computer games but really learning how to program. Head fakes are very helpful in any teaching environment. Head fakes can help children learn things that they would normally be afraid to attempt. Head fakes make learning more relaxed.
The most important thing that I learned from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was the importance of brick walls. Randy Pausch states in his Last Lecture, "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things". That quote is so true for anybody. Anybody, especially children, that encounters a brick wall does not need to look at it as a wall but as a way to prove themselves. If educators teach all children the concept of a brick wall then all children would not get let down or upset when they face a wall; they will look at the walls as a sort of challenge they need to overcome. Also another great quote that I learned from Randy Pausch in his Last Lecture was, "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted". That quote is so important, especially while teaching children. As educators, teachers must teach children that every situation is a learning opportunity.
The other important teaching method that Randy Pausch spoke on in his Last Lecture was the importance of creativity. Randy advocates the importance of creativity versus straight test scores. He uses his examples of applying for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University. His GRE scores were not great, yet he, along with many others, helped create the ETC program. Creativity is extremely important to children because it is what enables children to do well in school. Randy Pausch states in his Last Lecture, "Never lose the child-like wonder". Randy is stating that all children are creative and children being creative do wondrous things.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is a lecture on the importance of childhood dreams and enabling those dreams. Randy Pausch gives the fundamentals needed in order to enable other's dreams. Randy says that everybody wanting something needs to have something to bring to the table. The lessons learned from Randy's Last Lecture are helping others and learning from others as well.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Did You Know? 4.0
My favorite posts thus far have been about the Did You know? videos. Both videos are great to watch and learn from. The Did You Know? 4.0 just came out, and the facts in the video are stunning. "Convergence is everywhere. It's easier than ever to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to really connect with it" (Did You Know? 4.0). That statement about technology is so true. Technology today has enabled our world to hold conversations with people around the world, yet we never get to connect with them besides via internet. Our world's technology is so far advanced, yet it will only continue to advance even more over the years. It was not too long ago that children did not even own cell phones, yet now the average American teen sends about 2,272 text messages per month according to Did You Know? 4.0. This video is a learning tool for everybody in the world; this video makes the world realize how far our technology has come. It's a great video because it has facts that people can relate to on an everyday basis. Again, I really enjoyed both of the Did You Know? videos. I also think that these videos can be used educationally in the classroom in order to make students aware of how far and advanced technology has come today.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Dr. Strange's Wiki on Tech Literate Teachers
Should a teacher be technologically literate? All teachers should be technolgically literate. Technology is too far advanced to not be used in the classroom. Technology is a big part of our society, and all teachers should understand how to use different types of technologies. How can teachers teach technology without themselves being technologically literate?
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch states in his "Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" post that "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". Teachers and anybody else working in the education systems should be technologically literate. Technology is available to teachers as an innovative teaching tool, and they should know and understand how the technologies work. Mr. Fisch makes the remark of being able to teach something is knowing how to do that something. In order for teachers to teach technology, they should know how to use it themselves. How can a teacher teach students something that they themselves do not know anything about?
I agree with Mr. Fisch that people who are technologically illiterate and work in the school system should be embarrassed and not proud. Too many people admit that they are not technologically literate. If teachers or anyone else working with children openly admit this then they are admitting that they are not fully teaching their students. Technology has come too far today for people to be illiterate with technology. Just as Mr. Fisch stated in his comment about technologically illiterate teachers being like teachers who cannot read or write, teachers who are not technologically literate are lacking in their education.
Hopefully with today's technological advances, all teachers and school staff are tying to become technologically literate if they are already not technologically literate. Technology is too important to not be used.
I agree with Mr. Fisch that people who are technologically illiterate and work in the school system should be embarrassed and not proud. Too many people admit that they are not technologically literate. If teachers or anyone else working with children openly admit this then they are admitting that they are not fully teaching their students. Technology has come too far today for people to be illiterate with technology. Just as Mr. Fisch stated in his comment about technologically illiterate teachers being like teachers who cannot read or write, teachers who are not technologically literate are lacking in their education.
Hopefully with today's technological advances, all teachers and school staff are tying to become technologically literate if they are already not technologically literate. Technology is too important to not be used.
"It's Not About the Technology"
I agree with Mrs. Hines. I think that learning and teaching is not about the technology but about the way the teacher teaches. I thought Mrs. Hines' four key points were instructional for any teacher or future teacher. I think that too much emphasis has been put on the different types of technology versus the best way for a teacher to teach his/her students.
Mrs. Hines states in her "It's Not About the Technology" post that "Teachers must be learners". I completely agree with this statement because if teachers are not willing to learn as they teach, then they will not be one hundred percent successful in teaching their students. Just because a teacher has earned a degree does not mean that the learning ends; teachers can learn from many different things such as trying out a new type of technology. The technology itself does not make the teacher a better teacher; the teacher using the technology and teaching his/her students at the same time is what makes a teacher a better teacher.
Also, Mrs. Hines states in her "It's Not About the Technology" post "Be a 21st Century Teacher without the technology". Technology is a great innovative tool to have as a teacher, yet not everything that teachers do have to be with technology. Teachers can be a great teacher by using other innovative teaching methods besides technology. Technology is just one tool that the 21st century provides teachers. Technology is a great tool to have, yet it is not all about the technology.
Mrs. Hines states in her "It's Not About the Technology" post that "Teachers must be learners". I completely agree with this statement because if teachers are not willing to learn as they teach, then they will not be one hundred percent successful in teaching their students. Just because a teacher has earned a degree does not mean that the learning ends; teachers can learn from many different things such as trying out a new type of technology. The technology itself does not make the teacher a better teacher; the teacher using the technology and teaching his/her students at the same time is what makes a teacher a better teacher.
Also, Mrs. Hines states in her "It's Not About the Technology" post "Be a 21st Century Teacher without the technology". Technology is a great innovative tool to have as a teacher, yet not everything that teachers do have to be with technology. Teachers can be a great teacher by using other innovative teaching methods besides technology. Technology is just one tool that the 21st century provides teachers. Technology is a great tool to have, yet it is not all about the technology.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I really enjoyed watching this short video on the vision of what college students are like today. I think that Michael Wesch did a great job in getting the average college student's life across to others in such a short video. Also, besides making known what the real lives of college students are like, Michael Wesch made it known that technology has advanced our students in college, yet most do more noneducational things with the technology provided such as facebook. Technology can help our generation while at the same time hurt our generation.
My college experiences have been about half and half of what the video showed. One statement showed by one student said, "I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open" (Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today). My freshman year of college was about saving as much time as I could, so with saving time came never opening a textbook that I had spent over a hundred dollars on. My freshman year not only did I take the maximum number of hours an undergrad can take, but I was also a new member in a sorority and a majorette for my college. I had no extra time for myself, and the time I had left after classes, practices, and sorority things were not spent on school related work. I barely had enough sleep each night, but at least I made it through my first year passing.
Although I made it through successfully my first year, I had friends that did not even go to class like mentioned in the video, "My neighbor paid for classes but never comes" (Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today). I know many people paid for college classes that did not go or pass because they had missed too many classes. This video did a great job in capturing the average life of a college student because not one thing mentioned in this video have I not seen or experienced myself. Although I think this video is great, there are some things that I would add to make it more accurately represent my college experiences.
After being in school three years, I now work part-time to pay for school while also going to school full-time. I would have added in the facts about how many students have to work to pay for school. Also, I would have added in the time it takes away from learning to play a college sport or be in some club on campus. Many students such as myself are more involved besides just attending classes. To make the experiences of sports or school clubs more accurate, I would have gotten the coaches or advisers of some groups to show the real amount of time students spend in extra-curricular activities. Again, I really enjoyed this video. I feel that it captures what college students are doing in their everyday educational and personal lives.
My college experiences have been about half and half of what the video showed. One statement showed by one student said, "I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open" (Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today). My freshman year of college was about saving as much time as I could, so with saving time came never opening a textbook that I had spent over a hundred dollars on. My freshman year not only did I take the maximum number of hours an undergrad can take, but I was also a new member in a sorority and a majorette for my college. I had no extra time for myself, and the time I had left after classes, practices, and sorority things were not spent on school related work. I barely had enough sleep each night, but at least I made it through my first year passing.
Although I made it through successfully my first year, I had friends that did not even go to class like mentioned in the video, "My neighbor paid for classes but never comes" (Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today). I know many people paid for college classes that did not go or pass because they had missed too many classes. This video did a great job in capturing the average life of a college student because not one thing mentioned in this video have I not seen or experienced myself. Although I think this video is great, there are some things that I would add to make it more accurately represent my college experiences.
After being in school three years, I now work part-time to pay for school while also going to school full-time. I would have added in the facts about how many students have to work to pay for school. Also, I would have added in the time it takes away from learning to play a college sport or be in some club on campus. Many students such as myself are more involved besides just attending classes. To make the experiences of sports or school clubs more accurate, I would have gotten the coaches or advisers of some groups to show the real amount of time students spend in extra-curricular activities. Again, I really enjoyed this video. I feel that it captures what college students are doing in their everyday educational and personal lives.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Last Semester's EDM 310 Videocast
I thought this videocast's main point of defining what a tech literate teacher is was a good theme and purpose. However, I felt at the end of the videocast that I still had many more points that I could have made and also that the participants still had not thoroughly discussed what a tech literate teacher is. I think that the main problem or issue with this videocast was the unpreparedness and lack of organization. I know that all of them had paper in front of them, yet I felt as if they were not sure what to say about the topic. I did not feel that they discussed the points that were made in the beginning or introduction. They made me feel like the whole discussion was put together the last minute before recording it. I feel as if their thoughts were random.
I learned from this videocast to make my podcast clear on what topic I am trying to get across to my audience. I want to make sure that I practice before the recording so that I know that I am prepared enough to make my points clearly. I want to address each point that I need to make and in order if I list them in the beginning of the podcast. Also another thing I noticed about this videocast was the lack of factual knowledge. Opinions are good to have, but when trying to have an educational or professional talk, one needs factual information to support his/her opinion. I feel if this videocast was more organized and had facts to support their statements then I would have gotten more knowledge on what a tech literate teacher is.
Although I see improvements that this videocast could make, I still think that they did a good job. They did have an outline on what they wanted to address, and they did engage in the conversations. Everybody can look back on a project and see improvements, and this videocast has taught me what to do and what not to do.
I learned from this videocast to make my podcast clear on what topic I am trying to get across to my audience. I want to make sure that I practice before the recording so that I know that I am prepared enough to make my points clearly. I want to address each point that I need to make and in order if I list them in the beginning of the podcast. Also another thing I noticed about this videocast was the lack of factual knowledge. Opinions are good to have, but when trying to have an educational or professional talk, one needs factual information to support his/her opinion. I feel if this videocast was more organized and had facts to support their statements then I would have gotten more knowledge on what a tech literate teacher is.
Although I see improvements that this videocast could make, I still think that they did a good job. They did have an outline on what they wanted to address, and they did engage in the conversations. Everybody can look back on a project and see improvements, and this videocast has taught me what to do and what not to do.
Resources for Podcasts
I visited the Langwitches website from the list of resources provided. I really enjoyed looking at this website and also listening to some podcasts from the site. I learned more from this website besides just how I can make my podcast great. This website provides numerous other resource information such as elementary school resource sites. The creator of this site said, "Shifting and changing our schools is also about reflecting and analyzing our individual teaching practice" (Langwitches Portfolio).
Even though I learned a lot more than just about podcasts, I still learned a lot about how to make my own podcast a great podcast. I learned that for any good podcast, one must pick a theme or purpose. After choosing a theme/purpose, one must prepare for that discussion thoroughly. When podcasting, one needs to practice before the actual podcast. Also, podcasting is more than just talking about a subject; one needs to understand and know how the sound editing works. All of these things and more make a great podcast. Langwicthes provides somewhat of a checklist of these things that one needs to know in order to produce a good podcast. I found this site so helpful that I added the site to my Favorites on my computer.
I also learned from this site that podcasts can range from individual recordings to entire class recordings or as many people that can fit into the recording room. Most of the podcasts that I have listened to have more than one person, but one person can create a podcast. I learned that one can have scripted or unscripted recordings as well. Many different types of technologies can act as a recorder.
This website again provided me with much more information than just podcasts. I strongly advise anybody interested in learning about education in general to look at this website. The website is http://www.langwitches.org/. This site has helped me for podcasts and so much more.
Even though I learned a lot more than just about podcasts, I still learned a lot about how to make my own podcast a great podcast. I learned that for any good podcast, one must pick a theme or purpose. After choosing a theme/purpose, one must prepare for that discussion thoroughly. When podcasting, one needs to practice before the actual podcast. Also, podcasting is more than just talking about a subject; one needs to understand and know how the sound editing works. All of these things and more make a great podcast. Langwicthes provides somewhat of a checklist of these things that one needs to know in order to produce a good podcast. I found this site so helpful that I added the site to my Favorites on my computer.
I also learned from this site that podcasts can range from individual recordings to entire class recordings or as many people that can fit into the recording room. Most of the podcasts that I have listened to have more than one person, but one person can create a podcast. I learned that one can have scripted or unscripted recordings as well. Many different types of technologies can act as a recorder.
This website again provided me with much more information than just podcasts. I strongly advise anybody interested in learning about education in general to look at this website. The website is http://www.langwitches.org/. This site has helped me for podcasts and so much more.
Next Generation Learning
This video presentation on technology was created very well. The sixth grade boy made the presentation even more educational because he was presenting the message of technology from a student's perspective. Not only did the boy do a great job in getting the audience's attention, but he made the audience realize the important use that technology has to offer. There are some people who think technology is not helpful, but this video presentation shows some different types of technologies that can be used educationally for students and teachers in schools across the globe.
If presenting this video to a group of adults to try to get more use of technology in schools, I think the approach of a student creating the project was a great idea. If I were an adult trying to decide whether or not to make technology more useful in schools, I would want to see the importance of technology from the students rather than a teacher or another adult trying to persuade me. Also, getting a student to create the video helps other students get excited about the use of technology because children want to do what other children do, not what other adults do. So again, if an adult had presented or created this video, I do not think it would have had as much of an impact. People want to see children excited about learning, and bringing in useful and educational technology will help get students more excited to learn.
This video makes anybody that watches it realize how far our world has come as far as technology skills. Children's parents today did not have the access to technology instruments that their children have in this day and time. This video makes people understand the importance of the different types of technology available, and this video shows people how the technologies can be used. I enjoyed watching this video because it is a short presentation that makes a clear point, which is technology is the next generation.
If presenting this video to a group of adults to try to get more use of technology in schools, I think the approach of a student creating the project was a great idea. If I were an adult trying to decide whether or not to make technology more useful in schools, I would want to see the importance of technology from the students rather than a teacher or another adult trying to persuade me. Also, getting a student to create the video helps other students get excited about the use of technology because children want to do what other children do, not what other adults do. So again, if an adult had presented or created this video, I do not think it would have had as much of an impact. People want to see children excited about learning, and bringing in useful and educational technology will help get students more excited to learn.
This video makes anybody that watches it realize how far our world has come as far as technology skills. Children's parents today did not have the access to technology instruments that their children have in this day and time. This video makes people understand the importance of the different types of technology available, and this video shows people how the technologies can be used. I enjoyed watching this video because it is a short presentation that makes a clear point, which is technology is the next generation.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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