Personal Learning Network

A PLN is a personal learning network, where a person can contact others in various ways to gain topical information. This can help a teacher throughout her teaching career.

At the beginning of November I joined a site called ProTeacher Community. This site has many topics, ranging from Chat Rooms, Blogs, Pre-K to Middle School, and the basic subjects, all the way to Special Education. Teachers from all over the world join, ask questions and others respond. I really enjoy reading the previous questions and response post. However no one has responded to mine! I asked for help with a 3 year old child that has severe behavior issues. I have received nothing. I also sent a question about good ideas for easy craft projects for my 3 year old preschool class! I still received nothing!

I'm sure that as time goes by and I keep posting responses and questions that eventually I would be able to connect to one person. But I feel like this particular is basically like a PLN all in itself, you just have to join and participate.

Bye Class of EDM 310

Thank you Mr. Wakeman and everyone in EDM 310! I appreciate all of the help from group members and Mr. Wakeman. I enjoyed reading everyones' post and listening to our discussions in class.

Thank you and Goodbye!

Tosha Thomas

What I've Learned this Year!

1. Before I started EDM 310, I thought I would be learning how to work in Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. Which I already knew about, I thought this class was going to be a breeze! BOY WAS I WRONG!!! Even though I hated doing all of the long hours of homework everyweek and how much time it took away from my family, I think that I learned sooooo much! Most everything that I learned, I hadn't a clue about it when I started. I feel that I have a well rounded knowledge of the use of most of the technology information studied this semester.

I really got the most out of the blogs, I saw so many uses for it when I teach and in my personal life. I'm glad to know that wiki isn't a super reliable source, I had never heard of wiki before this class. However I do see uses for the wiki in the classroom, if used properly. I do find Google Docs helpful for the classroom, my students could use this for class projects to make sure everyone's has a program that can work together. I had a refresher with the spreadsheet, I haven't used it in a long time, so it was to learn about it again. My husband and I used the Excel spreadsheet to keep up with our budget, it's much easier now that I have been refreshed on how it works. I didn't care much about listening to podcast and videocasts, but I can appreciate the use for them in education. I liked the idea of communicating with other students across the country, I think there are great benefits for students and teachers. I'm so glad I had to make an account for iTunes and Skype, I plan on using them in the future.

I appreciate technology much more than I previously did. I see how important it is now to stay as updated with new technology, it's always changing. There are so many beneficial uses for technology in the classroom.

2. We didn't go over Picasa, so I'm a bit curious about it. I love art, so I wonder if it has anything to do with that.

3. PLN is the only thing that I didn't enjoy, I didn't get it. I attempted it, but didn't get any response. I just don't like it, I feel that I can get what I need from other teachers that I will be teaching from or that I know from other schools.

4. It did actually excite me, especially when I watched Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, I think that it was the best thing that I have been able to listen to in a long long time. I also am excited to use blogging and iTunes in my personal life as well as when I teach. I am much more interested and excited to learn knew technology now.

5. Maybe the PLN, it was very hard t accomplish this task!

6. Never could get bored in this class!

7. I would discuss what a PLN is, but let it be a personal choice if they do it.

8. I think that I am Medium to Good with my Technologically Literacy. I think I can definitely improve at what I have been taught!

9. Well I've already graduated, I'm in this class to keep my certificate up to date. I plan to go back to teaching in several years. I plan to search the Internet periodically to see what new technology is out there and research information about it.

Technology Lists for Teachers

Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make With Technology

I definitely think one stupid thing that a teacher could do is using a school's computer like a home computer. I disagree with people that play on their computer at work, when they are getting paid to do a job. It's like stealing money from their employer. If you are on your lunch break and you need to check an email or something, I think that's fine. I also feel that if you come to work early or stay late, to make your working time even out with any time you should clock out for, that could be fine too, as long as it's not all the time. But it is not smart to save all of your personal information to the school's computer, for reasons such as if the computer messes up or your children get ahold of the computer and damages it. That is not professional!


The second stupid thing a teacher could think is that technology in schools will go away. There is no way NO WAY that technology is going away, it's only going to get more integrated every year. For one that's why we're in this class, to teach us how to use technology in the classroom effectively.


Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology

I agree that on brilliant thing a teacher can do is make conferencing real-time. Brilliant teachers don't wait until scheduled parent conferences to communicate with homes. Through e-mail, Web sites, online grade books, blogs, wikis, and, yes, even telephone calls, technology gives teachers the ability to make parents partners who help assure students' timely, quality work. They post newsletters, spelling lists, assessment tools, assignments, grades, calendars, discussion lists, and tips. They read and respond to parent e-mails. Most parents want to be involved, but they like knowing how. This is so true, I really like my daughter's teacher this year but she doesn't have any sort of communication on a website or email. So far we've only met at Open Houses or conferences. We have also kept in contact with notes and papers sent home. However, when I taught a few years ago, I didn't communicate any different than my daughter's teacher. I didn't know much about technology and my school didn't stress the importance of it either. I think that parent/teacher communication can only benefit a student.

Another brilliant thing a teacher can do is use the kids’ own devices to teach them. Students are personal communication devices -- cell phones, cameras, game devices, iPods/mp3 players, netbooks, laptops, and PDAs. I think it's smart for a teacher to stay updated with the types of devices their students are into and know how to use them effectively. When using these devices, the students will get more interested in their work and excited about it.


New Classroom Rules

Leave your seat only when necessary, which should be often to go collaborate with others or demonstrate something to the class. I really liked this rule, because I think it's important for students to learn to work with others that are different from them. They will get to learn so much from their peers, like new ideas, different points-of-view, and cooperating with others. This rule will also teach students to ask others for help. I really liked this rule!

Be polite, courteous, and respectful at all times in both physical and virtual space.I also loved this rule! I think that so many people don't know how or choose to not be polite, courteous, or respectful. Where are peoples manners these days. Some people need to learn to hold their tongues and thoughts to themselves. It's not always the time or the place to voice their opinions.

At the Teacher's Desk

The Fundred Project


When I first checked out At the Teacher's Desk blog, I watched the videos on The Fundred Project. I found the information about the lead being in the soil in New Orleans very surprising. I wasn't aware of this problem before this video. I had no idea that lead could cause such issues for people, especially children. The explanation in the video about how the lead gets in the soil really shocked me as well, I guess I'm not attuned to things like this. I'm glad I watched this video so that I can learn to be more aware of the pollutants of the world.

I thought this project is a wonderful way for students and classrooms to get involved around the world to support this cause. The students will be able to learn a lot from this one project. They are being apart of something going to Congress. This has to let the students feel like they are making a difference. I'm curious to find out how this will turn out.

In looking at this blog, I clicked on several of the members. In doing so I wasn't able to see their blogs, but I was able to see what blogs they follow. I checked many of them out. Some were educational that I became members of, like a blog about students' shared work about space. I also really got interested in a blog about photography, I love photography.

Picture from a Class Blog about Space

In reviewing, At the Teacher's Desk, I watched videos from other school from across the world. One video was a middle school boy giving a speech in front of his whole school, he was Irish. It was hard to understand him. I went to another collaborators blog and watched him teach his class about the revolutionary war. This is a good idea for students to be able to go watch later when studying for test or for extra help.

I really enjoyed the post about the sick Math teacher needing help for the class assignment. One of the other teachers twittered about needing help and many many people came to her rescue. This really helped me understand the PLN a little more.

Tweeters Helping a Teacher

I especially liked the post about helping students create a positive digital portfolio. Mr. Chamberlain writes about how students are being perceived mostly in a negative way, because some are posting negative things on facebook or recording and taking pictures of inappropriate things. These are the things that most of the media get a hold of and report. He explains there are good sites that show our students in a positive light, but we also need to teach them what things are appropriate to share with the world and what are not, especially since you have future employers out there to see.

Michael Wesch

I found Michael Wesch's lecture to be entertaining as well as thought provoking about YouTube and our culture.

In my personal life, I rarely get on YouTube, I've been on their twice ever! I just don't have time to sit and watch the computer. But if I had extra time, I would probably get on their more often. When I say, "whatever", I'm usually meaning it doesn't matter to me. It does seem that our culture is becoming very self-absorbed. Everyone thinks they need to be a star and stand out. Everyone wants to have their own identity, which is good. But everyone can't be a star, but some do get discovered when otherwise they may have not had a chance.

Since I've been in EDM 310, I've had many assignments that required watching videos on YouTube. Most of them have been very useful and helpful in my learning. Before this year I had never heard of YouTube, and I maybe got on the computer once or twice a month. I can see how useful it is for learning and connecting with others.

For the my future teaching job, YouTube will be beneficial to have students express themselves in their work. As these college professors and their students do more research on the socialization with the media, it will help us understand how to integrate media in a more balanced light in the future.

Importance of Posting Work

Wow, I really enjoyed listening to the elementary chorus group, they were awesome!!!

Although there are several ways to post your work on the Internet, three that come to mind are: Podcasts, Vodcasts, and Blogging.

Podcast by Elementary Students
Podcast on iTunes
My group made a podcast about blogging. Making this podcast took work from all group members to make it flow nicely for the listeners. It gives lots of information in a short period of time, for the audience. The listeners could learn while listening to their iPods. The podcast shows our instructor what kind of time and effort we put into creating our work. He can tell that we had to research how to do a podcast, and about our subject. The end product gives the students a since of accomplishment. When they know that more than just their teacher will hear it, they will try harder to make it the best they can.

Students Vodcasting
Vodcasts can show so many talents a student has, such as musical, acting, and much more. It takes a lot more of the student to make a vodcast, students can be even more creative. The students in the video that we watched for this blog, were wonderful. If it weren't for their teacher posting it, they never would have been able to share their talents with the world and especially Stevie Nicks. Wow how awesome for this opportunity! In some of our past homework assignments, we saw middle school and high school students using video for their projects, some made game shows, some news, and even their own documentaries. It can show the teacher so much about the time and effort they put into their assignments. Plus the students really seem to enjoy it and learn more when they're having fun.

Student Blogging
How to for Student Blogging
Blogging can show a students work through their words, links, pictures, and videos. They are able to right paragraphs about what they are learning, like keeping a journal of their work. But this journal can have some creativity with color, font, pics, and much more. They also can have feedback from their teacher, peers, parents, and even others around the world. This will help them do their best work if they know others can see what they've done. This can also help shy students that have a hard time speaking up in class.

ACCESS is a distance learning plan created to give equity through additional educational offerings for all Alabama public high school students. This program allows high school students to choose a class not offered at the school such as German or French, instead of the typical Spanish. Each student in the class would have access to a laptop notebook. The school has to have all the certain equipment for the program to work. The students will attend a class where they are being led by a teacher on a computer and the teacher is relaying the work to the students by a smartboard. There are cameras set up for the teacher to view the student's homework as well. The students can use these classes to get dual credit. The classes are offered for the advanced students.

The ACCESS site gave information for teachers or schools to find information about registration and course catalogs. It also had other resources available as well as technical support for the program. I would not use this program since I have my degree for K-6th grade. If I were to teach high school, this would be a great program. When I was in high school, I think that I would have enjoyed access to classes offered outside of my school.

ALEX

ALEX stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. In this site a teacher can find so many useful tools. There are several links including: Courses of Study, Web Links, Lesson Plans, Search, Personal Workspace, Professional Learning, Podcast Treasury, and Help. In the Courses of Study, a teacher can find what the state department wants teachers to teach for each grade level and subject. This will help guide the teachers to stay on track during the year. Web Links has 3 categories: Teacher Web Links, Administrator Web Links, and Student Web Links. Each of these categories has very useful sites for education. In the Lesson Plans category a teacher can click on the subject and grade level they need to find specific lesson plans. Once you get to the right subject and grade level, the site has clearly labeled which course of study is covered and other helpful sites to go along with the lesson plan given. The Search category is helpful when you need to search fro something specific. You have to sign up to work in the Personal Workspace area. Te Professional Learning site has links to help teachers stay on top of their professional development as well as useful sites for teaching. The Podcast Treasury has links to educational podcast.

When I have taught in the past I used ALEX to help me find courses of study and lesson plans. Now they have updated this site with new informaton such as the Professional Learning, Web Links, and Podcast Treasury. I would use their lesson plans to help me find creative plans for the proper course of study. The way they have their site organized is very helpful for teachers. I like all of the web links they give teachers to help them find educational information. I would use the Professional Learning site to give me information to stay on top of my professional development. I also think the podcast treasury would be useful to me to find educational podcast on a particular subject that I would be teaching.

Mr. Chamberlain: Dear Kaia

I enjoyed reading these blogs that unfolded the story of a brave dad, Jabiz, exposing his daughter to an eighth grade class in Missouri. Mr. Chamberlain's class discovered a 3 year old little girl, Kaia's photography through her personal blog her dad created for their family. Jabiz read, The Last Child in the Woods, to Kaia and it got him to think about how Kaia should be spending more time outside. So the two of them explored their desert surroundings and took some pictures. Jabiz was teaching her to look closely at what is around her, take in the beauty, even if at first sight most people disregard as ugly. He teaching her a valuable lesson at finding the positive and beauty in everything. Kaia's pictures were beautiful, I loved seeing her home from her perspective.


Mr. Chamberlain's class watched Kaia's video essay of her pictures and they made many comments. Jabiz responded to the class and told them he would read the comments to Kaia, but it would be a good idea to send a video response to her since she can't read. Mr. Chamberlain's class did just that through You Tube and Voicethread. Then Mr. Chamberlain and Kaia's dad communicated for the dad to Skype into the class and answer their questions and give them information on where they live, Doha, Qotar. He is a teacher himself and he realizes the importance of learning.



I find these blogs so informative. It amazes me how easy it can be to communicate with strangers from all over the world. I don't even know where Qotar is, I will be looking it up after my post though. It has me thinking about my contacts for this class across the world. I'm very curious to see what I find. I agree with the dad's post on the Intrepid Teacher post about how scary it is to put yourself and especially your children out on the Internet. From reading the comments though it helped me to see that I should teach my children now the right and careful way to use the Internet. It is amazing how much you can learn out there. I could definitely see myself using these resources in my classroom to teach my students. I think it would be so educational and exciting for them to see what is out there for them to learn.

To read these blogs yourself you can go to the following links:

Mr. Chamberlain's Class Blog
Kaia's Blog
Intrepid Teacher

The New Media Literacies

I agree that technology is very useful and beneficial to our culture. All of the skills mentioned are needed to be effective in technology. I do see that our culture is turning to everything in technology so it is helpful to teach our students these skills so they can be prepared for their future career. Even though I think everyone should have exposure to this technology, they don't have to have it to be a successful artist, citizen, or worker.

I have some of the skills listed such as: judgement, negotiation, appropriation, play, collective intelligence, distributed cognition, visualization, and multitasking. I definitely have the multitasking down, I'm a woman and a mom. I'm getting better at transmedia navigation from this class. For me to acquire the performance part, I would have to get comfortable with what I'm talking about. Plus I don't like to be in the forefront and be seen I think some people are naturally better at this and enjoy it. As far as simulation, I would have to do research on this topic.

In my research to find information about the New Media Literacies Project, I found a you tube video done about some high school students. This video helped me understand the importance of new media literacy more than the assigned video. The video showed a range a what students could do in their class, from rapping to a game show. I can really see now how much a student could benefit from this project. To view this video click here: New Media Literacy Project.

Another great site to find information about New Media Literacy is New Jersey's New Media Literacy Project. The information on this site talks about the benefits of students participation in this project. Two that I was most interested in were the benefits to students health awareness and violence reduction.

In researching I found this blog of an intern involved in the New Media Literacy Project and their will be a New Media Literacy Conference this next week if anyone can make it. It's at M.I.T. - good luck! :)


When I first started researching this topic I was not that into it, but I persisted and it really changed my initial view.

Wendy Drexler: The Networked Student

I feel that I learned a great deal of information just from this short video. I never thought about how students could basically take a topic on their own and run with it, without being lectured or from books. I think this is an awesome way for students to learn, especially since our world is becoming more and more technologically advanced. I like that students are having to work for their information, it teaches self-discipline and self-learning. This is so important to their future, they aren't going to be handed everything on a silver platter.

Wendy Drexler's video, "The Networked Student," made me really think about, "Do students really need a teacher?" I think they do for exactly all the reasons mentioned in the video. They need someone to guide them when they run into trouble, they need some encouragement and support. The teacher is able to teach the student how to build a network using all kinds of sources, and then teach them how to differentiate between good information and bad. They can also teach them to organize their information and how to use the web as a scavenger hunt for information. Then the student can get excited about what they've learned. The teacher has such a major part in this network learning, so now that student will be able to maintain what they've learned to help them in their future.

I don't feel prepared yet to be a teacher of a networked student. I still have a lot of learning to do before I could teach others how to network. I don't have enough confidence in my own networking skills yet. I would be a teacher that would have to learn from the students. I know that it's good to learn from your students, but I still think I should know a little more than they do about this topic.

Robert Miller: This Is How We Dream

I found what Robert Miller was showing in his video, "This Is How We Dream," to be very interesting and informative of what's to come in our future. I liked how he showed examples of past events in his multimedia presentation as well as how to use future events. This is definitely a new way of writing compared to just pencil and paper. I think that having this program can benefit all members that learn how to use it properly. I find this multimedia to be fascinating and inspiring to want to learn more about it.

I think from taking this class, EDM 310, that I'm a little more prepared to learn multimedia than I would have been. I do think that I would need some guidance before jumping into this new way of writing. I think that would enjoy learning more about how to do the program. It would be a fun way to write and research your information. Learning can be much quicker and easier access. I think that having all the different media being used to write a paper enriches your learning and teaching.

I think students could learn to do this with proper guidance. They would have to be introduced to other things first like blogging. I think students could learn how to do this quicker than most adults because they are already use to handling technology all the time. They could probably teach the teachers. Young students absorb so much information quickly. They could really benefit from this, they would have a well rounded view of their topic they are studying. I definitely see this multimedia in our students future.

iPods

iPods can be used to gather information from various sources on the web. One way i s to use iTunes U to watch lectures and educational videos or listen to podcasts. One site that I found said students can also transfer text-based information to their iPod and read it onscreen. The site also said with the notes reader, news articles, classroom notes, even flash cards for spelling tests can be right at hand. In this article, they were finding that iPods helped students that had ADD and ADHD because they were able to focus on the task at hand without a lot of distractions. Most students were excited to use this technology in class.

I really enjoyed reading how Duke University implemented iPods in their school. It started with them putting the orientation on the new 1st year students' iPods. From there they had faculty and students excited to use iPods in their everyday classes. They wanted to try it out and see what kind of responses they got from doing this and they had mostly positive results. They decided to continue with this project and integrate it in more class and with more students, even 3rd and 4th year students. In the article, they stated how iPods gave students more initiative to learn other things on their own. The students are able to listen to lectures on their way to class whether they are walking or riding the bus, which saves them a lot of time.
iPods are small and compact and easy to use with a little bit of initial guidance. These could even take the place of some text books.

Principals Partnership - iPodsDuke University -iPods

iTunes University

Teachers can use iTunes University in a variety of ways. They could have their students watch or listen to vodcast or podcast lectures by them or others. They can also have the students listen or watch educationsl videos. They can also find other information from other schools through iTunes. The teachers know that iTunes is accessible at anytime of day which is helpul to their students. Teachers are able to give students the basics and let the students find out all the details about a topic. It's teaching student to be self motivated learners.

Students can benefit from iTunes as well, they can access iTunes anytime of the day for completing homework or other projects. They can get their class lecture if they were absent in class and still be caught up for the next class. Students can also use their iPods, iPhones, or laptops to do their assignments anywhere at anytime. There are numerous educational sources on iTunes to help them in their research. There are instructional videos to teach students how to use iTunes or any other topic that they would need more information on. Students can just about learn anything by using iTunes, they have access to so much information. I am definately going to start using iTunes U a lot more to find my informtaion.

Helpful Links:

How to use iTunes U
Download iTunes U
Presentation about iTunes U

Dr. Christie's - Google Earth

I really enjoyed how easy it was to find information on Dr. Christie's site about Google Earth. She has information about what you can find on Google Earth, lesson plans for Google Earth, and how to use Google Earth in the classroom. Google Earth can be use for students to find information about a certain location. They can find roads, 3D buildings, street view, borders and labels, traffic, and weather. They can even find information about national geographic, news agencies, travel and tourism, dining, lodging, shopping, schools and hospitals.

I would use Google Earth mostly for Social Studies and Science. I would have each student find a differents location across the world and find all of the above information on it throughout a project about other cultures or our local information about where they live. I think this would be of great interest to the students. Google Earth can help students visualize the world around them as well as keep them interested and excited about what they are learning. I think Google Earth would be a wonderful tool for technology in my classroom.

Wikipedia

Since Wikipedia can have anyone edit the information, I would never trust all the information to be completely true. I doubt that it would ever be 100% accurate, but it still gives you plenty of good information to compare with other sources and use them all to make your own educated mind up. I feel that Virgil Griffith has made a great step in helping be more accurate. I agree with the speakers on the Wikipedia Scanner podcast that it might cut down on all the changes made to . But as they said, they can still alter the information from another computer anonymously. I would still use Wikipedia, but cautiously and I would use other sources as well.

I would allow students to use Wikipedia for finding information about a subject where they had to gather their own information from several sites and use their educated judgement for that given assignment. The sites would need to be the same as Wikipedia for it to be reliable. The students would be able to use it for opinionated papers, like "Who is the best President?"

I would not allow them to use it for a research paper about factual events or people. The site does not have way of keeping information updated and factual at all times, therefore it wouldn't be a good site for a paper about Parkinson's Disease or Cher. Since anyone anywhere can add to the site, I wouldn't trust students to get accurate information.

I do think it is a good idea to use hyperlinks for vocabulary that students may not know. It is a quick resource for them, and they are having to take the time to learn new words on their own. Not everything has to be laid out in such detail. It teaches them to be self sufficient learners.

This is a practice.practice

practice 2

Practice 3

Practice 4

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Really Achieving your Childhood Dream


WOW! This is the best lecture I have ever heard! Randy Pausch is soooooo inspiring! I still am amazed at how much I was able to learn from that 1 hour! I feel like any comments I could make wouldn't give his lecture any justice! All I can say is "WOW"!

First off he talked about having the fundamentals to work with and not get too far ahead of what your wanting to achieve, take one step at a time. He also said reaching your dream or goal takes hard work. Randy said, "Brick Walls are there for a reason: They let us prove how badly we want things." I loved this saying, we shouldn't give up at the first, second, or third road block that we come to, if you want it bad enough you are likely to achieve it. It might take a lot of dedication, but in the end it will be so worth it.

He also said don't sell ourselves or others too short. When we do that we won't push ourselves to our maximum potential. He said the best way to learn something is to have someone think they are learning something else. I think this is true, if a child is learning how to play a sport that is fun to them, they will enjoy it while learning character skills, sportsmanship, interaction, and self discipline.

One of my favorite things he talked about was having FUN! Being a kid at heart and enjoy everything you're doing. I often forget this in my daily routine of working and coming home to daily household chores. I've always been a person that wants to enjoy every moment, but when you get caught up in our daily routine you forget.

I definitely believe in helping others as he talks about in this lecture. He states that, "You can't get there alone, and I believe in Karma." I do think that if you genuinely care for and help others, the favor will be returned more than you can imagine. Others are more willing to help if you have helped them. It all works together in a cycle. I think that telling the truth and apologizing when your wrong all goes hand in hand with karma.

He says to get feedback about yourself and listen to it and use it. It will help you grow in a positive way as a person. This self-reflection shows that you value others opinions that you may not see as a flaw. We should also show gratitude to others for what they do to help and let them know that you appreciate them. It's nice when someone acknowledges your hard work. Randy also says not to complain, just work harder. As a self-reflection, I need to work on this one. Then goes on to say, "Find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it." This can be so hard to do, but it shows that everyone does have some good to them.

He shared how to live life having fun and doing hard work to reach your dreams. To find more information about this inspiring man go to the following sites:

TIME Magazine
ABC News

Randy Pausch also has a book called, "The Last Lecture".

Mr. Fisch Blog

I found Mr. Fisch's post so inspiring, I am realizing through this class that it is more important to be a technologically literate teacher than I once thought. I read a lot of the comments on his blog and one lady said how just integrating PowerPoint into the classroom is not being a technologically literate teacher and I totally agree. Before this class I would have thought that using PowerPoint in the classroom would have been enough, but now I see it's not!!!

I've always know the basics of how to navigate around but not as in depth as I'm currently learning. The comment about parents being proud of not being good at Math rings a bell with so many parents that I've been around. My own mother who is still young, brags about not knowing how to turn the computer on. In the past few weeks, my sisters and I have her learning the basics and she now has email and facebook. I see that everyone no matter what you do should try to keep up to date on as much of the technology as possible. Even though I teach 3 year olds, I'm trying to think of ways to integrate it into my classroom. I am so thankful to be learning, it can be difficult at times, but overall it is well worth the pain!

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today


Overall this movie depicts my college experience pretty accurately. I didn't read very much in my text books. For the most part I didn't use the text books that I bought in college, I learned mostly through class lectures and studying notes given in class. I did have $20,000 in student loans when I graduated that I'm still paying on. The estimated number of hours spent sleeping, eating, studying, watching t.v., and etc. were mostly accurate for me.

When I was in college my classes were never larger than 35 people, and we didn't bring laptops to class. I didn't even have internet service when I was attending college, and I only graduated 5 years ago. I didn't know what facebook was until this past year. I also feel that probably 90% of my teachers new my name.

I would take longer pauses on the information given to make sure the people watching the video can have a chance to absorb the information. I would also have the writing clearer when focusing with the camera. Maybe show stacks of textbooks next to stacks of laptops. Or even show the movie following the average students day!

Mr. McClung's Blog

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's reflection from "What I've Learned This Year"! Mr. McClung talked about how as teachers we should focus on teaching our students rather than making everything perfect. He said that every lesson will end up different from the original plan. This is soooo true!!! You have to be able to improvise and sometimes that works out better than the original plan. You have to be able to adjust according to what the needs are that day. My favorite thing that Mr. McClung wrote is, "Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again." I could really tell that Mr. McClung has the right attitude and heart when he teaches. He also talked about how teachers should be willing to learn and not be afraid to teach with technology. I agree if we expect our students to learn, we should too! Then he talks about listening to your students, you will have a much better teacher/student relationship if you take that time to know them! I feel this is so important, students will be more willing to respect and work hard for your if they know their teacher truly cares for them. Mr. McClung had so much insight from his first year of teaching!

Improving Podcast/Videocast

I feel podcast and videocast can be so helpful in education. Being able to see and hear what others around the world and country have to say about a particular topic gives a more global perspective than the isolating opinions we have in our own towns and schools. I enjoyed listening to all the opinions and found myself agreeing with them in their views of being a tech literate teacher.



While watching last semester's videocast, Tech Literate Teacher, I found a few things I would change to make it better. First I would have everyone try to coordinate their clothing color to the best of their ability. My eyes were mostly drawn to Dr. Strange because he was wearing a bright green shirt. Then to the other two ladies wearing bright clothing. I think seating everyone where we can be seen better when talking in their discussion could have been better. I also feel that some of the students dominated the conversation, I liked what they had to say, but feel that there should have been a little more participation from the quieter students.



I enjoyed looking at the Langwitches Blog, I saved it to my favorites for a resource when I work on my podcast. I liked how detailed her information is on preparing, planning, and creating a podcast. My favorite section was the preparing students, she gave more insight on the sound tone, expression, and volume. This will be the most helpful to me. I listened to the podcast of the different grades. I was impressed at the tone and expression of their voices. I think picking the right music can help the mood you want for your podcast topic.



I found the article on 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better gave a lot of helpful information in using the podcast. My favorite section of the article was the podcast and more. I am excited to use this sight and have it on hand when I need it. Smithsonian Global Sound, The Education Podcast Network, Brain Quest, and Teach Kids Valuable Lessons with Free Sesame Street iPod Videos are several sites that I plan to check out in more detail.

Podcast

I listened to six different audio podcast today :

SmartBoard Lessons Podcast
KidCast
ConnectLearning - David Warlick
EdTechtalk
MacBreak Weekly
This Week in Photography

I found that many of these podcast were similar in their introduction. They started with music and introduced themselves. Several of them gave us their location and the date. Some of the podcasts audio were clearer than others, and some you could barely hear them through the static. One of the ladies had to turn her volume up so the audience could hear and that made a big difference. MacBreak Weekly sounded like they were radio hosts, and one had been a D.J. before. Some had voices that were more pleasing to listen to than others.

Most of the podcast started their episodes by talking about personal events, then they progressed into the topic of the day. Some topics were more intriguing to me than others. I enjoyed listening to Ben and Joan from the Smartboard podcast, they kept me interested in their conversation with each other and the topic of the day, interacting math movies in the classroom. Kidcast with Dan Schmit was the most helpful podcast in that he gave the most insight in when to use audio podcast or video podcast. He was easy to listen to and explained the information very well to the audience.

I also enjoyed the format that David Warlick use in his ConnectLearning podcast, he involved his workshop by asking them questions and them responding immediately on the podcast. I found it enlightening to think of children as being fearless about technology because they live in a technology world. It is the adults that are scared of change. Technology is normal to our young children, and I agree it gives them the ability to be creative in their work and makes them more responsible for their work when they know their peers will be viewing their work as well.

I did not enjoy listening to EdTechTalk. The audio was not working right in the beginning and they didn't seem to have their stuff together. I felt they needed to do more research on their topics and how to do a podcast. They were very boring and I couldn't wait until the 10 minutes were up! MacBreak Weekly had very nice music and voices, they easy to listen conversation with each other and the audience. They sounded professional. This Week in Photography had people from all over the country talking with each other in the podcast, I found this interesting. The topic however would only be of interest to someone in the photography field.


Overall I found listening to the podcasts helpful for my future podcast adventure!

Media Rich

Michael Jackson

(CNN) -- The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday.

Los Angeles coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson's blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.

The affidavit, used to outline probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson, disclosed many details of drugs given to Jackson in the weeks before his death.

Jackson family lawyer Londell McMillan said the report "reaffirms the very sad reality that there was a tragic and gross violation of duty and care for Michael Jackson."

The publicist for Jackson's family said the "family looks forward to the day that justice can be served."

"The Jackson family has full confidence in the legal process, and commends the ongoing efforts of the L.A. County Coroner, the L.A. District Attorney and the L.A. Police Department," the statement said.

The Associated Press is quoting a single law enforcement official, who said the L.A. County Coroner ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office told CNN they had "no comment" on the report. An LAPD spokesman said the story did not come from their department.

"We will not comment on the "anonymous" law enforcement source that claims that Michael Jackson's death will be ruled a homicide," Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff said in a statement on his firm's Web site. "Most of the reports by "anonymous" sources have been proven wrong. We will be happy to address the Coroner's report when it is officially released."

The 32-page warrant said Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told a detective that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks. Murray said each night he gave Jackson 50 mg of propofol, also known as Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.
. Watch what court documents show about Jackson's last hours »

Worried that Jackson may have been becoming addicted to the drug, the Houston cardiologist said he attempted to wean him from it, putting together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep during the two nights prior to his death.

On June 22 Murray said he gave Jackson a cocktail of drugs similar to what he gave him on the day he died, June 25 -- propofol, Ativan and Versed, which helped the star fall asleep, according to the documents. On June 23 he gave Jackson only the Ativan and Versed, which helped him sleep.

But on June 25, other drugs failed to do the job, as Murray recounted to detectives in an hour-by-hour account detailed by detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department:

Next Generation Learning

I thought it was amazing how much technology was incorporated in the boy's school. I never would have thought so many young children could do so much with technology. I guess I don't give their young brains enough credit to learn it. Although my daughter is 5 years old and knows how to play games on the computer and Wii. She talks about using the smart board in school as a reward, she gets excited when it's her turn.

I like the thought of using more technology in the classroom to keep our children current on new technology. At the same time I like to make sure that there is a balance between technology and regular play. I think it is just as important to interact with others verbally and not get lost in the technolgy. Technology can be so helpful, but I find it can be addicting which takes away from quality time with family and friends.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I feel Vicki Davis has a good grasp of what to expect from students working with technology. I think it is important for the students to work together using their strengths to accomplish the task given. I like that she doesn't expect herself or the students to know everything, they learn together.

The fact that her students are able to collaborate with others around the world is amazing to me. It's great that her students are able to see and experience other cultures from their computers. I wonder how many of our local schools do these types of projects.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I really enjoyed hearing what Sir Ken Robinson had to say on the importance of creativity. I agree all the way with what he said about finding what the children are interested in and are good at and let them flourish in that area. If the child finds what they are passionate about they will succeed and enjoy their life's work. If you enjoy what you do it is worth putting your time, effort, and hard work into it.

I feel that it is so true, that we all start out with creativity when we are born and gradually lose it with age. I do think children take chances and are alright with being wrong, and as educators we should not allow them to feel ashamed. I have always felt that we should encourage children to use creativity and not shame them for being different. I lose track sometimes of this and am refocused now on allowing my own children and preschoolers to explore their creativity.

Did you know?

The biggest problem I had with this video is that I had a hard time focusing on the message from the constant motion and sound. This made me think that this is how a young child might feel if given too many commands at once. It really made me think about how many things tell my own children and my preschoolers to do at one time. Even though this video was not intended to teach this message, this is a valuable lesson to me.

The second time watching this video, it was much easier to focus on the facts presented. I was astonished that China was soon to be the number one English speaking country. Other countries seem to be way more advanced in their education than ours. I am not sure if that is good or bad. It can be a little scary to see how much information the computer will have in years to come. They will be smarter than the people that creating the programs. I see now how beneficial this class will be in keeping me updated with how quickly the technology world is changing.

About Me!

I am Tosha Thomas, I have lived in Foley, Alabama all my life. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 7 years. We have a 5 year old daughter that just started kindergarten and a 2 1/2 year old son that gets into everything. Our family is very involved in many areas at our church. I enjoy seeing unusual art in any form!

I graduated from South Alabama almost 5 years ago with my Bachelors in Elementary Education K-6. Since then I have taught 2nd grade at a Christian School and kindergarten in a public school. I was a stay at home mom for a few years, and now I teach a lively 3 year old class at my church preschool! I am taking EDM 310 to keep my certification from expiring this next year! Once my children are all in school I plan to come back to teaching, specifically 6th grade Mathematics.