Assignment 7

This Is How We Dream: Writing With Multimedia 
    Reading and writing is not longer only about pen and paper but about technology as well.  Teachers and not look toward technology to help improve and motivate their students to learn the information that needs to be taught and learned.  Todays world like Dr. Richard E. Miller has said, "Has also gone completely virtual".  This semester I only had to buy one book which wasn't so cheap.  It was about $100 and I have only opened it twice since this semester has started.  However, I can't complain but in pervious semesters I was having to buy 4 and 5 books at almost the same price.  Books are now downloadable from the internet and the price is cut in half if not free many times.  
    The fact that we have become such a technologically enhanced society we no longer have any limitations of what we can access.  Writing a paper is something you can do without leaving you home.  Therefore, if you get sick or your child gets sick you can still manage to do you work at home without a problem.  There is not such thing as a closing time.  The internet is always open.  Anybody and find anything.  What more could we ask for as a student, teacher or just a person in general?  Not only can we find whatever we need to put together a project or learn how to do something, but we can also make whatever we want.  Presentations, movies, slide shows, recordings, and the list goes on.  Pen and paper is not in the past but we are no longer restricted to it!


The Networked Student:
    What is connectivism?  Connectivism is a theroy that presumes that learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties.  In other words, we learn from the ones around us.  A lecture is no good if your not understanding or retaining the material.  Although many people learn differently I haven't heard of too many people not learning something from hands on, and that's exactly what technology is.  It is a constant hands on learning experience.  With technology a student can find what helps them the most and stick with it.  Once again we are no longer limited to what we can find or do in order to learn.


Towards A New Future Of Whatever:
    My goodness... I couldn't imagine going back 25 years.  Im 26 years old now and when I was about 8 I can remember a "dinosaur" sitting in the living room.  That thing that I call a "dinosaur" was a computer, this computer was weird looking back now.  I mean the print was green and there was no changing that, and forget about signing on the internet because I think that was still being created lol.  
    As I write this post I am listening to Michael Wesch and he has made many good point just within the first 10 minutes. Why do all these people want to be stars and why do they think they deserve to be a star? Well, like Mr. Wesch says this is the self help generation. Multimedia allows everyone to be their own person and express it though technology. Technology has changed all of us. We as people not robots need to know ourselves. We must take the good with the bad.

PLN (Personal Learning Network

PLN:  Personal Learning Network
So what is a PLN I ask myself?  Well, for all of those out there that are just hearing about this don't feel bad because I said the same thing.  A PLN is a Personally Learning Network (twitter, blog etc.).  It's about staying in sync with people around the world with the same interrest.  For me that would be staying up to date with other educators.  PLN is a great way to get ideas and opinions from other teachers.  I have recently created a twitter account which will allow me to stay in touch and learn from other educators because their is always room to learn.  I have added Dr. Strange and Mr.Tashbin along with few others but and still learning what twitters is all about.

My Life As It Is

Assignment 6

Dr. Christie: Electronic Portfolio

I'm sure their are many people in my present EDM310 that know and understand what an ePortfolio is. However, last semester was the first time that I had ever heard about it, and that was only because I have to have it for EDF315/211. My instructor gave a quick overview about it, but it clearly wasn't enough to actually understand what it was or does. So here I am now in EDM310 searching around on Dr. Christies page and ran right into it. Great! I find Electronic Portfolios can be extremely useful to me as a future teacher in several ways.

First off they can turn their homework on the portfolio apposed to having to manual turn it in. It saves time for the most part and it's extremely convenient. Next, I get to know my students better because their is a profile sitting right in front of me if I can't put a face with a name. Last, but not least I can also post grades for them oR keep in close contact just incase they need help with their homework. If anyone else besides me was slightly confused on just exactly what an ePortfolio (efolio) is you should visit this site:

http://www.alicechristie.org/edtech/efolio/index.html

iTunes University:

iTunes University is located in iTunesU. I've been using iTunes for several years now and still haven't figured everything out. For me it's the best and safest place to acquire music, movies and podcast. Now iTunes has a place called iTunesU. I'm slowly, but surely learning as much as I can with it. So far I have found that the iTunesU is directed towards college students but is not limited to just college students. People are able to see what different universities value and teach apposed to the college that you might attend, and well, as we all know that is how information is past down and around these days. The wonderful life of the World Wide Web. What would do without it now?

Duke University's Use Of iPods:

Well it seems as though Duke University is definitely advancing in the use of technology to further their student's learning ability. In the fall of 2004 Duke University gave their 1,650 incoming freshmen a free ipod as part of an initative to foster innovative uses of technology. The iPod was given to them in order to conduct research and keep track of that research. It seems as though they went over and beyond to accomendate their students in more ways than one. If you would like to read more on this experiment you can visit:

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2004/07/64282

Assignment 5

Wickipedia:

Wickipedia is the most unreliable website to get information from! I have been aware for several years now that anyone has the ability to change the sites definition of a word or phrase to basically suite their own personal opinions. However, we as users of wickipedia also have the ability to look up and find out exactly who has edited the websites information. Ever since I can remember I have always been instructed to NOT use wickipedia for any type of research or even for personal use. The information on this website is not as legitimate as people previously thought and many still are not aware of this. Therefore, if you hear of someone using wickipedia please be curtious and pass the information on them.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung:

Mr. McClung has done a excellent job with giving tips to future educators. I agree with just about everything he said, but one of my favorite lines was when he said that lessons should be student centered, not teacher centered. I'm sure we have all had a bad teacher at one time or another and maybe some of us do right now. We all know that it's not any fun and now that we are a bit older I would say that alot of that bad teaching could be chalked up to lessons not being student center but teaher centered. It takes more time to have a student centered lesson plan apposed to a teacher centered lesson, but if you want your students to learn then your going to have to exccept the fact that it takes time and most of all patience.

The Teacher Desk Website:

Technology becomes a tool for shcool and life in general more and more everyday. I believe 100% that blogging and podcasting should be integrated into all classrooms. It takes limitations off of a student. With podcasting and blogging a student can really express themselves and that's the way it should be. Putting technology of this calliber in classrooms will not only keep your students interested but it will also encourage them to learn.

Assignment 4

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

The benefits of podcasting in the classroom are endless. Children in Elementary school today are able to download certain podcast and carry them around (on an ipod mp3 etc.) They are able to refer back to these podcast at any given time if need be. Although I have access to podcast today I really wish that technology was this advanced when I was younger. The amount of technology that children have today is out of this world.

If a student misses class they are no longer subjected to have to depend on fellow classmates or their teacher. They now have the option to know what work is due the following day or week for class. Not only do they know what's due for the present week, but if they know they are going to have to be absent in the future that can start working on those assignments. Podcasting can make a teacher and students life easier than ever imagined. The social networking and media world has grown so fast and is only going to continue to get bigger and better.

Podcasting delivers radio quality instruction and content that can be accessed at your connivence, it trains the mind for higher ordered thinking skills , allows differentiation and project based learning, last but not least it promotes and encourages creativity and innovation as well.