I will truly miss my class EDM 310. The professor Mr. Sullivan was great, the students were great and most of all, LEARNING WAS FUN! When I think of a computer class, I think of learning about microsoft, excel, power point and how to type. This class was not what I anticipated but in a good way. I really enjoyed this class. At some point, I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it but I held my head up and just came pushing through. It is almost to the end and I miss everyone already. GOOD BYE Y'ALL, UNTIL NEXT TIME!
I must admit, before signing up for EDM 310, I really thought to myself I had enough computer skills to get by. Boy, was I WRONG! As I turned the pages of my Blog Topic Part 1 sheets, an overwhelming feeling came over me. This was a new awakening for me. At that moment, I made the decision that if I continue to pursue my degree in teaching the kids of our FUTURE, I too must have an open mind when it comes to learning new things. At that moment, I realized that I needed to becomemoreTECHNOLOGICALLY LITERATE in order to be successful teacher in the future.
After just a few short weeks in class, I learned how to: CREATE A BLOG, post to my blog, add links and images to my blog and many more interesting aspects of my blog. I also learned how to effectively use POD CAST, how to TWEET my day away on TWITTER, how to socialize through SKY PE, how to useYOUTUBE for educational purposes and most of all, HOW TO BE MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY LITERATE, by FORCE! :-)
By maintaining an open mind through the semester, I learned that Google can be used for more than just looking up different topics to learn about. With the guidance of a very helpful teacher, I learned how to create a presentation "ALL ABOUT ME" with GOOGLE DOCS, which I displayed still images of different topics I shared with my class. This assignment can definitely be an ICE BREAKER in the classroom. (click here to view ALL ABOUT ME) Students are able to share something personal about themselves and their families. The still images can be helpful to the viewers for a better understanding of what the speaker is describing.
Another way I use still pictures is on my BLOG TOPICS. I added a still picture pertaining to the topic or simply, my feelings toward the topic. The images added a little more spice to the blog vs. text only. (click on the link to my BLOG)
Lastly, I recently learned that GOOGLE EARTH, is one of the most unique and interesting sites to view images. Google Earth allows the viewer to EXPLORE the Moon, take a virtual tour of Mars in 3D, View Historical Imagery, Explore the Ocean, you could even Record your tour, Check out the World in 3D, Explore the sky, Find local business, and would you believe? You can even FLY TO ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD. Google Earth can be a great way for your students to interact with each other, and even interact with the world. Google Earth is a fun tool with a learning capability unlimited to the viewer. It is a fun way for just about anyone of all ages to explore their curiosity! (click here to view GOOGLE EARTH
I honestly can't think of anything else I wanted to learn about that wasn't covered in the classroom. We learned a substantial amount of new technology which I plan to increase my skills on. Delicious is one program that really didn't capture my attention. I think it's because we didn't have much time to go over it but I do plan to someday look further into it. This class at times excited me and at other times my attitude was, "I did it", as in I am up to date with my post and nothing else is due as the moment. I am definitely happy that I was able to learn new technology and then apply them. This class allowed us to work in groups to create project which were then presented to the class. I found most everything in this class to be intellectually challenging to me. I think this was a good thing because this meant I had to work hard to grasp the concept with what was going on and because of this, it would probably stay with me longer because I had to work for it. There was NEVER a moment where I could remember being bored in this class. There was always something to do and the time went by extremely fast. I would change this course in the sense to have more work done in the classroom vs. at home. It seems as if we briefly learned about something in the classroom and then had to spend a substantial amount of time at home to complete our blogs. I would say that I a Technologically Literate to the extent that I will definitely continue building on the skills I gained from this class. I plan to use technology in my daily life and I also plan to further my technological ability.
Seven Stupid Mistakes: After reading this list, the two I enjoyed the most were, 1. Treating a school computer like a home computer and 2. Thinking technology in schools will go away.
Treating a school computer like a home computer is the most bizarre thing I have ever heard. Why would you risk your job by taking care of personal business on school equipment? Haven't you ever heard of wait until you go home? I thought this was actually funny when I read that someone would run their business and edit videos from a weeding on a school computer. If you are someone that thinks technology in schools will go away, then you must be someone that just came out of hibernation for centuries or maybe you've been hiding under a rock for sometime. I truly believe technology is our future whether we like it or not, we have to accept what comes with it. Technology is being incorporated more into the classroom every day and children enjoy learning from a computer screen and hands on instruction.
Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology: The two I enjoyed were: 1. Empower Kids with Technology and 2. Put kids in touch with the world.
I believe that all teachers should empower kids with technology. As proven, the more we practice something, the better we become at that skill. Technology is advancing on a daily basis and as a teacher, we need to keep up with learning and teaching the new advances that technology brings. We as teachers should be willing to help our kids of the future become better at everything they do. Putting kids in touch with the world is very unique in the sense that you could visit another country by just sitting in front of your computer. This type of activity keeps kids entertained and also helps them learn about other cultures.
New Classroom Rules: The two I enjoyed the most are 1. Use polite speech when speaking, blogging, texting, Twittering, instant messaging, etc. 2. Know what you are supposed to be learning, why, and what you will do with the knowledge.
I thought my first pick is extremely funny. In reality, blogging, texting, twittering, and instant messaging is the new way of communicating. It is very rare for someone to write a letter or simply pick up the phone and call someone. My second pick is really important to me. I think it's crucial for students to understand what they are learning and why they are learning it. A lot of times, students use the line, "why do I need to know this, I would NEVER use it." I believe it's important for teachers to explain the benefits behind learning something new.
I really enjoyed At The Teachers Desk blog. As I first opened it, I noticed that there were a lot of information to look at. This excited me for the fact that I could pick the ones that were interesting to me. I liked the very first video: The Fundred Project. I thought this was a great idea for bringing awareness to the lead-contaminated areas in the U.S. This project was unique by allowing the students of our regular classrooms to get involved in doing a good deed with essentially saving lives. Another interesting topic I saw was: Pencils and Crayons to be Banned in Schools. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought to myself, "pencils and crayons banned!" who in the world came up with this nonsense. I understand that kids are being careless with the pencils by writing notes to each other and poking each other but what would we be doing to our kids if pencils and crayons were banned. Using pencils allows our children to express thier creativity and it also teaches them fine motor skills. Who is to say that proper writing skills will no longer be important? No one can make that decision, this is something that has to play out on its own. This blog is very creative in my opinion. I learned a lot of how other people think when it comes to certain topics in school or in the classroom.
After watching this long and not so interesting video, I realized that as an individual, I'm not as computer friendly as I thought I was. Mr. Wesch made a lot of points such as "when media changes, our conversation changes." I thought this to be very true. As a regular person, I use just a few social networks such as talking to friends on face book, using my email account at hot mail.com, and of course a cell phone, and computer. This is nothing compared to what I've experienced after returning to college. Students rarely ever communicate verbally or face to face. Every one carries an electronic device with them and is always preoccupied using it. Our society has definitely changed when it comes to technology. Kids that used to ask for books for Christmas now ask for top of the line computer devices. As a pursuing teacher, I plan to continue learning about the different technologies as they come about. I probably never be able to master each and every one of them but as long as I know a little about each one, I believe I'll be ok.
As our kids grow older, it is extremely important for them to understand that everything they do matters to someone. I think it's great for children to have an opportunity to look back at work that they have done in the past and it is also important for other people to view work children have accomplished and also to give feedback on it. The following is a link that show a kindergarten class choir performing to Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide.(http://is.gd/3WVnq) This performance by the class was very touching to me. It showed grace in the children's feelings during the song. After the video was made, the kids were invited to perform on stage because the artist was touched by how amazing the children were.
It is never to young to begin learning about technology. The following link is about a very young girl by the name of Kaia who began being taught about technology at a very young age by her dad. (http://isgd/3WSsn) Kaia's dad created a blog for her and picks her mind of her imagination about everyday life growing up. He explains to her what he's doing whenever he add posts to her blog. In this video with Kaia, she takes pictures of nature and describes each and every picture for her dad to post to her blog. I really enjoyed this because I know for a fact that many people have viewed and continue to view Kaia's blog posts and are also commenting on it and one day Kaia will look back and feel very proud of her accomplishments.
Lastly is a link to a class in New Zealand called McClung's class. (http://jkmcclung.edublogs.org/) This is a class blog where the kids display their work and the results of it. It shows class projects that the class is involved in and what they are doing in order to be more creative. This blog is available to be viewed by anyone and is also available for comments to the kids. The kids are able to view the comments for feedback. The kids look forward to the feedback from viewers each and every Friday and is always willing and ready to make improvements to the blog. I think this is very important to the children becasue it allows them to improve and get better at what they are doing. If their blog wasn't available for viewing, they would never be able to find out what other people think about the blog. Children do need feedback and I think blogs are unique in a way that will keep entertainment in out children's learning.
