Week 3 Blog Post

They Are First Graders! Are You Ready?

Wow! Those kids are amazing. I could never imagine being able to do things like that when I was in first grade. These two videos really show you how far technology has come. I have a twelve year old brother who amazes me every day on the computer. It is not a bad idea for adults theses days to look for information on computers from children.

But how amazing these videos are, they point out once again that there is absolutely no excuse for teachers to be technological illiterate. If first graders can do it then so can adults. We must all come to this conclusion to help make education better.

Here's What's Coming!

And I thought I had seen it all. This baby is amazing. So often do I hear grown-ups talking about how those iphones look so difficult. Well they need to watch this video. If this baby can do this, I'm sure my mom could learn how to respond to my texts. Seriously though, these are the future students of America so we as teachers better be prepared.

Podcasts

This is the first time I had ever listened to any kind of podcasts and I found them very informative. There are tons of them out there and you can find out anything about everything. They seem to be very convenient to use and are a great source for anyone.

I believe podcasts can be great tools for teachers. I mean it is feasible that a teacher who might not be absent for school one day to prepare their lecture in a podcast and let the sub play it for the students. That in itself from a teaching standpoint makes podcasts very valuable. Technological literate teachers will use podcast to not only teach but to help them learn more about certain subjects.

One podcast that stood out the most to me was the Smartboard Lessons podcast. I found this podcast the most informative and interesting. The podcasts help bring technology in classrooms to another level and help instruct teachers on how to do so.

Knowing that I will be part of making a podcast later in the semester, one aspect that really got my attention was the voice inflection of the podcaster's voice. I truly believe that can make or break your podcast. No one is going to listen to a podcast for a certain amount of time if they are turned off by a dry uninteresting voice. Without any visual stimulation, the sound of a podcast is of most importance and this makes voice inflection key in a good podcast.

Week 2 Blog Post

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I can honestly say I fit most of the messages through out this video. Multi-tasking for college students is an understatement. I work 20 hours a week not including my time coaching, go to class, study, and somewhere in there I fit in eating and sleeping. The greatest skill a college student can possess today is multi-tasking. If you can not master this skill be prepared for a tough college career.

A quote that really stuck out to me was the one about the invention of the chalkboard that was from 1841. I mean really? Its been over 16o years and the chalkboard is still probably the major source of the classroom? I know dry erase boards are more often used now but it is still the same concept. Once again technology is lacking vastly in classrooms as a whole.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

Kelly Hines has a very good point. We can use all the greatest technology in the world to teach but if we do not change our mindset and overall approach to teaching then we might as well stick to writing on a chalk board. Teachers must stay up to date and realize that just having top of the line technology does not make them a better teacher.

This article reminds me a lot of Vicki Davis and her classroom. Once again, teachers should not be the only source of teaching in the classroom. It should be a learning experience for every person, student or not, that walks through the classroom doors. If teachers are to become 21st century teachers this article is a must read with the accompanying of the video about Vicki Davis's classroom.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

In my short blogging career, I would have to say this is by far the best blog I have read. Simply, Karl Fisch just tells it as it is. I could not agree with him more about everything he has written in this blog post.

Teachers who are not technologically literate certainly should be held accountable. Most of all, to be technologically illiterate in today's world is to be pretty much illiterate in life. I do not know how people get by today not knowing how to use a basic computer but somehow they do it. I watched the videos about first graders. If they can do it so can teachers. Not only are technology illiterate teachers hurting themselves but they are also hurting their students.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

It is astonishing on how quickly these numbers are rising. This count is obvious proof on how fast technology is growing. At this rate it is almost hard to keep up with the ever changing trends of technology.

As this relates to becoming a teacher, I realize I better start learning all that I can about the always growing world of technology. It also has made realize that I must not only teach my students but also learn from them because I know students today and in the future are the main source of the technological trends of the world.

Week 1 Post

Did You Know 3.0 by Karl Fisch
To me, this video was not only very informative but also shocking at times. Some of the numbers and facts that were shown were mind blowing. It seems crazy to think by the time some students graduate from college, the things they learned their first year will be outdated or that the top in demand jobs of 2010 were not even around just six years ago. It really shows how far and how quickly technology is growing.

One thing that did bother me about the video is how quickly the United States is falling behind China and India. It is odd to think that soon China will have the most english speaking people. Even more astonishing is the fact that India has more honor kids than the United States has kids. It is clear that now the most technological countries will begin to have the most power.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman
First of all, I would just like to state how cool I thought this video was. I am excited to know that by the end of the semester I will get to make a video like this. It is something I have always wanted to know how to do. I am glad that I watched this video and that I be able to create something like it.

This video is very clear and to the point. Education is lacking very much so in technology compared to the rest of the world. In a world where we are teaching the young minds who will one day run it, you would think technology in the classroom would be of most importance. But sadly that is not the case. I believe it is classes like EDM 310 that will change this trend of lacking technology in the classroom and will produce more technology literate teachers.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
When I first saw that this video was twenty minutes long I was immediately turned off and was preparing myself for boredom. But as I watched this video my mind was completely changed. I really enjoyed this video.

Sir Ken Robinson could not be more right when it comes to creativity in education. So often is students' creativity hindered in the pursuit of the basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Students who excel in things such as music and art are so often given an unfair disadvantage in grade school. Robinson brought up many great points in his speech and I completely agree with him.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Wow. This video was great. The future of education lies in the hands of teacher like Vicki Davis. The things these students are learning to do are things that I wish I could have learned in grade school. With the technology of today, there is no excuse to not have more classrooms through out the United States like this one.

One thing I liked the most about this video is how Vicki Davis let the students teach the class at times. The most important thing got out of this was when she said, "So many teachers think I have to know everything before I teach it and that is the absolutely wrong thing to think". In todays world of technology it is often that students know much more about it than the teachers do. The classroom should not only be a learning experience for the students but also for the teachers. There is so much we can learn from kids today and this video is the perfect example of that.

First Post

This is my first post.