EDM 310

EDM 310 has been a wonderful learning experience for me this semester. I have learned so much this semester from this class. Some of the things that I learned about were Excel, Word, Blogs, and podcasts. I did not know that so much went into Excel and all of the formulas that are involved with the program. Word was very interesting. I learned how to do different things to documents while using word. I really thought blogs were the best part of the class. The blogs allowed me to voice my opinion about what we had to read. I really enjoyed doing that. Finally, the podcast was a great part of this class. I really learned a lot from doing this project. I discovered things I never knew by doing this. I really enjoyed this class! I did not realize how much I was going to learn in this class. This was a really great class!

Using Podcast in the Classroom

I think access to podcast in the classroom is a very useful thing. It is another great instructional tool teachers can use in their classroom. The podcast that I watched from WGBH was very interesting. "A Night in the Coral Reef" was very informal. The podcast definitely caught my with all of the different colors. The video also kept my attention with all the images they were showing. Also, it had some really great information about the topic they were discussing. This video was easy enough for a group of elementary students to understand. It would fit perfectly in a classroom of students that age.

Podcast would be something that would be very useful to use while teaching in the classroom. They are easy to access and use. Also, it only takes a few minutes to download, so preparation time is not that long. They are easy enough for kids to understand them. They are creative and very informative and kids I think would appreciate them. Podcast area great idea to have in the classroom.

Another great thing about podcast in the classroom is if the teacher did not make something clear while teaching, the podcast could clear up any misunderstandings the students had if they watched a podcast on that topic. It gives children another type of learning method to have in the classroom as well. I think it is a great learning tool to have in the classroom. As a future teacher I look forward to using it in my classroom.

Edible Schoolyard

The Edible Schoolyard podcast was really neat to watch. I thought it was really cool what they were doing. This is a non-profit program at teh Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley, California. It was founded by chef and author Alice Waters and former Martin Luther King principle Neil Smith. Planning for this project began in 1995. Two years later in 1997 the gardening began.

I observed how hands on the kids were with this. They really seemed to enjoy doing what they were doing. I thought this was a great way for kids to learn something new. They get to see the start of something new and get to see the end result of what they have done. This also allows them to appreciate what they have done. I thought this was a very interesting way for kids to learn. This also allows everyone to participate in something together. It does not single out any students. I really enjoyed this podcast and thought it was really neat to see.



The iTunes University was really neat to read about. I thought it was interesting that lessons are being put on iTunes that are available to students. I also thought that it was great that it was a free support for students and instructors. I think this type of thing is great because if a student misses class they can download the lesson that they missed and be able to stay caught up with the rest of the class. I think it is very useful for students and teachers. This was something that I really enjoyed reading about.
As a student I find this very interesting and a very useful tool to use. If I miss a class I could possibly have the lesson or lecture I missed put on iTunes and I can download it and listen to it. Another reason why it is great is if I was in class and missed something I can go back and listen to the lecture again and get what I missed. It would allow me to learn at my pace and be able to succeed in school or in the class I am in. I think this is a great learning tool.
As a future teacher I find this to be an amazing tool to be used by teachers and students. I think it is very helpful. It allows teachers to put up their lessons that a student might have missed which allows that child to stay caught up and not get behind in school. The student can download whatever they missed in the class. This will be a great tool for me to use in the future. I really look forward to hopefully using it.

Ipod Blog

I never thought of using Ipods in an instructional way before. That is something that is very interesting to me. Duke University decided to try these a few years ago. They gave their first year students each an Ipod for instructional use. There were doubts from students and faculty members that this would be very effective. They did get some positive feedback, but there was some negative as well. This was very interesting to read about.
On the site Successful Teaching: Ipods as Instructional Tools it seemed to look at using ipods in the classroom in a positive way. They thought that by using them that many good things could from using them. Using ipods as an instructional use offered many benefits for the students and the teachers. Also, by using ipods there were environmental benefits such as having to use less paper. One concern was if the faculty could use them correctly in the classroom. This is very interesting and I am eager to see if ipods will be used in the classroom.

Dr. Christie

Dr.AliceChristie received her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Language and Literacy from Arizona State. For twenty-five years she taught in a K-12 schools. She conducts workshops nationally and internationally. She also goes around and speaks. She did Research on gender differences in uses of technology, scaffolding teachers as they integrate technology in their classrooms, and the use of electronic portfolios for assessment. Dr. Christie is a very interesting woman.
The instant messaging site was very interesting. She had a list of slang terms that she had put up on the site. She also had LeetSpeak which has an IM guide for parents and teachers. Finally, she listed all these IM abbreviations to better understand what is being said. Having this site allows parents and teachers to have a better understanding of the slang terms that kids are using today.
Another site that caught my eye was Dr. Christie's Internet Safety Guide. It offers effective ways for teachers to browse through tools on the internet. Also, it allows kids to become aware of the dangers on the internet. This was a very interesting site.
Dr. Christie's site is very helpful. It has great information on it. The is very useful and will be when I am a teacher. I look forward to using it one day.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that many people use. I believe that Wikipedia can be a very reliable and trusted site. If something seems to not be accurate on Wikipedia then it is important that you go and check another source on the internet to see if it is true. The information that is on Wikipedia is free to anyone. The problem with this is that anyone can come and change the information or add what they like on there.
I think what Virgil Griffith created was a very good thing. I think it will help monitor what is put on Wikipedia. The scanner will try and keep things true and accurate on Wikipedia.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

Randy Pausch's lecture was so interesting. I thought it was an amazing lecture. He said some really amazing things that just captivated my attention. He did not dwell on the fact that he was terminally ill. I found what he said to be very profound. He talked about three things which are, childhood dreams, enabling others dreams, and lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or others dreams.
He talked about his childhood dreams. He talked about how he went about making his dreams come true. How fundamentals were important in achieving your dreams. Hard work is also important in full filling your dreams. He mention that brick walls were there for a reason which were to prove how much we want something.
He also mentioned enabling others dreams and lessons learned. In enabling others dreams he mentioned that students need to be encouraged. Also, there are certain ways things should be said. In lesson learned he mentioned the things he learned. He said it was important to have fun. Also, never lose that child like wonder. Finally, he said help others.
Randy Pausch gave a great message. He did a wonderful job and truly spoke to me. It was a wonderful lecture to watch. I have learned so much from watching this. His message will be very hard to forget. I truly enjoyed listening and watching him speak.

Fischbowl January 2007: A Blue Print for Colorado?

This was one of the most interesting posts that I have read so far. The man that wrote this post disagreed with what most of Time magazine had written in the article that he talked about. The article talked about wanting to change the educational system. He wrapped it up in seven steps. You can read his post here:A Blueprint for Colorado
The first two steps talked about if college was the best thing for the future and teacher salaries. He mentioned that by the year 2018 that college might not be the best thing for his daughter. More and more graduates are graduating from college and there will not be enough jobs for them. The second step talked about teachers salaries. It mentioned that they are very low. Also, it said that teachers should be employed by state not local districts on a nationwide scale. Lastly, it mentioned teachers do not teach for the money but for the kids.
The Fourth and Fifth step talked about testing and who should own the schools. It talked about how assessments and cirrculum are for today's needs and tomorrow's future. The standardized test have increased in size. Standardized test represent a level of accomplishment. Step 5 mentioned how schools should be owned by contractors instead of communities. It also mentioned how people only care for compensation and not the students.
The last two steps mentioned high-quality education and giving support to students who need it. It was important that we provided high- quality education to kids at an early age. Also, it was a good opportunity for everyone. In step 7 it mentioned that by giving support it would be good for the economy not for the students. This would allow students to be ready for the job market.

Last Semester's Podcasts

I listened to two great podcast from last semester's classes. They were both very informal. The first podcast that I listened to was about how YouTube can be used for educational purposes by Joel Graham, Noelle Shipman, and Kimberly Kelly. This was a very interesting podcast. They gave great information. It allowed me to find out that YouTube could be used for educational purposes. They did a great job of informing the listener. You can listen to it here:YouTube for Educational Purposes Podcast
This podcast could have been a better. There were several things that could have made it better. They could have not sounded like they were reading off a piece of paper. Also, they could have talked with one another and interacted with each other. To make a better podcast I will try and interact with the other people I am going to do the podcast with. They could have sounded a bit more enthusiastic about what they were talking about.
The second podcast I listened was also a great podcast. It was also very interesting. It mentioned about using facebook in the classroom. That was just very interesting to me how we could possibly incorporate facebook in the classroom. Listen to it here:Possibilities for Using Facebook in the Classroom Podcast
There were some problems with the podcast. They could have spoken clearer. Also, it sounded like they were reading off a piece of paper. Lastly, they could have interacted with one another. Ways that I want my podcast to be good are, speaking clearly and interacting with the other people. This was still a great podcast.

The Fischbowl: Is It Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch's blog was very interesting. He mentions a list of standards for teachers: click Standards to read them. What he says he is so true. He has a valid point with what he is saying.
Technology is limitless and we should have a basic understanding of it if we are planning on using it in the classroom. I believe he is very frustrated by the lack of understanding of it. He finds it very irritating that we are proud of our lack of understanding technology. He believes we should be held to a certain level of understanding of technology.
This was a great blog. It opened my eyes to how important it is to have a better understanding of technology. Technology will always be growing and it is going to become a bigger part of the classroom more and more and it is important to have a better understanding of technology. You can not be technologically illiterate these days and Karl Fisch makes that very clear in his blog.

Podcasts

The first podcast that I listened to was the SmartBoard Lesson Podcast: Teachers Connecting 3 IWB and Smartboarding forcommunity partners. This podcast talked about smartboards and why we should use them.Smartboards allow the whole class to use them. They allow the children to be interactive. While using the smartboards you can touch, drag, and manipulate the object. They also meet the individual needs of students. They also expand the teachers resources. This was a very interesting podcast.
The second podcast that I listened to was Kidcast: Questions Make the World Go Round. It was a podcast by Dan Smicht. In this podcast he talked about how it was important for students to ask questions. He mentioned that questions should be the main focus in learning. He also mentioned how asking questions stimulates academic conversation. Also, by asking questions students learn how to ask good questions. Lastly, he mentioned by asking questions students can go and find the answers.
The third podcast I listened to was EdTech Talk: Teachers are Talking. This podcast allowed teachers to share ideas, practices, and interests with other teachers. They also mentioned ePortfolio. They mainly talked about how important it was for students to have one. It keeps a detailed profile of what they have accomplished in school before going off to college. It also documents their development. It was a very interesting podcast.
The last podcast I listened to was This Week in Photography: Showing off Your Assets. It talked about a variety of things. Some of the things were different types of software for your cameras. Also, it talked about sharing your photos. What I found interesting was that Facebook is one of the biggest ways to share photos with people. This was a great podcast.

International Blogs

The first international blog that I found was located in the UK. The Sandaig Primary School blog really informed the reader. The site gave a variety of quick links for the viewer. Also, it showed the classes work such as pictures, class displays, and older galleries. There are quizzes which are available for students to take on the site. They can also play games as well. They also showed blogs that connected with students around the world. Sandaig Primary School is a great blog to take a look at.

The second international blog that I found was the Shu Ren International School. The Shu Ren International School is a great way for students and parents to stay informed with what is going on in the class. The blog gives frequent updates about the faculty. It mentions what type of after school programs are available. It gives very detailed information about adult classes available to people. The Shu Ren school also mentions its facilities that are available. The Shu Ren International School blog is a great blog site. Click here to take a look at the Shu Ren International School blog.

American Blogs

The advancements in technology are amazing. Teachers can now communicate with their students through blogs. This type of communication allows teachers to keep their students up to date with assignments they need to do. It also keeps the parents up to date with what is going on in the classroom. This is a great way for teachers to communicate and it keeps everybody informed.

The first blog I am going to tell you about is Mrs. Lowe's. Her blog is very detailed and helpful for the students and parents. For her students she offers many helpful ideas. She has put up a calendar for them to keep up with what they are going to do in the class for the day. Also, she has posted spelling words that they can practice. There are also quizzes that they can take to get extra practice. For the parents, she has listed the supplies that the children need for the year. Lastly, she has put a class schedule for the parents so that they can be aware of what is going on in the classroom. Mrs. Lowe interesting blog and seemed very helpful.

The second blog that I read was by Mr. Coley 5th grade class. His blog was very detailed and had some really great resources available to the students. He offers a variety of activities for his students. Some examples of those resources are math activities, social studies activities, and language arts activities. Mr. Coley also has personal greetings that you can hear on his website. He also has student links available for students. There is also a parent site available for the parents. Mr. Coley's site is very easy to use. Click here to preview Mr. Coley's Blog

Did You Know?

Did You Know? was a very interesting video to watch. This video had so many interesting facts to give to the viewer. It was a well developed video. The video grabbed your attention with the great information it showed you. This is a great video to watch. You can watch it here: video

The video Did You Know? gave great information to the viewer that was really enlightening. One interesting fact that was given, was that China will be the number one English speaking country in the next several years. Another fact is that many of today's college majors did not even exist ten years ago. Something else that struck my interest was how technical information keeps doubling every two years and will double even faster over the next years. Lastly, another fact that caught my attention was how there are 2 billion children in developed countries, but one and three never complete fifth grade.

ACCESS

ACCESS is a website on the internet that allows students to gain access to Advanced Placement, elective, and other courses they that may not be available to them. ACCESS was created by the Alabama Department of Education. This program offers excellent instruction for students to be able to achieve at a higher level. ACCESS has two ways for students to connect to one another. One way is web-based and the other is videoconferencing.The ACCESS website is a great tool for students to take advantage of to get a higher level of education.

The Resources that are available to people on this site is the ASTD E-Learning Handbook. There book offers many helpful ideas. There are practices, strategies, and studies available in this book. These can be very helpful to the students to accomplish what they want to.

ACCESS works in many ways. One way ACCESS works is by delivery modes. There are several delivery modes that are available to students. One delivery mode is the web-based mode. Another mode is videoconferencing mode. The last mode is is blended learning mode, which is a combination of both web-based and videoconferencing mode. ACCESS allows teachers to interact with students. ACCESS offers ways for students to achieve at a higher level.

I think ACCESS is a great resource that is available to students and teachers. I will be looking forward to using it in the future. ACCESS allows teachers and students to interact with one another. I think its great that you can put assessments and exams and projects that your students can work on. This will be a very useful tool in the future.

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

ALEX is the Alabama Learning Exchange, which is a project developed by the Alabama Department of Education. ALEX offers many helpful resources to teachers, parents, and students. This project also offers a way for teachers to be connected to one another. ALEX offers a way for teachers to share the knowledge that they know with others.

ALEX offers a variety of helpful resources to educators, parents, and students. One resource is lessons plans, which can be very helpful tool for teachers. Another resource for people to use are web links. People can also use interactive activities which is a helpful resource. These are very helpful resources.

This project works in several ways. Helpful resources are available for people to use. Also people can communicate with one another through Listservs. People can share their ideas and helpful tips with others through this project.

I think ALEX will be a very useful tip for me when I begin teaching. ALEX offers many helpful resources that I will be able to use. Also, I will be able to communicate with others and share ideas and receive ideas from them. I also think ALEX will help meet some of my needs that might need to be met. This looks like a great website and I look forward to using it in the future.

First Post

This link will take you to one of my favorite websites people

Hi, my name is Emma Jones! I am a junior at the Univeristy of South Alabama. I am an Elementary Education Major. I hope to either teach first or second grade one day. I graduated form Daphne Highschool in 2006.

This is my first time blogging so I am not really sure what I am supposed to be doing here. Before coming to South I attended Faulkner State Community College. My two years at Faulkner gave me many skills that will help accomplish my goals here at South.

While going to school I was I was a full-time nanny. I learned a lot about children while having this job. It taught me many things that would help me be a successful teacher in the future. I look forward to using the skills I learned in the future.

I come from a big family. I am the middle child of five kids. Coming from a big family has taught me a lot about patience and kindness. Even though we may all get on each other nerves I wouldn't trade my family for the world!