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.