Podcast: Smartboards Useful or Wasteful?

Harrison Group:Courtney Bellais, Ellie Irish-Jones, Lola Solano

Blog Post #5

Cover of Flat Stanley (picture book edition)
Langwitches
I read the blog and listened to the Flat Stanley podcast.  The kids sounded so excited about recording their adventures with Flat Stanley. This was very impressive. I thought the children read with great expression. In this podcast, the children were flattened by their Smartboard. Then they had to pick a place they wanted to travel. They had to research the place and answer questions about where they were, what they heard and saw on their adventure. This was definitely a great learning exercise for these little children. They were able to learn about  a lot of different places.
My son's kindergarten teacher did a similar exercise with Flat Stanley. She had his class color their own Stanley and then they mailed him to a friend or relative with a note. The note asked the receiver to please spend the day with Stanley and show him around their town. Then it requested a picture of them with Stanley and a letter stating what they did with Stanley during his visit be sent back to the original owner. It also asked for them to mail Stanley to a new place with the original letter. Every time his class received a letter and picture, the teacher shared it with the class and put a push pin on a world map to show where Stanley was visiting. I thought this was the cutest activity. I did think they were too young to understand where Stanley was traveling, but they still enjoyed receiving their mail. My son's Stanley was mailed all the way to Iceland.

Eagles' Nest Radio and Class Blog: 

I also listened to Eagles' Nest Radio and Class Blog:

"Roamin' with the Ancient Romans." It was very entertaining. The kids were wonderful. I loved the background music.What a great way to learn about Rome! I bet these kids learned a lot by doing this exercise. The kids read so well. I really like that it is like a radio show but in a blog.
 

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection:
Judy Scharf podcast collection is a good bookmark to have. I love the detailed list of how to create a podcast. I love that she provides examples of topics and a detailed step by step list of how to get started with your students. I love the Audacity recorder. It reminds me of old video cassette recorders that I would play and record myself singing on as a child. Now you can record yourself on the computer and even delete and edit the mistakes. Audacity is so much fun to play around with. I will look forward to doing many of these activities with my students real soon.

Blog Post #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff by Dr. McLeod
This was a really amusing blog. I told Dr. McLeod that my husband and I bought laptops for our son (11 yrs) and daughter (9 yrs) last year. We put blocks on the laptops. My children mostly use the laptops for playing Wizard 101 and Free Realms. Sometimes, they occasionally Google "dogs" or other stuff they want to know about. I finally let them discover the world of YouTube, they search for their favorite songs.I can remember watching MTV growing up. I would sit for hours and pop VCR tapes in and tape my favorite videos. With YouTube, no more video tapes just save it to your favorites! When Michael Jackson died they wanted to know who he was and what he did, so that is when they learned about YouTube. They do not have YouTube accounts. Maybe I will help them set up an account so they can save their favorite videos. They are responsible children. If they come across something that is questionable, they let us know.
Dr. McLeod has a blog that he voices his opinion about leadership for K-12. I found this on his home page: "You’ve reached the home page of Scott McLeod. I’m an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University and the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). I’m also the co-creator of the Did You Know? (Shift Happens) videos."
The IShcool Initiative
Ok, at first I was confused and thought that this ischool was an app you download on your iphone. Then I viewed the video again and realized it was an ipod touch. I have a friend that just bought her son an ipod touch and I thought she said it cost around $300, just googled can get for $230 to $400. I had no idea what she was talking about when she said her son wanted one. I thought it was just another hand held video game like the Nintendo DS.  I had no idea it was a learning tool, plus games.
My first question is, who is going to pay for each child to get an itouch and pay for the ischool app of $150 (mentioned in video)? I like the idea but not sure I am understanding how it will work if the students cannot get the equipment.  I think that is why so many school systems stick to the old way of learning. They do not have or want to spend the money on advancing technology. They cannot afford to put an itouch in every student's hand.
The idea of ischool is for children to still go to school but instead of carrying books they could download them onto the itouch. Instead of them having to buy a calculator for $100, they could use the itouch.  There are several costly purchases that could be eliminated if students used the itouch. Parents and teachers could communicate via email and phone, instead of wasting so much paper. My son's school has already eliminated their students from having to lug books back and forth from school to home. We were able to purchase his text books on disc. He really likes being able to use his laptop for school.
I am just not sure of the cost involved for parents who cannot afford the $400 itouch.  I can see weighing the costs and maybe buying the itouch because it may save money but I am not running out tomorrow to get my children one if it is not required.  By the time my children enter high school where they will need the calculator and the periodic table shown, there may be some new tool out there that is even better than the itouch.
 
The Lost Generation:
I thought this technique was very creative. I loved how it had a message forward and backward. The forward message was depressing. There were a lot of good points made in this video. Family is more important than work. Money does not make anyone happy, I agree with that. If everyone thought like the reverse message then life would be so much better.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir and
I came across this video before this assignment, but cannot remember when or where. I thought it was amazing once I found out that none of these singers knew each other. I bet they were excited to see the final version. This just goes to show you how quickly our world can come together.
It reminds me of the Coca-Cola commercial, where all the people are walking up the hill and singing and they are all from different countries. Well, Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir was less costly, he did not have to fly people from around the world to a hilltop, just to make a commercial. Instead he used technology, to bring these people together. I found the Coke commercials and posted them. I loved these commercials.  They bring a smile to my face. :)

And there was the Reunion

Wolframalpha.com Screenshot by Lola Solano

You can search a number of topics on Google squared and get lots of information on the subject your searching for. I searched Hurricanes. It pulled up past hurricane names and listed facts about them. I also searched dinosaurs, volcanic eruptions, population in cities. I found when I searched population in cities, then added mayor as another column, it did not list the current mayor for the city of New Orleans. It still showed Ray Nagin as mayor, when Mitch Landrieu is the new mayor.

I found that WoframAlpha.com narrowed my search on hurricanes to compare two of them (that took the same path) or just look at facts about some of them one at a time. When I searched New Orleans, it did not list the mayor's name. If you use both sites in conjunction with each other, you may get SOME accurate results. I also liked that you could look up just about anything on this site. This site will come in handy when my son needs help with math homework. You can punch in any formula and it will give you the way to work it out. My husband thought the site was cool when I punched in the names of two stocks. He wants to use the site now.

I did not know about Google Squared or WolframAlpha before this assignment. I will definitely use them. I think they will be very useful for future projects, homework, and so much more. I do not think Dr. Strange's comments have altered my thinking. I can clearly see that technology is rapidly moving and we as teachers need to continue to be life long learners. After watching "Did You Know," I was shocked at how rapidly technology is moving. Watching Dr. Strange search China, India and The United States statistics mentioned in "Did You Know," I could see that they were accurate in the video. I did one last search in Google Squared, the year 1992 and added a column with the words cell phone. It mentioned a little about cell phones and if you clicked on the box it pulled up an article about cell phones and texting. SO COOL! I really do like these two new sites.

Food for thought:
This blog just shows you how little minds can learn just about anything if given the opportunity. Children are brilliant. I believe this little boy was able to do this. Like I have said before in my blog, my 4 year old daughter loves playing Wizard 101 and Free Realms. She gets coins and buys and sells items. She can play some of the games on the sites. She needs help once in a while. She also plays another game called Starfall. This is a reading game. It teaches her the alphabet and has books to read.

Project #5 Google Presentation

Summary Post C4T Teacher #1

Image via WikipediaDr. Baggett posted a video on the artist Chuck Close.  It showed how he creates wonderful life like pictures using gridded art.  He divides a picture up into a grid, then paints a design in each grid that eventually comes together to create a huge life like portrait of the original picture.  I told Dr. Baggett that I have seen this type of art done with quilting.  There was a show on PBS, where a woman used material to create a quilt of a ballerina.  Each piece of the quilt had a design that eventually created the ballerina into a life like portrait on her quilt. 
    Dr. Baggett commented on a post she read, "Power to the Learner!"  The post highlighted quick-fix behaviors teachers and parents do to help speed up the learning process. She blogged about time being the motivator for her to quick-fix problems.  I agree with her. I have four children and to keep things moving, most of the time I quick-fix problems.  I can allow them a few tries but after getting something wrong 3 times in a row (maybe even 2), I will have to help them along. Not necessarily give them the answer, just guided help.  Just the other day my kindergartner was having trouble writing 8's. She wants to write them as two circles, above and below. Well, the handwriting sheet of course shows the correct way.  She traced the first 3 outlines but was getting frustrated because she could not make three on her own.  So, instead of watching her struggle and get frustrated, I made her 3 more with dotted lines so she could trace them.  Was this the wrong thing to do? I think not! I feel like she needed more practice.  Maybe 3 was not good enough to help her make 3 on her own.  Maybe she needed to trace six to give her the confidence to make one on her own. We only have so much time in a day and if we spend it erasing 8's and making new ones, we are wasting time.  As parents and educators, we need to figure out what really needs more practice and what we can give answers to and move on.  Children should be allowed to make mistakes, but not to the point of being frustrated.  The "Power to the Learner!" link if you would like to read it. http://powertothelearner.com/post/1081413662/the-cost-of-keeping-things-moving-in-the-classroom

Blog Post #3

Image via WikipediaResponse for Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
     I thought some of the facts pointed out in this video was true of my college experience just for my prerequisite classes. Such as, 18% of professors know your name. Prerequisite classes are so big professors cannot possibly learn all the student's names. As you progress up into your core classes, your classes become smaller and it is easier for the professors to remember you. You want to make it a point for them to remember you, because you will need recommendations from some of them. I enjoyed my core classes. I thought the professors went above and beyond to make learning fun! I did not enjoy the prerequisite classes, like I said too big and you are just a # in those classes.
     Also, the cost of textbooks is ridiculous. I almost paid $150 for a textbook for my art education class. I ended up buying it for half the cost and still thought that was way too much! Textbooks are normally a waste because most of the time we buy them and then we never read them. Either textbooks need to be made affordable, or they should not be required at all. There should be online textbooks.
     Something needs to be added to the video about the rising cost of college. Especially, since I first attended college in 1991 and it only cost me around $500 for 12 hours. By the time I graduated in 1997, tuition had gone up to $1500. Still much cheaper than what I paid for 9 hours this semester. I am concerned about how my children will be able to pay for college. I paid for my own college. I worked a part-time job and lived at home. I did not have a single student loan when I was done. I am not sure what financial situation my children will be in when they graduate. It is too scary to think about right now.

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

      I agree with Ms. Hines that it is not all about the technology. It is about the teachers who facilitate the learning behind the technology. Teachers should be life long learners. The teacher who is a life long learner is excited about teaching students to be life long learners. If you show a child how enjoyable learning can be and get them excited about learning, then no amount of technology can increase this interest. Technology can just add to the learning experience. Teachers need to keep up with the technology to stay interested in what the children of today are interested in.
      I liked how she brought up the point about computers being used in the classrooms as games and word processors. At my child's school they use computers to play games just as she said. I think that is one way to incorporate the use of computers. Kids need to be introduced to using a computer. If the only way is to do it through games then so be it. I do not want my kindergartner to be introduced to the internet and all it has to offer. Not even sure I want my 4th grader introduced to it either. She has a laptop and we monitor what she does on it. She plays games and occasionally Googles stuff that she finds of interest. I want my children to be life long learners but I don't necessarily think that constantly using a computer will help that. My daughter has had some very good teachers throughout her school year and they have made learning fun for her. My son on the other hand, has had a few (maybe only 2), teachers that have made learning fun. He has had two retire right after he had them. Getting a teacher right before retirement, NOT GOOD! I like it when my children get young teachers. They come in with new ideas and positive attitudes, whereas older teachers tend to not want to change their ways. Like one of my fellow students commented "they are riding out their tenure." One should only pray that the majority of the teachers out there are not doing this. I think a teacher should also mix it up a little and teach different grades to show that he/she is on for the challenge of teaching a new grade level and not stick to the same lesson plans every year.

Response to The Fischbowl:

     I really liked this blog post. I found the first part of it to be very amusing. "Headteachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account. School inspectors who are technologically illiterate should be encouraged to find alternative employment." This is two powerful statements from this blog post. Not only should they be held accountable for not wanting to keep up with technology, they should also be accountable for teaching the same lesson plans year after year. If it wasn't for tenure most of the teachers that refuse to learn something new would be kicked out in a heartbeat.
      I did not have to take this class. I chose to take it because I wanted to be technologically literate. It was funny when I told a few people I was taking this class and that I really did not have to, they were shocked. Some said, "WHY?" "This class is a lot of work!" "You could have taken anything else and you chose this class!" Well, I must say it is a lot of work, but I am learning so much. I cannot wait to share all this information with my own children. I hope to have a class blog with my own classroom one day.

Response to Gary's Social Media Count

This just really shows us how quickly technology is advancing and we as teacher's need to be on board to learn new things.

Blog Post #2

Image by jfournierphoto via FlickrResponse to Did You Know? 3.0
      I cannot believe that the first text on a cell phone was sent in 1992. My friend had a cell phone in 1992.  I remember it and found a picture to post of it.  The big box with the big rubber antennae. I thought it was cool.  She was the only person I knew that had one. I bought my first cell phone in 1996, and the only reason I needed it was because my husband moved to Alabama and I was finishing up my student teaching in Louisiana. When I heard of texting, I thought it was silly and impersonal. I would rather have a conversation than constantly typing. This year my husband and I bought new cell phones and added texting, we started out with 200 texts. Now we have unlimited because texting is so much easier, no long drawn out conversations! You send your question and get a quick response.  LOVE IT! Like the saying goes, "Don't knock it until you tried it!"
      Technology has changed significantly since high school.  I used to have to type all my reports on a typewriter.  It was such a pain, especially when you messed up and had to insert the little white out strip.  I still did this in collage because computers were just becoming available to us and we still had to turn in hand written or typed essays for literature classes and English classes.  I dropped an English class two times, then finally they added a computer class where you could type up all your papers.  LOVED IT!  No more scratching out and having to rewrite. To attend USA I had to call my doctor to get my old medical records and the nurse said she would have to look up my shot records on fiche. Had not heard that word in years. We had to use micro fiche in the library to look up old magazine articles to write papers in college. Now people just search Google!  I do realize technology is moving rapidly just had no idea at what speed. The amount of information available on the internet is not doubling, tripling, or quadrupling but growing exponentially.

Response to Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman
      This video is about Rip Van Winkle waking after 100 years to find technology rapidly advancing, but time has stood still in the classrooms.  Lectures and note taking, children bored at their desks. The computer sitting in the back of the classroom all dusty and not used really was the only thing about the whole video that caught my eye. It is amazing to see how technology is advancing outside the classroom.  Why isn't money being spent in the school system to keep up with technology?  Why aren't teachers being told that they have to incorporate technology into the classroom?
     I know my daughter's elementary school has at least 4 computers in each class and a computer lab.  I know the computers are slow and outdated, they use the internet to play games that focus on reading and math skills. Unfortunately, money is not spent on technology in the public school system as it should be.  Our school is getting smart boards but not every class has one.  Computers are a big part of our future, so why not use them as part of the learning process.  

Response to Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity:
     I really do hate that creativity is so far down on the list in the school system.  I loved to draw as a child and I just started to draw again as an adult.  I do not really feel like I was educated out of creativity.  I did take an art class in high school.  I never took any in college, they were available to take though. I never really had anyone say to me I couldn't draw, but I always thought that I was not very good at it. I also thought art was not something I could make a living doing, because most artists did not become famous until after they had died. I encourage my children to draw and paint.  My son loves to draw. I will definitely encourage him to continue drawing. He is a very creative, imaginative child.  I do believe he needs the reading and math, but I also encourage his artistic abilities. All of my children have blooming imaginations. I wish schools would not only focus on the reading, writing and math.  They need to have programs to include the arts.  
      Why can we not teach kids through music? I actually taught a reading series 11 years ago called Sing, Spell ,Read and Write.  It addressed every child's learning style through a multisensory approach.  My children loved it and I loved it too!  I recommend checking it out and using it in a center if you cannot deviate from your school board curriculum. http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=5&category=773&sid=1271744262-28687
    I like the story he told about the ballerina. She did not need to be medicated.  She needed to move in order to learn. Children learn from hands on activities. Some learn from singing. How many of us know the words to our favorite songs?  It is easy to memorize things through song. Multiplication Rap CD...kids love this too! 

Response to Vikki Davis' Harness Your Students Digital Smarts
      This is the perfect example of how the classrooms of today should operate.  This is a small town school that knows how to spend money efficiently.  They teach the children about technology and how to use it.  Technology is rapidly growing, children of today need to understand how to use computers and not be afraid of them. 
      I loved that they were learning how to create their own Avatar.  I agree with Vikki Davis that all children can learn but they cannot just learn with paper and pencil.  Computers capture student's interests, so why not teach them something their minds will focus own.  They should be comfortable with technology and not be scared to use it. This video just shows you that all teachers need to be introduced to technology, if they have not learned it on their own.  Teachers should have to go back to school and be technology trained.  Maybe not all subjects would benefit from the use of technology but it may make learning more interesting for the students if the teacher could find a way to incorporate it sometimes in the learning process.