My EDM310 assignments are now complete!

Hey classmates!

I enjoyed taking this class with you this semester. You probably don't know who I am because Alison and I were sequestered in the corner since we brought our computers. I the tall, curly-headed pregnant one though if you were wondering. I hope you all have a great Christmas break and I am sure I will be seeing you in the spring. As I get further into my major I see more and more of the same faces in my classes so hopefully I will take classes with some of you again.

Have a great break!

By the way- Viola, I think you and I need to get together for some tennis!

Reflections from EDM310

I am going to have to say that I learned a lot in this class. Some of the things I learned are listed below:

1. The greatness of Google.
Previously I only used Google as a search engine. I knew it had numerous other programs but I was pretty happy to use Microsoft Office. I now think I prefer Google in many cases to office. It is nice to be able to access your information from any computer rather than having to carry around a thumb drive or worry about e-mailing it to yourself.

2. How to deal with loans and interest.
I had previously worked with spreadsheets but not in the way we used them. I do not like dealing with finances so I try to stay away from them if I can, especially things like interest and principle. My husband helped me study for the spreadsheet test (he uses them for everything) and he was embarrassed by how little I knew about dealing with loans. I feel like I now know a lot more (but I still refuse to deal with the finances).

3. I got to participate in a podcast.
I have listened to a ton of them but never actually got to experience doing one. I found that to be a fun project.

4. I learned to deal with difficult people.
Calling around to the ACCESS labs acquainted me with the rudeness that exists in our school system. I did not appreciate being spoken to in that way. Be forewarned though, I do write for the school paper and if you upset me it is highly likely I will write something about it (I did for the ACCESS Labs). I bet that is read by at least 2 or 3 people. So keep that in mind before you mess with me.

5. I learned how to do Foliotek.
I was lost on Foliotek prior to this class because no one explained it to me. I learned more clearly how to use it and Dr. Strange made sure we all had it done correctly before he let us go. I appreciated that he didn't just leave it up to us to figure that out.

6. I learned that there are a tremendous amount of search results for "pet rats". I think it is up to 200,000 now.

7. I learned that to understand how to do the things we did in class you have to practice on your own as well as in class.
These aren't techniques you can just do once and memorize. You will have a much easier time if you learn it and then apply it over and over.

8. I learned a ton from blogging.
I got more information that I can type about but doing one or two blogs every week usually led to me learning something I didn't know previously. I also really liked reading my classmates blogs.

9. Got to hear Randy Pauch's "Last Lecture"
I had heard about it but had never actually listened to it myself. Extremely motivational and inspiring. Would recommend it to anyone.

10. Learned some of my thoughts on being a teacher
We constructed a website based on our teaching philosophy so that really made me thing about who I want to be as a teacher.

These are just a few things. I really learned a lot in this class and I liked the way Dr. Strange conducted it. He focuses on helping you to learn rather than just giving you facts to memorize. It is a very experiential class and that is a nice change from the typical lecture class.

As far as things I would have like to learn and didn't, I can't really think of any. I am sure there are a ton of things I don't know but we learned so much this semester it is hard to complain. The only thing I might have liked to do more of is working with photos. We did it a little bi but I really enjoy taking pictures and trying different things with them. I know there are amazing things you can do with Photoshop but I don't really know how.

This was a great class and I enjoyed it immensely!

Talking with Other Teachers Around the Country

I talked with a middle school reading and writing teacher from Chicago, IL. His name is Mr. Hackmann and he teaches at Audubon Elementary School. He said by far the most frequent technology they use is word processing. This is not surprising considering all the papers and reports required in a reading and writing class. This is also not that groundbreaking but he did have some other very interesting things they had used or planned to in the future.
First off his class uses an online grading system that can be checked by all students and their parents. He said this allows for parents to keep up with their child's assignments and grades and it allows students to take responsibility for what they have due. He said this really helps rebut the excuse that they didn't know what to do if they weren't at class that day.
He talked about using digital audio recorders in the classroom. It sounded like they did a really fun project with them. He said they used the digital recorders to reproduce old-fashioned plays like they did in the '30s and '40s. He said they added sound effects and mixed it using Audacity.
He said that in the Spring they are going to be working on a multimedia project centered around social justice themes which sounded really interesting. They will be using Garageband and Imovie to create videos of the themes they find relevant in their own lives.
One of his future projects included producing some kind of web page that has daily updates from all teachers on homework, upcoming tests etc. This way students could have one site which would encompass all of their school information. He said he has not had time to tackle this yet but is hoping to soon.
I really enjoyed conversing with someone from another state about some of the ways they used technology in their classroom. Especially since he is teaching reading and writing (as I will be), he had several projects I found interesting and might one day use in my own classroom.

Blogging in the Classroom

I read my buddy Alison's blog and was really impressed with the way she wrote. After reading all of her posts and comparing them to my own I realized that she has a much more informal writing style when blogging as compared to me. I think her blog is a little more conversational and people might actually respond to it better than mine. She seems like she is just talking to you rather than trying to report something. I have a tendency to make my writing very formal (I guess it is all these college papers I am constantly writing!).
I also noticed that we had different views on a few things. Namely the 180 days of instruction. After watching the slide show I could see the point. Maybe our kids are wasting too much time. However, after reading Alison's blog I rethought my original idea. She has kids and knows a lot more about how much pressure kids are actually under in school these days. They do need something to look forward to other than just constant instruction. It is good to read others thought because they might show you things you haven't thought of.
I am not going to say that I chomping at the bit every week to write up my blog. I can say, though, that almost every time I have done one I have learned something I consider to be very valuable information. I have learned so many things about technology in education that I would have remained ignorant of had I not explored different sites and podcasts to blog about them.
I would love to use this technique in my classroom. Not only does it allow students to explore sites they might not otherwise but it also gives them an outlet to express themselves. Alison and I had very different writing styles and different ideas about what we watched. There is no right or wrong or certain way we had to write so we were able to express our own point of view however we wished. It is also such an easy way to gain access to others opinions. It would have been much more difficult if we would have had to write papers instead of blogs and found a classmate to trade with. All I had to do was click and I had full access to the entire class' blog. I think blogs are definitely going to be prominent in the future of education.

ACCESS Labs

I went to Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes and was fortunate enough to be able to view their ACCESS lab. The psychology teacher, and ACCESS instructor, Mr. Rose gave us a tour of the lab as well as let us talk to some other teachers who have had experience with it. I will admit I was a little skeptical of how well this would work but it actually seems like a very good setup. I wondered how well the students would be able to hear and see classes broadcast from other locations, and vice versa, but Mr. Rose showed us how clearly you are able to view all the other members of the class. With just one button click you can zoom into a certain part of the classroom to make sure a student is paying attention. He also showed us the state of the art microphones that are set up in the class to make the auditory as clear as it would be if the student was actually in the classroom. It was also very easy to connect with another classroom. He pulled up a menu on the computer, pushed the tab for Murphy High School and within seconds we were connected with their ACCESS lab.
We also got to see the students who were taking ACCESS courses come in and prepare for class. Each one has their own personal laptop, kept at school, which they retrieve and take to their desk. They knew exactly what they were supposed to do. They keep up with what they are supposed to be doing completely online. Much like online classes at South, the teachers post their assignments, lecture notes, etc. for the students and they take their tests online as well. Each class has an instructor and a facilitator who keeps the students on task. That is the one drawback (or asset depending on how you look at is) of ACCESS. Students have to be very self-disciplined to get all of their work done and not fall behind. I know many college students struggle with online classes because they are not structured like they are accustomed to, but this can also teach students responsibility.
Mr. Rose also told us how difficult it can be to break into teaching ACCESS courses. First of all, you have to teach something that is somewhat unique. Is is unlikely schools don't have English or History teachers, but when you get into Psychology and Physics you start finding schools that aren't able to provide all of those courses. You also have to make sure the teacher is well trained in all the aspects of using ACCESS. Not all teachers are familiar with this type of technology so you have to make sure the instructors are able to handle any technical difficulties that might arise. Dr. Rose told us that regardless of whether you teach using ACCESS or not, teachers today must learn how to teach with technology. Students are becoming more and more creatures of the electronic age and, as teachers, we must be able to relate to them. Using technology is a way to make teaching more interesting and it can open doors that chalkboards and paper and pencil never could.
Going to see the ACCESS labs was very informative and eye-opening. You realize that this will be what you are doing, maybe not in an ACCESS lab but in some form, in a very short time. I think it is exciting to be a prospective teacher during this time. There are so many possibilities and we are getting the opportunity to view them firsthand before we enter the classroom.

Podcasting

I have listened to many podcasts but I never thought I would actually be doing one myself. This semester proved this to be false. I was really nervous about doing a podcast since I have never done anything like it before. However, I really enjoyed it. I thought my group really did a good job and we covered our topic thoroughly, using our personal experiences at South.

After listening to my own podcast and several others I thought everyone did an excellent job, especially since I would imagine this was the first time for many of us. There are always things you can improve upon and I think the same applies here. I know for a couple of podcasts I had difficulty hearing certain individuals while others were very clear. I am not sure if this was because their voices were too soft or if they were too far from the microphone. Maybe those who have a weaker voice should sit closer to the microphone so the listener doesn't have to strain to hear it. Some also had a good bit of background noise which didn't really bother me but some might find it distracting.

A few other suggestions I thought about were not really problems with the podcasts but just additional techniques that could be attempted. All of the podcasts I listened to had three speakers. Some of my favorite radio and podcast programs have more people participating. Maybe a couple of groups could try using four or five individuals (more than that would probably be a little much). You could get more opinions and perhaps achieve more of a natural discussion if you have more voices. I also thought it might be interesting to get a little bit of constructive arguing going on some of the podcasts. Most of the groups seemed to be in complete agreement on their topic (which again is fine) but maybe you could pair up some people who had slightly different views and have them discuss it in a podcast. I know some people don't like confrontation, especially if it is taped for posterity, but some good-natured disagreement can make topics very interesting.

This was a really good project and I feel like I learned some things I would like to use in my classroom. Though I will admit I am relieved I will not be doing a video podcast, I would be interested to see them next semester. That would allow students the added element of being able to give their audience visuals of what they are talking about. I think podcasting is a great project and you should continue it with future students. It is always nerve-racking doing something new but it makes you more well-rounded and you are usually glad you did it when it is over.

Using Technology in Mathematics

These two podcasts consist of thoughts from Judy Chandler, a Technology Integration Specialist and Mathematics teacher as well as a math mentor trainer for the Maine Mentor Training Initiative. She is trying to explain the benefits, and really the necessity, of using technology in the math classroom. We tend to think of math as very structured and linear, and taught in the classroom using examples. Chandler explains that this leads to kids falling behind because they don't understand the material as well as some students merely memorizing steps only to forget them after they have have stopped using them. Chandler says we must reinforce what we teach our students and make connections for them. Technology is a great way to do this. It can use graphics and learning techniques that are difficult to use in the classroom due to logistics and time constraints. These techniques can help students gain understanding and learn to think critically about math rather than just memorizing steps.

As a lifetime hater of all things mathematics I think I would have really benefited from using technology in the classroom to help aid in my understanding. I simply memorized how the teacher worked the problem and as soon as I was done with the information, I promptly removed it from my memory. This total lack of understanding in mathematics is part of the reason I decided to throw myself into English, which was the catalyst for my decision to teach English. I think even though I am not planning on teaching math (and for your kid's sake you should hope I don't change my mind) the ideas presented in these podcasts are still very useful to all teachers.

Learning should not only take place in one venue. Since we now have available to use such great outside resources due to technology, there is no excuse for a student just learning in the four walls of a classroom. As teachers, we should help them learn to build upon what we teach them by using things such as the Internet. If a student has difficulty understanding something, no matter what the subject, he or she now has more to rely on for help than just the teacher. Of course, we want to always be available to provide help for our students but sometimes they might have more success from another source. Perhaps they can find something that explains it in a way that makes more sense to them. Through technology they might even find help from other students, who sometimes can explain things to their peers more effectively than teachers.

I thought Ms. Chandlers podcasts really highlighted how useful technology can be, even in places we might not expect it. The more sources an individual has for learning, the more reinforcement they gain and the more effective their learning. Thank to the great strides in technology, student learning is no longer just confined to the classroom.

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

I found the video podcast about having a growth versus a fixed mindset to be very interesting. It was an interview given by a professor of psychology, Carol Dweck, about some research they conducted at Stanford University. They found that individuals have two ways of looking at learning: fixed of growth. With a fixed mindset, individuals generally only want to participate in things they are already familiar with in an effort to look intelligent and avoid looking 'stupid'. With a growth mindset, individuals look at new experiences as a way to exercise their mind, make it stronger, and continue to advance their intelligence beyond its current state.

Dweck and researcher conducted a two different workshops with a class. One half of the class just took a workshop that taught study skills while the other took a workshop that focused on study skills as well as learning about the growth mindset. The researchers found that the students taking the study skills workshop really got no benefits because they had to motivation. However, the other workshop which also discussed the growth mindset really influenced the kids performance. Their classroom teacher were able to tell who was taking which workshop just based on changes in the classroom.

This research study is very important because, as a classroom teacher, it is vital we focus on helping students achieve a growth mindset. Students are not always going to know how to do everything (if they did they would have no need for us). However, we must encourage them to go outside of their comfort zone and not be afraid of realizing they don't know how to do something. This is the way we learn and improve the way we think and how we react to different problems. Making mistakes is not a bad thing as long as we learn from those mistakes and keep testing until we get it right. We must help our students understand this concept. It can be difficult, especially in a school setting, to find you don't understand something, especially if others around you do. This could cause students to avoid these particular areas in an effort to not feel inferior. As teachers, we must combat the idea that lack of knowledge does not mean stupidity. We must make them understand that finding out what you don't know and making an effort to learn is what education is all about.

Teacher's Domain

I watched several of the videos on the Teacher Domain website. I watched a couple of videos from each group: K-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th. I really liked this site because it featured many educational video clips, but they were a very manageable length. You were able to find a topic that interested you (one I choose was the coral reef) and it gave a very concise, yet informative account of that topic. The information was very clear and easy to understand and it was no problem for me to watch several of them and not feel bombarded with information but to feel like I learned something new. I also liked the way they tailored the podcasts for the appropriate grade levels. The K-5 were much more elementary than the upper level grades, as would be expected.

I think this podcast would be very beneficial for use in a classroom. As I said before the length makes it very manageable to watch in class. Perhaps a teacher could use it when teaching a lesson about a certain podcast topic or maybe just play one each day even if it doesn't pertain to the lesson. They could just serve as a daily clip to broaden students' knowledge. I think the length would also keep the students from getting bored. Even if a topic is interesting, I think students can get distracted easily if something goes on too long. These clips were a great length to maintain attention.

This could also serve as a way teachers could get students to work outside of the classroom. Perhaps students could choose a podcast of particular interest to them and choose to write a response to it. They could watch their respective clip, do a little bit of additional research and bring in a paper detailing what they learned from the podcast.

Teaching Outside of the Classroom

After watching the blogs "The Edible Schoolyard" and "A Night In a Global Village", I think it gave me a completely different perspective on way we as teachers can teach our students.

"The Edible Schoolyard" was about a school in Berkley, CA that had a garden outside of the school and the students were in charge of caring for it. They began every morning by working outside of the classroom, learning from nature. Not only did they plant the food and tend to their garden, they also were given the opportunity to help prepare and eat the food they had worked so hard to create. While students were doing something engaging and actually fun, the teachers were also able to integrate what they had been studying in the classrooms. Math, biology, geography: these things could all be taught in a hands-on and creative manner.

"A Night In a Global Village" tries to show kids how people living in different parts of the world can be much less fortunate. The large 5-acre farm has different villages set up to emulate different impoverished parts of the world, such as Thailand, Guatemala, and even a refugee camp. The kids are divided into families, each living in a different village and are given a sparse number of supplies. Since each group receives different supplies, they must go around to other villages and barter for what they need to survive. Though the kids only experience this drastic life change for a night, it seems to really make an impression on the quality of life some people must endure. It helps to inspire them to become more active in wanting to help people, while also building communication skills and learning to work together.

I really enjoyed watching both of these podcasts. I thought they were very thought-provoking and very unique techniques to use for students. I really liked the one where they created their own garden. It gives the students the opportunity to get out of the classroom and be active in learning. I think it would also provide satisfaction for the students. Creating something and seeing it become something that can be useful is a really great feeling. Also, the way to almost any kid's heart is through food so allowing the students to eat together is definitely a plus. This made me realize that I would like to expand my teaching in the classroom from just English, Math, Science, etc. They pointed out that many basic practices children should learn at home are not always taught. Just learning simple things like setting a table, and communicating with other to accomplish something life a meal, are very valuable attributes that a teacher can help impart to his or her students.

As for the students spending the night in a "village", I thought it was a great way to show a harsh reality we sometimes choose to ignore and to teach teamwork and communication in the process. Though I don't know that I would have the resources to do something like this in my classroom, it does highlight the importance of just making sure your students are informed. I think there are ways to make these points on a smaller scale, perhaps by doing some of these activities in the classroom. They also mentioned just reading to kids about different cultures in the lower grades. I think at times we tend to wait until students are older to tell them about poverty and explain different ways of life, but I think they can actually gain more knowledge if they begin learning about it earlier. If nothing else, just learning about the customs and traditions of different cultures.

A Wide Variety of Podcasts

After listening to six different kinds of podcasts, you can really see a lot of similarities as well as a lot of differences in the ways people choose to present their podcasts. I found some podcasts to be more pleasing to me personally just based on the way they chose to present their information. I think it is important to consider your audience when deciding what sort of podcast you should do in order to gain the best results. However, they all did have positives to them.

I found "SmartBoard Weekly" to be a pretty interesting podcast. It revolves around using the SmartBoard Interactive Whiteboard which I had never heard of until now. I thought it was a very intriguing product I would like to learn more about. As for the podcast itself, I really liked the way they did it. It was a man and a woman who were just discussing things in a very informal a light-hearted manner. They were often humorous and they had a good repertoire with one another. They presented different ideas for using the SmartBoard, many of which I would consider using in my own classroom. I thought another podcast I listened to, "Podcasting for Teachers (Techpod)" was pretty similar to the former. It used older hosts, a man and a woman, who were established teachers as well as educational technology experts. They discuss the revolutionary changes that technology is having on education and the ways teachers can integrate it into their classrooms and curriculum's. They have special guests on the programs who present the new ideas and technologies that are constantly being developed.

The second podcast I listened to was "Kidcasting". This was the only one I listened to that had only one host. That was one aspect I did not like about it. I think having more than one person if very beneficial because they can talk off of each other and make what I think is more effective conversation. From what I listened to, the host mainly talked about different techniques that can be used in the classroom, including using podcasting. I think his ideas were pretty good, but I thought the presentation left something to be desired.

"Ed Tech Talk" consists of a few hosts and weekly guests. The interesting thing about this podcast is that it is interactive. The entire show the hosts and guests are actually testing out the techniques they are talking about and listeners can participate as well. On their website, www.edtechtalk.org, you can visit a chat room where you can post questions and comments which can be answered on the air.

I think the last two podcasts were probably my favorite. "MacBreak Weekly" and "This Week in Photography" both used a very informal method of discussion which is appealing to me. I really enjoyed "MacBreak Weekly's" podcast. They seem to use different hosts but you see the same people appearing on the show, just in different combinations. I found the show to be very funny, with four or five guys cracking jokes while talking about all things Apple. I also found it very informative. I have a lot of Apple products so it was interesting to get their perspectives on the good and bad of the companies products. I also enjoyed listening to "This Week in Photography". Though I am not a professional photographer by any means, I think even amateurs could benefit from this program. Again, I liked the very informal back-and-forth of the two hosts and the wide range of information they provided. I think this show would be interesting to professional photographers as well as just people taking family photos.

There are so many different ways of disseminating information through a podcast. Choosing the correct way of presenting your show will have a big impact of who will listen to it. I learned the type of show I prefer to listen to and the types that I am not as crazy about. But they all present a great way of getting information out to the masses.

"The Last Lecture"

After watching Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture", I found everything he said to be very sound advice. I remember hearing about it last year and I figured it would be a talk about his having a terminal illness. Though he did mention it at the beginning of his talk and referenced it a few times, he was actually talking about the ways you should teach, learn, and ultimately live your life.

One very big point Paucsh elaborated on was the importance of having childhood dreams and doing everything in your power to make those dreams come true. He showed a list of his childhood dreams and, through his life, he accomplished each of them in one way or another. He also emphasized the importance of helping others achieve their dreams. One comment he made several times was about the "brick walls". He said they are there to keep those who don't really want it from achieving their goals. If you really want something and keep trying, you will reach your goals. He also talks about the "head fake". He presents it as a very effective teaching method. You teach someone something difficult while they think they are learning something else. These are techniques Paush learned at a young age and continued to use throughout his teaching career.

Paush took his love of technology and used it to become an incredible teacher. He found a way to bring art and technology together in many amazing ways, and gave students the opportunity to be creators. After pooling students from different departments, he constructed an entire class around students grouping up and creating virtual reality programs. He admitted to being blown away by his first class' attempt at the programs but took valuable advice he was given not to let them settle. It is important to always encourage students to do better, even if their current work product is excellent. He co-created the Entertainment Technology Center which focuses on "edutainment"- entertainment that teaches. He was an extremely strong advocate of making learning enjoyable. He was also the creator of the software program "Alice" which, in his "head fake" style, teaches students to program while they feel they are creating virtual reality.

I found this lecture to be very moving and informative. I think Randy Pausch had a mentality that more teachers should have. He saw the value of learning from your mistakes, listening to criticism, but never giving up on your dreams. He motivated his students to not be complacent and to keep striving to be the best they could be. Though he hit brick walls he never stopped trying and he urges others to do the same. Though his lecture did give advice for how to succeed as a student and/or a teacher, but it was also very much advice on how to live a successful life.

IPods as Educational Tools

IPods have become incredibly popular over the last several years and Apple is constantly issuing new editions, each with more impressive capabilities than the one before it. The ancient Ipods were only good for listening to music. Now you can download anything from audio files to videos to TV shows and more and it can all be compiled into one small device. This presents a very interesting opportunity for educators. Duke University led the charge in 2004 when they gave each incoming freshman an IPod which was utilized by professors in the classroom. They were able to provide lecture material, book material, video material, etc. relating to the class and students could download it all to their IPods. Duke continues to use the IPods as a valuable educational tool but they now only provide them to students who classes call for one, which is quite a few. It is a very convenient way for teachers to disseminate information as well as for students to obtain it. Other colleges have taken notice of Harvard's revolutionary idea and begun to use IPods in their own college classrooms. If it is growing on college campuses, will it soon be considered for high school classrooms?

I found an interesting article by a man who writes a blog about educational technology and he talks about how high schools are resistant to the ideas Harvard has adopted. The main concern for high school administrators and teachers seems to be the prospect of students cheating. With so much new technology, and younger generations adapting to it so quickly, cheating does become a consideration. However, I think in a controlled atmosphere using IPods in a high school setting could be very useful. I think students might be more prone to listen to recordings or podcasts related to what they are learning than sitting down and reading about it. Of course, some still wouldn't do it but I think it does provide another option that some students might really embrace. But there are problems with this approach as well. It would be nice to just give everyone a free IPod but there are monetary realities that must be acknowledged. Maybe eventually this will become a more viable option in more schools. I think it would give a whole new avenue to learning that students might appreciate and benefit from.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/05/the_ipod_of_the_beholder_can_m.html

My Presentation

Alice Christie's Site

After looking through Dr. Christie's site I saw several things would greatly aid a teacher in his or her classroom. I was particularly interested in the section that talks about having an effective website. I think for any profession trying to disseminate information through the web, having an accurate, easy to use site is paramount. It is fairly easy to develop a website but to create an exceptional site takes some time and effort. Dr. Christie lists certain points that good websites should have.

She has created a rubric to help her audience gauge the quality of the site they are developing. There are ratings of emerging, developing and exemplary with explanations of what makes a site so. She gives specific points a website should consider, such as philosophy, curriculum, audience, etc. and describes what they look like at each rating. Of course, it would be desirable to achieve an exemplary site and she helps you see what you need to accomplish that. As I said before, I think a good website can be an extremely valuable tool, but in the same vein, a poor website can be frustrating and useless. I think Dr. Christie has a very easy to understand, helpful rubric to assist educators in developing sites for their schools or personal classrooms.

180 Days

I read the blog "180 Days?" in which Fisch borrows an idea from Barry Bachenheimer about time wasted in schools.  Bachenheimer gave a college class a lecture pointing out how students of the 21st century need to receive instruction for the skills required to succeed, specifically keeping up with technology.  When he presented this idea to his college students they were enthusiastic but concerned about a lack of time.  Bachenheimer put together a presentation showing how much time is "wasted" in school and Fisch developed his own similar presentation.  

Watching his presentation does show that there are definitely wasted times during school which, when added cumulatively, add up to many days.  (60 days in Fisch's estimation).  While I did agree with several of his examples of activities that could be considered wasteful I don't think you can constructively use every hour of school.  Students, as well as teachers, welcome breaks and lulls in activity throughout the long 180 day school year.  That being said, I definitely believe schools could find additional time to cover more technological material and improve student's proficiency.  While many schools do offer some sort of computer class, it is often very basic and we have moved beyond the basics in the world today.  I think that with a little rearranging, most schools could find time to include more technology based classes in the curriculum and prepare students for what they will need to know to better succeed in today's society.    

The Necessity of Technology

I read the September post by Carl Fisch and I have to say I completely agree with him. I really enjoyed the following quote:

"If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read or write."

At first glance that seems like quite an over dramatic statement, but after considering it I found myself agreeing. We use reading and writing to communicate and therefore must be taught how to utilize those skills. You cannot learn from those who themselves don't know how to do it. We are increasingly becoming more dependent on technology and must learn how to utilize it in an effort to keep up with the trends of communication. If a teacher is completely deficient in such a vital area, they are not effective instructors.

This is not to say that anyone who is not computer savvy should be cast out of their job and replaced with a newer, more technologically capable version but people must be willing to adapt. It has been acceptable in the past to just say "I'm not a computer person". This is not the case anymore. Computers are an integral part of our lives and are becoming more so all the time. Teachers have a responsibility to keep up with the skills that need to be given to their students. Just because it is something they are unfamiliar with is not an acceptable excuse. They must keep an open mind and be ready to learn new concepts which is something people in the profession of education should be doing all the time anyway. A teacher would be hard pressed to force students to learn things they considered too difficult if he or she was unwilling to do it themselves.

Blogs from around the world.

Here are some international classroom blogs I was able to locate:

http://2mgems.blogspot.com/

This blog comes from a "grade 2" class (6 and 7 year olds) in Brisbane, Australia. Their teacher Mrs. Marrinan has really developed a very impressive blog for her students. It is amazing to me that kids are starting to blog at such a young age but these kids really seem to enjoy it. They have set up their blog where they can chat internationally using a program called Yackpack which uses your computer microphone so your voice can actually be heard. They also have a map that points out the places where they are currently receiving visitors to their site. When I was viewing the blog there was a dot on Mobile, AL. This blog keeps the kids up to date on important information such as what they are currently doing in class, what is going on in their area, as well as important events going on in the world. It posts a "routine reminder" which lets the kids know what they need to be doing daily. There are many helpful links as well as video uploaded onto the blog. They just recently won an award for excellence in blogging and it is evident why. They really have done an impressive job.

http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337&blog_id=&listclass=15889

Here is a blog I found with an even younger group of students at William Grayson School in Canada. Mrs. Cassidy teaches a 1st grade class and has developed a blog detailing what is going on in her classroom. With such young children, this blog does not seem to be so much for the children to keep up with what they are supposed to be doing so much as the parents. This blog allows parents to see what their children are doing and what they should be working with them on. The blog also uploads videos of actual activities in class so parents can go inside the classroom. They do let the kids blog as well. They let them type out a sentence (which is riddled with typos, of course) then they type what it is meant to say under it. It is a great way to begin getting children to begin learning skills that will be so important as they grow older. They won't have to go through a difficult assimilation stage as they get older because they are doing it now.

Blogs in the Classroom

Teacher's today have a very valuable tool available to them to help both themselves as well as students: blogs. Blogs are becoming increasingly more utilized in schools as well as in individual classrooms. These are two that I located on the Internet.


http://mrscaldwell0.edublogs.org/
The author of this blog is Mrs. Caldwell who was an English teacher at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, AL. Though she is taking a year off after becoming a mother, she uses her previous year's class blog as an example and is working on helping other schools to implement this practice. Looking through her blog you can see that every few days she would post a question(s) for her students to answer. Each question pertains to some piece of literature or at least some theme they have been studying about and they use what they are doing in class to supplement their answers. She also keeps them informed with what they should be doing as far as assignments as well as her status on certain things such as grading. She has additional links which take you to her personal website as well as to many sites she feels have interesting information. I thought it was very interesting that she is trying to change career paths and go from teaching to helping others learn how to teach more effectively. She mentions on her personal website that she is very supportive of using technology as a way of unifying both departments as well as school.

http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=17192
The author of this blog is a 6th grade teacher at Greater Atlantic Christian School who is in her 21st year of teaching. Julia Osteen refers to her blog as the "English Corner" and uses is as a way for her students to communicate with each other. The students take books they have read and make comments of different opinions they have about them. Other students then comment on other students' posts. This provides a good way for students to talk with one another and provide another source of knowledge besides just the teacher in the classroom.

Shift Happens

Watching this movie made me realize just how much things have changed and will continue to change during the upcoming years. It is mind blowing to think about just how much things have changed since 1995. I vaguely remember when my parents first got the Internet but I do not remember what like was like without it. It also makes me think of how hard it is for people to take a step backwards once they become accustomed to certain technologies. We started out using a land line but I have been using a cable modem for the past five years. On the rare occasion I run into a computer that runs on a land line I feel a lot like punching a hole through it because it is so slow. Also, if I am ever anywhere that I cannot access the Internet, I feel completely cut off from the world. I use it for so many things that it has become indispensable.
This movie also shows how many ways we can be connected throughout the world. Programs like MySpace and Facebook allow us to be in contact with those we would never be able to talk with otherwise.

Things have changed so much just in my lifetime and advances are happening constantly. I cannot imagine what the world will be like for my children. The computer I am typing on now will most likely be obsolete and they will wonder how I ever survived with this inferior technology. These changes bring about new jobs markets that we have never previously had and new majors are being created to train students in skills that have never before been needed.

As someone studying to be a high school teacher, it makes me realize how much the classroom I teach in will differ from the one I was taught in. Computer skills were luxury when I was younger but they are becoming necessity. Tomorrow's students must consider the skills needed for being proficient in computer usage as important as reading and math. It is a changing world and we must be prepared to change with it.

ACCESS

ACCESS is a revolutionary program that stands for Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide and will give students an entirely new avenue to receive instruction. Some of ACCESS's advantages include providing high school students with courses they could not receive in their physical high school, allowing students to participate in dual enrollment, as well as affording students the opportunity to take advanced placement courses even if their current school does not provide them.

The classes on ACCESS would be taught by Alabama certified teachers, offering quality instruction anywhere in Alabama in a multitude of courses that students would not have access to otherwise. ACCESS began to take shape in 2005 by setting up 24 Pilot Sites around Alabama and they have been expanding throughout the years and now there is at least one lab in each county in Alabama. These labs accommodate students web-based courses, real time video instruction and a combination of the two.

Like ALEX, ACCESS is another helpful tool that will improve the future of education. Students will have opportunities to take courses they would have been unable to take otherwise. This Internet is always opening up new possibilities and ACCESS no exception.

ALEX

The Alabama Learning Exchange, represented by the acronym ALEX, allows teachers, students and parents an easy and convenient place to find an enormous amount of information. It is an interactive web portal, managed by the Alabama Department of Education, that provides a single location for previously scattered information. It allows users to search by subject and/or grade and a wealth of useful information is at their disposal. Lesson plans are uploaded onto the web site and students and parents are able to see what will be expected during the school year. It provides web links to helpful sites, helpful literature about specific subjects and is designed to make the learning process easier.

ALEX is a representation of the future of education. Technology is always improving and the Alabama school system is using this to their advantage. ALEX is funded in part by the Verizon Foundation and funds provided by the federal government as part of the Enhancing Education Through Technology portion of the U.S. Department of Education policy. ALEX's website states it is continually working to provide more information and continuing to find ways to make all facets of education more convenient.

After looking at ALEX's website and reading about the possibilities is gives to a teacher as well as students, I definitely would utilize this resource. Teachers can create their own websites for their students as well as have their lesson plans readily available so it gives a whole other avenue for communication. Technological advances are designed to make things easier and more convenient and I am completely in favor of a website that collects so much information in one place and provides an advantage to everyone involved.

To visit ALEX's website go to http://alex.state.al.us/index.php

About Me!

My name is Jennifer Harris and I am a junior at South. I am studying Secondary Education with a concentration in English/Language Arts and should graduate May of 2010. I first attended Mississippi State University but transferred here this past January.

I love playing sports, particularly tennis, and am an avid runner. I am trying to work up to a marathon but, despite a lot of practice, I don't know that I was made to run 26 miles. I also enjoy reading and spend a lot of my free time doing that.

I am still getting used to living in Mobile but so far I am enjoying it. It is nice being so close to the beach, though I have only been once in the eight months I have lived here. The biggest obstacle I have had to overcome has been the traffic. I am not accustomed to having it take over 15 minutes to get somewhere. I also have a terrible sense of direction, so I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out where I am going and fighting the traffic to get there.