My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete - May 3

To my fellow classmates:

WOW! It's finally over! No offense to the instructors but I think you remember how it felt to finally complete a class and finally graduate. I did not get the opportunity to meet very many of you and the ones that I did meet I did not get the opportunity to get to know you, but that's just how it is sometimes. I liked our class. I thought it was informative and I learned more than I thought I would. Good Luck to all of you. I wish you well in all that you do!!

What Did I Learn? - May 3

I am a Physical Education major. Although I have learned many things in this class I am not sure how much I will actually get a chance to use it. I just don't have time to stay on the computer for long lengths of time. Not to mention that every time I sit down to write a post I am interrupted a dozen times with questions of little importance from parents and children. Maybe someone could use a blog to vent some of their frustrations. It might be different if I was able to do it at work but right now my job is to go to school and be a mother so until that changes my opportunities to post and chat are few. I did learn that you can blog about any topic, just be careful, once it's posted it's there forever. I learned how to do a podcast and I might be able to incorporate it into my PE classes. Since my major is different than most people in this class I will not use a lot of these things just because my profession won't permit it. I'm not saying that I will never have the opportunity to use the things I have learned but it won't be as accessible to me because I will not be in a typical classroom setting. I do feel like I can surf the Internet with more confidence. I know where to find things and I know how to put a blog together, do a podcast, and a presentation with pictures. And even though I think Twitter is nothing more than a rumor mill and a waste of time, I know how to do it. I think the most important thing I learned was that with everything there are good and bad things and each person has to choose what works for them. I know in some of my post that I have been negative about technology, but for the record technology has helped us in so many ways and is not all bad. The key is moderation. I hope to take the things that I have learned in this class and be able to use them in teaching PE. I can use blogs to help my students and their parents stay informed on class activities and due dates of assignments. I can use blogs to inform parents and players of teams that I coach of dates of practices and games and what to expect from me as a coach. I could even set up a blog for my students and/or players to blog about practices and games and upload pictures for others to see and share. I can use twitter to inform a parent about a discipline problem, a child getting hurt, or to cancel practice or a game because of weather. I think maybe the key is to find the time to use the tools that we were taught. The more that I write about what I could do the more I think if I do use some of this stuff then maybe I won't be so bogged down. How about that? You have changed the opinion of a true cynic of technology!! I still will stand my ground about being active but maybe I understand you a little better and I hope through my posting you can understand me a little better. Thank You.

Essay about Twitter - April 26

I am going to be honest. I did not spend any time trying to find out how twitter works. I know this was the assignment but I don't have time to sit on the computer and talk to people. I have a facebook page and I can't find time to talk to my friends much less twitter people about World/US events. I am a single mom of two, living with and taking care of my elderly parents in a three bedroom house, trying to study for my classes, helping my children with their homework, taking them to practice and ball games (volleyball, basketball,softball) which I help coach and trying to fight an ex-husband that wants to make my life miserable. Maybe this was a bad day.

Evaluate a Classmate's Podcast -April 19

I listened to all of our class's podcast, including my own. I thought they were good for amaetures. We were all nervous and not really sure what to expect or do even though we told ahead of time how to prepare. I think they would have been better if we would have done a trial run of the podcast. If we could have taken the podcast that we did and gone home, listened to it and critiqued it, we could have come back and improved on it so much. If we could have done the podcast without an audiance and had a practice run I think they would have been great. There was a lot of pauses and saying "um", and they sounded like we read every thing we had to say. I know the point was to talk about technology but maybe if we were able to debate the topics it would be really interesting. I thought they were good but also thought they could have been better.

Evaluate a Classmate - April 12

I found it hard to evaluate just one classmate. I read several in our class and thought they were all good. I think that each blog contained a description of the topic assigned and their personal opinion about that topic. I think that evaluating a blog is very difficult because it contains people's personal views and who am I to say they are right or wrong? Each person has different opportunities and goals in life and that means that some topics are more important to some or even mean something different than it does to others. Without pointing out any one person, I thought that some blogs were strictly informational and some were opinionated, mine being one of them. There wasn't one that stuck out to me. I thought they were all good.

The Standford Challenge - April 5

The Stanford Challenge

Carol Dwek, Professor of Psychology, suggest that fixed minded students believe they have a fixed intelligence which is a fixed trait and don't do as well as growth minded students who believe they can develop their intelligence throughout their whole life. She says that when given her growth minded philosophy to these same fixed minded students that they started improving and making better grades.

I don't think this is a new concept. We know that when we praise children and give them the right tools they will excel. I agree that it's a mindset to think you're smart and do well but you have to factor in influences. It wouldn't matter if a student was given her growth minded philosophy if that child did not have enough positive influences. Yes people can change, but for the most part they stay the same. And what about children with learning disabilities? Most children think they are dumb and they can't learn when diagnosed with a learning disability. And when you've been teased about how dumb you are, you start to believe it. I know. I am one of those students. I always knew that the brain was like a muscle and the more you studied and learned the smarter you became. At 38 years old I still have problems convincing myself that I am not dumb, I just learn differently. I think it's a great motivational tool. Just remember that there is always exceptions to every rule!!

iTunes U. K-12 Video Podcast- Mar 29

I know I have been pretty negative about all this technology but through this process I have actually found some positives, this assignment being on of them. I searched for grades K-5 video podcast for Physical Education and this website came up: NASA BLOGS. This website was really cool. It addressed many topics from space, to the earth, to the clouds and even fitness. It had a lot of information that was presented in a "fun" way. I guess maybe why blogs and podcast are being so praised for is because of the access to so many topics at the touch of your fingertips. This particular topic on fitness suggested that the students make a blog on fitness. They would have to research different techniques and post how they would teach a fitness class and what they liked and didn't like. Exactly what we are doing for this class. Producing a fitness podcast could help students make connections that otherwise might not have clicked for them. So I am going back and forth on this podcast issue, but my mind is not closed to it. I might even consider using this project for one of my classes. Then I can document how we did it and produce our own podcast!

A Night in the Global Village - Mar 8

The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village- Mar 8

I am not sure what all the hype is about The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village. To me The Edible Schoolyard is a cool concept but didn't we used to call it Home Economics? As for A Night in the Global Village, I thought it was also a good idea but that is usually something we do at summer camps. I am not sure exactly what the podcast is supposed to do. It's just a video or documentary on the computer. We used to watch them on TV's and slide shows. I guess I am not getting this whole idea.

All About iTunes University - Mar 8

This assignment was a little difficult for me. It took me forever to find where I was supposed to go to. I guess I am still a little computer illiterate. I finally got in and this is what I think. If you have read any of my blogs you should know by now my concerns about technology. However I found a positive note to talk about this time. I have a learning disability...well two really. I have Auditory Processing Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. I have difficulty taking notes in class and then remembering what was talked about. I do better with hands on activities. When I was in Junior College, because of my disability, they provided me with a note taker and allowed me to tape lectures. While this was helpful there was still some confusion because I couldn't understand some of the notes and the audio from the tape was poor. Now with the use of ipods and other devices I could use these tools to listen to the lecture, or watch as a podcast, at my own pace and make sure I understood and if I had any questions I could email the teacher or ask him/her at the next class meeting. I still think it's crucial for kids to be in class and not use this as an excuse to miss class or not pay attention. If used correctly I think this is an awesome opportunity for kids with disabilities.

iPods in Instruction - Mar 1

OK I am not discounting the use of ipods in education but I'm not sure I agree with it. We need to be careful that technology does not take over. We need to be concerned with social interactions. I think this is important because if we lose that then how do we interact in social situations? In saying that the other side is using technology in moderation might be the key. The iPod Touch is very interesting. It has most of the iPhone features without the cell phone. You now have a wifi enabled, portable computer. This allows you to begin thinking about Ubiquitous or 1:1 computing in the classroom. You could use all of the wonderful Web 2.0 resources, and deliver content as well as take polls, etc. Physical education teachers might give take-home fitness assignments for students to track their stats -- calorie intake, number of sit-ups they can do in a minute, etc. -- and create a podcast demonstrating certain exercises.
It will depend on the model of ipod. In general you can download lectures, special recordings, etc. With a model that handles video you can also create videos for download. If the students have ipods, then we should expect them to create content based on the curriculum and share their creations with other students and not abuse their privilege.

Dr. Christie Site - Mar 1

"Dr. Christie speaks and conducts workshops nationally and internationally on how technology can enhance teaching and learning. She has conducted research on gender differences in the uses of technology, scaffolding teachers as they integrate technology in their classrooms, and the use of electronic portfolios for assessment."
As stated before, I am a Physical Education major, so technology and physical education do not go hand in hand, or does it? According to this site a PE teacher can find useful things to incorporate into his/her Pe class. Nothing addresses PE directly but with a little creativity and using search engines I think it's possible. Using ipods, blackberries and other devices are being introduced to sports and coaching. I think anything can be used, just be careful not to let the technology part overshadow the main goal of what one is trying to accomplish.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture -Feb 22

I watched Randy Pausch Last Lecture with mixed emotions. At first I thought this was going to be another boring lecture, but was I surprised. Then I thought this guy is dying so this is going to be sad and it was at times but I was so impressed at this man's demeanor with knowing that in short time he was not going to be alive. I thought, "why is this man spending his time lecturing?" I could think of so many other things I would be doing instead of giving a lecture. But after listening to this lecture, I understood. What an amazing gift to leave behind. He was not only interesting and amusing, he really gives you a lot to think about while you embark on your own life.

Randy Pausch was a Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. At 46, he was suffering from metastasized pancreatic cancer. He was expected to live only a few months when he took the stage before 400 students and fellow faculty in Sept. 2007. This was his last lecture. It was about how to live your life and it was his legacy to his children.

First he discussed "Childhood Dreams". He said he remembers smiling a lot when he was a child and that he wanted the same for his children. He talked about several aspirations he had for himself and how they didn't work out but what did work out for him was far better than what he could have imagined. He said "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." What a great quote! There are so many things that I experienced that I will never use again, like skydiving, but I will always cherish the fact that I did it.

I have to be honest I kind of got lost at this point. Remember, I have auditory processing disorder (did I tell you that already?) Anyway he talked about helping others realizing their dreams. He talked about some of the work he did and the classes he taught, but what stuck out most to me was how his students became close to each other because of the interaction they had with each other. He put them in situations to depend on each other and work together while learning. It sounded like his students did not even realize that they were learning because they were having so much fun. Now I am not saying that all education should be like this but some of it absolutely should!

Next he discussed lessons he learned along the way and left advice to his children and others on things to consider when trying to realize their own dreams. These are some of the things he included:

• Do the right thing
• Karma does exist
• Apologize when you are wrong
• Be truthful
• You can't get there alone
• Don't complain, just work harder
• Show gratitude
• Accept criticism and learn from it

What amazing attributes to strive for. I would strongly recommend letting your own children and your students watch this lecture. They will be inspired.
(Be aware of some foul language. Some Christian schools or organizations could be offended)

NPR Blog on Wickipedia -Feb 29

WARNING: Don't trust what you read on Wikipedia because you just don't know where that information came from.

"Fox News is there. So are The New York Times, Al Jazeera and WorldNetDaily. Corporations like Diebold, Raytheon, Pfizer, Exxon Mobil and Wal-Mart. Not to mention the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, members of Congress, the CIA, the Church of Scientology and the Catholic Church. They all made changes of some kind to entries that included references or information about them."

"Traditional encyclopedias contain a body of knowledge dictated by a limited pool of experts. Wikipedia takes the position that the general public, as a whole, has a vaster amount of knowledge than any small group of experts, no matter how skilled they are, so the website gives Internet users an opportunity to share their own expertise, determine what knowledge gets included and contribute to the production of a new encyclopedia. "

I am not sure exactly what the purpose is for Wikipedia but it seems to me that the information is flawed and not reliable, so why does it exist? This is just another example of why technology is overrated in my opinion. As stated before, I will not discount all the good it has done but really, are we asking for trouble?

Fischbowl -Karl Fisch -Feb 15

Creating Personal Networks
Fischbowl

Wow! This seemed so complicated but I guess for our emerging youth this is typical for use in the classroom. However I would be surprised to see this type of education in the Mobile County Public School system with all the cut backs and the fact that Mobile, AL seems to be behind the trends these days. My children attend private school and although they are incorporating technology in projects and reports, we haven't seen anything like this. I'm not sure I can explain this right but I will try. The teacher gives the students a topic or list of topics and the students are to go on line and find different kinds of information and report on it. They then create a blog to report on what they found and then their classmates respond with feedback. This is to teach them how to research and find different venues to explore when trying to find information. This could actually be a great tool for our children to learn. I think this is a great interactive activity that the kids can do. The teacher could put the kids in groups so that they can help each other. They use the computers at school for this project so everyone can have access to the same material. Also if the kids were put in groups they could work together outside of the classroom by meeting at one another's houses. This would give the kids who do not have computers the opportunity to have access to the information needed and also create new friendships that otherwise might not have formed. I really like this idea. There is so much we can do with this idea. I guess with everything, when imagination is used we can make anything a positive instead of a negative.

EDM 2008 podcast evaluate-Feb 15

I really did not know what to think when I looked up all of these podcasts. I honestly did not know what a podcast was until this assignment!

The first podcast I listened to was Utube for Educational Purposes. I thought overall it was informative. I never knew utube had information that we could use for education. I thought utube broad casted videos for entertainment purposes. This group gave a lot of great ideas of what utube could be used for and what informational material was already available. However if I have to be critical it would be this; they were too nervous, they needed to know what they were going to say before it came up, they read some of the information and you could tell they were reading it, they said "um" a lot. I will try to remember this when I have to do my podcast.

The second podcast I watched was Lessons from life; the last lecture of Randy Pausch. It was kind of hard to listen to because they were reading most of the material and when reading, were not very good at it. They needed to elaborate more. One girl seemed to be comfortable and did elaborate more than the others but there was too many "um"'s and pauses. I thought they could have really paid a tribute to this guy and they missed it. However, I get tongue twisted too when in front of people so I understand how difficult this probably was for them.

Fischbowl-Karl Fisch -Feb 8

"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 and write."

Fischbowl Blog

What a harsh statement!!! The more I read these blogs and listen to these podcast the more frustrated I get. I DO get it. Technology is the way of the future but aren't we putting too much emphasis on it? I agree that our children will have to be computer literate, even computer savvy, to be able to be successful in the world they will be working in. I also agree that teacher's should be computer literate because they need to be able to connect with their students in the world they are growing up in and to be able to help them when needed. If the students know more than the teacher then I think we have a problem. But I think computers and technology, with all the good that it does, can also hinder our children. Our children are now required to go online to research different assignments and to create projects. While these are necessary tools for our children's future, it also leads to inappropriate material being accessed. I am not just talking about sex and naked pictures. Take utube for instance. How many videos show violence or people doing irresponsible things just to look cool. I know that parents can put settings on the computer, but these days our kids know how to get "around" these "little" details. And what about the children who's families can't afford computers? Number one, they fall behind and number two the social aspect of not having enough money to own a computer is just another insecurity for them to handle. I am just really torn on this subject. My question is, although I appreciate the use of technology and where it has taken us, is it making us lazy and what influence does it have on our children?

6 Podcast to view and elaborate on-FEB 8

I listened to all of the different podcasts. I'm not a very auditory person. In fact I have Auditory Processing Disorder, so the information was hard for me to obtain. I am definitely more of a visual person and do much better with hands on activities. It was hard for me to stay focused but I will do my best to translate what I listened to. Ben and Joan from Smartboard were not very informitive. I felt like I was listening to conversation about nothing. The first episode of KidCast was kind of informative. I don't know how many classrooms or schools actually use podcasting. As stated before my area of study is PE and I am not sure how this would be helpful. As for me, in my classes, if I have to listen to people talking I just drift off and I think that most students would also. I think that if they had a podcast that made the students interact with them might be a better use of time. I think students would take this time to sleep, catch up on homework or even talk to others in class. I just don't see the benefits from using this type of technology. I'm not really sure what the EdTechTalk show was about. They had a few people they interviewed but I thought it was going to teach you things about how to use technology in the classroom.

My Presentation

Schools Using BlogsUS & International- Feb 1

I googled blogs for schools and I found a website that helps schools set up blogs for their classrooms. The name of the website is ePALS.com. It shows you how to create a blog and gives examples of schools who used this website to create thier own blogs. One of the schools they used for an example was Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, California. A teacher there set up a blog to interact with a school in China, Guangxi University of Technology. They were able to discuss on various topics and learn about each other's cultures. I thought this was really neat!!


Another website I viewed was for an elementary class in California named, Windsor Hills Elementary School. They used their blog to write a petition to save the coral reefs in their area.

This is such a great Picture!!!!!

Another blog that I came accross was A Teacher's Adventure in India. She went to India for 8 weeks and blogged about her entire trip. Her son went with her and attended school there. Thier pictures and adventures were amazing and she was able to stay in touch with her class in the U.S. and exchange information. Here are some of her pictures she posted:

The Class