Karl Fisch

This was a very interesting read. I loved the comment about the parent saying that she was never good at math and it seemed like she was bragging about it. I have heard that a many of times and its just amazing to me how people concede defeat on something and never try to learn. As if that is an excuse for their child to not learn. That could apply for teachers and technology as well. You may not understand it now but there is always time to learn something new. You should not just give up, we are teachers and as teachers we should also be learners.

Karl Fisch said in his blog that "In order to teach it, we have to do it. How can we teach this to kids, how can we model it, if we aren’t literate ourselves? You need to experience this, you need to explore right along with your students. You need to experience the tools they’ll be using in the 21st century, developing your own networks in parallel with your students. You need to demonstrate continual learning, lifelong learning – for your students, or you will continue to teach your students how to be successful in an age that no longer exists." This almost mirrors Dr. Stranges approach he uses in class. This makes him one of the few teachers that I have had that I feel have evolved with the times.

To answer Karl Fisch question
"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."
I do not think it is to that extreme. I do think that it puts them and their students at a distinct disadvantage. You do not have to be a tech expert but at least try to be proficient.

Click Here to go to Karl Fisch's blog.

Kelly Hines: It's not about the technology

I for the most part agree with Kelly Hines and her post. It is very important for teachers to be life time learners. The teachers have to evolve along side with the students that they are teaching. Her point about learning and teaching are not the same thing is a point that I feel strongly about. You can stand in front of the class all day and beat on a point but if the students are not learning the material then you are just teaching to the walls. I feel that you have to be able to adapt to your students and figure out what it takes to make them learn in stead of burping back the information on test day. Technology is useless without good teaching was a great point in my opinion. Teachers have to use the technology to teach, not let the technology teach for them. One of the things that bothers me the most are when teachers put up a powerpoint and either have the students copy it or when they read word for word what it says. I think that you have to use points on the board and then teach off of the points. That way that you engage your students not just talk at them. This was a good blog in my opinion and I look forward to reading more from Mrs. Hines.

Click Here to go to Kelly Hines blog.

A Vision of Students Today

I thought that this was a very good video. The beginning of the video with the writing on the walls and desk was amazing. The papers that the students were holding up almost matched what we have talked about in class with Dr. Strange. I also thought that it was very cool how he obtained the information through google docs by collaborating with 200 students. The amount of feedback that he got by doing it this was was amazing. I do not think you could have gotten so much information that easily by doing it any other ways.
The way that the video was set up made the information that much better. The dramatic affect that I think that he was going for in the video was accomplished very well in my opinion. The music selection was also excellent. This was a great video in my opinion that really co-related to what we have been talking about in class.

Click Here to go to this video.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

I am very glad that I watched this video. Since we have started talking about podcast in class and I began exploring them I thought that this would be a wonderful tool to utilize in my classroom. One of the problems with that is that I was not sure how I was going to do this. After watching this video I have many new ideas on how to use podcast in my classroom.
The video was also set up very well. It must have taken a good bit of time to accomplish. I like how he got feed back and help from other teachers as well as getting some of his students opinions. Over all this was a very good video in my opinion.

Click Here to go to this site.

EDM310 Podcast

I thought that the information and the dialogue in the podcast was great. I did think that they could have done it with a little more enthusiasm though. It was a kind of monotone presentation.
I did learn a lot though from the video though on what to expect in my own podcast. I have never done a podcast before and this kind of broke the ice for me just being able to watch what they were doing. Over all I found the video to be a great resource for preparing for my own podcast.

Click Here to go to the EDM 310 Podcast