I have spent a good amount of time developing my PLN and really figuring out what a PLN consists of. A personal learning network is a great teaching tool. If you ever need to know anything at all, you can rely on your PLN! I'm developing my PLN through two separate resources: Twitter and a Ning network called The Educator's PLN. I really enjoy both of them, but I am still figuring out The Educator's PLN.
I have added many teachers and resource pages to my twitter page and have begun talking to people on Twitter. I never knew how to do that, but it's not hard at all once you have it figured out! I really enjoy the resource pages such as @insidetheschool and @edutopia. There are many more to discover as well. The Educator's PLN has great webresources and website links. There are also chat rooms and videos readily available on the website. I have my page set up and now I'm working on adding links to websites that I have found and enjoy.
If anyone else is using either of these sites to enhance their PLN, find me! My twitter name is @ambernoelle23 and my PLN Page is here!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
My Comments4Kids Assignment (Week 7)
I visited Mrs. Quam's student writing class blog this week! Visit Here! They had some wonderful blogs and there are two specific blogs I commented on. A girl named Kelly wrote a Haiku about a monkey and put a very cute picture on it! She is a talented Haiku writer. I was never really good at writing Haikus. I also read a list of 15 things Nick would like to do before he dies. He is a brave young man! Only two of those items I would choose to do because they are just traveling events. He would like to skydive, go grizzly bear hunting, go shark hunting, ride in a fighter plane, and more crazy stunts. I wish I had that sense of adventure. :) I enjoyed this blogsite a lot and I am glad I was linked to the website.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
February 28th Assignment
This is How We Dream Pt. 1 & Pt. 2
Dr. Richard Miller talks about the fact that much has changed since the time he was growing up in the videos, ‘This is How We Dream, Parts 1 and 2’. Now people don’t really go to libraries and bookstores to find what they want to know, they have their laptops with them and can search whatever they want to find! Books aren’t in print as much and more people read books on the web than in a library. I have an online book reader and I never make trips out to the library anymore! Dr. Miller showed tips on how to make an online readable document more interesting/better by adding videos to the document or post. I know that I like things better if there is a video or audio to listen to along with it.
We work on our computers. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do, you will be working along with your computer! I love how he pointed out that ideas don’t belong to us individually; they belong to us as a culture. He said that as he was talking about lectures on iTunes U. A lot of great lectures are being shared on iTunes U and I love the fact that all of this great information is being shared. It is our first stage in ‘working’ with our computer. I think that college is your first step in the work force and the more we are using lectures online, we are learning to ‘work’ online. We have no limits or restrictions on what we can use to develop our learning networks. We have so much access to information for our students and we really need to take advantage of that access.
The thing that made me feel a little weird was the fact that Dr. Miller thinks that one day students will not be using word processors, but instead composing assignments with digital enhancers. I just think it’s crazy that someday we might be grading a student’s paper through their YouTube video. I do agree that if we do move in this direction, we need to learn how to make these presentations beautiful and compelling. I also found it fascinating but crazy that someone is using the web to compose these informational pieces! When I thought of the word ‘Bot’, I thought about some futuristic movie, not something that would be used now. There are so many ways to use technology now and I can only imagine what we will be doing with technology in the future!
The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler made an awesome video entitled ‘The Networked Student’. I loved the cartoons and the way the information was presented. I believe all information should be presented in a fun learning form like that was, but we all know that is not going to happen. Oh well. Alex Drexler, you are an awesome cartoonist and you should start making educational cartoons if you haven’t already. Just throwing that out there.
The Networked Student was about a Psychology class that is handled in a web communication form other than attending class once a week. The video showed how the teacher introduced many networking websites to the class and taught the class how to use those websites. The student learned through their PLN and found all different kinds of ways to communicate with their classmates and others. That is how EDM 310 is done and I love it so far. My PLN is still confusing to me, but I am learning continuously. The networked student used Skype, which I have also been doing a lot more often recently.
The question towards the end was asking why the class needed a teacher if everything was taught through networking. The answer would be to teach them how to access this network and encourage them along the way! How else would a student know what to do? If I said “Okay class, here’s your syllabus. Go find a personal learning network and you’ll be good to go.” Do you think they would really learn? Probably not. I would be very confused if I didn’t have instructions or information on how to start learning on the web. I do agree with this video because this is the way we’re going to be learning in the 21st century! Good technology literate teachers are definitely needed.
Toward a New Future of Whatever – Michael Wesch
I enjoyed Michael Wesch’s lecture about the media and technology nowadays. I think it’s pretty accurate when he says that the media is an environment. Television, music, videos online, and more pretty much define our culture! That is what we learn from and that is what we look at everyday. I really liked when he compared his classroom to American Idol auditions. That was hilarious. I really wish all classrooms were like an American Idol audition, it would be much more exciting. Michael Wesch was really funny and fun to listen to.
He began to talk about the word whatever and the different versions and meaning. It was pretty funny, especially the MTV version. In our society, we have to find ourselves and find recognition and that is why we love to put ourselves out there on shows like American Idol or The Real World. People want to find themselves and they create their own view of themselves.
I’ve created videos for YouTube and other social websites before and I guess I did that because everyone else was doing it! My friend and I made a webshow last year just to tell what we had been doing and what was going on at the University we were at. I totally agree with what Mr. Wesch said and pointed out with his students about how self-conscious you become when you start talking to a camera. You want to fix your hair a lot; you want to fix every flaw before that video goes online. The video does become a confessional. Since other people are not around, you are much more likely to say what you really want to say.
I don’t really use as much media conversing other than Skype at the moment, but maybe it would be good for all of us to make more YouTube videos or media documents. Not only to express our feelings or things we want to share, but to help each other learn as college students. It would be great to ask questions and have them answered by other videos. I will be using videos for my classroom and media for my classroom. I want my class to respond to videos I make and post for them and learn through those videos. I want to do ‘whatever’ it takes to make the future for my students and myself as bright as possible.
Dr. Richard Miller talks about the fact that much has changed since the time he was growing up in the videos, ‘This is How We Dream, Parts 1 and 2’. Now people don’t really go to libraries and bookstores to find what they want to know, they have their laptops with them and can search whatever they want to find! Books aren’t in print as much and more people read books on the web than in a library. I have an online book reader and I never make trips out to the library anymore! Dr. Miller showed tips on how to make an online readable document more interesting/better by adding videos to the document or post. I know that I like things better if there is a video or audio to listen to along with it.
We work on our computers. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do, you will be working along with your computer! I love how he pointed out that ideas don’t belong to us individually; they belong to us as a culture. He said that as he was talking about lectures on iTunes U. A lot of great lectures are being shared on iTunes U and I love the fact that all of this great information is being shared. It is our first stage in ‘working’ with our computer. I think that college is your first step in the work force and the more we are using lectures online, we are learning to ‘work’ online. We have no limits or restrictions on what we can use to develop our learning networks. We have so much access to information for our students and we really need to take advantage of that access.
The thing that made me feel a little weird was the fact that Dr. Miller thinks that one day students will not be using word processors, but instead composing assignments with digital enhancers. I just think it’s crazy that someday we might be grading a student’s paper through their YouTube video. I do agree that if we do move in this direction, we need to learn how to make these presentations beautiful and compelling. I also found it fascinating but crazy that someone is using the web to compose these informational pieces! When I thought of the word ‘Bot’, I thought about some futuristic movie, not something that would be used now. There are so many ways to use technology now and I can only imagine what we will be doing with technology in the future!
The Networked Student
Wendy Drexler made an awesome video entitled ‘The Networked Student’. I loved the cartoons and the way the information was presented. I believe all information should be presented in a fun learning form like that was, but we all know that is not going to happen. Oh well. Alex Drexler, you are an awesome cartoonist and you should start making educational cartoons if you haven’t already. Just throwing that out there.
The Networked Student was about a Psychology class that is handled in a web communication form other than attending class once a week. The video showed how the teacher introduced many networking websites to the class and taught the class how to use those websites. The student learned through their PLN and found all different kinds of ways to communicate with their classmates and others. That is how EDM 310 is done and I love it so far. My PLN is still confusing to me, but I am learning continuously. The networked student used Skype, which I have also been doing a lot more often recently.
The question towards the end was asking why the class needed a teacher if everything was taught through networking. The answer would be to teach them how to access this network and encourage them along the way! How else would a student know what to do? If I said “Okay class, here’s your syllabus. Go find a personal learning network and you’ll be good to go.” Do you think they would really learn? Probably not. I would be very confused if I didn’t have instructions or information on how to start learning on the web. I do agree with this video because this is the way we’re going to be learning in the 21st century! Good technology literate teachers are definitely needed.
Toward a New Future of Whatever – Michael Wesch
I enjoyed Michael Wesch’s lecture about the media and technology nowadays. I think it’s pretty accurate when he says that the media is an environment. Television, music, videos online, and more pretty much define our culture! That is what we learn from and that is what we look at everyday. I really liked when he compared his classroom to American Idol auditions. That was hilarious. I really wish all classrooms were like an American Idol audition, it would be much more exciting. Michael Wesch was really funny and fun to listen to.
He began to talk about the word whatever and the different versions and meaning. It was pretty funny, especially the MTV version. In our society, we have to find ourselves and find recognition and that is why we love to put ourselves out there on shows like American Idol or The Real World. People want to find themselves and they create their own view of themselves.
I’ve created videos for YouTube and other social websites before and I guess I did that because everyone else was doing it! My friend and I made a webshow last year just to tell what we had been doing and what was going on at the University we were at. I totally agree with what Mr. Wesch said and pointed out with his students about how self-conscious you become when you start talking to a camera. You want to fix your hair a lot; you want to fix every flaw before that video goes online. The video does become a confessional. Since other people are not around, you are much more likely to say what you really want to say.
I don’t really use as much media conversing other than Skype at the moment, but maybe it would be good for all of us to make more YouTube videos or media documents. Not only to express our feelings or things we want to share, but to help each other learn as college students. It would be great to ask questions and have them answered by other videos. I will be using videos for my classroom and media for my classroom. I want my class to respond to videos I make and post for them and learn through those videos. I want to do ‘whatever’ it takes to make the future for my students and myself as bright as possible.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
February 21st Assignment
Dr. Alice Christy
I really enjoyed viewing Dr. Alice Christy’s website and I found a section that I have been interested in learning about for a while now! She has a section on her website all about using the GPS system in the classroom and Geocaching. I received a GPS system for Christmas this year and the first thing someone told me to do was go Geocaching. I had never even heard about it, but I did some research and it looked like a lot of fun! I still haven’t been, but maybe with some of Dr. Christy’s instructions I will have a try for myself.
Geocaching merges technology and exploration into a fun filled event. People put all types of coordinates online so that you can type them into your GPS system and find a cache. A cache normally involves something to sign or leave at the place and there are normally a bunch of signatures to read! Dr. Christy’s website has a lot of links to websites with coordinates and activities. It also has videos and pictures of Geocaching experiences! There are links to Google Earth to teach geography with your Geocaching and lots of lesson ideas. I also love the fact that she did research about the best GPS systems for the classrooms. I really enjoyed this website and can’t wait to go Geocaching myself!
iTunes U
ITunes University is an awesome source for educational podcasts. Many colleges are offering courses on iTunes U and most of the podcasts on iTunes U are free. Apple’s website calls iTunes U mobile learning and says that students need to be able to access information on the go these days. You can basically go on the iTunes U section of the popular music program and find any educational information you need. I love the fact that I can attend classes at schools such as Yale, Duke, and Oxford from the comfort of my home.
An article on newsscientist.com said that students who used the podcasts on iTunes U instead of coming to class actually did much better on the exams. I think I would probably do better on exams if I had that option in some classes. A professor stated on the article that he enjoyed uploading his lectures to iTunes U instead of doing the lengthy lecture during class. It freed up his time for questions in class and he had his students coming to class since he gave quizzes at the beginning of every class time.
I cannot wait until there are more classes that access iTunes U. I really think that it would be a wonderful study tool and I will be checking out other lectures on the website.
Links for extra reading:
The News Scientist Article
Apple's Mobile Learning Information
iPods in the Classroom
I never thought that I would ever see an iPod being used as a learning tool. I would have thought that it would be hard to keep students under control with their iPods since there are games and songs they would want to play with. Teachers have found great ways to use these electronic devices as learning devices. Some PE teachers are using the items as calorie counters during the day with the Nike iPod kits. Other teachers are using the iPods to catch students up who missed class by uploading audio, video, and pictures to their devices. ELL students are using the iPods as language tools! They can create and use flashcards on their iPods, which is really cool.
EducationWorld.com has great information about people using iPods in the classroom. I will put a link to the page under this paragraph. The website even says Duke University has been using the iPod in their classrooms! The school offers iPods to students who are taking certain classes. They use their iPods to record audio for lectures, capture field information, study with audio books, podcasts, and more, and they store and transfer files through their iPods. I think that is awesome and I wish it was used here at South! It would definitely help my learning experience and study experience be much easier.
Here are two sites that I enjoyed reading on:
Duke's Center for Technology
Education World
I really enjoyed viewing Dr. Alice Christy’s website and I found a section that I have been interested in learning about for a while now! She has a section on her website all about using the GPS system in the classroom and Geocaching. I received a GPS system for Christmas this year and the first thing someone told me to do was go Geocaching. I had never even heard about it, but I did some research and it looked like a lot of fun! I still haven’t been, but maybe with some of Dr. Christy’s instructions I will have a try for myself.
Geocaching merges technology and exploration into a fun filled event. People put all types of coordinates online so that you can type them into your GPS system and find a cache. A cache normally involves something to sign or leave at the place and there are normally a bunch of signatures to read! Dr. Christy’s website has a lot of links to websites with coordinates and activities. It also has videos and pictures of Geocaching experiences! There are links to Google Earth to teach geography with your Geocaching and lots of lesson ideas. I also love the fact that she did research about the best GPS systems for the classrooms. I really enjoyed this website and can’t wait to go Geocaching myself!
iTunes U
ITunes University is an awesome source for educational podcasts. Many colleges are offering courses on iTunes U and most of the podcasts on iTunes U are free. Apple’s website calls iTunes U mobile learning and says that students need to be able to access information on the go these days. You can basically go on the iTunes U section of the popular music program and find any educational information you need. I love the fact that I can attend classes at schools such as Yale, Duke, and Oxford from the comfort of my home.
An article on newsscientist.com said that students who used the podcasts on iTunes U instead of coming to class actually did much better on the exams. I think I would probably do better on exams if I had that option in some classes. A professor stated on the article that he enjoyed uploading his lectures to iTunes U instead of doing the lengthy lecture during class. It freed up his time for questions in class and he had his students coming to class since he gave quizzes at the beginning of every class time.
I cannot wait until there are more classes that access iTunes U. I really think that it would be a wonderful study tool and I will be checking out other lectures on the website.
Links for extra reading:
The News Scientist Article
Apple's Mobile Learning Information
iPods in the Classroom
I never thought that I would ever see an iPod being used as a learning tool. I would have thought that it would be hard to keep students under control with their iPods since there are games and songs they would want to play with. Teachers have found great ways to use these electronic devices as learning devices. Some PE teachers are using the items as calorie counters during the day with the Nike iPod kits. Other teachers are using the iPods to catch students up who missed class by uploading audio, video, and pictures to their devices. ELL students are using the iPods as language tools! They can create and use flashcards on their iPods, which is really cool.
EducationWorld.com has great information about people using iPods in the classroom. I will put a link to the page under this paragraph. The website even says Duke University has been using the iPod in their classrooms! The school offers iPods to students who are taking certain classes. They use their iPods to record audio for lectures, capture field information, study with audio books, podcasts, and more, and they store and transfer files through their iPods. I think that is awesome and I wish it was used here at South! It would definitely help my learning experience and study experience be much easier.
Here are two sites that I enjoyed reading on:
Duke's Center for Technology
Education World
Comments4Kids Assignment (Week 6)
I had to post a comment on PJ's video from New Auckland, New Zealand! The kids in the class I watched were in Year 2 and 3 which I am guessing is like grades 2 and 3. PJ and a boy named Zion made a video getting used to the camera. They said that they wanted to be good everyday. They were so sweet and confident in front of the camera! I thought it was so much fun to watch the children in the video. It is so odd knowing that they are so far away! I hope that I can have kids make videos as awesome as theirs in my own class!
PJ and Zion's video!
PJ and Zion's video!
Friday, February 12, 2010
February 14th Assignment
Wikipedia
I've always known that Wikipedia is full of untrue facts. The reason I knew is because I've changed facts on Wikipedia before to throw off my friends about bands. Now I know it isn't right to do that, but I promise it was funny and I changed information back after I was done. I did check back a few times though and there was always new, probably false, information. The weird thing is that I never thought that people could trace my IP address! That's pretty crazy. I can't believe that all of these large corporations are changing their own Wikipedia information to make themselves look better. Walmart, Exxon Mobil, Diebold, and even more change their facts to make themselves look better. I can't say that I blame them, but the lies are wrong.
The Wikipedia Scanner created by Virgil Griffith was an awesome idea and a great tool for the website. Now they can trace back any information or comments left on the website by IP addresses. I promise I will never tamper with Wikipedia again. It is a form of vandalism. I can't believe all the information that has been changed by politicians and even the CIA! I would never trust Wikipedia to be a good source for school assignments or anything else. Maybe one day they will have more limited editing of their website and then it would be alright to use Wikipedia as a reference. For now, I will stick to more reliable information from scholarly sources.
'What I've Learned This Year'
I've just finished reading Mr. McClung's blog post, 'What I've Learned This Year'. He had just finished his first year as an elementary school teacher and shared a lot of interesting information. He shared facts such as reading a crowd, being flexible, communication with your students and fellow teachers, being reasonable with your expectations, embracing technology, listening to the students, and continual learning. I thought his post was wonderful and very insightful! I know that as a first year teacher, I will have certain ideas of what should happen in my class. Through this post I was able to see that I can't let those ideas get in my way! I will have to adapt to my classroom and embrace all the resources that I can find.
I love the part where Mr. McClung talks about expectations. He points out the fact that we sometimes forget that we are dealing with children. He also says that when children don't meet their goals, it is our job to pick them up and encourage them to try again. I also loved when he pointed out the fact that when a teacher takes the time to listen to a child, the child feels respected and more comfortable with the teacher. I want my classroom to feel respect from me and their fellow students. Finally I want to point out the way Mr. McClung said don't be afraid of technology. Many adults are afraid of the use of technology in the classroom. I know I did not think technology was appropriate for a classroom until I entered this class. I will now use many forms of technology in my class since they are such great resources! I hope that my first year of teaching will be as successful as Mr. McClung's!
I've always known that Wikipedia is full of untrue facts. The reason I knew is because I've changed facts on Wikipedia before to throw off my friends about bands. Now I know it isn't right to do that, but I promise it was funny and I changed information back after I was done. I did check back a few times though and there was always new, probably false, information. The weird thing is that I never thought that people could trace my IP address! That's pretty crazy. I can't believe that all of these large corporations are changing their own Wikipedia information to make themselves look better. Walmart, Exxon Mobil, Diebold, and even more change their facts to make themselves look better. I can't say that I blame them, but the lies are wrong.
The Wikipedia Scanner created by Virgil Griffith was an awesome idea and a great tool for the website. Now they can trace back any information or comments left on the website by IP addresses. I promise I will never tamper with Wikipedia again. It is a form of vandalism. I can't believe all the information that has been changed by politicians and even the CIA! I would never trust Wikipedia to be a good source for school assignments or anything else. Maybe one day they will have more limited editing of their website and then it would be alright to use Wikipedia as a reference. For now, I will stick to more reliable information from scholarly sources.
'What I've Learned This Year'
I've just finished reading Mr. McClung's blog post, 'What I've Learned This Year'. He had just finished his first year as an elementary school teacher and shared a lot of interesting information. He shared facts such as reading a crowd, being flexible, communication with your students and fellow teachers, being reasonable with your expectations, embracing technology, listening to the students, and continual learning. I thought his post was wonderful and very insightful! I know that as a first year teacher, I will have certain ideas of what should happen in my class. Through this post I was able to see that I can't let those ideas get in my way! I will have to adapt to my classroom and embrace all the resources that I can find.
I love the part where Mr. McClung talks about expectations. He points out the fact that we sometimes forget that we are dealing with children. He also says that when children don't meet their goals, it is our job to pick them up and encourage them to try again. I also loved when he pointed out the fact that when a teacher takes the time to listen to a child, the child feels respected and more comfortable with the teacher. I want my classroom to feel respect from me and their fellow students. Finally I want to point out the way Mr. McClung said don't be afraid of technology. Many adults are afraid of the use of technology in the classroom. I know I did not think technology was appropriate for a classroom until I entered this class. I will now use many forms of technology in my class since they are such great resources! I hope that my first year of teaching will be as successful as Mr. McClung's!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Comments4Kids Assignment (Week 5)
My Comments4Kids assignment for this week was for the Year 5 class! (http://year5.chorltonparkblogs.net/) I read and commented on the blog about Martin Luther King. The children wrote about their dreams this week and those dreams were fantastic! The posts that they wrote were very touching and I enjoyed reading them. I was especially happy when I read that one of the children, Demetria, had a dream to become a singer. I love to sing myself and have performed for many years. I hope she keeps that dream alive! The dreams of hope, peace, love, and a future were all included in the blog and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Monday, February 8, 2010
My Comments4Kids Assignment 1 (Week 4)
I commented on a child named Jonathan's blog (http://avoca37.org/13jonathanb/) earlier last week, but the post has still not shown up! I'm trying again now so hopefully it will work. Jonathan wrote about a book called The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley. He wrote a very good summary of the book, telling his fellow students his opinion. I think this blog was great because it can let other students know what books are fun to read in Jonathan's point of view!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
February 7th Assignment
Listening to More Podcasts
I listened to more podcasts this week and learned that it is really important to keep interesting information in your podcast. I also really enjoy when podcasts have music in the introduction and throughout the piece. The quality of audio is also very important. Nobody really wants to listen to a podcast with bad audio quality. I haven't watched many video podcasts, but the ones I did watch I liked. The only thing that bothers me is when the video quality is bad (lighting, fuzziness, etc.). I love for a podcast to be filled with fun facts, especially when those podcasts are done in a fun manner.
My absolute favorite podcast I listened to was the Eagle's Nest Radio podcast. It was so good that I actually listened to quite a few of the podcasts offered on the page! The podcast is filled with third graders sharing all different types of information. They travel through time, become ancient Romans, and even more! They have vocabulary words to share, poetry, and riddles that are so much fun! I really thought this podcast was awesome. I even learned some things through the podcast. I want to make podcasts with my students one day. I think the students will be able to learn and retain so much information by making their own podcast! This is such a fun thing to listen to that I think I will tell my younger cousins to give it a listen for fun tomorrow!
I listened to more podcasts this week and learned that it is really important to keep interesting information in your podcast. I also really enjoy when podcasts have music in the introduction and throughout the piece. The quality of audio is also very important. Nobody really wants to listen to a podcast with bad audio quality. I haven't watched many video podcasts, but the ones I did watch I liked. The only thing that bothers me is when the video quality is bad (lighting, fuzziness, etc.). I love for a podcast to be filled with fun facts, especially when those podcasts are done in a fun manner.
My absolute favorite podcast I listened to was the Eagle's Nest Radio podcast. It was so good that I actually listened to quite a few of the podcasts offered on the page! The podcast is filled with third graders sharing all different types of information. They travel through time, become ancient Romans, and even more! They have vocabulary words to share, poetry, and riddles that are so much fun! I really thought this podcast was awesome. I even learned some things through the podcast. I want to make podcasts with my students one day. I think the students will be able to learn and retain so much information by making their own podcast! This is such a fun thing to listen to that I think I will tell my younger cousins to give it a listen for fun tomorrow!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
