So Long, Farewell

Goodbye me fellow students! I enjoyed having this class with each of you and am glad I got know a few of you. Good luck with school! Thank you Dr. Strange for being patient with me and teaching us this information. Until next time, tchau!

Class Summary

Think about the many things we covered in class: blogs, wikis, presentations, Google Docs,
Google spreadsheets, Picasa, podcasts, videocasts, YouTube, posts you read, PLNs, Twitter, other
teachers and students outside of our region, comments4kids, iTunes, iTunesU, accessibility
issues and the use of html tag modifiers to address some of those issues, who you are as a professional, Google forms, data bases, Google Earth, Delicious, ACCESS, ALEX, Foliotek,
technological literacy, the future of schools, your "intellectual trail". Did I miss anything? Take
each of these and consider what you learned and how or if it may or will be useful to you as a
teacher. and as an individual in this "modern age." List what you learned and comment about it if
appropriate. List as many things as you can think of. If you did not learn anything from this
class, say so. I hope, however, that was not the case.

I am almost positive that you covered just about everything. There was so much to learn in this class that it was almost overwhelming. But I got through it and actually learned a lot about technology. I learned things through all of these tools. One that I think is very helpful is to know how to make presentations on Google docs. This is especially helpful if you don't have power point this makes it so much easier and you can get it off line without having to transfer it to another computer. Also, I learned how to make a podcast, a blog, use Google Earth and so much more. Every bit of this will be useful to me when I become a teacher. I know that a lot of this will be included in my lesson plans as it helps me to be a better teacher. All of these tools are also helpful to me as an individual. Technology is growing fast. Before we know it, technology will be incorporated in every school, business, hospital, etc. Most of these places have already incorporated technology in their businesses. So, this class was very helpful because soon I will have to know how to do all of this any way, I just got a head start.

Are there things you would like to have learned in this class but did not?

I would of like to learn more about a Personal Learning Network. I still don't have a clear understanding of what it actually is. So, I wish we would have spent a little more time on that.

Are there things you learned in this class but wish you had not (and you will try and forget
them or not use them as soon as possible)?

There was nothing that I learned in this class that I was against. I thought it was all very interesting and wasn't opposed to learning any of it.

Did this class excite you in any way? I mean excite, as opposed to "was useful" or "was
interesting" or "I did it"? If No, say that. If Yes, tell me what excited you, why, and how.

What we learned did excite me, going to class not so much. I felt like most of the stuff we did could of been done at home instead of in the classroom. There were some things that we needed instruction on but after that we could have gone home and done our work there. At, times I felt like I was wasting time in class, not that I didn't think what we were learning was interesting or useful, but that I could do it later at home when I am more focused.

Did you find anything in this class to be particularly "intellectually challenging"? If so, what?
Why do you think it was "intellectually challenging"?

I never did fully understand twitter or delicious. I really never did take the time to learn what they were about but when I tried I didn't understand it. I am sure it is not that intellectually challenging, just in my brain it is a little bit.

Were you bored by this class at any time? If so, what bored you and how might that be
corrected?

I will have to admit, I did get a little bored through out the classes. I think what bored me is when things were explained that I already knew how to do. For example, send an email, Google, iTunes, youtube, and things like that. I know that there are some people who might not know how to use those things but just about every kid in my generation knows exactly how to use each and everyone of those tools. That was the only time a really got bored.

Would you change this course in any way (add things/delete things or anything else)? If so,
give me your suggestions. Since I am always changing this course I could use your input!

I would maybe change this course by having less class time. I don't know how this would be arranged but maybe by only coming certain days to learn how to do things and then going home and having class days to do it yourself at home. I think this would be the only thing I would change.

Are you Technologically Literate at the moment? To what extent? Low Some Medium Good
Great?

I would say I am Good. I know a lot about technology since I grew up in the generation where technology really took off. I know how to do a lot of things and am able to learn quick on things I don't know.

How will you maintain or improve your technological literacy between now and the time you
graduate? … the time you start teaching?

I know that as I continue in the Education program I will learn a lot more about technological literacy. Most of the things I learned through this class will be hard to forget so I know that I don't have to worry about that. I will continue to learn things the rest of my life through school, teaching, piers, teachers, etc.

Project 11

Personal Learning Network

My personal network for education is honestly not that big. I just started on it this semester so I'm still getting to know people and actually understanding what a PLN is. My current PLN plan for education is to keep up to date with technology in schools by facebook, youtube, google and others as well. My PLN consists of Dr. John Strange, Courtney DeFlanders, Lanadia Patrick, Facebook, youtube and Google.
My PLN has been aquired through out the EDM 310 class. This is where I met Dr. Strange, Courtney and Lanadia. Also, this class is where I learned about technology in the classroom and how you can learn more about it through facebook, youtube and google. Everyday I make use of these networks. This semester I saw Dr. Strange, Lanadia and Courtney on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But since this class is over, I will keep in touch through facebook, email, phone and skype.
I do plan on continuing my PLN. I will continue to keep in touch with the people I have met and through them hopefully, I will meet other people as well. I will definitely continue to use facebook, youtube and google. I constantly keep in touch with friends through facebook, I might even could expand my PLN through this. With youtube and google there are always helpful videos and websites about teaching. I can find lesson plans, resources, helpful hints and so much more on teaching. My PLN is just starting but it is growing everyday.

Comments4Kids

I really enjoyed comments4kids. It was always so interesting and fun to see what other students are learning around the world. It also made me realize how many teachers are actually using the web and technology to teach their students. I have gotten great ideas from these teachers and hope to apply them in my classroom when I become a teacher. I think that Kaia was my favorite. She was the cutest little girl and it was so much fun to see her posts and watch her read a book to us. So, Dr. Strange, I guess what I am trying to say is that you should keep doing comments4kids for EDM 310 because it is awesome!

New Classroom Rules by Classroom Innovation

These new rules for the classroom would make me want to go to school and participate in class. The two most important ones that I picked were numbers 1 and 3. Rule number 1 is come to school everyday, unless you would rather just go online. I personally do not feel like going to class every day. Most of the time I have a legit reason not to go but other times I really just don't want to go. So, taking an online class means you can go to class whenever you want. You can go to class while your in bed, eating breakfast, listening to music, what ever you want to do. I personally like this idea. Rule number 3 is leave your seat only when necessary, which should be often to go collaborate with others or demonstrate something to the class. During class I get really tired of sitting down and listening. I start losing interest and just not paying attention whatsoever. So, if I was able to get up and talk with my classmates I would be more alert in my class of what we are actually learning. You can learn so much from your peers so why not start in the classroom. If you would like to look at the new classroom rules yourself then click here.

Seven Stupid Mistakes and Seven Brilliant Things to do with Technology by Doug Johnson

The two most important ones that I picked from Seven Stupid Mistakes was number 3 and 7. I agree that not supervising computer-using students is stupid especially today. Some kids are smarter than their teachers in technology. So, teachers may think that they won't be able to get past the filters, but surprisingly some can. I think this is an important one to watch out for. The second one I picked was about thinking that technology in schools will just go away. Clearly that is not happening nor will ever happen. Today we have smart boards and in the next ten years we will have something even better than that. It is stupid to say that it will go away when clearly it isn't going away in business, hospital and so many other things. If you would like to check out the list yourself then click here.
The two most important ones that I picked from Seven Brilliant things were 4 and 6. I think it is important to put kids in touch of the world because there is so much going on and I think that students need to be aware of it! I personally have learned a lot from Comments4Kids and have enjoyed seeing what the classroom is like on the other side of the world. There is so much to learn! Also, I think that using the students own devices to teach them is brilliant! What is a better way? Kids love their ipods, computers, anything you name it! It will intrigue them and they will actually want to learn and will have fun doing it. Doug Johnson made some really great points. If you would like to look at Seven Brilliant Things then click here.

At the Teacher's Desk

At this site, I found some very interesting things. I thought that the post about teachers needing to become social networking experts was very good. It was cool to see how many people actually responded to this guys twitter. I have never really understood twitter but I now see how helpful it can be. I also see how important it can be to have a collaborative blog. In emergencies such as this one, having a blog or twitter can be very helpful.
Also, a collaborative blog can help give ideas to other teachers. If someone is stuck and doesn't know what to do or how to teach a particular subject. I am sure another teacher has had the same problem. And who knows maybe your teacher will be posted or has posted something on the blog.
All in all I think a collaborative blog can be very useful. Some of it my not be so helpful but the majority of it probably will. So, I encourage you to start blogging and looking around at other blogs to see what other teachers have posted and what other students are learning. If you would like to take a look at a collaborative blog then click here.

Toward a New Future of Whatever- Dr. Wesch

Dr. Wesch's talk was very interesting and made me think a lot about how my generation thinks, sees things and what we say. In my personal life my attitude is not "whatever". I have to have a plan or answer, either a yes or a no. There is no maybe or whatever, I have to have a definite answer. That is just my personality and how I am. In college and my school work sometimes my attitude will go to "whatever". But usually that is just when it is getting to the end of the semester and when I am ready for a break. Other than that I am usually on top of things. I am very organized and have to have everything written and planned out in my daily planner, (yes call me a nerd) but it is what helps me stay on top of things. As a future teacher I know that my attitude definitely does not need to be "whatever". I have a responsiblity not just for my life but for my students lives and for their education as well. It is not just about me anymore, it is about my students and what I can do best to help them. I do everything to the best of my ability, or at least that is what a strive to do. I know at times I will have the attitude of "whatever" but there will be times when I just need to push it aside and have a definite plan and answer. If you would like to watch Dr. Wesch's talk then click here.

The Importance of Students and Blogging

I think that it is important for students to post some of their work on their blogs. Within the class students learn but also students from around the world can learn a thing or two as well. When you post a blog it is all over the internet and many people will see what you post. So, if you are going to post something, why not let your students write a post that will help them learn and benefit other students too.

One example would be Kaia and her father. They made one simple post about pictures they took and then suddenly a whole class in Alabama is talking to them on skype. I loved seeing Kaia and listening to her "read" a book to the class. She was so cute and funny, you couldn't help but love her. Even though she is just a little girl, you can still learn a lot from her. Some students learned how to make video posts and I know Kaia and her father learned a lot as well. If you would like to take a look at Kaia's blog then click here.

Another example would be comments for kids. There are so many students that are on the internet. Many of them are on for school work, classes or just for fun. Comments for kids is so much fun. I love seeing what students are learning and it is also helpful for me as a future teacher. I am able to see examples of how other teachers are using creative ways to teach their students. One example would be Room 10, which is a classroom located in New Zealand. They have a class blog that has so much information. If you would like to check it out then click here.

A third example would be Mrs. Hines and her blog post on Technology in the classroom. She made many good comments and gave a lot of advice and suggestions for teachers and students as well. I learned a lot by just one post that Mrs. Hines made. Click here to take a look at Mrs. Hines' blog.

ACCESS

ACCESS is the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide. Their goal is to create equity through additional educational offerings for all public high school students. This website provides teachers and students with endless resources via technology. There are links for courses, educators, resources, about ACCESS, students, technical support, and contact ACCESS. Within the courses link there are other links for test prep, course offerings, course catalogs and so much more. There are so many other links and resources to this website. So, I encourage you to take a closer look, click here.
I personally think this is another very useful website for not just teachers but for students as well. I will probably not be using it as much as high school teachers since it is mainly for older kids. But it is still a great resource website.

ALEX- Alabama Learning Exchange

The Alabama Learning Exchange is a website created by teachers. There are lessons plans which are designed and created by other teachers in Alabama. There are various types of links connected to the ALEX homepage, there are courses of study, web links, lesson plans, personal workspaces, professional learning, podcast treasury and help. Within the courses of study links there are other links for every subject in school. For example there are things specifically for mathematics, social studies, science, health education and so much more.
The way it works is you click on a link, so lets say courses of study. And you want something for art education then there are various options of what particularly you want, either dance, music, theater, etc. So you click on one of those and then pick the grade you want, lets say kindergarten. After that the options are endless on what you can do. I think this is a very helpful website. It is not hard to follow or understand. The website is clearly laid out and organized. So, I would encourage every teacher to use ALEX.
If you would like to check ALEX out click here.

Dear Kaia

The things that I listened to and read in these blogs were very interesting. I love kids and the way that their minds work. So, I enjoyed watching the video that Kaia and her dad made about the pictures they took that day. I also agree with her dad about him having concerns about his daughter being posted all over the internet. If it were my kids I would might be freaking out too but it is ok to feel that way, they are our kids. As a teacher I would want permission from my students parents to have them explore the internet. The younger they are I wouldn't do as much exploring just to keep them safe.
On another note, I think this is a great way for students to learn. It is fun and entertaining which will keep the students focus. I don't know about this taking over teaching as a whole but I think it is a good thing for teachers to teach their students. If you would like to read what Kaia's dad wrote click here. Also if you would like to watch the video that Kaia and her father made about the pictures they found then click here.

The New Media Skills

I think that judgment, negotiation, appropriation, play, trans-media navigation, stimulation, collective intelligence, performance, distributed cognition, visualization and multitasking are some of the new media skills during this time and age. Media is now incorporated some way in every persons life whether it be a cell phone, mp3 player, computer and the list could go on and on. I think that they are very good skills to have, especially during the college/working years.
I really do think that these 21st century skills are needed to be effective artists, citizens, and workers. You need to know how to play with art on a computer. A lot of art work is done on computers like in interior design and many other jobs today. As citizens we need to know how to live in this 21st century world and that means we need to know how to work computers, cell phones and how to be productive by multitasking in many areas. As workers, basically in every job during this time requires you to have a knowledge on media and how to work it. If you don't know how to work anything, then your in trouble. As one of the ladies in the video said, our world isn't the same as it was 20 years ago.
Sometimes I can multitask, it depends on what I am doing, and I can usually make good judgment. All in all I think I posses many of these skills and the ones I don't I will start to work on them. If someone doesn't know how to do a skill that I posses I will simply show them how to do it. If it is a skill that I don't posses then we will both figure out and learn to do it together.
The New Media Literacies Project website has a ton of different information. It is a program that explores how to best equip young people with social skills that are required to become full participants in the media today. Also, it helps to understand what it means to be literate in a globally interconnected, multicultural world.
There are many video collections on how to engage in the 21st century media world. In the videos there are children talking as well as adults. So, already the younger kids know how to be involved in this world through media. There is so much more on this website that I can't even put it all in words. So I encourage you to take a look at this website and find for yourself what the New Media Literacies Project is all about. If you would like to know more click here.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

I thought this video was very creative. I enjoyed the art work and how it changed during the video, it helped me to focus. I agree with Wendy on why a networked student needs a teacher. Some reasons were to have guidance when your stuck, show how to communicate properly and ask respectively for help from experts, show how to differentiate between good information and propaganda and a few other reasons were listed as well. If I didn't have a teacher I wouldn't know where to begin. So, I am glad that we do have teachers to point us in the right direction.
I have no idea if I am ready to be a teacher of networked students. I would like to say I am but I really have no idea. But I am sure that when I graduate I will be ready, or I hope so.
I think that Mrs. Drexler could definitely start this with middle school students in the fall. I think it would be good for them to learn at an early age. I think as fast as technology is having an impact on schools, students need to learn as fast as they can.
If you would like to watch the video your self CLICK HERE.

This Is How We Dream, Part 1 and 2

I thought this video was very interesting. Most of the things he talked about have already taken place. I think our world is already in the time where we use electronics more than anything else. Colleges and high schools use it all the time in their classes. There is either a power point or pictures or some way of using electronics.
I think I am prepared to write with multimedia. I am probably not as prepared as most people but I do know my computer and all the gadgets it has. I am now familiar with iTunes U and how helpful that can be in a classroom. I think being in this class has better prepared me for the future. I am ready to have a library on the internet. I mostly do that now because I don't like to go to the library on campus.
I definitely think my students will be able to do this. They are younger than I am and I am already so ahead of my teachers in technology I can't even imagine what my students will be able to do. I feel like they will know a lot more than I do about computers, ipods and all that stuff. So, I don't know what the future will look like but I would say that I am prepared for it.
To see This Is How We Dream, Part 1 and 2: click here

iPods

There are so many sites that have instructions available for the ipod. I think you can do just about anything on it. On the site iPod Knowledge there are tips and tutorials that are available. This site says that once you get an ipod the instructions is the first thing you look for because you want to get the most out of your ipod as you can. And to do that you have to know how it works, good point. To find ipod instructions you can either surf the web or look at this website which helped me understand my ipod even better click here
At Duke University 1200 students are expected to use ipods to help with classroom material, lectures, assignments and many other things. In 2004 Duke distributed ipods to all first year students. Now, don't you wish you went there at that time. The University has broadened their use of ipods to promote the use of new technology in higher education. You can read more about Duke University click here

iTunes University

iTunes University is a section in the iTunes store where colleges and schools around the world can download free audios and videos for free. There are places like Stanford, Duke, Arizona and many other places using iTunes University. There are all kinds of categories to choose from, there is business, fine arts, health and management and any kind of major or subject you can think of.
I think as a student this would be useful because you have every subject right at your fingertips. And you know that iTunes is reliable so what better place to look. It's easy and students already use iTunes to download music, podcasts and videos. As a teacher I think this would be useful because there are so many options to choose from. It would be easy to plan a lesson around it or even a project for the students. I think it would keep students interested and wanting to do their work. I had never really looked at iTunes University but I am glad I have because I think now and even in the future I will use it.
Here is a site about iTunes University: click here

Dr. Christie's Site

As I was looking through Dr. Christie's site I saw a lot of things that would be extremely useful when I become a teacher. There are workshops, classes, publications, web design and a whole lot of other options. Her site is very organized and up date which makes it easy to look at.
The part that I found most interesting and useful was the "searching the web" tab. I clicked on it and from that you can go to a dictionary, fact sheet, library and others as well. I clicked on the dictionary one to see where it would take me. I found word games and much more. I could use this to make up games for a vocabulary lesson for my students.
If you would like to look at Dr. Christie's website here is the link: click here

What I've Learned This Year

Mr. McClung made some excellent points in his article. I was able to relate with him in a lot of ways. I am not a teacher yet but I think our personalities are very similar. I always want to control things and I want everything to be perfect and to be taught just the way I plan it. So, it was good to hear that it is not always the case. That your lessons are hardly ever what you plan exactly and its not going to be perfect. I also try to be the best I can because I feel like someone is watching me, and I know that is exactly how I would act in a classroom. So, it was very encouraging to be told not to worry about it and to focus on your students. Those are just a few of the many excellent points Mr. McClung made in his article. If you are going to be a teacher, which most of us are, I encourage you to read it.
The comments left on Mr. McClung's blog mostly all say thank you for sharing and you made some excellent post. So, I think that mostly everyone benefited from it the same way I did.

Wired Story (Wikipedia)

I have always been told not to trust Wikipedia. I used to use it a lot for my papers in my first year of high school but after that my English teachers told me never to use it again. Even though it can give you the information you want in a quick search, it may not be the right information. The reasons my teachers told me not to use it was because anyone that has internet access can go on Wikipedia and write whatever they want. So, if I wanted to go write something of my own,I could. Since then I have never trusted Wikipedia and I don't think I ever will. My teachers today still tell me not to use it, and I think I will listen to them.

Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch is a very interesting man. I was amazed to see that his illness was not holding him back. He has a couple of massive tumors in his liver and the doctors gave him 3 months to live before he would get extremely sick. At this talk it is already a month since he has seen the doctor, which means he has about 2 more months to live. If I had that much longer to live I don't know if I could be giving a talk like that. So I give major props to him.

Randy Pausch's said that his childhood was very good. He said that he could not find a picture where he was not smiling. His childhood dreams were being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, authoring an article in the World Book encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuff animals, and being a Disney Imagineer. He was able to achieve most of these dreams due to the advancement of technology, which was easier as he got older. The dream that I liked most was being in zero gravity. It is an interesting story how he achieved that dream and I encourage you to go listen to it.

Randy Pausch also tried to enable the dreams of others. Mr. Paucsh was a professor and he seems like he would be a very fun and interesting one. He said that teaching is one of the most rewarding things we can do to help students achieve their dreams. I would agree with him, even though I am not a teacher yet I can see where he is coming from and can't wait to get that own rewarding feeling when I become a teacher. When the hard times come, and they will definitely come in teaching, I just need to keep this little thought among the many others to remind myself why I am here.

Through out his life he has learned many lessons. In this lecture he encouraged his listeners to achieve their own dreams and help enable the dreams of others. His lecture was very entertaining because Randy Pausch is a funny man and makes it very easy to listen. He was also very encouraging, He is a man who is not far from his death bed and here he is giving a talk about his life instead of being with his family or other things that may be more important to him. After watching this video it made me very excited to teach. I still have about 2 years left in school and so much more to learn but Randy Pausch's encouraging words will always be in the back of my mind.

Did You Know 4.0

As I watched this video I realized how much has changed over the years, even only the last couple of years. Technology now is a big part of our lives. In some way its a little bit ridiculous how much we rely on technology. But it is a big part of the world today and there is no way to escape it. If you want to know what is going on in the world, you have to look to technology.

It amazes me that there are over 240,00,000 TV's and 200,000 are in the bathroom. Really? Is a TV really necessary in a bathroom? Also, It doesn't surprise me that digital advertisement has gone up. It really is the best way in this day and time to reach someone. This next fact really got me it said, "more video is uploaded to youtube in the last 2 months than if ABC,NBC,CBS had been airing new content since 1948, which was when ABC first started broadcasting". Some of those youtube videos are pointless, you know which ones I am talking about. There obviously is a big change in technology today. I guess I will ask you what Did You Know asked me, are you ready?

Practice

A Summer Never Forgotten

Mrs. Hines' Post

I think Mrs. Hines' made some excellent points and I agree with the points that she makes. These points could really help and improve education. I liked the point the first point, teachers must be learners too. In order for a teacher to be good you need to the background work. You need to see where each student comes from, to know them and understand them so you can see where they are and what is the best way to teach them.

I also liked the point where she said technology is useless with out good teaching, which is exactly right. How to you expect to teach your students to do research on the internet if you don't even know how. I think that some of the technology could help the teachers tramendously because it is what interests the students. Kids love ipods and surfing the internet and these could be great tools in teaching. Over all I think Mrs. Hines' wrote a great article that every teacher should read.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

As I watched the video I thought about how long I do what all the signs said. For example, how long am I on facebook everyday or how much to I actually study. I realized that I spend just as much time doing those things as the students in the movie said they did. After realizing this I thought about how much of my life I waste away on facebook and things that don't matter. It made me want to change the way I live each day.

So, I guess you could say this movie captured my college experience. I may not spend as much time writing emails or talking on the phone but all in all it can capture a little bit of it. I would change the movie to fit my experience in a few ways. I would put how much I text every day, I don't write as much emails or talk on the phone as much. Also, I would put how much exercise each day and how much I watch TV or doing nothing. There are some other things but that is most of it.

Things I learned on How to Make a Podcast

I looked at Langwitches Blog- The Magic of Learning to learn a few things on how to make a podcast. I learned that first of all I need to decide what theme and purpose I want my podcast to have. I also need to practice before I send out my final piece. I need to see if I am loud enough or have enthusiasm when I need it and when I don't. I need to figure out transitions, sound effects, and all the technical stuff.

Also, I need to make it age-appropriate and real to the studens or viewers. I don't need to make it look like I spent hour after hour working on it. I need to show that working on it was easy and anyone can make a podcast, you just need to know a few pointers.

Improvements in my Podcast/Videocast

I have never done a podcast before so right now I don't know many things I could improve on. I guess I would try to make my podcast exciting and intriguing. I don't know many ways how I could make a podcast exciting so that would be one of things I would look into.

Also, I would think which age group I am targeting in my podcast. Figure out who they are and then try to fit my podcast into something that would interest them. If it was for little kids maybe I would make it short and simple so they can sit through the whole thing and understand it. If it was college still make it shorter but with some fun music or something to grap their attention.

One way I would make this podcast better would set the camera up to where everyone is infront of the camera. It was a little annoying to me when no one would look at the camera but that is just my personal opinion.

Podcasting Notes

I have never really sat down and listen to a podcast before. I have been told to listen to some but just never had the chance to do it or really wanted to. My brother listens to sermons all the time so he was encouraging me to listen to some. I get very distracted so I didn't know how I was going to do with listening to a podcast. So, this is the first time for me to actually sit down and listen to a podcast and I actually like it a lot.

One podcast I listened to was KidCast. It is very interesting. At the very beginning I felt like I was listening to a radio because it had music and felt like it was a radio station. He talks about how to use and teach with podcasts in the classroom. It is very interesting and encourage you all to listen to it.

The next podcast I listen to was Morning Show Phone Taps, a comedy one that was recommended by Jamie Lynn. It is one of the funniest things I have listened to. The show is about calling someone collect and charging them insane amounts as a prank. This one is about a girl named Brittany calling her mom who is a freak about the phone bill. I listened to it with my roommate and friends and we were all cracking up. I didn't know that podcast had comedy ones like this. I highly suggest that you listen to the comedy ones because they are hilarious!

Another podcast I listen to was This week in Photography. This podcast is another good example of all the different varieties of podcast. There are podcast for comedy, books, sermons, teaching photography, lessons on whatever, and so much more. I am glad this assignment was assigned because it made me look into the world of podcast.

Video in the Classroom Intro

I think that Matthew Needleman has come up with a very good idea to get children involved and to teach them in a way that is appealing to the. All kids have an imagination and as a child that is when it is most vivid. I know that when I was young I always loved coming up with stories. If I had that assignment when I was young, I know that I would to my best to make the best video I could. So, with all of that said I am totally on Mr. Needleman's side and am going to try my best to have assignments that make my students excited and want to learn.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts response

I really enjoyed this video, it was very entertaining and insightful. I had never heard about Vicki Davis but she makes good points. It makes since to teach your students in "their generation", the things they enjoy and will help them learn. I also, thought it was neat how Vicki Davis was getting her students to interact with the world. You can learn a lot from other countries and their cultures.

As I was watching this video I was actually thinking about this class. I was thinking how EDM is so interesting and easy to learn because I like doing blogs and things on the computer. I enjoy doing this so I want to do my best at it. If we taught kids in a way they would enjoy and strive to learn and do their best, I think it would make a difference.

Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity response

I really enjoyed this video. Ken Robinson is hilarious and made the talk very interesting and intriguing. I would agree with him and take his side in creating an education system that nourishes creativity. What you learn in school impacts your life in every way.

I know that when I become a teacher I will apply everything I have learned into it. I want my students to have fun when they learning. I want to be creative so that they can learn rather than just memorizing it and forgetting it later. I want to be a kindergarten teacher so creativity applies almost everywhere in that job. You have to get the little kids attention and draw them in rather than boring them to death. Overall I think it was a very good video and opened my eyes to new things.

Did You Know and Mr Winkle Wakes response

I thought Did You Know was very interesting. I did not know most of those things. I knew the world was advancing in technology and everything but I did not know to what extent. It is crazy to think that in 10 years technology in the world could be totally different.

I think the one that got me the most was when it said, "Today that number of text messages sent and received every day, exceeds the total population of the whole planet". That is A LOT of text messages! People do text a lot, especially high school kids. I know that I don't call people as much as I text them but I never knew that many text messages were sent around the world every day.

I thought Mr. Winkle Wakes was very interesting video as well. A lot of things definitely have changed over the past. It is crazy to see how much computers are used in people's lives. Back in the day hospitals, work, and every day life were very different from the way it is today. And it will only change more in the years to come.

It is kind of comforting to know that schools have not changed that much. Of course the ways they are taught are different. For example, online classes, that was never heard of 100 years ago. But knowing that the teacher still teaches and the student still learns is comforting to know, especially for the years to come when I will have children of my own in school.

About Me

Hello everyone! My name is Catherine Bryars, I am 20 years old and am a junior here at South Alabama. I have lived in Mobile with my family for about 15 years. Before that I lived in Prague and Nashville, TN. I have one brother who is 22 and two younger sisters that are 17 and 15. I also have a west highland terrier named Winston who is the best dog ever. This past summer I went to Brazil for 2 months. I met the most incredible people there and some life time friends. My favorite color is blue and I love to paint, sing, spend time with my family and Chi Omega sisters, be outdoors and live my life to glorify God in any possible way I can.