My Final Thoughts of EDM 310

First of all, I was a little worried about taking this class because I heard from previous students that it was boring and there was a lot of busy work. I thought how could there be a lot of busy work in a computer class? I was also told to take either Mr. Tashbin or Dr. Strange. I was told that Mr. Tashbin was the best and that it would be well worth taking his class. So, I changed my schedule around five times so that I could take Mr. Tashbin and I am glad I did. I have learned so many things this semester. This class has given me ideas beyond measures that I can use in my classroom. I honestly do not have anything bad to say about it because Mr. Tashbin made it interesting with all the articles about Google and technology. I enjoyed the video by Dr. Randy Pausch. I feel that was the highlight of the class. It was very inspirational and it made me think of all my goals in life. The thing that made this class so interesting was because it was up-to-date. It was about things that were going on now. I think things would have been different if we were always on the computer and interacting with one another. I felt the Podcast really opened my eyes on how group projects do not turn out the way they should. This is the only thing I would say that bothered me the whole semester. I was worried as to what I would do my podcast on or how my group members would work. When we were put into our groups and it was time for the podcast to be due, I felt that my group members did not give there all. However, I felt bored after listening to it. So, for future podcasting I feel there should be an option of working alone, adding music, or sound effects. Overall, I am glad that I was introduced to podcasting because I will definitely use it in my classroom. I also enjoyed blogging and reading other students' blog. I will also use this in my classroom even if there is no computers available, I will figure out a way to incorporate blogging into the classroom. I feel that it is a great way to get students involved and not always writing things on paper.

I really enjoyed this class. I wish there were more like this and I appreciate Mr. Tashbin for being the teacher that he is. I feel he always came to class with high spirits and that is great motivation for soon to be teachers. So thank you Mr. Tashbin and also to Dr. Strange because this class would not have possible if it was not for you.

Glut of Google Can Give You a Virtual Fever

I found this article to be true in so many ways. I agree on a lot of levels. Eric Horvitz states that "People have come to look at search engines as question-answering systems." I know in a heart beat if I don't know something I will go to google.com and type in a question or a phrase and see what I can find out. I do that with about anything. Needless to say I have done it with essay questions just to see how much information I can get off of typing in that question. Yes, it is bad that we depend on the Internet or search engines to give us accurate information. I felt like this article was discussing me. The reason I say that is because I have typed in certain symptoms and all kind of things came up and I honestly went into panic mode. Especially when the Swine Flu came about, all I could think about was I had it and it was because the same symptoms were staring me in the face. The more I read the more I became scared and not wanting to be around anybody. I was more dependent on what the search engines were telling me I did not want to go to the doctor. Overall, I feel that we do have to be careful what we believe and how we believe. If we keep going about it the way we are there will be no need for doctors or anything else. We may even have to start paying for the information that we receive.

The New Media Literacies by the NML Staff

First of all, I enjoyed the different colors of people because it kept my attention. However, I think these skills are what we need to interact with today's society. To me judgment was a big one because we do need to be able to decide what information we should believe and how we can use it in the future. Also mutitasking is another big one for me because we all have to learn how to do a lot of different things at the same time to get things done faster because technology is getting bigger and better. I also feel that these skills are the 21st century skills that will be needed to be an effective whatever we want to be.
I feel I possess a few but not all. I am big on judgment and mulitasking. Some of them I think I may have and I am just not aware. I am always doing more that one thing at a time. However, I am always going back and forward with what's reliable information. I also feel that mulitasking and judgment go hand in hand. I think the only way I will be able to acquire the other skills is just by knowing that I do not have them to be successful. I can also acquire them by practicing.

Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

I really, really, really enjoyed this video. While I was watching all I could think about was there would be no need for a teacher because all of this is available. However, I felt that the teacher had to have a role in this. I loved how they connected the teacher with this student that was able to everything on his own. To me this is what every teacher should be. They should be able to give guidance, show how to do things properly, show how to differentiate between good and reliable information and also how to feel excited that a student is in control of their education.
I think I will be prepared to be a teacher of a networked student. I say this because I did not have a teacher to these kind of things for me. So therefore, I want to be able to give back to my students what was never given to me. I feel there is so much that students can learn on there own. And it takes a great teacher to help them discover that they can do it on their own and successful with it.

Richard Miller

At first, I was bored to death on these two videos. However, the more I watched, the more I realized how neat some of the things were. I definitely enjoyed how the Dr. Martin Luther King thing came together. It is amazing how technology has changed. I think it would be fun to push these ideas throughout our culture. I feel that if the technology is available, anything is possible. Using the web to create different documents seems like it would take a lot to do or to get use to.
I agree that the goal of technology allows us to articulate our dreams and share them with others. I also believe that we have to have inspiring teachers to make this a success. I loved the statement about ideas, that ideas belong to no one because it takes us all to make it work. However, I am not sure if my students will be able to write with multimedia. We did not have these types of things when I was in school. But who knows, by the time I step foot into a classroom, I think my students will know a lot.

Ipods in Instruction

While reading different articles and searching the internet to find information on Ipods in instruction, I came across some interesting things. First and foremost, I came across this link cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf which discussed the evaluation of Duke University's experiment. First year freshmen were given Ipods to see there use in education. To me it was fascinating. I wish I was one of those students. It would even be the fact that I am getting a new mp3 players but the fact that I was a part of something that would be useful to the next student. I thought it was great how the use of technology that was designed for us to have fun out of it be used to educate us as well. As I researched more I realized that nothing had to do with music. I feel that is awesome.

I also noticed that other universities did the same thing. I have an Ipod touch and by reading these articles and knowing the information about Itunes U I will use it more on the education side versus the music side. However, I have heard but do not know for sure if there is any research on listening to things while you are sleeping and being able to retain it when you wake up. There are times when I sleep with my music playing and by the next morning I know words to the song that I did not know before. With Ipods along with Itunes U I feel it would be a great opportunity to listen to a lecture or at least record my notes and go to sleep and see if I retain any of it. I think I have an experiment on my hands but if I can do that would music then listening to lectures which is something that would help me later would be a great experience. However, I could even bring it into the classroom when I become a teacher. All in all ipods are great for education purposes. They can be used for more than we think and I think that is the best thing about technology.

Itunes U

Itunes U is a great program or tool to use for students, upcoming teachers, and anyone that wants to learn. I think it can be used in many ways but it would depend on the user. As a student I can learn in so many ways. It would be great to view vodcasts and listen to podcasts on different topics. Learning would be at my fingertips, whether if its on my ipod or netbook, I would be able to learn and to me that is all a person could ever ask for. I think it would be useful for subjects that are unclear and I would be able to listen to other lectures on the subject by another instructor. I could even watch videos on different labs.

As a teacher, there are so many activities that can be done. For instance, I could record lectures or videos to go along with classroom discussions and have information that would be beneficial for the next test or something. I could also have students listen to another podcast on a topic we have discussed to compare information because there would be something I may not have made clear and that could be very beneficial to students. I could also record study sessions or have them listen to a certain lecture for bonus information. To get students involved, I could have them record group discussions on a topic and have another group listen to it for note taking purposes.

I could go on and on about activities. I wish that I could have experienced some of this when I was in High School because I think it would have helped me in the lines of how to listen for information or going the extra mile to find information. I can not wait until I become a teacher and I will have all this for my students to learn, learn, learn. Itunes U would make education fun and different.

Dr. Alice

To be totally honest, I was a little confused as I moved around Dr. Alice's website. Even though there was a lot of information and links to things that would be beneficial to teachers, I felt as if I was fishing for information. In most cases if you want to find something good you have to hunt for it. Don't get me wrong I found something I felt was very interesting.

I came across a link called Instant Messaging. It was an article by Amanda O'Connor called "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing." It was an interesting article. It discussed how instant messaging can be a good thing or a bad thing for students that are writing papers or just writing everyday. However, I saw how it would be a good thing in the classroom. First, students would have to have access to a computer/Internet in the classroom. In the article there was a teacher that had her class instant message another class and discuss a literature and writing assignments. I thought that was awesome for students to get involved with their classwork, especially when they are doing something that all students would love doing. I think all levels would get a kick out of it. I would have loved to do something like this when I was in high school especially when we had to read certain literature and write about them. However, I could see how it could become a problem. You would have students misspelling words or maybe not being on topic. In that case it would have to be in a controlled setting. All in all this was the only thing I found interesting on this website.

Achieving Your Childhood Dream

First and foremost, I want to applaud Dr. Randy Pausch. He was awesome, his lecture was awesome and most of all it was dedicated to his children. I received goosebumps throughout the entire speech. I learned more about how he accomplished his dreams than the program that he created. In my opinion I was kind of drifting away because I was thinking of my own dreams and how I am starting to stop dreaming. However, I thought he brought out a lot of great points. I even enjoyed the the hello.world video that he presented. This video also showed how he is a people's person as well as family oriented person.

In this speech he broke it down into segments, which I thought was a great way to make his points. It had me thinking the entire time. Even though he has be dealing with cancer he let it be known that that was not going to be the topic of the hour. He made the statement that it was an inspiration to dream, which is true because dreaming can motivate a person to do so many things that they never thought they would be able to do.

I like how he broke down all of his childhood dreams like the point about becoming the NFL player. Even though he wasn't able to become a NFL player he learned some valuable lessons which in that case will work well throughout his life and others. It was a statement that made me think of my future teaching career and that was getting "fundamentals down because the fancy stuff won't work." That makes a lot of sense. I know there were times when in school we would do things and never knew what we were doing, what the purpose was and what we actually learned from it. When the whole time it was to make the teacher look good and all we ever got out of it was nothing. There were so many great points it is too many to state but I like the fact that brick wall are there to stop people that are not dedicated to the things they want to do. I can apply this in my classroom or for everyday life.

In closing, I did not really get much from his program except that it was a success but I did learn a lot about myself and my dedication to wanting to become a teacher. I want to be the Tigger in my classroom not the Eeyore. I want my students to take something from the classroom every second like I did with this video by Dr. Pausch. I want to be able to work harder and not complain. I want to be able to set the bar so that my students can over achieve. However, I want them to know they can achieve greater than the next person. All in all, I enjoyed this video and even though I was supposed to blog about his program at MIT I couldn't because I got more out of it than just the program.

What I've Learned This Year (Mr.McClung)

Mr. McClung made some wonderful points. I agree even though I am not a teacher, I remember when my teachers lack a lot of these points that he made. One statement he made, "Let your audience drive your instruction." There were days in the classroom when the teacher would ask a question and not even give a chance to think about an accurate answer. It was always just listen to the teacher and don't ask questions because every question asked is dumb. Which is horrible because I am still paying for that.

I also agree with the statement "the lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." I say this because when I have presentations and I know exactly what I want to say or do it never comes out the way I've practiced in front of the mirror. It always seems to flow better because I am comfortable whereas in front of the mirror I am nervous because I can see myself. Weird I know! I also like the point about how teachers have to keep learning. I feel that is very important because it is more exciting to learn something different than the class last semester. I hope that I can implement some of these things in my classroom. I want to be the teacher that I did not have! I feel that these points by Mr. McClung will be very beneficial to me and any teacher.

It's Not About the Technology

I found this post very interesting. I agree first and foremost teachers must be learners. In order for teachers to teach they have to learn. However, they have to be willing to learn in order to keep their classrooms up to date. Therefore, learning and teaching are not the same thing. Just because a teacher is teaching does not mean a student is learning. I totally agree with the statement, "the 21st century is going to be about working smarter not harder." That statement says a lot because during this time and age teachers need to be willing to think about different ways their students can grasp the concept instead of teaching only one "boring way."

I agree with technology being unless without good teaching. I say this because if teachers are

creative and willing to learn how to use different technology in there classrooms then of course it would be useless. There would be no point in having computers. I feel we all must go the extra mile in learning everything there is out there when a person chooses teaching as a career. So many good things can happen when exploring with technology as well as learning what it has to offer to the future leaders of our world.

Michael Wesch

A Vision of Students today is much more different than what i expected. I could totally agree with each and every statement made by the students. College is not what is should be especially if you are attending a big university. To me it should not matter whether or not what type of college I am attending just as long as I am getting the right amount of of education. It is extremely overwhelming to be in big classrooms where the professors do not know your name or that you have to pay hundreds of dollars for one book that the teacher uses rarely. As far as studying and having a life there is not enough time in a day for any of it. When I first attended college I was at least expecting smaller classrooms and less busy work just to say I got my moneys worth. However, I get the exact opposite. Education is changing as a whole. As students we are starting to use more technology to help us understand things or to just get things done quicker and this video helped me to realize that.

There are a couple of things I would change and add to the video. First of all, I would change how fast the camera moves from one student to the next and how the camera focuses on the words. I found it kind of hard to read at times. As far as adding, I would add a group saying at the end to sum up what everything meant. My reasoning for this is because I was not sure at the end what everything really meant. Overall, it was a great video and should be shared throughout all college classrooms.

Karl Fisch

I enjoyed certain parts of Karl Fisch's post. However, I was not that interested. I did agree with a statement he made at the beginning of the post. It stated, "Just because you may not know how to go about achieving it is certainly no reason not to state it." To me that statement goes with everything. I was a little confused as to what he was talking about throughout the post.

I did like the part where he talked about if a teacher is unwilling to make the effort of being technology illiterate then thats the equivalence of a teacher not knowing how to read or write. I find this statement true. The world is beginning to require everyone to know something. It will be to where alot of things we won't need anymore. Therefore, teachers as well as students must know some technology skills because soon the world will be nothing but technology.

What I Learned About Podcasting

I learned that podcasting can be very beneficial, very informative, and a lot of fun if it is done right. I learned a lot from langwitches.org in just ten minutes. I clicked on Podcasting with 3rd graders. I do not know if I did the right thing but it was very interesting to read about the project that was given to third graders. Their project was on Endangered Animals in Florida. It was so great to hear other voices besides teachers. The students were very active, they used different voices to get their point across. It was awesome. I honestly think they enjoyed this assignment. They knew their material enough to talk about it. It almost sounded like a skit but it was very entertaining and informative. I think students will get more out of hearing other students their ages teaching them about things that I would have thought were boring when I was in school. I would have loved to listen to something like this better yet, I would have loved to create this.

The most part I think that kept my attention was the different sound effects and how these children really did this. It was also good to know that these children were using things to better their research skills, speaking and communication skills, their storytelling skills, sound editing software skills, and much much more. I would love to do this in my classroom. I have a different outlook on podcast now. It makes me excited about all things I can do in my classroom. However, this podcast was better than students from EDM 310. Sorry!

Comments on Dr. Strange's Class

I commented on three different blogs. I first commented on Keysha Boltz's Vicki Davis blog and how she wanted to be able to post things online for her students. I then commented on Heather's Sir Ken Robinson post and the statement she made about how students confidence and creativity is killed while their in school. The last person I commented on was Marshalle Ely's Mr. Winkle Wakes and how it is scary that the way we teach may become extinct because technology is doing everything for us nowadays.

Past Semester Podcasts

I think Podcasting is a great idea to get information around the world. However, I think they should be well thought out. While listening to Podcasts from past semesters, I was not enthused about doing a podcast at all because I am not sure what I can do differently to change the way they are being done. Most of them sounded muffled or loud at times. It also sounded as if everyone was reading. I felt like I could go onto the internet or look into a book and read word for word what they were saying. The topics were great topics but the people speaking did not sound enthused about the topic. It was almost dreadful to keep listening to some of them because everyone sounded the same.

However, I give major points to a group with the topic of "Shift Happens." It included two girls and a guy. I enjoyed this one the most out of all because they actually talked to each other. Their voices were very different and they knew their material. It did sound like someone was nervous but I would be too. Their podcast had a lot of great information and it was an attention getter to me. When I do my podcast I know it will not be easy. However by listening to these I hope that I will be able to make a change as far as being able to articulate and not sound like I'm yelling. I also want to be able to know my material so it won't seem as if I am reading.

Search Engines

This article really made me think. I agree with the Bill Thompson. I took it as him saying how we rely on what the Internet/search engines informs us on and that we don't use our own intelligence to really think things through. I will honestly testify to relying on the Internet for certain information and when I do not get exactly what I am looking for I get upset or feel that there is no answer. However, I do not take the time to piece things together and use my own knowledge of one thing or the other.

Podcasts

While listening to the Podcasts I incorporated a lot of useful material.  However, I also disliked some of them because the information was not straight forward.  I enjoyed David Warlick's ConnectLearning the most.  It was more structured and easy to listen to.  It was a workshop that included librarians and teachers giving their ideas of how podcasting can be used in the classrooms as well as the library.  There were many ideas I thought were very useful, like using them for Senior Projects because an interview was a part of their portfolio, recording class discussions so students would be able to back to it later to make notes and most of the one about interviewing teachers and principals for upcoming sixth graders or parents new to the area.  I really enjoyed David Warlick because to me he broke things down and elaborated on ideas.  To me I would say this podcast was very useful.

Edtechtalk: Teachers Teaching Teachers was also a useful podcast because once again it was teachers giving ideas about what worked in their classrooms as well as things they wanted to do in the future.  I liked the teacher that made the statement about letting go and letting students discover for themselves.  I also like the idea about letting students use their cellphones in the classroom to find information.  However, I like the point that was made about how in other countries they value their cellphone and how it is cheaper and easier for them to use versus how we have different tools to give us information.  

Kidcast 62: Some Thoughts on Video Podcasting was horrible to me but something were somewhat interesting.  He brought out some great points like video casting will get students comfortable with a camera, it will build their confidence along with helping them with communication.  However, he did a lot of back and forward with video casting versus audio.  He suggested that audio casting be used first and then eventually use video casting.  He also stated that video casting was time consuming.  To me he did a lot of rambling and it was boring because it was just him with no other input.

SmartBoard Lessons Podcast:  This was the worst podcast.  I am sorry but for the first ten minutes Ben talked about absolutely nothing.  I am a visual learner and listening to everything they were talking about I could not vision any of that being useful.  I liked the fact that Joan was on with him but it was horrible.  They did not keep my attention except when they were talking about Obama cookies.  Therefore, I got nothing from this podcast.  I am sure it was better after twenty minutes but I was bored to death.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is the epitome of the teacher that I would love to become.  I love a lot of the things she stated.  I am sometimes overwhelmed by how much I feel I need to know before I stand in front of a class.  I feel that in order to be an educator you have to know what you are educating on and Vickie Davis made me realize that we learn from each other.  We teach each other things on the daily basis.  It was awesome to know that she admitted to not knowing everything and that her students were teaching her how to do things.

I totally agree with her statement that having only paper and pencil only certain types of children will succeed.  I really enjoyed this video because the students were active in the classroom and that is something you rarely see in the classroom today.  I loved how the students were excited about there work which is how education should be.  I hope one day that I can empower my students the way Vicki Davis has empowered her students.

Great Job Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson was very funny and made perfect sense. He made a lot of great points in which I will think about as I start my teaching career. Sometimes, I feel I am not creative. I believe it is because I was not creative as much as I should have been in school and because I did not know how. Mr. Robinson stated that in Public Education, you will find mainly general subjects at the top and arts at the bottom which is very true. I remember when we hardly ever had a chance to draw, dance or even sing in the classroom. Right now you can ask a child what they did today at school and majority of time the child will talk about either outside or what they colored.

It is amazing how we all have a different way of learning. I was always a visual learner but found it very difficult to comprehend the lesson because it was taught one way. It was more confusing when the teacher forced me to learn the way she wanted me to learn and to this very day I still struggle with comprehension. I just wish I knew of a creative way to get through it. However, I am able to take points from this video and apply them to how I want to manage my classroom. I feel as teachers, we should be creative and teach our children how to be creative so they can learn better and learn more about themselves.

I Didn't Know

I really enjoyed the video "Did You Know." It is amazing to know that even though China is not American, they may become the number one speaking country in the world. The video also had a lot of points that made you think. For instance, students' first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study. To me, that was an eye opener. It is a reminder of how fast the world is changing. I also had to think about how if Myspace became a country it would be the fifth largest. It just goes to show how far technology will take us which is shocking but makes perfect sense.

However, to answer the question, "What does it all mean?" I have the slightest idea. I sometimes feel like we should all educate ourselves. We should know more about our technology world and how fast it can really grow along with the changes it can take us through.

Winkle Wakes and the Generation Today

Mr. Winkle Wakes reminds me of today's time and how the older generation reacts to the different technology. For instance, (EFT) Electronic Funds Transfer, is something that is very new to the older generation. Even though it is easier, some older people wish that things would go back to how they use to be. With the EFT, they have it to where the machine fills out the check but just like Mr. Winkle this is too much for them to understand.

However, I feel that technology these days is not where it should be, especially in schools. Mr. Winkle felt that the computer being dusty was how it should be but in actuality there should be a computer at every desk. There are so many children that learn better hands on or just by learning how certain things work. I feel it is our job as educators, mothers, sisters, brothers, or fathers to prepare children in general to run their future and not the future run them.

A Little About Me

My name is Tawonna Keeton. I am a native of Moss Point, Mississippi and I love being me. I am a family-oriented person and I love the people around me as well as the people I will meet. I love laughing and being happy. I enjoy bright colors because they make things stand out. However, I am quiet and sensitive but I manage to deal with certain things. I also have a chihuahua named Skooter, a loving family and a dedicated boyfriend. I graduated from Moss Point High School in 2005. After high school, I attended Bishop State Community College and received a license in Cosmetology. I then decided to venture out and become an educator. Therefore, I decided to attend the University of South Alabama and major in Elementary Education. I am currently a Junior and can not wait until I actually graduate. There are many reasons why I want to become an educator but the main reason is to be the best teacher that I never had when I was in Elementary School. I also have other dreams like owning my own Hair Salon and even a Youth Center.