Blog Assignment 5

Part 1 Travis Allen   

Travis Allen, a 17 year old High School student from Georgia, has figured out a solution for the financial crisis with in the school systems. In his video, Allen talks about “iSchools” using an iTouch. Allen explains that there is applications for books, homework, and you can even check out library books. The average cost per student in public schools is $600: the iSchool is estimated to cost $150 per student. With the Ischool you would be able to do all work and save some of our natural resources.

I think Allen is on the right track, but a change that big would have a lot of kinks to work out. I do not think this is something our school system could jump into overnight. Eliminating some of the cost with in our school system would help the budget out tremendously.

Part 2 Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I really enjoyed Eric Whitacre’s Choir! The fact that it consisted of 185 people who have never met or performed together is extraordinary. It’s hard to believe someone could put together something that sounds so beautiful. It just shows what can be done with technology. I highly recommend that everyone check this video out.


Part 3  Teaching in the 21st Century

Kevin Roberts describes in his video how improvements in technology can benefit the students and teachers. Students have access to any information they need through the Internet. The teachers job is to act as the “filter” and make sure that they know how to access this information correctly and use reliable sources.The students learn how to find other sources and are less likely to go to the teacher. My opinion is that this helps them learn, and do things independently.

Part 4  Flipping the Classroom

Dr. Lodge McCammon believes that there is too much lecture in the classroom and not enough engaging activities. I agree with him because as a college student myself, I benefit more from activities, and not listening to a lecture. Instead of spending 90% of the time lecturing and 10% applying skills they are flipping their routine. They can also record their activity and the student can listen to their lesson the night before. For some students it could help because they are already familiar with with what is going to be done in class.

Katie, an eighth grade teacher in North Carolina, also explains why she flipped her classroom. She had some students who understood everything, some who were bored with the lesson, and the few who didn't understand.she felt she was spending too much time lecturing and repeating herself. I think the idea of flipping the classroom sounds very effective and it would be something that I would try.

                                             

My Sentence Video

Project #5 Presentation

Comment for Teacher (C4T) Assignment #1

Frank Noschese

First Post    

 In Frank Noschese's first blog he was discussing "Keep it simple standards-based grading". He was teaching a section of conceptual chemistry for the first time, and he thought to make things easier he would use the points- system. As he sat down to grade his first quiz, he realized that the points-system wouldn't work.
 I agree with Frank Noschese about his choice. As a future teacher, I want my students to think that I'm grading them fairly, but I don't want them to get by with easy points. I don't agree with giving partial credit, I feel you either get all of it or nothing. I don't think students benefit from getting half of something right.

Second Post

In his second blog he writes about his AP Physics C students. He has them make screen casts explaining the workings of and reasoning behind their VPython programs. His reasoning behind it is that it helps give him an idea of who understands and who doesn't.  I think his idea made a lot of sense. Some students either don't realize their mistakes or they don't ask for help. This way he can see who gets it and who doesn't.

Blog Assignment 4

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The benefits of pod-casting in the classroom

Some may ask what is a podcast? Podcast can convey information about any subject. It enables information to be shared with millions of people around the world. Podcast have become an essential part of learning in the classroom. With podcast if a student misses a day or has trouble with an assignment they can go back and listen to the podcast and help them not fall behind. It's also a great way for parents to find out how their child is doing in school. Joe Dale's video made a lot of valid points about Podcast's in the classroom. The students not only get to watch the podcast but they also learn how to create them and upload the information. Learning to do this  lets the student's become creative and use their imagination.

Blog Assignment 3

 What is Peer Editing?              

I learned while watching the video "Peer Editing" that it is very important to always be positive and compliment the person's work that you are editing. Editing someone's work is not always an easy thing to do, but I have learned from my other blogs that it is helpful and it helps me see what mistakes I am making. Editing someone's blog hasn't been my strongest area, but after watching the video and the slides on peer editing, I feel more confident.

I thought the video about Picky Patty and Mean Margaret was really funny. It set the perfect example of the what not to do when you critique someone else's work. Like the sources stated in the video we should always, remember to complement each other first and try not to send any negative vibes to the person you are editing. The last thing I want to do is come across offensive. It is very important to maintain a positive attitude and we should all remember that we are all here for the same thing and should try to help each other.

 Technology in Special Education   

Lacy Cook did a great job illustrating how important technology is in the class rooms with special education students. With technology, it makes it easier for the students to learn and to communicate. I think it would be great if all the school systems could invest in the technology needed to help these students. Many people don't understand the obstacles that special education students face, and I think a lot of people would have a change of heart if they would take the time to sit down and watch this video. With technology these students are able to do everyday tasks that we take for granted.

While watching the video you could see the students were able to complete their work and read books independently and that seemed to make a big difference with them. Technology plays an important role with everyone but the impact this has in their class room is really rewarding and worth the expense to get these students the things they need. I think as technology continues to improve, it will continue to benefit these students and help them learn important everyday tasks.

  How the IPAD works with Academics for Autism

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I was so impressed with how Braden was doing so well with his counting and writing out his words. This is another example of how technology is a positive influence on the children with special needs. These apps that they come up with do so much with these children who are not anywhere near the grade level they should be. When you have a child that has autism, a task as easy as writing your name is a big deal to them. This technology helps them learn the basic skills that we take for granted every day.

  Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I really enjoyed the video on Vicki Davis! She has a really good approach in her class room, and it helped her students learn to teach their self and to be independent. I hope that when I start teaching, I do as well as she does. I really hope that I am able to be a positive influence on my students. I think that the younger the children are,the easier all these changes within the world of technology are easier to grasp.

I loved the idea of getting the students involved and letting them help teach, while she sat back and learned. It just shows that no matter what age we are, we still have plenty of knowledge to gain. Her student's seemed to be well rounded, and less dependent on her.

Wordle Project

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know


While watching the video, I noticed a couple intersting statistics. The first being that there are "1,393,519 searches made on google every minute, and the second being "The top jobs 10 years from now do not exist yet and will use technology that has not yet been invented." Social media has became an important part of the world, whether it's used for personal or professional use. People don't know how to function anymore without the use of there cell phones, and computers. It's intersting to think about where we will be technology wise in 10 years.

Another part of the video I found intersting was how the children in India have higher IQ's and how advanced they are in their education. I wish the children in the United States would take their education more serious and realize how important it is to get an education. I hope when I become a teacher that I can make an impact on my students and help them to understand how important it is to take advantage and get the most out of there time in school.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video is about a man named Mr. Winkle who has been asleep for 100 years. When he wakes up he finds that everything has changed tremendously and he does not like all the changes. All the changes with technology seemed to be overwhelming for Mr. Winkle. I really liked the way the video shows how the world has changed , and most of us doesn't know a world without all of this technology. The only place Mr. Winkle was happy was at the school. He found that the school was the only place that has not changed, and he was content that the children still sat in the classrooms and listened to the teacher, and that there was not all this overwhelming technology taking over.

I still remember that when I was in school if I had a project we went to the library and checked out books or looked things up in an encyclopedia. We didn't have google, and internet to do our research. Looking back when I was in high school till now, they have advanced so much in technology. It's intersting to see where we will be in another 10 years.

Sir Ken Robinson: The importance of creativity

I agree with Mr. Robinson about how important creativity is. I think children learn better with they are allowed to be creative and use their imagination. When children are young,they are not afraid of what anyone will think, and they do things they enjoy. As we get older we tend to do what is the normal and seek the approval of others. Mr. Robinson qutoed Picasso "All children are born artist, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up". I think as we grow up we tend to push our creative side away and try to make as little mistakes as possible and do what others expect of us.

I really enjoyed the story about Jillian Lynn. You can't always assume when a child can't sit still or concentrate they have ADD or ADHD. Instead of always trying to diagnose a problem they should pay attention to the child. Some children need encouragement to pursue their creative side. It is important as parents and teachers to realize that all children are not the same, and they do not excel in the same things.

A Day Made of Glass 2

In this video it showed a glimpse in the future what it could be like with touch screens, and how things can be done with just the touch of a finger. It showed how everyday life was controlled by an IPAD and schools were run with Solar energy. If you combined all the videos for this blog it gives you an idea of how far our technology has come and how fast it can change with in a couple of years.