Wednesday, December 3, 2008
My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete
What I Learned?
Duke University- Center for Documentary Studies
The second podcast I listened to was "Marilou (Project Hope)" by Libby Conn. After listening to this podcast I understand now that these are supposed to be videos but unfortunantly mine are not working. This podcast is about a woman named Marilou who starts out by showing a scar on her body and explaining the horrible things that she has lived through. Libby Conn (the narrorator) goes on to explain Marilou's battle with her mother's schizophrenia. After many of her mother's violent outbreaks she was forced to live on the streets of Boston to escape her mother's physical abuse. The podcast goes back and forth from Libby interviewing Marilou about the life she lived due to her mother's disorder.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Electronic Interaction
J: Where do you attend school and what is your major?
C: I go to St. Cloud State University and I'm actually a Special Education Major with a license in learning disabilities, then I'm planning on getting my autism certificate
J: Ok, and at St. Cloud are there many aspects of technology used in the classroom? I know we use things like clickers and online classes at South Alabama but I want to know some of the things being used in classroom everywhere. I wonder if they are similar?
C: In psychology classes and a lot of chemistry classes at St. Cloud, we use these things called clickers, you have to buy them, then you have to buy a separate pin number for each class and sign up online. We used clickers for attendance and quizzes that we had every week. Then later you can go online and check your grades. It was kind of nice because they let us know if we got the question right or wrong after we submitted our answers. Lets see, what else do we have? We have online classes as well. I don't take them thought, so I can't tell you what they're like. I guess they are supposed to be easier than in class classes. If you need more information I have other things to talk about.
J: Yes, any other information would be helpful because I am trying to learn as much possible about the technology used there so that I can compare it to what we use at South. We used the clickers in Psychology and Biology, mainly because they're both pretty big classes.
C: Ok, well we have this thing online called D2L (desire to learn) and this is where our teachers can post assignments, quizzes, grades, homework, their objectives, and anything else online for us to see and then we can keep track of our grades and when everything is due. There's also this thing that teachers do for their resume called E-PORTFOLIO and it's basically a resume but online and split into different categories of what you have accomplished so far with any experiences, essays you wrote for college along with other work accomplished in college. So for almost all of my teaching classes I have to do an assignment for my E-portfolio. It's very hard and I have to do mine through this program called Dream Weaver.
J: Because I'm an Education major we have e-portfolios too. We use a system called foliotek though and it's not too confusing but I wonder if they are the same thing. All this information is very helpful but I have a few more questions.
1.This D2L? Does every teacher have their own page or does it only show you the teachers you are taking right now?
2. You're e-portfolio, are they in categories like content knowledge, teach and learning, diversity, literacy, and professionalism?
3. and then those categories are broken down into like technology, ethics, and things like that?
4. Give me a couple of examples of stuff that you've had to put in your E-portfolio.
C: Being a special education major is nice because I work at a group home for people with disabilities so I'm getting experience to put in the e-portfolio. I would have no problem answering these questions...
1. Every teacher has there own page set up for every one of their classes on D2L and they can either choose if they want to use it or not. If they want to use it, we have a D2L page ad the class shows up and w just click on that and it has all of our information for that class.
2. Our E-portfolios are more like experience, where we live, our classes, IEP examples, and what we would like to deal with as a Special Education teacher... Learning Disabilities, Emotional Behavior Disorders, or CBD. I think special education e-portfolios are a little different because we have IEP's to deal with.
4. Some examples that I have had to put in my E-portfolio are IEP examples, so that they know that I know how to write them out for a student, Experiences with special education, my personality, and stuff like that. It's just like a resume but it's easier for job places to look at. It's tough though cause you can't just copy and paste stuff, everything is in a file.
I'm glad I can help. I know how tough education projects can be because you always have to contact people for information and stuff. I only have a year and a half left so if you have any questions what so ever about education let me know cause I can help you out. I got lucky, I just decided my major last semester and I'm still going to graduate in four years!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ACCESS Project
Matt and I chose to visit Robertsdale Highschool to check out their ACCESS lab. I learned more about ACCESS from their vice principal, Mr. Mitchell, than I have learned all year. He started by explaining to us that they physical aspects to a lab were just as important as the technology used. Some things that we found out that are neccessary that you don't read about on web sites are the walls and the lights. Mr. Mitchell told us that the walls of the room they chose had to painted because the gloss makes it harder to see on the camara. Also, they used something called grid lights which helps keep off the reflection for students watching in another location. Another thing they did to keep their lab up to date is putting slides on the chair as opposed to wheels, which helps the carpet stay nice.
Next thing we talked about was the technology of the system. Mr. Mitchell told us they use a system called Tamdberg Audio Science. In the classroom they use lap tops instead of putting up computers at each desk because they students do not use a computer for every class. The lap tops are numbered so that if there is damage done to one they know which students it is. The classroom had two televisions, one in the front and one in the back. He explained that the one in the back is used to see the students in another location and the one in the front is used to see the students in the classroom. Another thing he showed us was something called a document cam. It looked somewhat like a projector but has the power to zoom in and out very, very well. He showed us how it worked and creates a very clear image no matter how close you zoom. Other aspects of technology we saw was the speaker that picks up vibrations, it allows anyone in the class to be heard at the same volume reguardless where they are sitting.
In the front of the classroom next to the printer\fax machine there is a telephone that allows them to call the "super computer" located at Troy. These are the people in charge of everything. If there are any problems with the system they must call them and inform them to fnd out the way to fix it. Troy is also in charge of matchng up the students in another location to the school which have these ACCESS labs. The teachers trained to teach these classes were taught at Troy, but then we learned that the students in the remote locaton don't even have an actual teacher with them sometimes the just use an aid to keep the students under control. So they are literally being taught everything through a camera and some speakers.
We had the opportunity to ask Mr. Mitchell some questions and he discussed with us some of the complications with an ACCESS lab. These included the fact that many schools have different scheduling. Therefore, it is hard to create a master schedule knowing when and what is going to be taught. Some schools may go by block schedule and others by periods , creating the problem of getting students in two different locations to learn the same thing, at the same time, for the same period of time. We asked him how Robertsdale Highschool came around to getting an ACCESS lab. He informed us that it was granted to them because they filled out the paper work and were chosen. The lab cost around $85 thousand dollars and took about a month from start to finish.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
It's Time For Technology Talk
The first one of our EDM 310 podcasts that I listened to was my own. Matt and I discussed "Technology Used in our Classes at South". First of all it was very hard to sit through it and get used to hearing my own voice. Some of the things I noticed that we could have worked on is how nervous we sounded. Also, our is a lot shorter than many of the other podcasts. I think we needed to relax a little bit and I'm pretty sure we would do a lot better if we had practiced more. However, we did make a point to make sure we were making conversation instead of sounding monotoned.
The second podcast I chose to listen to is "College of Education Classes and Technology Used in Them" by Kathryn Bentley, Kerri Owens, and Hanna Nolan. One thing that could have made this podcast better is being a little more certain about the facts. They incorporated everyone into the conversation very well but then everyone is uncertain about the question asked. I was very interested to know about the scale of 1-10 and the consequences of scoring a 1 on anything in Foliotek. I think these girls did a wonderful job with their speaking skills though. Everything was heard very clearly.
The next podcast I decided to check out were my good old buddies Brooke Busby, Kimberly Pierce, and Ashley Corley while they talked about Experiences with Blogging. The information used for this podcast was very interesting. The only advice I could give is to make it sound a little more like conversation rather than just reading. I understand though that it was our first podcast and none of us did a spectacular job. I enjoyed watching everyone do them more than listening to them by myself.
The last podcast I listen to was Joye Wiggins, Rachael Beaty, and Keller Weathers. I think this group did the best at making these sound like a real conversation. Again the topic they discussed was very interesting and easy to hold listeners attention. I think this group had the same problem I did, with trying to spit out what they wanted to say. We all could have worked on that a little more. I think it got us off to a very good start doing our podcasts in Mrs. Averitt's class.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Mathematics with Technology
In the aforementioned I named many ways technology can be used in the Mathematics field, it motivates, it keeps the attention, it helps children see where their mistakes are. On the other hand podcasts like these can be helpful for not only motivating student but also motivating teachers. I believe the podcast I just listened to was recorded in hope of adults listening to it and learning something from it, not just for kids.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
What is a Planet?
I think podcasts like these are very important in our education today. They do not only teach learning through listening but there types of podcast are short videos that broaden our knowledge about things we would have never learned. I think this podcast was very interesting and used by any age but especially younger children because it is explained very easily. To check out more podcasts like this you can search in the iTunes Store.
"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds
I believe podcasts like this show teachers the importance of not only what they teach students but how they teach them. Dr. Dwech states how important motivation is for children. They can have the study skills they need, but not the motivation to apply them. Children need teachers to break down the learning cycle and not just give them information but also help them process it and understand it.
Mr. Sullivan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Edutopia
The second video I watched on Itunes was The Edible Schoolyard put on by Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, California. It is about students in 6Th grade at this school who spend their first period outside planting and gardening. The class uses this garden as a hand on experience when teaching math, social studies, and science. The teachers are hired to make the garden the center of teaching. The students are taught to work together with their other classmates to get the jobs done, most of them probably wouldn't get done without teamwork. The founder of the Edible Schoolyard, Alice Waters, started to the garden to cut down on costs. I am truly jealous of these students.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Alabama Virtual Library
The other way the site can be useful is the database search. This tool allows you to find information but selecting an age group or a topic, ranging from Adult Education to Social Sciences. This site can also be used to find a specific magazine or journal, however it is only virtual copy of th information it is still very helpful to people. The Alabama Virtual Library can be useful to pretty much anyone living in Alabama but it is especially useful for college students and teachers.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Podcasts
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Last Lecture
"The Last Lecture" was a lecture done by Randy Pausch. This lecture was done by a man who only had about three to six months to live due to ten tumors in his body. His over all personality was wonderful. He was very healthy looking and very optimistic about the lecture. He looked as though he had been happy all his life because he showed pictures and noted that he was always smiling as a child. In the beginning of the lecture when explaining to everyone his situation, he said "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." I loved this and wrote it down immediately.
The lecture he gave covered many keys points such as the "head fake learnings," where he would teach one thing with the intention of secretly teaching them something else. Another thing mentioned often were the brick walls. These were the things stopping us from what we want to do. Sometimes they're there for a reason. He talked about his childhood dreams. They ranged from being in a zero gravity atmosphere to being an imagineer. I loved the story about his football coach and the statement about when you're messing up and nobody tells you that means nobody cares. I thought that was a very good way of looking at things.
Randy Pausch started a course called Building Virtual Worlds. His students did such a good job on there first assignment that he didn't feel he had anything left for them to do. His students got so good at building these virtual worlds that they started having shows for people to come and see the worlds created by this students. They showed an example of one and it was amazing. It looked like someone must have spent a ridiculous amount of time on these projects.
This extraordinary individual created a game based on Alice in Wonderland that taught people about computer programming. This is one of those "head fakes" I discussed earlier. He also created a similar program that taught java through and interpretation of The Sims game. He talked about his friend And Van Dam that talked him into going to graduate school and becoming a professor. He told him if he was going to sell something it should be something worth while like education.
He ended the lecture by telling the importance of Karma, that of which I am a firm believer in. He tells the audience to always apologize when you mess up and to always focus on others. It was already known to the audience that this man was not self centered at all . There he was giving his last lecture and he talked about the people in his life that have influenced him and made him the person he is, but he went further and got the entire audience to sing happy birthday to his wife. The last few things he said were the most important. The lecture was titled follow your dreams but it was another "head fake". He was teaching people how to lead there life. Also it was to teach his children something. It was very interesting. If you would like to read it the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
International Blogs
The second blog I chose to check out was started by a teacher named Erin Freeman from New Zealand. The name of her blog is M3teacher, which I think is very clever. This blog uses many interesting techniques to communicate with the teacher. One blog post had an invitation to study at a pizza bar. It had a place where the people who were coming could put their names. Also the teacher posts weekly, a list called "Diigo's Bookmarks." These are links that the teacher thought her kids or parents might find interesting or useful. Some of these links included online flashcards and other fun ways of learning. I have placed a picture of the teacher to the right. The link to this site is http://m3teacher.blogspot.com/.
Educational Blogs in the U.S.
The second blog I chose to look at was for a sixth grade class. The site was put together by a teacher named Mr. Hetherington. I never found the name of the school but some of the blogs posted were very interesting. A lot of the blogs were posted by the teacher telling his class about it and about somethings going on in his class. Then there were many, many blogs posted by students. Some of them were just funny little things they decided to post on there and then I saw some haikus and poems that the students had posted. I assumed this was an assignment that the teacher told them to post on the blog site. This site is also very old but I thought it was one that showed a lot of the things you can use blogs for in school such as assignments and communicating with your teachers. The link to this site is http://hetherington.learnerblogs.org/.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
ACCESS
Some ways ACCESS will help students and teachers connect on the internet is by by providing access to many things that are going to help. Some of this will be access to advanced diploma coarses, which will help some students finish college faster. Another plus to this program, it will expand the number of class at these highschools and also expand the resources these highschools will have. I think the most important thing this ACCESS with be bring to highschool teachers in Alabama is more technilogical tools brought into the classroom to teach. Again, I still do not fully understand how the program works but i am excepting to learn more when I visit a highschool who has all the advancments in teaching this program has to offer.
Sorry it's late I couldn't bring up the file to learn about the program with computer that I use.