Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, & Students Statewide (ACCESS)

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, & Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a website that provides high-quality classroom courses & teachers through technology. Because some schools can't afford offer advanced diplomas and advanced courses, This website provides access to many of these courses. Educators as well as students benefit off of this program.

I feel that this website can be very helpful for students who want to advance. It is great to have a resource like this. Students can learn so much. I will be sure to use this resource to help me when I become a teacher.

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a website where statewide teachers can exchange their ideas and lesson plans with one another. ALEX is not only a great resource for teachers but for students and parents as well. The website is beneficial to everyone who visits it! It is very easy to navigate. It provides resources for all grade levels and subjects.

I believe that ALEX is a wonderful tool. When I become a teacher I will be sure to create me a personal workspace. This website seems to be very helpful for new teachers as well as current teachers. This could help others become familiar with how other teachers teach in their classroom. I am glad that I learned about this useful website!

Kaia

After reading the post, Dear Kaia, on Dr. Chamberlain's blog, I started to believe that the power of technology can really be amazing. I think that it is wonderful to have people from around the world notice some of the things that we do through the internet. I know that Kaia is a very intelligent young girl. I hope that she understood what was going on through the voicethread that Dr. C and his class made for her. Voicethreads seem to be very help for children Kaia's age!

I know that Mr. Raisdana was very surprised. Like he stated in his blog, he didn't know if it was a good idea to expose his daughter online. I, myself, would be unsure as well. It appears that her exposure turned out to help her in a positive way. Hopefully, this experience will encourage Mr. Raisdana and many other parents and teachers as well.

The New Media Literacy Skills

The New Media Literacies Project is a program that helps us explore social skills and cultural knowledge while dealing with the media. This project will also help others understand the importance of being literate. When I viewed the New Media Literacy Skills video, I thought the skills were very clear. I feel that these skills will be needed in the 21st century so that we can be effective people.

I, myself, possess about five of the New Media Literacy Skills. I possess judgment, appropriation, performance, visualization, and multitasking. I feel that it is important to be able to possess all of the skills. I hope to one day get that accomplished! Having said that, I feel that my skills will increase because of the use of everyday technology and also the future technology to come.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

The way the Networked Student video was displayed was very unique. I thought it was neat how there were paper cut-outs of the explained material. I, myself, do not like the concept of connectivism. The way that I see understand it is that we learn from other diverse people's social networks. It is a good idea to see other's opinions on what they think about a certain topic, but I don't think I would like the idea of learning the material completely on my own.

I do like the fact that many resources are available for the student to learn. I am sure this type learning helps students expand their knowledge in a variety of ways.

Am I prepared to be a teacher of a networked student you may ask. I do not think I am. I feel that this type of learning could be very complicated for me. Maybe if I actually tried being a networked student myself, I could see the pros and cons of the whole thing. Maybe it is not as confusing as it may seem.

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream

I don't think that I am ready to start writing with multimedia. I know that I learn and comprehend better by reading and writing compared to watching and listening. Dr. Miller's way of using multimedia seems to be very useful. I do think that it is great that much of the information that you need when doing research can be found on the internet in the comfort of your own home.

Multimedia looks like it can be very helpful and easier for some. I feel that I will probably be able get use to teaching through multimedia as the years progress. Once I learn how to do it, I feel that my students will be able to catch on. Because technology is increasing rapidly, I am pretty sure that some of my students will already be able to write with multimedia by the time I am ready to teach them.

I feel that Dr. Miller's idea of visual representation is a plus when it comes to learning. I do agree with him. There will be a time where word-processing is completely out of the picture. Overall, I am not to keen of using multimedia. Although I do think it is a helpful tool, I am just not ready for these type of changes.

Week 6: Comments4Kids

I got a chance to comment on Jenna's (a sixth grader) post! She was talking about International Act Like A Clown Day which is June 12. I told her that this day sounds like fun. I told her that I would look funny if I dressed like a clown (I guess that's the point, huh?).

Using iPods

I think the idea of what Duke University did for their incoming freshmen was a great idea. I never owned an iPod. I thought an iPod was just for downloading and listening to music. I see that it does a lot more than that. From what I read, it looks like a pretty useful tool. It is a great device for students in any grade level. This tools allows you to go as far as recording and replaying your class lecture. This idea more than likely lowered the college drop-out rate. I think that all university and college students should have a device of some sort.

I also noticed that there were both benefits and barriers with the device. One benefit is that it allows students to be more active and to participate in classroom discussions. One problem is that it would be difficult for the iPod to store a variety of information. Even with that, I still think it would be a great tool for studnets everywhere!

Don't Waste Your Time

I found that Itunes University is a very helpful tool. After viewing the presentation,Don't Waste Your Time, I now know that you can find useful information in iTunes. I learned that this application include lectures, lab demos, as well as campus tours. All of their downloads are free.

iTunes University is a great tool for using podcasts and vodcasts. This could help me because if I am looking to research a few things for my classes as a student, I could always turn to iTunes University to see if they have any useful information. As a teacher, I could maybe get ideas from this application and it could be used as a learning tool while I am teaching.

Apple Launches Major Green Effort

The post, Apple Launches Major Green Effort, talked about making Apple products enviromental friendly. I, myself, am all about going green. Apple is trying to find ways to reduce carbon emissions from its plastic manufacturing. They have been working on this problem for years now. Apple is now trying to encourage recylcling.

I feel that this is a great idea. I think that all companies should endorse recycling and being environmental friendly. While we are talking about recycling, I think I will encourage my students to recycle as well. I will encourage them and set an example by placing plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the recycling bin.

Week 5: Comments4Kids

Well, this week's comments for kids was a bit different. I commented on a student's blog who had just started blogging. I told him that he would enjoy blogging. I also told him that I look forward to coming back and seeing his progress.

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung

I thought Mr. McClung had a great deal of advice to give. I am sure I will learn a lot during my first year of teaching as well as the years that follow. I learned to focus on the students and make sure that they understand the materials that you teach. I also learned that I should not get mad over the mistakes that I make. I like what he had to say about lesson plans: “NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT.” No matter how prepared you are, you should be prepared to expect different outcomes. The next thing he talked about was communication. I feel that you can learn better when you communicate. I learned that you should not always be hard on your students. Our job is to help them to better. Another thing he stated was to use technology while in the classroom. He told us to listen to our students because not all students have someone to talk to. I feel that this is very important for the student as well as for me. Lastly, he stated to never stop learning. Learning is an important aspect of life. I feel that this is a great self-reflection on Mr. McClung's first year of teaching. The post helped him and many others be prepared for their teaching career.

Week 4: Comments4Kids

In week 4, I read and commented on Esrah, Howard, Caroline, Jessica and Ramona's post. They retold the story of the Three Little Kids. I told them that this story used to be my favorite story when I was their age. I really enjoyed reading and commenting on their post.

Week 3: Comments4Kids

In week 3, I commented on Studamyer, Logan and Ahsin's post. They attended PT England School. Their post title was “The Lion and The Mouse 2”. I loved the story of how the mouse helped the lion because he was small. I told them that they did an excellent job retelling the story. I also told them to keep up the good work!

Wikipedia

Wow! Most of this information amazed me. I knew that Wikipedia could be edited by anyone, but I didn't know that people and even companies went as far as they did to edit the information. I think that is great that the people who edit the information can be tracked down. I do think it is funny how some people go over the edge to make their company look good. I also think it is crazy how people go over the edge to criticize other companies, people, places, and things. I guess that this type of behavior on a “website that anyone can edit” is expected.

As far as Wikipedia being a trusted source, I would not rely on it completely. I would probably use it to get the gists of certain information, but I would probably start going to another reliable website.

Week 2: Comments4Kids

In the second week of Comments4Kids, I read a post by Justin. He was talking about Super Mario Brothers. He said that he like Mario but not Yoshi. I told him that I loved all of the characters on Super Mario Brothers. I think it is something how kids come up with their own perception of how they look at the way things and people are. It was interesting to see kids opinions on things!

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

I thought Mr. Randy Pausch was very enthusiastic from the start! He let us know that his cancer was not going to stop him from doing his job. Although I felt so sad for him, he did not want us to have pity on him. This was a very brave statement. He let us know that anything is possible. He was able to achieve his zero gravity dream. I thought it was funny how he was not allowed to go to zero gravity because he was a faculty member but he somehow got an opportunity to still go because he was a web journalist.

Next, he talked about his football dream. What stood out to me was the quote: “Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted”. This quote really made me think. The next dream he was able to achieve. He was an author in the World Book Encyclopedia. I feel that being an author in an encyclopedia had to have been the best thing ever! Winning a stuff animal was one of my dreams as well. Although I was not as passionate about it as he was, I still always wanted one. I did win a few but they were no where near the size as his were.

As far as Mr. Pausch teaching methods, he was able to explain, model, and demonstrate many of his dreams. This let others know that they could achieve their dreams and anything is possible.

This video is probably the most interesting and heart-touching video that I have seen in the EDM 310 class thus far. This was something that I and many others could relate to. May Mr. Randy Pausch rest in peace.

Did You Know? 4.0

Wow, this video is even more surprising that the last one I watched. I think that it is amazing how technology is advancing so much in the world. Yes, I do still read newspapers and magazines but I know that in a matter of years they will not exist anymore. It is really overwhelming to me how technology is increasing and upgrading.

I know that when my 10 month old daughter ask me what a VCR is and what it is used for, I will be amazed; Amazed that the popularity of VCRs have come and gone in a matter of decades. What amazes me even more is the fact that she will probably encounter the same experience with her son or daughter about DVDs. In my opinion, I feel that the word is moving way too fast for me and I am struggling to keep up! I don't think I am ready to move on just yet.

All About Little Miss Madisyn

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

I do not think it should be all about technology. I agree with Mrs. Hines when she said "technology is not the first things we need to initiate change in the classroom". I do agree that technology can be very helpful but as she said change starts at the teaching and learning level.

Mrs. Hines list of four things to have a positive impact on students was very helpful and informative. The first statement on the list is the one that stood out the most to me: Teachers must be learners. There are new ways of learning new things each and everyday. We must learn how to teach in new ways. Now I know where Dr. Strange is coming from when he stated that he does not consider himself to be a teacher.