Monday, August 31, 2009

Podcast !!!

Connect Learning- David Warlick( A conversation with Clarence Fisher)

This podcast takes place in a Italian restaurant. Mr.Warlick asks Mr. Fisher about telling his story. His story of being a middle school teacher bringing podcast and other technology gadgets to the classroom. Mr. Fisher says that this helps kids see whats really out there in the world through this new technology catches their attention. In the future, Mr. Fisher is looking towards the educations system being able to customize the experience for the students. He also goes on to say that allowing kids to you use laptops, ipods, podcast and etc. in the classroom setting is giving kids control over their learning experiences and goals in a more control environment of education.

Ed Tech Talk( Teachers teaching Teachers)and Kidcast: Learning and Teaching with Podcast

Ed Tech talk episode is sound advice for implementing digital library and how younger kids as 4th graders are really good age to start. This session talks the idea behind creating a digital library is that it is very broad media feature. This library goal was to make library entries fun and like able to the point you would like to replicate it.
The Kidcast program will give thoughts on video podcast and steps to starting off on a good footing. Video podcast is syndicated media and it is not that different from audio podcast. It is not a higher level or upgrade of audio podcast. For some panels,choosing audio podcast is the best choice. That's not to say those are not equipped to use video podcast. Such as a audio podcast would be suit a panel of commuters. If you are talking about something very complex and use illustrations, then you would use video podcast.
This program really gives good advice for people that are new to podcast. For future reference,you do not have to have your video podcast start looking as professional such CBS news. Yet over time quality of research, sound, lighting and etc. will all improve. Letting security questions devolve the product. IT is up to the teachers to explain to the students what type of information is appropriate. Most teacher must remain the gate keeper of safety.

Smartboard Lessons- Teachers Connecting Podcast and Mac Break Weekly

At the beginning of this podcast, one of the co-host announces that for the first time the two hosts are in two different areas while making this podcast. This podcast gives information on ideas for teachers to close the school year out. Such different learning techniques that can be applied towards your students interests. It also provides lives for all teachers , such as math links, that show kids how to do math and it also gains their attention. Basically Mac Break Weekly covers all things Macintosh. They discuss the latest software, how use it and wheter or not its functional. Also they ask questions about certain media files with apple, in terms of what you can and can't do using apple.

This Week in Photography

First the group talks about the new strap that attaches to your camera. One guy mention he is definitely planing to buy it once the podcast was over. One concern is that it may be little hard to take off hand. Some one described it as a bowling grip strap,and another said it might not be so good in hot and humid conditions. The panel goes on to mention that their are rumors or speculation of a new canon seven D.Next topic is about you do not have to be brand loyal. For instance if you have been recently purchasing canon products and Sony came out with a great body and zoom updates, then you should get the Sony.This panel gives out all the latest updates for all types of camera.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Next Generation Learning

This kid was pretty good at advertising the many great functions technology has to offer the education system. The video showed how implementing technology at a younger age benefits the child greatly. For starters, creating a website that kids can access to assignments and homework from where ever they may be. Plus parents get the extra bonus of being in contact with the teachers with out always having to do a face to face meeting. The parents can log-on and see what subject their child is studying for the week along with the progress reports of their child. Also as the video excluded that our parents grew up with dusty chalky boards that made a screeching sound when being applied. Learning seemed dull, boring with little room for imagination.Children of today get this aura of Lights, Camera and Action taking place within the walls of a school. Public Schools in the United States should be taking a page out of the Handbook from this school. Using technology at this young age, gives the imagination of a kid another realm to be explored. The implementation of the the Wi game in school is a neat addition. The WI examines your reflexes, speed and flexibility just to name a few. The really is a cool feature that can be used with just about all subject areas of a curriculum. Recently, the wi program has introduced a new WI Fitness program. This program perhaps could be brought into the schools for physical and health classes.

Did You Know? 3.0

The answer to that question is, a gigantic no.To know that India and China are producing numbers off the charts in terms of population, honor kids and even the number of babies born in fives minutes all exceeds America. To my understanding, I thought myspace has just recently began in the past three years or so, and yet it has 200 million registered users today.With the way the economy is now, I see how they were able to project that by the age of 38 a person will have had between 10-14 jobs. Everything keeps changing and evolving quickly into a new area to the point of job positions we have not even heard of will be among us soon and those jobs will be in very high demand. With our wave of communication over the past 50 yrs or so, it took radio 38 yrs to reach a market of 50 million versus an ipod it only took 2 years. This is a in your face count of how far we really have come.
Back in the early nineties Internet was something brand new,especially to families,a new world and every one was experiencing it. Yet today Internet is everywhere from homes,work,schools and cell phones. Internet has rapidly changed all of us dramatically. Especially in the school system of the world, such as now the Internet is basically a large part of the curriculum . For instance, this class I am taking now, EDM 310 Microcomputing, almost every aspect is online. Such as making blogs and learning how to create podcasts, videos and other forms of presentation skills to the world and uploading them to the blogs. It is a necessity for all educators to work and operate a computer from using word documents, power point and the audio and visual aids techniques from online that help relate substance of a particular subject in a better and more willingness to learn atmosphere. I think that students learn and retain information/knowledge much better if their is a hands on activity. Therefore they take the knowledge and instruction about a subject and then they use that information to apply it, to really gain this is how it works.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

WOW!! Vicki Davis has done a tremendous job. It was cool to witness that type of technology and teaching taking place in just a rural area. Which I hope will give inspiration to all students and teachers to know that you do not allow your environment to dictate the hopes, dreams and wonderful experiences you can have in your life. I especially loved when she said, "you do not have to know everything in order to teach it". I think that says a lot, that we as future teachers should not try to override our brains with all the information. For we learn each and every day and in that process it makes it worth teaching when you can learn with your students. It gives them the example that you never truly stop learning, no matter what you profession may be.
The idea of learning through technology like this, I think is brilliant. What do all kids over the world know about? Computers. For the past two decades these students have grown up with either a computer at home or at least access to one in the schools and libraries. Children are fascinated with technology, for it gives the sense of urgings to learn all they possibly can about it. I personally grew up with a computer at home and every day I most definitely was learning all about email accounts and instant messaging. I thought it was so cool that I could write a letter or have a conversation with someone and they would receive it within in minutes, all through the use of technology. Technology is indeed the wave of the future and we as future educators need to know we must learn our students and adapt the curriculum in a way that leads to a investigation of the mind to learn and not just using a test on paper with a pencil. We all indeed learn differently, which makes each and every one of us truly special.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson was very entertaining and made interesting insights about creativity in the school system. Watching Sir Robinson gives this humorous and insightful view points on how kids have a thirst for things they like or love do. How we as adults try and control what areas of the curriculum kids should focus more of their learning experiences on. I can remember back in preschool and elementary days how they were small areas of designated time for the arts. Just to have the ability to simply create, whether you would be thinking about drawing building, dancing or even how to make school a more interesting and productive place that kids would want to come, would be a huge asset to that child's well being in the future. A few of Sir Ken Robinson's key points include, all kids have tremendous talent, kids will chances and the story of Gillan Lynne.
As Sir Robinson said, all kids have tremendous talent. Which is true and that creativity is of the up most importance in developing a child. I can honestly say that I do not really know what my talent or even purpose is here on earth. For me, its really hard to distinguish between what my capabilities could lead toward having a talent and based upon others as to what talent really is. One reminder that Sir Robinson said that was indeed ringing true, is that kids will take chances and that they are not afraid to be wrong. As kids grow older and experience the punishment of being wrong in the school system, such as kids laughing at you or being reprimand by a authority figure for not get a question correct, seriously plays an effect on that child's function later as an adult. We as adults, even college students have big hesitation to answering a question not right. How are we really to supposed to grasp the lessons in life if we never make mistakes and know that making those mistakes does not mean that I am not smart, talented or even just a good person.
The story of Gillan Lynne is very moving in the aspect of how we as a society want to fix everything and in her case, just because she was not excelling in math and science areas, could not pay attention for long and was fidgeting a lot in school meant in the eyes of her school that she must have a learning disability or in today we call it ADD. After being taken to a doctor, it turns out that "she moved to music"(Sir Robinson). That music helped her to think and there simply was not anything wrong with Gillan Lynne except she liked to dance.
Future educators of tomorrow should definitely look more at whether or not we are truly trying to develop a childs' creativity and talent for the better or just developing a child to be able to get job/career one day?

All About Me

Hello Everyone,

My name is Ashley Lambert and I am currently a senior transfer student. I bring greetings from the one of the best Historical Black Colleges in the nation- Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University(Normal AL), a.k.a The HILL. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, minor in Chemistry. So far, the greeting from South Alabama has been very inviting and engertic. I am looking forward to the next couple of years in regards to making new network connections and furthering my education. Personally about me, I am 23 years old, I come from a big family and my hometown is Fort Deposit (Lowndes County) AL. I am looking forward to expanding my horizon into the health care field which brings me here to Univ. of South Alabama.

Therefore one of my goals here at University of South Alabama is explore and to be very engeritc about pursuing a degree in Health Education. The Health Care Field is changing even as I write this blog, if you would just listen to the news or READ a newspaper, the turn around is very eye catching. I want to be able to help individuals learn how to better take care of themselves such as expanding their knowledge of proper hygiene, prevention of pregnacy and sexual transmitted disease and learning how to properly fix a meal. I am currently a young african american female that is overweight and is in need of a serious nutrition shake up. Being vulernable to the many health risks such as diabeties and hypertension is no laughing matter. I want to be able to TALK THE TALK and WALK THE WALK when I am telling others how important it is to change their eating habits and to know the ends and outs of protecting themselves from pregnacy and sexual transmitted diseases.
Upon completion of my degree , I would like to use the knowledge and experience obtained from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical Univ. and the Univ. South Alabama in and out of the classrooms to further my professional career by taking the National Certification Exam which upon successful completion, will allow me to become a Certified Health Education Specialist. My dream jobs include working for the Center for Disease and Control at headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and to become a Superintendent of a Public School System.