Project #6 My Sentence

Blog Post #5

The iSchool Initiative
In the video,"The iSchool Initiative", Travis Allen, a 17 year old senior from Georgia, gives his solution to America's education problem. In his high school, like many schools, they experience budget cuts, teachers being let go, and class sizes getting larger. His solution to these problems is allowing technology to completely take over the class room by using the iSchool. The iSchool will eliminate cost of books, paper, pencils, and copy machines. Apple iSchool would be built based off of the Apple iTouch and would cost around $150 per student. He states that iSchool will connect parents with teachers and what their students are learning. There are many apps he mentions that would teach students many subjects, including usage of scientific calculator app for math. The iSchool would be a more environmental friendly way of learning.

In the video "Zeitgeist Young Mind's Entry", Travis Allen said, he was 17 when he made the first youtube video,and at 18 years old he formed the iSchool Initiative, which is student lead and non profit organization that revolutionize education. Now that he is 20 years old and in college, in this video, he has a team of 25 people that travel the country to motivate school to try mobile learning. This revolution has been publicized around the country with many schools adopting this new technology. He states that we have to change the way we do things to prepare our youth for the digital age they were born in.

I think this is a great way to teach school, be more environmental friendly, and save money. The students would benefit from learning in a different and a more fun way. It would prepare students to be more technology savvy, considering that is the direction we are headed in. My questions to iSchool are, unless there is an app created for writing with a digital pen, how will students learn to write? What would happen if the power went out, if they were not in a solar powered school? And what would happen if the internet crashed? Is a solar powered school, for this technology, necessary and would it still be cost efficient to change the schools for this purpose? These are just a few concerns that I have, but if these were not problems, I think it is a great idea.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I watched the video "Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir". Wow! That is an awesome way of utilizing the internet. I cannot fathom how we have got this far in technology. It seems like, not too long ago, we advanced from cassette tape players to CD's, VHS to DVD's, and now to blue rays. Technology has came a long way in a short time, it seems. To be able to connect peoples voices, that have never met, and put them together with a harmonization like that, is amazing! The people looked to be in many different locations including their home or office. This is awesome!

Teaching in the 21st Century
In the video,"Teaching in the 21st Century", by Kevin Roberts (John Strange version), Roberts is saying that we cannot merely teach the basics we need to teach students how to use technology. Yes the students have access to all kinds of knowledge on the internet with many resources, but they need to know how and how not to use them. Students need to understand what are the proper ways to use the internet. I think that the need to teacher will always be around.

Teacher are essential for encouraging and motivating students to continue learning and doing their best. Teachers also can give more non-bias opinions about topics on the internet. Just because the internet is out there and accessible, it doesn't meant that people are just going to use it or know how to use it. That is where teacher come in, they teach students to read and how to write to be able to use the internet. I think there will always be a need for teachers.

Flipped Classroom
In the videos,"Why I Flipped My Classroom",by Katie Gimbar, "Dr. Lodge McCammon's FIZZ-Flipping the Classroom",by Dr. Lodge McCammon, and "Flipping the Classroom-4th Grade STEM, by Ms. Munafo, they flipped their classrooms. I like the idea of making videos, teaching lessons, for student to watch at home. The student can learn at their own pace and ask for help in the classroom if they are not understanding what is being taught. I like this because I ask my own children what their teacher said about a subject that they are struggling with. If their teacher flipped their classroom, I could watch the video with them to understand how the teacher wants them to do something and help them with it. It truly does seem to be able to connect the teacher to the students and even can involve the parents.

I think that I could use this in a classroom. It would be a great way to teach a lesson. I would be nervous to make my own videos, but I think it would get more routine and less nervous. I think making the videos myself for my students would be more personalized and sincere, than just using prerecorded ones. This is a great idea.

Blog Post #4

1st Graders Create Own Read Along Book
In "Langwitches, 1st Graders Create Own Read Along Book", Ms.Tolisano shows how first graders benefit from creating the audio books. The teacher records the student reading the story chapter by chapter. As they read the story the 1st graders wanted to re-record to make it sound more theatrical. They wanted to put more emotion into their recorded readings. I think this is a great way to have kids involved in technology that sparks their interest. This does not teach them technology, but it uses technology as a tool for advances in learning and promotes a more exciting ways of reading. There are sounds used between the chapters for students that are following along to find their place, if they have lost it during the reading.

In one of the audio book examples, students used sounds of the animals that they were reading about. This is called garageband. This is a great way to get children interested in reading. Making it fun with animal noises and then hearing themselves read aloud with the sounds in appropriate spots during the story would be very exciting for a first grader.

Flat Stanley Podcast
In "Lanwitches, Flat Stanley Podcast" students make a podcast of the story they read, "Flat Stanley". The students in the podcast of this story seems excited about reading. I think this is a great way to excite the students about reading. Posting it for the world to connect is also exciting for the students to know that people all over the world is interested in their reading skills. My daughter and niece have both participated in a "Flat Stanley" project. They sent a "Flat Stanley" to each other houses in the mail and then had to write about his adventures on his trip. If they have made a podcast it would have made the project even more exciting for them.

Podcasting With 1st Grade
In Podcasting With 1st Grade, students made a podcast talking about the story they read, telling the story and pretending to interview the characters in it. This makes it fun for the first graders to hear their podcast with the added sound affects. When the podcast is posted on the internet, to be viewed all over the world, it makes it even more exciting for them to know that people around the world listen to their story. I know that my daughter, when she was in first grade, liked to talk about how people are famous and wanted to be famous one day too. These first graders having the world as their audience can almost feel as they are also famous. Students that may never get a chance in life to leave their state now have a way to connect with the world through reading with podcasting.

Project #5 Presentation

C4T Post #1

C4T #1 Post
For the C4T project #1, I commented on Paige Vitullis' blog post "Pondering Paige". In this blog, her most recent one, was on the day before the semester started. She has a positive outlook for what is to come in this semester. She also has a very busy schedule this semester. Ms. Vitulli will be traveling to Ireland, via a grant, for a conference. She will also be studying different cultures by connecting with them. I left her a post that I liked her outlook on the semester and wish her well on her trip and her study of the cultures.

C4T #2 Post I posted my second comment on Ms. Vitullis' blog post "Pondering Paige" on her post about, "NAEA Proposal Accepted: Connecting Communities with Chopsticks". In this post she shared a link about how she was accepted for this conference. This conference will be held in the spring in Texas. I congratulated her on being accepted and wished her well in this conference. I posted on a later post because there were no new post.

Blog Post #3

Peer Critiquing
For this blog post we were required to read "Paige Ellis' Blog Assignment #12" and view the slide show "Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial" and watch the video's "What is Peer Editing" and "Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes". After learning from these videos, slide show and blog post we were required to critique a peers blog post entry. I was going to leave a comment though e-mail, but since I did not find an e-mail address listed on the post, I critiqued the post by leaving a comment. I think the post was well written with a few grammatical errors. I agreed with much of what was written in the post. If there would have been more errors and it wasn't well written, I would have taken more steps to send an e-mail instead. I feel like an e-mail gives a person a chance to fix their mistakes without having to feel like they were, "called out" in front of peers. Since there were only minor mistakes and it was well written, I felt comfortable leaving a comment.

In the before mentioned blog post, video, and slide show, I have learned a nice way to critique my peers. I learned that you need to start out with a compliment. Stay positive and peers will not feel like they are being attacked. Make suggestions about what they wrote and how it might enhance it, if it was written differently. Give them different word choices, details, and see if they stayed on topic.

After making suggestions if there are any punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors tell them specifically where they are and how to fix them. Continue to remain positive. Constructive criticism is better than being negative. I believe people will get a better response when they are nice about it and not making the person feel that their work is not worthy. I learned that when critiquing a peer to not be over critical. I will try to treat others with the same respect that I would like to be treated with.

Technology in Special Education
In the video "Technology in Special Education" , Ms. Cook explained the importance of technology in a special education class. She showed examples of how students worked with and without advanced technology. The children seem to respond to using technology with better attitudes and seemed to be more productive. These technologies used also benefits the teacher. When a student can't read well it takes someone to help with reading, but with an ipod students can listen to audio books which makes it fun for the student. The students have more fun with the technology and have better attitudes about learning. This also benefits the teacher.

In the video we saw students that aren't able to speak. Using laptops gives these students a way to communicate more efficiently. A student that is special needs, handwriting isn't always legible. The use of lap tops the students can type or click words to communicate. Students with vision problems, a program called "zoom text" can magnify the words on a computer for students to see clearer. This is basically breaking down barriers of communication between students and teachers.

Teaching special needs students how to use computers and other types of technology will prepare them for jobs they may possibly have in the future. Keeping them up to date with technology gives them more opportunities to actually get a job. I would use as much technology as I could for my students to give them a fun learning experience and prepare them for possible jobs. I can communicate with the parents by way of e-mail or a website listing what the lessons are and how to help their children with homework. I have worked with a special needs child that could not speak and the computer she used helped tremendously with communication.

How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism
In the video How the iPad Works with Academic for Autism" parents were working with an autistic child using toddler counting, my first word, and kids writing pad. All of these apps would work in a classroom depending on the age and skill level of the student. I found an app called MathBoard at "Apple.Education Apps.com". With MathBoard I could teach them how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. This would be a fun and interactive way of learning. Math is my favorite subject and there are also apps as Math Bingo that would be a fun game to help them learn as well.

I like the counting exercise that was the toddler counting app. For lower level learners I could use that to teach them how to count before teaching them to add and subtract. In the use of iPads the students could hopefully have on at home to be able to work with parents to keep them involved in their education. A student could show parents what they have learned for reinforcement of encouragement. I believe if school have funding of this kind of technology it will greatly benefit students with special needs.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
In the video,"Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts"by Vicki Davis she shows us how she teaches students using their interest and strengths. She focuses on which group of students like what kinds of technologies and then allows them to teach the rest of the class. I think this is an awesome way of learning. She uses vocabulary that they have to research on the internet. This is using a creative way of teaching literacy. Sometimes the students even teach her something new.

The students on this video were from a small time in a rural area. Some students aren't able to travel, but introducing them to blogging is a way to connect them with the world. It gives them a chance to look at other cultures without having to leave home. I think this is a great opportunity for students to connect with other cultures and a learning process that isn't offered in books alone. It is the most current and up-to-date information about what a country or culture is experiencing.

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Blog Post #2

1. I watched the video Did you know? 3.0-A John Strange 2012 Version based onDid you know? 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. In this video it stated that India has 25% higher IQ's than the United States and that China is a rapidly growing English speaking country. It stated that more and more technological advances are made each year. Teachers need to stay up to date on the leading edge of technology to teach and prepare students for the future.

Large number of people use many technologies including google,youtube, and many other means of internet searches every day, every minute. The question was asked, Who did people ask these questions before these programs were created? Many people all over the world not only Americans are using these technologies.

A number of people all over the world have cell phones. People all over the world send millions of SMS messages just within minutes. Computers are becoming more common in more households across the world, in many cultures and including minorities. With a large growth in technological devices the more people learn, they are ready to advance to the new and upcoming technology.
The question was asked,"Are you ready to become and educator?" I believe that I am ready, but being ready means that I need to keep up with the never ending advances made in technology. I need to continue to learn new programs as they come out to stay up to date to prepare my students to be able to adapt to what new may arise in years to come. I need to teach them to continue to learn and know how to advance their knowledge in solving problems they may not even be a problem yet.

2. In the video Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman,there is a guy named Mr. Winkle and he wakes after 100 years. When he wakes up he realizes that things have changed drastically while he was asleep.

When he goes to an office area he is introduced to advances in communication and computers. This is extremely different than it was 100 years ago. Later he arrives at a hospital and the medical advances are things like ventilators that he never in his wildest dream could ever imagine could exist. When he walks around the city there are major changes in how the building are built and cars driving down roads that didn't exist 100 years ago. Later when he come to the school he realizes it is much the same as it was before he went to sleep. They have technology available, but are not using it.

In my opinion this is sad. The entire world is up to date and using much needed advances in technology, but in schools where it is needed to be taught the most, they aren't using it. I believe that if we have cutting edge technologies and can use it to teach with and help better prepare the students for the future and every day life where they will be using it, then why aren't we? I think this class is helping prepare future educators to not make the same mistake seen in the video on You Tube.

3. In the video "The Importance of Creativity" by Ken Robinson I was enlightened by understanding how important it is to encourage students in their creativity. We do not know what the future will hold or bring, but we need to prepare students to be able to embrace it and to be productive. Teaching students to be opened minded to change is a good way to enhance their ability to move forward and not stay in a sort of comfort zone. Allow them to be creative and encourage students to keep thinking forward. Students that we teach will possibly have or create technologies that we can not even imagine.

All children have talents and we are so worried about focusing on literacy that we overlook students creativity. Children shouldn't have their creativity taken away from them. It will most likely enhance their learning. As adults we are scared to be wrong or make mistakes. "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with something original" (Ken Robinson). We are teaching people structured learning of literacy and mathematics, that students are loosing their creativity. Thinking of myself I see this as a very true statement. I am scared to do something wrong and I'm very hard on myself, so I tend to not try to be creative or be "out of the box" in fear of being wrong.

In the video he mentioned most everyone is born with artistic abilities. Most of the time these are not advanced, mostly put aside to make room for education. Art and music come at the bottom of most list of importance in school across the world. Drama and dance are at the bottom of that list. We are teaching students just the basic Math, Language and Humanities. We need to also focus on their creativity and I believe it would work hand in hand with learning, maybe it would even enhance learning.

It was mentions that someone times children can't sit still and most people want to give those children medicines to calm them down, when in actuality they just need to refocus on their creativity and teach them in a different way. Children are our hope for the future and whatever it may hold. We may not see what they will see, but we need to prepare them for the future.

4.In the video "A Day Made of Glass" by Corning, a very advanced world was introduced. A world of glass that is all touch screen and very technological advanced. Schools run by solar panels with glass and products in the classroom. This would broaden the classroom experience for students and make it a fun learning environment. Watching this video can be a tool to spark peoples interest and present them with new ideas to take technology in many directions.

Technology has come a long way over the years and is still advancing. It is awesome to think that teaching will possibly be like it was in the video in the future. I am excited to be a future teacher! I only have a few hesitations about this kind of technologies. Other than the cost being a concern, I worry that if a breakdown or bug in the system shuts it down, how would that be handled in a totally computer dependent class room? Another concern with the advance in technology we still need to remember how important exercise is and getting out to do physical activities. Technology can make people more dependent on making life simple and possibly becoming lazy for it. As long as the people understand that balance is the key, then it can be an awesome thing!

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