Project 9a (Individual) Timetoast

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-life-and-times-of-mary-lacoste

Blog Post #5

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Read Scott McLeod's post

     Just who is Scott McLeod? Dr. Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He is one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues, and he founded the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. McLeod has worked with numerous corporate partners to move schools into the 21st century. He is the co-creator of a popular video series, Did You Know (Shift Happens), and he blogs regularly about technology leadership issues.

     Dr. McLeod's post, "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?", is a warning to all parents, educators, and administrators. He uses a sarcastic approach to challenge educators to use technology in their school's curriculum. McLeod tells educators not to worry about teaching students all the different forms of technology. However, he tells us that he will be teaching his students these things and because of this, they will have a leg up over students who were never exposed to technology. I believe that McLeod is correct. If we want these students to be prepared for our fast-paced, ever-changing technological world, we must use technology and all of its forms in the classroom. Many people perceive technology as harmful for kids, but if we teach them how to use it properly, I feel this kind of teaching can be successful. We as educators must prepare our students for the future and the technology that is our future.

The iSchool Initiative

Watch Travis Allen's video

     Travis Allen is a name I think we will be hearing for a long time when it comes to technology. He is an extremely bright guy with some great ideas. Mr. Allen proposes a program where all students and teachers use an iPhone in the classroom. They will all use downloadable apps created by Apple, and all of their textbooks will also be downloaded as well. The iPhone will replace books, pencils, and paper in the classroom. Allen says the iSchool Initiative will not only will reduce our wasting of precious natural resources, but also financially benefit school systems by saving $600 a student. 

     I personally think this sounds like a great program, but I would like to see some research on the schools who have adopted it. I know students are definitely ready for this kind of learning, but are we as teachers? School systems would need to introduce this program gradually while educating the teachers who are still hesitant to face their fears of technology. I was not born into this world of technology, so I can't imagine a classroom with no books, paper, or pencils. However, I know this is the direction in which we are headed and I'm prepared to do what I need to do to teach with technology. We as educators must embrace the fact that technology is our future, and we must be accepting of the fact that we are teaching a new generation of learners. I would enjoying teaching in a school where the iSchool Initiative was being used. 

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Watch Whitacre's video

     What beautiful music made by a musical ensemble of 185 voices from twelve different countries! They recorded Lux Aurumque in a very unusual way. They never met in a recording studio or even in the same room. They all used their own computers and Eric Whitacre, using just over two hundred tracks, put them all together and uploaded them to You Tube. This innovative idea really shows the power of the internet. It reminds us that we are so far from really realizing the power and true potential of this kind of technology. The internet never ceases to amaze me. 

Teaching in the 21st Century

Watch Kevin Roberts's video

     After watching Kevin Roberts's video, "Teaching in the 21st Century," he asks you, "What does it mean to teach?". It really made me think because I want to be the very best teacher for my students. I want to make sure my lessons are engaging, I want to make a difference in my students' lives, and I want to them to internalize and be able to apply what I have taught them. I hope that all teachers want those same things for their students. The world is so quickly changing with all the technology that has been created, how do we keep up with it all? It can seem so overwhelming, but we must. Luckily, in the end of the video, Roberts does give us a few tips that I think all teachers can use. He advises us to start with some small piece of technology at first, and add that to your next lesson. He tells us to collaborate with others to see what has worked for them, and he tells us not to be afraid to take a risk when using technology in the classroom. I think all of these things can be easily implemented into your lessons. This makes it less intimidating when you think of it in these terms. Every teacher can do this.

    Kevin Roberts asks if teachers are still necessary since information is available to students immediately when using the internet. I think teachers are such valuable resources that we cannot do without them. Yes, students can find the facts and the information they need on the internet, and they can get the answers to their questions with the click of a button. So maybe they can gather information without the teacher, but a teacher helps them  to understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate that information. A teacher helps them to create something of their own using that information.  A perfect example was on the video. Roberts said that students can use Google, but who is teaching them how to use it. Teachers are still important tools in the classroom. Technology will always play a huge role in the modern classroom, but it will never replace the teacher. 

Blog Post #4

Eagles' Nest Radio & Class Blog

Visit the Eagles' Nest Site

     The Eagles' Nest Radio and Class Blog was very impressive. This is a site set up by a third grade class. This class made podcasts of different lessons they have learned. The podcasts were about Ancient Rome, explorers, and sharks. They also did a podcast where they interviewed someone about sharks using Skype. Those are some very talented third graders. I especially enjoyed their background music and sound effects. The ocean noises in the background as they interviewed the different explorers was my favorite. The kids did an excellent job on the radio. They spoke well and gave lots of interesting information. This is a great idea and could be used in all the different grade levels. This allows the parents to hear what their children are learning. I would love to start a page like this at my own school, and maybe I can use some cool sound effects in my own podcast. 

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

Watch this video

     "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom" is a video that shows teachers the advantages of using podcasting in the classroom. The creator of this video, Joe Dale, reminds us that as teachers we are teaching students who have never lived in a world without technology, so it would make sense to use that same technology to teach our students. Dale also says that students' creativity is allowed to flourish when they are allowed to podcast. One of the ways shown was using podcasts to record teachers' classroom lectures, so students who are absent do not miss out on the instruction. I absolutely love this idea. I always worry about my students who miss my class, and this would solve a lot of problems for the teacher and the student. Another way was to have students interview historical people using podcasts. This would be great for  a history or social studies class. I teach reading, and you could also interview famous authors or famous characters form literature using that same idea. The class could also do book talks and book reports through podcast. There is just so much you could do with podcasting in the classroom. The possibilities are truly endless.

Langwitches

Visit Langwitches

     Langwitches is a blog by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano. This blog seems to be such a valuable resource for teachers trying to integrate technology into the classroom. There were so many great articles about ways to use several different forms of technology, but I paid particular attention to the ones that focused on podcasting. The first one that really grabbed my attention as  a reading teacher was allowing students to use podcasting to record chapter books. The students are involved in all aspects of this projects. They must make a script as well as record the podcast. Then the teacher would upload these podcasts to their class blog and to itunes. What a great idea. So many students are auditory learners. Listening to recordings of books on podcasts could certainly help with comprehension. There was another assignment about the literary aspect of point of view that was perfect for the class I'm currently teaching. Middle school students would read short stories and discuss point of view. Then they would record the story from another character's point of view to see how the story would change. Some students used podcasts and some also made powerpoints. It was a great lesson and there were examples of the students' stories to listen to. What a great way to teach literary skills. My students would really enjoy this. I also learned about Glogs, which are interactive posters that can include different types of media. Students can use images, audio, video, and text to do any type of report. There were some examples of these as well. Needless to say, I became a fan of this page. I will definitely be following Langwitches.  

Project #6 - My Sentence Video

Project #5 - Google Presentation

Blog Post #3

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

Read Kelly Hines's article.

     Kelly Hines makes a great argument in her post about technology not being the answer to our schools' problems. She feels we must have great teachers who are ready to learn to better themselves. Without good teachers, all the technology in the world is not going to help our schools. I believe Kelly Hines is 100% correct. What she says is so true. As a teacher myself, I see these same problems in our schools. Some teachers get too comfortable and set in their ways. They're not willing to use the resources at their disposal. There is so much to learn as a teacher. I don't think learning ever stops. It's not just the students who learn in schools. I've only been teaching six years, but I feel I'm learning new things all the time. And as teachers we should know, if you teach it and the students didn't get, then we have to teach it in a different way. 

     Technology is definitely useless if there are not good teachers behind it. In one of the comments to Hines's post, someone said that technology may cause teaching to become a more competitive job market, and I believe that to be the case. The student teachers of today need to be well-trained in technology as well as their method classes. I think the universities are doing a better job of that. I hope the students graduating in the future will be ready for the challenge that teaching is, and the teachers who are not willing to change will soon be ready for retirement.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Read Karl Fisch's article.

     Karl Fisch uses some strong language to get his point across in this post written back in 2007. He believes very passionately that in this day and age, all teachers should be technology literate. All educators should achieve a certain standard of technology literacy, and if not the principals and the school system should be held accountable. Even universities should loose their right to teach education if they put out graduates that are not literate in the field of technology. It just seems inevitable. The world is becoming more technological every year. All people need to be comfortable with technology. 

     I have to agree with Fisch. He makes a very strong case. How can teachers educate children in the 21st century and not have these skills? I especially enjoyed his analogy of teachers not knowing technology being the same as teachers not being able to read and write thirty years ago. It certainly is a dilemma for our country, and it should not be acceptable. He also says teachers might have been able to get away with it five or ten years ago, but as the years go on, it will be impossible to not be literate in this age of technology. Older teachers will just have to break down and learn it, and the universities will just need to make sure they are offering classes similar to EDM 310, so students will be prepared for it in the classroom. 

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

Visit Gary's Social Media Count

     I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the numbers grew on Hayes's Social Media Count. I guess I never realized often people join all the social networking sites. The constant activity on sites like Facebook, iTunes, and Google is unbelievable. So many people from all over the world are connected by these sites. The world is definitively becoming smaller thanks to technology.

     As a teacher, we need be able to appreciate the statistics this site shows us. The great importance of these sites in undeniable. Teachers need to understand that value and embrace this technology. Many of our students will be using this technology and we should be not only aware of it, but able to use it. This is our world's future, and we as educators need to prepare our students for that future.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

Watch Micheal Wesch's video.

     Michael Wesch created a short video with a college level anthropology class that summarizes some of the characteristics of today's students. It shows how students learn currently and how they should be learning. It makes us question ourselves as educators. Are we giving students what they need to go out into the world and be successful? Standing up and writing information on a chalkboard is outdated. Technology is already what the students are using. We as teachers should harness that and turn it into learning. If we want our students to be successful, we must embrace technology and use it to teach our students.

     I think the video made some good points. Education needs to change because today's student has changed. Now teachers need to change the way we think of our students and our classroom. We need to be technologically literate so we can use that technology to engage our students. That is our future as educators. 

Summary Post #1 for C4T

For my first two C4T posts, I was assigned teacher Matthew Needleman's blog, "Creating Lifelong Learners." Mr. Needleman's latest post was an invaluable collection of links for teachers of First Day of School Activities. They included all sorts of great resources for teachers to access for new ideas of how to start the first day of school. There were preparation checklists, interest inventories, ice breakers, and games to play on the first day of school. My post included a "Thank you" to Mr. Needleman for sharing these great ideas with other teachers. I also told him that after teaching for six years like I have, it is so nice to have some fresh ideas at your disposal for the first day of school, which is such a critical day. Being well-prepared on your first day of school is a must for all teachers.

Mr. Needleman's next post was about a new version of Apple's movie editing software, Final Cut Pro X. He has been using the older version of this software for nearly ten years and highly recommends it to teachers interested in making movies. Mr. Needleman, despite mixed professional reviews, is excited about the new version of this software. He also shares a list of links to sites where teachers use and discuss the new software. I humbly admitted in my post that I had never used any movie-making software, but was in a highly progressive technology course that was teaching me all kinds of new things, and movie making was in my immediate future.

Here is the link if you would like to visit Matthew Needleman's Blog: http://creatinglifelonglearners.com/

Blog Post #2

Did You Know? 3.0

Watch Did You Know? 3.0.

     This You Tube presentation by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod is about the rapidly changing technological advancements that we are currently facing in our world today. I have actually seen this video a few years ago, and we showed it to our middle school students at the school where I teach. The students and teachers that watched it were equally impressed. The statistics and percentages used in this presentation were very thought provoking.  I especially enjoyed the BG (Before Google) reference. My own children sometimes ask, "What did you poor people do before Google?" I think the power of technology can sometimes seem intimidating, but we must be prepared for it. This video sort of touches on the question Dr. Strange asked in the class survey, "Are you technologically literate?". And I feel after watching this video, none of us can afford not to be.   

     I think the thing that truly amazes me is that I was not born into this world of technology, and to see how quickly computers, phones, music, and technology have advanced is unbelievable. Computers, i pods, Google, and Facebook were not household names as they are today. As a society, we must prepare ourselves, especially our young people, to work, play, and live with this technology. If we don't, our country will be left behind the rest of the world.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Watch Mr. Winkle Wakes

     In Matthew Needleman's video, "Mr. Winkle Wakes," Mr. Winkle wakes after one hundred years of sleep and finds the world a different place. He visits a place of business and a hospital and is bewildered by all the technology being used. People being kept alive by machines in hospitals, business people worlds apart talking to each other face to face using computers, people printing pictures and documents immediately with fax machine and copiers are just a few of the changes that confuse him. Then he visits to a school and finds that nothing has changed there over the one hundred years. He feels a sense of relief that things are the same in the schools.

     Mr. Needleman's video definitely makes a good point. Technology must be integrated into every classroom. How else will our young people be prepared for today's job market? I feel that technology may be slow in coming into our schools, but it's definitely there. I think classrooms have changed drastically in the last one hundred years. In the school in which I teach, each classroom has a Promethean Board and teachers are constantly being trained in new ways to use technology to teach our students. All students go to Computer Lab once a week and are required to make power points and movies and use programs such as Lego Robotics as part of their curriculum. We also have a Computer Club that competes in an annual Computer Fair at Faulkner University. Now I do realize that not all schools are as well funded as mine, but I feel even the Mobile Public Schools are working to bring more technology into the classroom. Sometimes I feel the technology is there, but the teachers are not trained to use it. Some teachers are too comfortable in their ways and not willing to change. I believe as younger teachers replace retired teachers, they will bring with them a wealth of knowledge in the field of technology. And then Mr. Winkle will be as confused and bewildered as he was in the hospital and place of business.  

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Watch Ken Robinson's video

     First and foremost, Sir Ken Robinson is absolutely hilarious. He is a wonderful speaker and I would really enjoy hearing more from him. Robinson believes that schools are killing students' creativity. He used specific examples of how school systems are doing this, and I believe he is right. He quoted van Gogh by saying, "All children are born artists." What a wonderful way to look at our students. Children are not scared to be wrong, and they will always take a chance, but schools end this creative expression at an early age. The school systems seem to decide what it important and creative in education. We put math, science, and language before the arts, and some school systems due to financial constraints have completely done away with the arts. 

     Robinson believes that creativity should be made just as important as literacy. He also makes a very good point about how educators should rethink the fundamental principals we are using to educate our children. Our current system of education is based on meeting the needs if industrialization. Our world has changed. How can we successfully prepare these children for adulthood and the work place when we don't even know what the world will be like when they are ready to go out and find a job? Robinson really gives you a lot to think about. I will definitely share the comment that he shared from Jonas Salk. If insects were all destroyed, all humankind would end, but if humans were all destroyed, the world would flourish. Our educational systems are stifling student creativity, and society needs to change their beliefs about education. 

Cecelia Gault Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

Watch Cecelia Gault's interview.

     The little Cecelia Gault's of the world would all be better off if the education systems could follow Sir Ken Robinson's advice. He says he believes that everyone is creative in some way and students can also be taught to be more creative. He also said that education could improve if curriculum were balanced between the arts and the sciences, there was a better use of technology in the classroom, and a closer connection between schools and their communities. Another comment that was very interesting to me was that intelligence is so diverse that no one can seem to agree exactly what it is. Intelligence is so many things.

     I believe that school systems are going to have to consider this and make these changes into policy to ensure children are receiving a quality education. As teachers we all know that students learn in different ways, so we have be diverse with our teaching methods. Teachers can also show their students the importance of the arts by bringing them into the classroom even if your particular school system doesn't have the funds to teach them. Teachers should also incorporate technology into the classrooms. There are many things we can do as teachers, but the educational systems of the world will have to change their view of education as well.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Watch Vicki Davis's video

     Vicki Davis is an inspiration to all teachers. Her school is in a very rural community, and she has successfully linked them to the rest of the world. She has found a way to effectively teach technology to all of her students without only using a piece of paper and a pencil which she thinks restricts her students' learning styles.  Mrs. Davis has taught her students to be thinkers. They work independently and collaboratively in her computer lab. 

     She blogs regularly at Cool Cat Teacher and has introduced her students to inventive programs like Digiteen and  the Flat Classroom Project. She has even taken her students to a conference in the Middle East to meet other students involved with one of their projects. If anyone thinks that technology is difficult to integrate into the classroom, they should watch this video. I personally like the way Mrs. Davis thinks that it's okay for your students to teach you, and it's okay to learn with your students. Teachers don't need to be afraid of technology. It is such a wonderful resource, and we should take advantage of all it has to offer.