Journal 10

Podcasting Basics: Simple Steps for Introducing Podcasting into Your K-8 Class, Part 2

by Dian Schaffhauser

In this article the author extends from a previous article on "how to" of podcasting in the classroom. Schaffhauser talks about using garage band and itunes as the medium of your lessons. Since i personally don't like mac as much because i have been raised with PC, i like how the author talked about podbean, a PC compatible version. I know when i am teaching, i would love to incorporate my daily lectures to the web.

Another cool aspect she noted was having a podcast be uploaded to a blog. If i was really disciplined, it would be very professional of me to have a daily or weekly blog where i could upload information like that so parents can stay informed with what is going on in the classroom.


Questions:

1. Whenever i think of podcasting, i always thinks it takes a lot of computer literacy. I wonder; will this be practical for me? According to the article, it is very easy to upload and edit, but when i tried it once before i couldn't get it to work.

2. I know we are always advancing, so i wonder; whats next for podcasting? I then did a little research and found you can not only hear podcasts from websites and your computer, but from VoIP technology. By dialing a phone number, you can hear a menu of available podcasts and features

Journal 9

Are Schools Failing Kids in 21st Century Skills?

by Dave Nagel

In this article Dave Nagel talks about the general publics perception on what they think is wrong today with education. Of the many things they feel that are failing students to be prepared for the 21st century, organization and communication skills seem to be the most evident. He then gives the public opinion in graph form. Of the reasons to blame, only a small percentage blamed it on the teachers lack of training. I was glad to see the public not kill the messengers, because we are so bound to state standards. I have actually had this conversation several times with friends about how the things we are taught in school are irrelevant to what we need to succeed in todays world.

Questions:

1. When reading the article i was asking myself, why aren't there any classes on credit scores, or how to invest in stocks. What are some good ways to invest in the housing market? What is a good rate? All of these questions i am still ignorant about and i don't know if i will ever get them answered as to why this vital information is not taught in schools.

2. Why do we have to learn a censored history text in school? Whenever you get to college you have to relearn all of the things you learned in high school because it wasn't the whole truth. If we are going waste time learning a history that isn't true, why not just devote that time to building our communication skill? I wish i had more public speaking classes.

Journal 8

T.H.E. Journal
Spotlight: Free Science Resources Online
by Dave Nagel

In this short article the author briefly describes some resources available to secondary science teachers. A major university in MIT, NASA, and the Smithsonian Institution offer resources to anyone online for free. I was most impressed with the materials offered by MIT. There resource offers "15,000 lecture notes; 1,800 syllabi; 2,600 videos, audio clips, and animations taken from actual MIT courses; 9,000 assignments; and 900 assessments." That's an entire college education pretty much for free, and its from one of the most revered colleges in the world. The videos look very informative and I am just astonished that they offer something like this for free.

Questions:

1. I was wondering as I read the article, how can i find the material i need that is offered when there is so much information? After browsing the site, i saw they made it very easy to find information with its categorized system.

2. Because MIT is offering all of this information i honestly was thinking to myself, is there a way i can contribute or donate to this cause because i think this concept is great. I then saw a big "Donations" button on the site so it answered that question.

Journal 7 : Podcasting

Podcasting is recording lectures, extra materials, or study materials and putting it into an mp3. Once this is in mp3 it is made accessible by the instructor for downloading by the student to upload to mp3 players or to play from media players on a computer. There are many ways in which podcasts can be used to make learning a much more rich experience. Teachers can record their own lectures, additional supporting materials, present alternate perspectives, used as study guides, and can bridge the gap for disabled students.

I remember my first experience with podcasting, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was such a relief having the class lecture in a downloadable format so I didn’t have to strain myself during lecture. I could just enjoy the conversation and topic, and then go back and revisit areas that weren’t as clear the first time.

In my own classroom I would use podcasting especially when talking about a particular assignment. Some of the most important days of school are those when a major assignment is given, and those opening explanations and clarities by students are vital. I would like to record myself and the class during these critical moments.

To incorporate podcasting into my classroom, I would use Atomic Learning to put in on the web or in a place very accessible to my students. I am a fan of video tutorial but it’s also nice to be shown how to do things as well.

Journal 6

Inspiration was a really cool program that out dates all other forms of brainstorming. It is very easy to use and gives a great visual representation of your thoughts. I think students would really like to use it, especially high school students having trouble with essay building. I even now sometimes build essays the brainstorming way and use a similar structure on my scratch paper. I like the visual layout of the program. I like adding my own pictures which I was able to do, and it is a pretty simple procedure. The ability to use the rapid fire was also helpful because it eliminates unnecessary clicking.
If i were a high school teacher i would incorporate this into every essay assignment I ever gave. I would also use it when doing a class discussion about a modeled essay. I really like the brainstorming method and that is exactly what inspiration allows you to do. I think for the elementary school levels, this program would be good for book reports. Each category could be a different chapter or theme. I think instructors could use it for K-2 in overhead discussion when trying to cover simple subjects but it couldn’t be too elaborate.
I personally did not use the self tutorial to use the inspiration program. I actually was taught how to use it last year in my other tech class. Whenever i am trying to learn something new though, i usually will use a tutorial video or a help option. I know for the Wiki I did just that because I didn’t realize how easy it was to just add text and save, I thought there was more to it.
I have been using Imovie type software for years. I am really into making home videos of my travels. Time is passing us by every second and you can never take a moment back. What you can do is capture it. I am a firm believer in this and will be a major proponent of Imovie and Imovie type software. It has an easy to use format and gives many options that make it seem professionally done.
In my classroom, I would incorporate Imovie into the classroom by having assignments be done with it. There are many ways in which a student can express both content knowledge and creativity using this software. I think in schools, creativity is taken away, and programs like this allow us to pump it back in.
The Imovie tutorial and others like it are useful. I personally like having a peer show me how to do something. For some reason peer teaching works best for me. Maybe it’s an internal reflex of wanting to be accepted, but my brain seems to just focus so much better when things are taught to me on my own level.

Journal # 5

Journal #5
Making field trips podtastic by Paul McGuinness is a great article for incorporating technology into field trips that could have meaning loss in transition between assignments. The interactive field trip was designed to increase student’s time at exhibits and for them to have a better understanding of the experience. A creative podcast develops a better understanding of each exhibit and allows the students many more options in ways of assessing understanding and knowledge. Ipods aren’t the only thing that can be used, PDA cell phones give students the best opportunity to take pictures, record observations and listen to meaning podcasts that can truly enhance the content of a field trip. The first initiators in the article were from the Technological centers at Harvard. They tried to keep technology withn the range of the average educator. By doing this, it makes it assessable for most to all educators to implement in the class.

Questions:
1. The first question that came to mind, is how can we get these pieces of technology to students who have no income support at home? I again thought of the fund raising of the classroom but thought maybe I could go to the board and ask for money. Maybe not..
2. My next question while reading was, what about those field trips that aren’t exhibit based? What about a field trip that is more kinesthetic? Would they be implemented then? I would think they could be, but more of a buffer before going into it. Maybe have the pod cast during the ride to the field trip or on the way back to school.

Journal #4

In Five Don’t of Classroom Blogging by Julie Sturgeon, the author discusses web etiquette. She beings by discussing the “technicaleducaphobia” of teachers inability to implement technology into the classroom. She then goes into her five main points. First, don’t just dive in (research your technology). Many teachers go into the blog without getting parental support or establishing boundaries. Don’t confuse blogging with social networking. Students need to talk to each other and help each other through assignments, but it shouldn’t be used as a way to find out where parties are, or who did what. Do not jump at freebies such as blogger because they do not offer the structure a school setting needs. I disagree personally. That is to say there are not better sites, just a teacher has a limited budget especially in California. The next point is to use blog formats based on topic rather than date because good articles can get lost. I agree with this because I have a hard time finding things sometimes. Lastly, don’t leave the blogging to the students. Basically we need to teach the skills required to use blogs properly.

Questions:

1. Throughout the article I was wondering, in what ways can I get parents involved with technology to help the students. Then I thought of creating a blog forum or discussion board in which parents, teachers, and students come together to help each other out.
2. What would be something I would add to a blog discussion? I would have said something about making the discussions and assignments meaningful so student responses won’t be superficial.

Journal #3

Speaking Math by using chat by Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson is an article that explores the use of electronic discussion tools in math classes that helps accommodates multicultural students. The basis for using this technology is through forums and online discussions. Students are assigned different parts of each chapter and are then to express the segment to the class in how it made sense to them. They will then teach the class and themselves as an online community. By using this strategy it allows an additional avenue of participation for non native speakers and others who struggle with language terms in mathematics. Besides ESL students, some benefits of the approach is the ability of teachers to formulate effective small groups which in turn alleviates confusion.

Questions:

As I read the article I was agreeing with the use of discussion boards and the ability to add personality to the answer. Also, by having the security of a computer in front of you, it alleviates the fear of speaking in front of people or asking questions. What I was wondering was a way to incorporate having lessons like this more frequently in the classroom without having to use the computer lab all the time. How can we make this everyday without going to the lab when students don’t have computers at home? I was also wondering, how can we incorporate these lessons to students who are much younger, say in the K-1 setting?
I would like to say in a perfect world, every student will have access to the internet at home and this wouldn’t be a problem, but in most cases it is not. So what I would try and do would be to have fund raisers to buy a bulk set of laptops for my classroom for the students to use. By having a fundraiser which all my classes raise, and the addition of some of my own pocket money, I could buy a class set of laptops to make these assignments an everyday occurrence. For the K-1 setting, it would be limited, but I would use websites like kidpicks to build their motor skills and computer ability and then hopefully get to the area of guided instruction in a simple discussion board.

Journal #2

Journal #2
In Jim Klein's "social networking for the K 12 set" Mr. Klein discusses the ideas for making technology more assessable to instructors by creating a technology rich environment. He wants to establish a tech supportive tech community, and create opportunities to discuss social, ethical, and legal issues. By instilling these ideals, educators will create the best learning environment for students. Some examples of how he can portray these ideals is through the creation of student community sites. These sites give ways to assist students and instructors to communicate in a better way. They also allow for students and teachers to help each other and learn and grow together. The sites are meant to be easy to read and guide through as to alleviate complications. The sites could also lead to community building and provide current technological advances in the field.

Questions:
1. What are some ways I would use these types of websites? I think I would create a community classroom website in which everyone has the ability to add to it. A good example would be to have a wiki. I think wikis create a great forum for students and teachers to build and learn from each other. It also gives students the power to create articles on the web that are published.
2. Why is technology in the classroom so important? The future of mankind is going to be hand in hand with computers and the technology we establish. There have been so many new jobs created because of the computer and technology, so I think it is the most vital aspect we will teach to our students. As time progresses and we become even more technologically advanced, I think the importance of technology will only increase.