My EDM 310Blog Assignments are Complete

Farewell classmates. I hope you learned as much as I did in this class. I also hope you all feel the same since of accomplishment as I do for sticking in the class and completing it. I really wasn't looking forward to this class because of my lack of knowledge about computers, but I am so glad now that I did , because I truly am walking out with some new valuable skills.

Last Blog Assignment

This has been the best class for me. I enrolled in this class with minimum to no knowledge of computers and I am leaving this class with a great deal of technology information that I can apply to my teaching career. I have learned how to do things like hyperlink, create documents using Internet resources, insert pictures into documents, spreadsheets, and even create databases. I have also learned how to Blog and make Power points. Most importantly, I have learned how crucial technology is in educating our children. With all the skills I have learned in this class, I will feel confident in guiding my students through the world of technology. I can show them how technology is your freind and is a useful tool, just as this class has done for me.

Assignment 12

iTunes is now bringing education to students in way they are very familiar with, through their iPods. iTunes has created iTunes U which gives students access to things like their professors lectures and notes. Many universities are signing up for this, schools like Standford, MIT, and Duke University.

This a great way for students to keep up with their classes. They can listen to the lecture as many times as they need and not have to rely on notes that may be leaving important information out. It also comes in handy when a student might not make it to class. Most college kids these days have to work while attending school, this iTunes feature allows students the ability to study when they can, on a break or in the car while traveling to work.

The state of Michigan has even introduce this tool to their K - 12 schools. What a great way to motive students to learn. Bringing students education in a form that they are familiar with increases their chances of learning. iTunes U engages students to learn in way outside of the norm and that always gets the attention of a teenager.

Assignment 11

Everyone has heard of an iPod, in fact, most people, of all ages, own one. They are a great way to listen to music anywhere and at anytime without all the bulk of a CD player, or for some who might remember, a boom box. Through the years, they are becoming affordable for everyone. For about the last four or five years though, iPods are being used for more than just a way to enjoy music. They are being used in the classroom, from K-12 to University classrooms.

Duke University was on the cutting edge of this trend. In 2004, they gave every incoming freshman an iPod. In 2006, they had 46 classes in the spring using iPods. The iPods are being used for things like lectures and assignments. This is a great way for students to study lecture material, being able to hear the lecture over as many times as one needs to until they understand the material. If a student missed a class, this is a great way to get the information they missed. Duke plans to expand on this by introducing classes that use the aide of digital audio and video.

IPods are not just being used on the University level though. They have benefited the K-12 classrooms as well. First graders are learning their reading words on iPods and kindergartners are learning their ABC's using ipods. Karen Thompson is using things like pod casts and audio files in her classroom. High school students are creating their own pod casts and keeping up with homework through the use of this handy tool. Many schools are finding grants to supply their students with this useful tool.

The iPod is allowing students to work at their own pace. Not all children learn to read at the same speed and with the aide of the iPod,now these students wont be left behind, they can learn a t their own speed. Some students need more time to cover material, they just don't retain all the information the first time. Again, the iPod can really help these students that otherwise just might not ever understand the lesson and ultimately not reach their greatest potential in school. The iPod is just another example of how technology is helping to advance our children's education.

Assignment 10

Dr.Alice Christie's web site was very informative. She definitely has the right point of view,integrating technology in today's classroom. Her website covers just about every aspect of intergrating technology into a classroom as possible. There were so many options available such as using a GPS system in the classroom, Internet safety, and available workshops, just to name a few. The one area I found that I thought would be most helpful to me in the classroom was the subject of web quest. I plan to teach middle school level science and find that creating a web quest would be a great way to combine science and the use of technology into a classroom.

Dr. Christie explains what web quest is first. It is basically a web based curriculum with assignments, tasks, Internet resources and printing resources, and gives students the opportunity to share what they have learned with other students. The students would be learning subject matter dealing with science and appling their computer skills and knowledge all at the same time. That is a win-win situation. From personal experience in a classroom and having two children of my own, I find children show much more interest and seem to keep interest in what they are learning if they are not just coping notes or listening to the same instructor everyday. Using the computer breaks up the boring routine for them and helps keep them motivated.

Dr.Christie's site has links to other sites on understanding web quest and how to create a web quest yourself. Her site also offers templates and rubrics and articles all about web quest. By exploring her site and the related links she provides, any teacher could create their own web quest for their classroom. This is definitely something I will use.

Assignment 9

Wikipedia, probably the number one source used to find information about anything and everything, but can you really trust it? If you answer yes, Virgil Griffith might change your mind. The information provided by Wikipedia may be edited by anyone, even anonymously. This has huge impacts for it's readers and users. The information you are receiving may be manipulated or even deleted, to benefit those that the information is about. Politicians, Congress, even the CIA, have all been found guilty of editing information to benefit them. Wal Mart and a voting machine company, Diebold, have also been identified as doing this.

What does all this mean? It means the public is being deceived. It is hard to make judgement or form opinions about issues, politicians, or companies you might want to support or not support, if you a getting something other than the truthful facts. In essence, it is another way society is being manipulated into buying someone else's agenda.

I feel the fact that anyone can edit anything on Wikipedia, undermines their credibility hugely. I personally, will cross reference information from that source and not just take it at face value. Also, with the invention of tools like Wikipedia Scanner, that find the IP address of anyone making edits, it is possible to see if the information you are reading is genuine. I feel Wikipedia is still a good source of information, it just depends now, on what your looking up. If you are using Wikipedia to make decisions on who you are voting for or if you want to support a certain organization, I feel you should use more than one source and background check the information you are receiving.

Assignment 8

I chose to read the August Best Blog of 2007, "Creating PersonalLearning Networks". This post discussed creating a learning network for the students, not the teachers. Using tools like iGoogle and Google reader, the students would find information about a subject of interest and blog about it. This helps the students become familiar with using the web as a tool to obtain information using more than one source. It also is designed to help them interact with others on the computer in an academic atmosphere. This daily exercise also helps with their writing skills and critical thinking ability.

I think this is a great idea. It is a refreshing way to have students gather information and write about it in there own words rather than sending them to the library to find information and write a paper. This exercise will help students see how easy it is to find information using the web and how to determine if a source is trustworthy and reliable. Doing this daily will help this become a standard way to find information and perhaps students will begin to practice this out of the classroom. Most teens spend many hours a day on the computer, but most of this time is spent on My space and Face book, this exercise will definitely expand their use of a computer.