Sunday, October 16, 2011

C4K Summary Post 1

I really enjoyed watching the videos that these children made. They are so talented! My favorite was Aleesha's video about Geoffrey the giraffe who came to visit her class. He taught her about some very valuable safety tips. The most amazing thing was that she remembered all of them. It is great getting to see what these children are doing in school. These posts make me that much more excited to start teaching a class of my own.

Blog post #6

Wendy Drexler's "Networked Student," served as an eye-opener for me. Everything that children will be able to do online now, and even more so in the next few years, makes me wonder if children will even need a teacher. All learning can be done online. This is if the children find reliable sources. They can communicate with the teacher and other students using any social network.

 As of right now, I am not sure if I am prepared to be a teacher of the networked student. Up until the past few years, I have not been a networked student myself. I have also learned more about the use of the internet this year than I ever have. There is still so much more that I need to understand. Hopefully, by the time I graduate, I will be prepared to be a teacher of the networked student.

 I really enjoyed watching "A seventh Graders Personal Learning Environment." She had all of her sites organized so well. It made it so much easier for her to find everything she needed. She had her school work separated from her leisure activities. I would have to say that her PLE was more organized than mine but it made me want to change mine for the better.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Project #9a

Blog Post #5

I really enjoyed Scott McLeod's post. He definitely tried a different approach. Many people will do the opposite of what you tell them to do. I think that this might be what McLeod was trying to do. By telling people not to let their children use technology, maybe they will start letting them use technology. I agree with most of what he says. It is important to show our children how to properly use the internet. There are also a few bad thing on the internet as well. Which is why it is smart to demonstrate how to use the internet and how not to . 


Scott McLeod is a professor at the University of Kentucky. He is the founder of CASTLE. This is an academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He has also received many national awards for his work in technology. McLeod is also a regular blogger. I cannot wait to read more of his blogs.

Travis Allen's video was amazing. I agree with everything he said. At first I thought that it sounded like a good idea but it would be too expensive. Allen then compared the costs and it would actually be cheaper, especially in the long run, to do things his way. ischool sounds like a great idea.

Allen seems like an extremely intelligent person. He has gone far since his first video about the ischool. He now has an organization specifically for the ischool. There is also a team of people that help him out. Allen has also received credit from many credible sources.

I have never seen the internet used in the way Eric Whitachre used it. He did an impressive job. I thought it was great when I was watching it, but when I read that Whitachre had never met with these people, it made a big impact on me. The whole piece sounded so beautiful. I hope he continues to make more videos like this one.

Roberts sees teaching moving more towards technology. He knows that children do not use teachers as the number one source for information anymore. Students can get information anywhere, specifically the internet. The approach that Roberts takes is very relevant. The times are changing and with that teachers have to change as well. They have to be more involved and get their students more engaged. This will affect me as an educator because I am in the next generation of teachers. I will be the one that has to set the standard for the new style of teaching. I do not mean me specifically, but the next generation.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Project #7


Blog Post #4

The videos that I watched to help me understand the usage of podcasting, were extremely helpful. My favorite video was "The benefits of podcasting in the classroom." This video helped me realize that podcating can be a very beneficial and educational tool to use while teaching a classroom. Children can re-watch a podcast that the teacher used in class to review the lesson. The video also explains the use of vodcasts,which are podcasts with video. This can help children because they often relate better to visuals. Podcasts can also be useful to children that are out sick. They can listen to the podcast to catch up in class.