Blog Post 5

Scott Mcleod
Scott Mcleod is one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. He is an Associate Professor of Education Leadership at the University of Kentucky and is the founding director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). He has also received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work.

I agree with everything in Scott Mcleod's post up until he said "I don't want them creating, sharing, thinking, learning". Technology can be an AMAZING learning tool IF used with proper precautions and necessary adult supervision. There are countless things that can happen including child pornography, attempted kidnappings, cyber-bullying, child predators preying on your children, ect which lead us to have our doubts about the internet. However, if children are properly monitored (which can't be stressed enough), technology can not only enhance but exceede your child's learning capacities beyond belief.

The iSchool Initiative
I strongly disagree with this revolution!!! Technology should absolutely be incorporated within our school system but should NOT completely take it over. Students should still use textbooks, have to hand-write assignments, and complete homework/exercises out of books just like we have been doing from generation to generation. If everything changes to technology base, how are kids supposed to learn to write/enhance handwriting/penmanship skills? Also keeping in mind that we can't rely on technology to work 100% of the time. There are things that do go wrong with technology such as gliches in the system, power outages, internet servers go down, and even cases of lost/stolen devices such as iPads, iTouch, iPhones, laptops, or whatever is being used. Whereas, pen and paper will always be there and are 100% guaranteed!

Virtual Choir

I think Roberts went by a theory such as: "In order to know, you must ask/learn first", and always asked himself "And just who do we learn from"? Our teachers. So don't feel quite so hopeless yet. Without even realizing it, we use techniques and tools every day that our childhood teachers taught and embedded into our brains, like HOW to think, the process of thinking, how to become creative and put our imaginations to use, evaluate/analyze information we have been given, and then APPLY that to what we need to do to get our answers. "The tools provide temptation, but they are not the source of negative behavior". WE, as educators, have to become the source of inspiration for our students. Don't just teach the contents from a text book, go above and beyond because ultimately, that's what your students will remember.

Reading Rockets
I have a 3 year old daughter who will be entering the Pre-School Program next year and it just so happens this is the age group I am interested in teaching one day, therefore the category "Preschool Teachers" on the Reading Rockets Website stood out to me and became the one I most explored.

I found several great resources on reading that will be of much use to me in my classroom one day such as Toddling Toward Reading and the ABC's of Teaching Reading. The idea behind Toddling Toward Reading is that the best predictor of how children will do in school is how much they know before they get there. This program encourages you, as a parent, to be involved with your child through their toddler years and take the time to review with them letters, sounds, shapes, colors, and so on. Repetition is a key tool in child developmental learning.

With the ABC's of Teaching Reading, you learn that several concepts are incorporated into learning to read such as: print awareness, the sounds of speech and what sound each letter makes, phonemic awareness (letter placement), Phonics, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and writing. One of the most important techniques a teacher must posess is patience. Not all children learn and progress in the same way or at the same pace.

Blog Post 4

I learned several things about Podcasting after reading and listening to the videos provided. To begin, what IS Podcasting? The term Podcast is a cross between "broadcast" and "Ipod" and is a "radio-style" talk show. Podcasts allow information (of any criteria) to be shared with millions of people all over the world via internet. In order to create a Podcast you will need a microphone, a computer, and software that you may download for free.

Some tips to succeed in making your Podcast include: Familiarizing youself and becoming comfortable with the software, give students a variety of topics so they may choose the one that appeals to them, and provide examples of acceptable Podcasts just to name a few.

You can also connect your computer to a Smart Board in order to obtain easy access so that every thing you need to control can be done from the touch of a finger. You can also upload videos and/or audio and have it replayed back to you to ensure correctness.

There are many benefits of Podcasting in the classroom. They include but are not limited to: Allowing your students to interact OUTSIDE the classroom, project-based learning, higher-order thinking rather than lower-level (according to Bloom's Taxonomy), promotes creativity and innovation, and allows parental involvement to where parents can see what their kids are doing/learning.

I also liked the read-a-long interview scripts the teacher produced for her students to follow along. She incorporated specific sounds after a chapter ended and another one began in case students lost their place in the script. I would use this mechanism in my classroom one day particularly because I plan on teaching the younger ones as well and they always need certain reminders, such as this one, to give them a boost and further enhance their learning.

Wordle

Blog Post 3

" Technology in Special Education"-
Not all special needs children are the same or have the same disabilities, therefore they all have different and unique individual requirements needed to enhance their learning skills and allow them to learn the same content that all other kids are learning but in a specialized manner.  There are several tools out there made especially for special needs children which include, but are not limited to, books on tape (for the blind), IPod Touch, IPad, IPhones all have countless tools for special needs.  Students who have lost the ability to speak can use some of these tools and special computers with specific keypads and mouses with advanced technology to help them read, write, and even speak.  These specialized computers can help us, as educators, form and build personal relationships with these children that were not there before. Here is a link to Technology in Special Education  

There are also computers that have extreme magnified settings for children who have trouble seeing small print.  This program is called Zoomtechs.  Zoomtechs can also be used to help children who have a very hard time writing or takes them a considerable amount of time to write much more efficiently by typing or using a special keypad.  They can be used for students to point to the letters on these keyboards to help them form sentences to relay to people and teachers what they are trying to say, what they are feeling, and what they may need or want. 

Apple Education Apps-
The App I chose from Apple Education Apps is called The Articulation Station and it is designed especially for special needs students.  This App allows you to learn how to pronounce and practice the sounds in the English language with 6 engaging activities which include Word Level (Flashcard activity), Matching Game, Sentence Level (Rotating sentences), Unique Sentences, and Story Level (with level 1 and 2 stories for advancement).  This App has quick tips for teaching each sound, specific target words, in depth scoring and data tracking for each child/student for instant feedback, multiple users for group sessions, the ability to shuffle multiple sounds, and voice recording and playback feature for monitoring responses, just to name a few!

 This App would greatly help special needs students in a number of ways including repetition of letters, words, sounds, and pictures to be imbeded into their brains for gaining the knowledge they need to memorize and learn.  This App would be a great learning tool and would enhance and improve learning and best of all, its free! :)

"Gary Hayes Social Media Count"-
The astounding rate of rapidly changing social media counts in this video Social Media Count, is rather intimidating.  These rates will only continue to grow and in a few more years when I am hopefully teaching, will only be higher.  Technology is so advanced and our kids today learn how to do things beyond our imagination or that we even know existed. 

Some people may not realize it but these constantly growing social media counts could present a challenge for educators.  Almost all students have cell phones now so it has already created issues with texting during class.  Teachers have to take away cell phones during class but ultimately, they must be returned therefore this becomes a never ending challenge.  Not to mention if you are a computer teacher, you have to set restrictions and maybe even block major websites and networks altogether such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube, etc to prevent class interruptions.  There will always be challenges in any profession but with the shockingly growing rates in technology, it appears these already difficult challenges will only escalate. 

"A Vision of Students Today"-
As many resources there are made available to us, it may shock you how many students don't take advantage of what is being offered.  We pay hundreds of dollars on textbooks each semester, yet many of us never even open them.  We pay thousands of dollars on tuition but choose to skip class.  We choose to go through classes only doing the bare minimum but then complain when we receive a poor grade. Here is a link to A Vision of Students Today  

The truth is we spend a considerable amount of time each day/night on our cell phones (talking/texting), online (emails/Facebook/Twitter/Youtube), watching TV, listening to music, playing video games, etc but very little time is left to dedicate towards our schoolwork.  All of the things we are required/expected to do on a daily basis forms us all into being multi-taskers wether we know it or choose to believe it.

Blog Post 2

"Did You Know? 3.0 A John Strange 2012 Version"-
It will never cease to amaze me how advanced technology has become.  And it's only growing!  The amount of children with cell phones these days is absolutely absurd to me, in my opinion.  I will never understand what 8 year old would need a cell phone?  Or even 10 year olds?  Parents should know where their kids are!  Bottom line.  This is where house phones come in handy.  If your child is at a friend's house and you need to contact them, simply call the land line, or even the parent's cell phone.  Why does your child need one? 

Childhood is increasingly losing its innocence and it is pure heartbreaking.  There are so many things that could happen that should make parents think twice about allowing their children to have their own cell phones and electronic devices at such young ages.  A child could receive a provocative or inappropriate text message (or picture!) from someone who has the wrong number, they could be bullied via threatening texts, they have internet access on nearly all cell phones now to where children can look up videos or just about anything they want to see or know about all without needing any parental consent, therefore half the time parents don't even know what their kids are looking or reading about.  By giving children cell phones and laptops, without proper restrictions, we are destroying childhood and innocence as we know it. Watch the video Did you know?  

"Mr. Winkle Wakes"-
Mr. Winkle Wakes taught me that now-a-days if you blink there has already been a new source of technology created or invented.  Technology never stops and is constantly growing and improving, however one thing always manages to stay the same, year after year and that is school.

 Education will always be around.  Students will always be learning and teachers will always be teaching.  We have to learn to appreciate Education, as it sets the standard for our futures.  Educators all over the world are under paid and taken for granted, when they are the ones influencing and enhancing the lives and minds of our students and children on a daily basis.

"Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity"-
Robinson said "Degrees aren't worth anything".  I strongly agree with this because sadly now-a-days it's almost as if once you graduate from college and have a degree, you STILL aren't guaranteed a job because of the way our economy is.  We are preached to all our lives and have it impounded in our heads the importance of going to college to have a brighter future, and now unfortunately all of that suddenly means nothing and has no worth.  I know more people who never went to college that have amazing, high-paying, steady jobs than I know people who have college degrees and are unemployed.  My sister-in-law graduated with a BS in Education, went back and received a Masters in Education, has been graduated for three years, and STILL has no teaching job.

According to Robinson, back then if you didn't have a job it's because you didn't want one (basically stating that if you applied for a job you were almost guaranteed to be hired).  These days it's near impossible to find a job no matter how bad you want it because of our poor economy.

I do agree that intelligence is diverse and that we all have different ways of thinking and learning, however I do not agree that we ALL have an interest in Education.  I also absolutely agree that women are indeed better at multi-tasking than men.  I strongly disagree with Robinson's opinion of the correlation between medication and creativity.  I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 13 and have been on medication ever since and have done SEVERAL creative things throughout my life.  However, maybe there are certain medications out there that can diminish the ability to have creative thoughts more so than others but I do not think ALL medications completely kill the ability to be creative.  I do agree that the gift of human imagination is an incredible thing and should never be wasted or taken for granted.  A mind is a wonderful thing to have and we should use it to our full advantage everyday because it is just that; a gift.  Our job, as educators, is to help children see their talents, abilities, and creative capacities for their future and encourage them to make something of it because ultimately, what good is a talent or gift if it is only going to be wasted? Watch the video The Importance of Creativity.

"A Vision for 21st Century Learning" -
In our generation today, whatever you want to see, read, or learn about is all made available to us from the click of a button.  Information ranging from cultures and countries all around the world, to the weather in the state of your choice, to pictures or interviews of well-known actors and singers, can all be accessed within seconds due to our ever-expanding technology and software programs offered.  I think it is an effective tool when children are using online learning games to gain knowledge on certain subject content and not even realize that they are in fact learning because they are enjoying it and having fun. 

However, I think the amount of video games and technology that is offered is also contributing majorly to childhood obesity at an alarmingly scary rate.  Childhood should be about playing outside, learning through self exploration and personal experiences, and maintaining happiness and innocence without having such easy access to view age inappropriate content all within the click of a button.  Technology is an amazingly wonderful thing, when used appropriately and effectively! Here is a link to A Vision for 21st Century Learning.

"Vicki Davis: Harness your students' digital smarts"-
I do agree that only certain children can learn when they are limited to only paper and pencil and not a wide variety of resources, including technology.  Not all students learn the same way.  We all have our own unique learning styles and techniques.

 I really like Davis' approach in Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts on focussing on her students' strengths and interests and how she correlates that into accomplishing curiculum.  I also agree that you have to first familiarize yourself and become comfortable with the software and technology you are using before you can further enhance your learning of certain programs.  Vicki makes her students "learn the language" of her class so that they are familiar with all of the terms she uses throughout her classes so that she doesn't have to take out valuable class time to explain what she is referring to.  Most of my college professors also use this teaching strategy , which proves to be very effective.  I also agree that when teachers think "I have to know everything before I can teach it" is the wrong way of thinking.  We are constantly growing, learning, and making ourselves better everyday so it is good to learn as you go.  You can always learn more.  Learning new things gives us empowerment and that sense of self satisfaction or achievement which only makes us want to learn and do more.  Our students often teach US things we don't even know.  Self exploration is sometimes the best teaching method of all because once a student discovers or learns something new on their own, they want to teach or show us in return which enhances self esteem and confidence levels which is extremely important in children and adolescents.  Digital technology allows us to learn and share information with people all over the world and brings us together to educate ourselves and work collaboratively.