I will admit, when i first looked at the titles of the podcasts we were going to be listening to, i thought to myself, "great...this is going to be more boring than actually being at the workshop itself.." but as it turns out I was actually surprised by all the useful information i gathered about how todays common technology can be used for educational purposes.
For instance, the first one i listened to was called "teachers teaching teachers" and it was about using podcasts or video casts for the classroom. The thought never actually occurred to me to have podcasts or video casts in a classroom, however now it seems beneficial. For example if you are trying to stress the importance of enunciation, voice expression, descriptive language, and/or articulation to your students then audio podcasts could prove very useful to your classroom. If you are demonstrating something or stressing the significance of movement or body language then video podcasting would prove useful for your classroom. these are both mediums of technology that i never thought of for classroom use before listening to this particular podcast.
I also became aware of another helpful tool for teachers and students alike; google docs. Google Docs creates templates, presentations, and documents capable of mass sharing. For instance, I can create a template, store it on google docs, and someone can browse google docs for my specific template, edit it how they see fit and print it out if they want. This is a highly efficient way to share lesson plans, worksheets, handouts, presentations etc. among educators and students. I think that could be very useful for teachers especially.
All in all Im glad I listened to these podacasts. They were extremely helpful to me simply because I was unaware of how beneficial and efficient they could be in the classsroom unitl now. I will definitely be using podcasts in my future teaching career.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
thoughts on "Did you know?" and "Ted"
Did You Know?
Wow…I never fully appreciated how much technology has changed, evolved, and advanced in the past ten years. Now that I think about it, I am going to sound so old when I tell my kids that I remember when we didn’t have a computer in my house, we didn’t have cell phones, and we actually mailed letters. Even if you don’t know how to use all of it or even if you aren’t aware of the exact use for it, you cannot deny revolutionary advancements of it.
The thought that scared me the most that I haven’t really thought of before is that if you are one in a million in China, there are 1300 people exactly like you…that is a scary thought. There are that many people in the world! It almost makes the world seem infinite…just because of how many people are in the world. It scares me because it makes me wonder what kind of surveys I am going to see in the future…and I am hoping its not something like for every one person in America there is an exact computerized human replica in China (or anywhere else in the world). There is one thing for sure, at the rate technology is evolving my reality in five years might be exactly like one of today’s science fiction movies.
TED Says…
I completely agree with everything he said. As a child I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged creativity because they themselves were raised to be functional and economical as children. They bought into the idea that in order to support themselves, they needed to concentrate on the skills that would guarantee a job even if it was something they did not enjoy. My father started out with a career that required creative skill but after years of struggling to support a family with that salary he was forced to go back to school in order to obtain a degree that would ensure a lucrative future…an associates degree in computer programming…he hated it, but he finished it. As a kid watching him, I slowly but surely noticed the passion for life fade from him as he worked, went to school, and tried to maintain a good relationship with me and my mom. I resolved at age 11, never to have a “job.” My mother embraces the idea that I can make something of myself and be creative and I agree so I chose teaching. I in fact chose the one subject where creativity is encouraged and discouraged all in the same subject heading…English and Language Arts. That’s why the Shakespeare analogy hit home with me.
English involves critical thinking and creative writing. Add the study of literature in the mix and one cannot help but defy the social and institutional standards set for the study of English. By studying literature, kids can grasp a form of creativity that can be nourished and made into a career. Without realizing it those who socialized education by making it functional with the “no child left behind” standards actually created an outlet for creative thinkers!
Wow…I never fully appreciated how much technology has changed, evolved, and advanced in the past ten years. Now that I think about it, I am going to sound so old when I tell my kids that I remember when we didn’t have a computer in my house, we didn’t have cell phones, and we actually mailed letters. Even if you don’t know how to use all of it or even if you aren’t aware of the exact use for it, you cannot deny revolutionary advancements of it.
The thought that scared me the most that I haven’t really thought of before is that if you are one in a million in China, there are 1300 people exactly like you…that is a scary thought. There are that many people in the world! It almost makes the world seem infinite…just because of how many people are in the world. It scares me because it makes me wonder what kind of surveys I am going to see in the future…and I am hoping its not something like for every one person in America there is an exact computerized human replica in China (or anywhere else in the world). There is one thing for sure, at the rate technology is evolving my reality in five years might be exactly like one of today’s science fiction movies.
TED Says…
I completely agree with everything he said. As a child I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged creativity because they themselves were raised to be functional and economical as children. They bought into the idea that in order to support themselves, they needed to concentrate on the skills that would guarantee a job even if it was something they did not enjoy. My father started out with a career that required creative skill but after years of struggling to support a family with that salary he was forced to go back to school in order to obtain a degree that would ensure a lucrative future…an associates degree in computer programming…he hated it, but he finished it. As a kid watching him, I slowly but surely noticed the passion for life fade from him as he worked, went to school, and tried to maintain a good relationship with me and my mom. I resolved at age 11, never to have a “job.” My mother embraces the idea that I can make something of myself and be creative and I agree so I chose teaching. I in fact chose the one subject where creativity is encouraged and discouraged all in the same subject heading…English and Language Arts. That’s why the Shakespeare analogy hit home with me.
English involves critical thinking and creative writing. Add the study of literature in the mix and one cannot help but defy the social and institutional standards set for the study of English. By studying literature, kids can grasp a form of creativity that can be nourished and made into a career. Without realizing it those who socialized education by making it functional with the “no child left behind” standards actually created an outlet for creative thinkers!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Hi! I am Sarah Hall! I am 20 years old and i am currently a junior at south. I am a secondary education major with a double major in language arts..in other words i want to be a highschool english teacher! I am excited about this class simply because..I dont know as much about computers and technology as i should and I would like to learn as much as possible ...at least enough to catch up with current technology anyway! SOmething interesting about me...hmm..thats a tough one...im a personal trainer at omni health and fitness ..and i am aslo a figure competitor..its like bodybuilding but we maintain our femininity. :) well hope you all enjoy this class as much as i will!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
HELLO!!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog! This is going to be fun! I feel somewhat up-to-date with tools of modern technology now...this is a new feeling...I kind of like it! Hopefully youll enjoy reading my opinions and comments! :) have a wonderful day!! :)
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