"What I've learned this year" by Mr. McClung

The author of this blog, Mr. McClung gave a great insight on his experience as a first year teacher. He demonstrates the humility and courage that teachers in this age must embrace in order to become a successful teacher. There are some very important highlights that had a tremendous effect on me as an educator and an individual. I'll begin with teachers must learn to listen to their students. As he mentioned, students really appreciate that quality in a teacher. Also, teachers must be willing to form relationships with their students. I myself believe that this is critical to gaining their trust and respect which often makes teaching them and learning from them a bit easier and productive. He makes a great point about teachers must be willing to continue to learn. As we have heard several times before, if we aren't willing to learn in an environment in which we encourage students to learn, we simply won't be good teachers. The most important thing I came away with after reading his blog was the fact that he seemed to really enjoy teaching and learning from his students.

NPR Blog on Wickipedia

I think wickipedia is a good source for information but I worry that there is too much information that can be altered or simply inaccurate. Virgil Griffith, who created the wiki scanner had a great idea in mind when he created it. However, there are two many loop holes in the system that allow users to manipulate wickipedia. Whether a user does the updating of information from a public or private IP address is non-standing. If one is seeking to present information that is misleading it can simply access wickipedia from any IP other than the one that they are responsible for. The scanner, will help with the casual use of wickipedia, but those who have vested interest can use multiple sources to update their information. I conclude that this will not result in wockipedia being more reliable. In the end, it will not be a reliable online encyclopedia, but another site with too much information to determine what is accurate.

The Last Lecture: Randy Pausch

Though a strange and funny character, Randy Pausch had some great points in details of this video. Early on, I found it somewhat interesting, as he gave background information on himself to better familiarize the audience of who he is. This I found boring. But, as he went on he had some relative points towards education in which I will share on. Not all of the information obtained through watching is of use to me as a prospective teacher, but it does pertain to in some part of our everyday living. Overall, this video was ok, but I liked some of our previous ones better. Randy {ausch has left a legacy that we all can look to for inspiration to always give your best.

I liked the idea that there were people in his life that really shaped who he became. One was his high school football, Jim Graham. Coach Graham was noted as teaching Randy that " when everything you're doing is wrong and no one notices, is not a good thing". To me that translates into no one cares. I believe it is important to work with people who care. He clearly demonstrates this by the numerous people that he influenced, such as Dennis, who now oversees the Alice Project. He clearly exemplifies the traits of caring because he has invested his life in helping others along the way.

He definitely was a person who has experienced a lifetime of achievements in his career. His willingness to share them allow other people to better themselves. I like his desire to share his experiences with others. Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. That is an awesome statement that allows a person to be reflective of their choices. His statements on legacy are admirable and understandable. Each person should leave their legacy or work with someone who is better than they are. That way you know your legacy is safe.

The best thing that this video did for me was that it gave me the desire to be reflective. There were so many tips on being a good worker, or a hard worker. One of things that influenced me the most was the "head fake". The best way to teach someone is to make them believe they are learning something else. Its a great way to keep kids engaged in interested in learning. Randy Pausch made me realize that I can achieve my goals if I'm patient, work harder, and treat others earnestly along the way.

Its Not About The Technology

Mrs. Hines article on technology was very useful in explaining that our technology is useless without innovative teachers who are motivated to learn. I agree. I think we put so much emphasis on technology that we forget that we need to be responsible for learning. Two things stood out to me in the article. First, teachers need to be motivated to learn and not just simply be a "teacher". Second, we must continually update our knowledge and practices to keep up with the advancements of our age to fully be effective.

If teachers simply stop learning themselves, how would they be able to teach the next generation of aspiring students. I like the fact that Mrs. Hines doesn't ignore the fact that the technology is very useful and productive. But she also states that without proper training, and more importantly, motivation, it is useless to an extent. Teachers must continue to face the challenges of teaching themselves to be learners of the new age.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

What a great video. Mr. Wesch really captured my attention with this video. It really summarizes my undergraduate college experience. It made me re-think my view on teaching and learning on the college and high school level. I thought it highlighted a lot of short falls in our current education system. It urges that if we don't change or adapt, we could find ourselves lost in technology.

I liked the video so much that I don't think I would do anything to change it. I like the use of "no talking" during the video. That makes the person that is watching pay close attention. The different methods of communicating was great, and using different people in the classroom was good too. There is so much in this video that was done right that its hard to say I would change it, or do better.

Plagiarism and Copyrighting Laws

The information on plagiarism was very helpful and insightful from all three sights. Some of the information I already knew, but a great majority was new to me. I didn't realize there were so many forms of plagiarism, but I understand the severity of its consequences. I now understand why it is taken so serious and why I should be cautious whenever I may be in jeopardy of committing it. I am comfortable, that after visiting these websites, that I can perform at the best of my ability not only by avoiding plagiarism, but by successfully siting sources which can help increase my credibility amongst my audience. I know that it should be taken seriously, and that we should always properly site sources.

Copyright laws help protect the use of illegally reproducing original work. There are several amendments to the original copyright laws of of the United States. Most of these amendments apply to different phases of technology and development. Over time, there has been so many discoveries that there has to be current and up to date copyright laws to protect them. Such laws and amendments, in my opinion, help protect corporations and individuals from illegal use of their property, without permission. Copyright laws are important to the welfare of technological advancements and those to come.

Lets Tech Talk: Accessibility for All Presentation

Dr. Sullivan did a great job on informing the laws and regulations as it pertains to web access. The slide show was evidently the biggest help to me as it was simple and straight to the point. His emphasis on the different categories of providing web access to all was key to me understanding why it is necessary. He even listed the laws that were passed, along with the year, and explaining why we need these laws. I think is implying that everyone is equal and everyone should have the same access to the service that are provided throughout the internet. Over, Dr. Sullivan really helped me understand the significance of such laws and made me aware of so much more.

The only thing that I would add that it would be nice to here Dr. Sullivan speak on the topic. I'm sure it would have been even better. Other than that, there isn't anything else that I can say I would like to see done differently.

Langwitches log

There isn't a lot of good that I took from this material. This blog is way too confusing for someone who is just beginning to blog and hadn't made their first podcast. I understand the material from a standpoint of knowing what its purpose is, but I have no idea how to use it. The information provided is wonderful, but with no real sense of direction, it's more of a matter of confusion to me. I'm not sure what the real purpose of this blog.

What can I do to make this better? What would I do different? If I couldn't provide answers in the top portion of this blog, I surely won't have have anything of educational value to put here. But, since i am suppose to, I will try. There are too many links on this blog with too less explanations of what their purpose is. There aren't any instructions so I assume this is a little advanced for me. I'm not intimidated, just more of a loss of words for what it all means to me.

The use of ITunes in Education

I really enjoyed this video/ podcast from a standpoint of learning the basics about the use of ITunes. As a new user of the service, it has really helped me in getting started with it features and abilities. You can find the video podcast here. They were very clear on instructions and were very well prepared. Owen probably talked too much, so it seemed as if Rosa and Angel didn't get to say enough. Rosa appeared to be the best speaker in my opinion. Angel could have used a little more practice on her lines. Overall, I though they still did a good job on the topic.

Now that I am learning about doing podcasts and videocasts, there are a few things that I would do differently to make it better. First, I would let the best speaker be the main speaker. I think this would keep the potential listeners engaged. There also needs to be a little more energy in their voices. Everyone seemed a little flat on the vocal side of things. The last thing i would add is that the sound quality was distorted at times. So I would make sure that there is consistency with voice pitch and tone.

Teachers teaching Teachers

This is becoming an increasingly popular way to share information among teachers. I thought they did a good job of speaking about ways to share information among peers. The sound quality wasn't the best, but the information being shared was valuable enough to keep me engaged. I think the speaker definitely made a connection with the audience because it allows input prospective teachers which creates a direct learning tool.

Teaching with Smart Board

From the start of this podcast, I was totally lost. Even thought the information was simple, I experienced an "information overload". The information is useful if watched a second time. I thought most of the information was too continuous and often over-lapped. Though the speaker flowed well through conversation, it could still be a little confusing. On a positive note, it was well rehearsed noting that it was well prepared. I definitely like the preparation, but too much information lost me.

Kidcast

This was extremely beneficial to me. The tools used had a direct affect because it was informative and engaging. I learned how to download and upload data through podcasts. Even though the information was a bit over my head, it shared ways on how to integrate the use of ipods in the classroom. The language was clear and precise, very straight to the point.

This week in photography

This podcast had amazing picture quality. The photography displayed was high in quality and the sound was crystal clear. The speakers did a good job of relaying the information and transitioning between topics. There were two important things that I took from this podcast. First, the speakers seemed very relaxed and comfortable with the format of the podcast. Second, They laughed often, making it enjoyable while they seemed to have a great time sharing the information.