Blog Post #8 (Due 3/10)

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
Such an interesting video! I had a hard time focusing and following along with the video, but eventually things started to make more sense. He said some pretty neat things that he and colleagues had done. I don’t think I could have come up with the things he has done. He was right when said we need to get used to technology that it is constantly changing and we have to change with it. That is a statement that could not be truer! This video was seriously interesting and it was obvious that Dr. Miller put a lot of work into this. Technology is growing more and more and as teachers we will need to be prepared for this. Idea sharing and the use of the internet are a popular way for children of today to learn and as teachers we will need to be able to show our students the right ways to use these sources. Educated comes first and teaching the basics so that the children do their very best are what are most important. The key is in the way that we teach; our students no matter the age or skill level will be watching us, learning from us and it is on our shoulders to show them the correct way to work with multimedia. That is scary for me, if I don’t know what I am doing then I am teaching another group to go out into the world and do something wrong. Practice makes perfect, so our jobs now are to learn so that we understand and can teach our students the tools to work correctly with multimedia. Getting down the basics is the tough part, but eventually we will be able to do it and share it with our students.

Carly's blog post #12
Carly Pugh’s post was super fun and full of life. I loved the video at the end because it was the type of thing that makes you think. Are you honest like a child? Are you generally enthusiastic? Those are great questions to ask yourself on a daily basis. They are a great way to stay humble day to day. This post was very similar to Dr. Miller’s multimedia guide in that she gives tips for improving given assignments. And the links…OH THE MANY LINKS!!! Oh well, over all that was a super resourceful blog post.

The Chipper Series/EDM310 for Dummies
The first video covers so many topics that practically describe my entire life. I am a horrible procrastinator, for instance this post was allowed the extra time of being due on Sunday at mid night when it was originally set for Friday. Here I am doing it Sunday night. In the “teach me so I don’t have to learn” portion is practically describing how I feel about school in general, which is absolutely terrible. In the beginning of EDM310 I felt like the work we did was just silly “fill the time” stuff, but now I realize I have learned a lot and that the things I have found in this class are great resources to use later on in the classroom with my own students. Like Chipper, I realize I need school and a degree to get through life and I certainly hope it all works out in the end.
The second video EDM for Dummies was neat, but I feel like this might have been more useful at the start of this class. I definitely could have used the insight on the class so that I could have been more confident when starting out. I was not excited for the class because all the negative things I heard through the grape vine. Now I have come to realize that the class isn’t hard, you just have to take the time to do the work, and it gets easier.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
What a straight forward, no playing around video! It was so hard to believe how low the U. S. department of education was ranked. They were 55, which put them even below coal-mining industries. The order and control are lost inside the classrooms, which is why they are struggling so much. Technology is the up and coming resource needed in the class room. Today students really don’t have a choice, it is everywhere and is a major necessity. Learning isn’t the only reason technology can be so great. It is useful in the ways of connections, socially, in the business world, and so on. This video was 100% on the money, teachers need to be willing to grow technologically and need to be able to use technology inside the classroom. We might not be able to keep up with the ever growing technologies, but it is worth a shot and there is no need to keep it from the classrooms. Right now computers and things are just seen as a source of entertainment, but if teachers can provide ways to have their students using the technology for educational resources then those students are more likely to take this knowledge outside of their classrooms and use it in everyday life.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0
List of Things to Find
1. The first thing I have found is a website called Preziand it is fantastic! This website is like an online slide show sharing network. I could definitely use this site as a secondary social studies teacher because I could use the slides of other teachers or create mine own and share it other people in the world. I could also be assisted if I was incorrect or if I was stuck another person could interact and share with me the corrections and such.
2. The website Prezi had a few package deals...

These options are super helpful and a great way for people, especially struggling college kids like myself or the less fortunate children who are still trying to get out there and make a difference in the world.
3. Comic Strip
Read my comic strip here at Make Beliefs Comix!
Animoto provides users with a variety of tools for creating videos. Its focus is for videos in the classroom and enhancing the digital classroom. Animoto offers a free unlimited video account for educators.
4. I created a poll at Polleverywhere.com. Take mine here!