Blog Post 6

For the first part of this blog I watched Wendy Drexler's video The Networked Student. It was a very simple video that explained where technology could be taking students and teachers in the near future. It presents some very realistic scenarios that are very possible right now. This video gives an example of how a networked student would operate to gather information. It presents an education program that is based more on research than it is lecture.

I believe that this video could very accurately predict the future of the classroom. We are already in an age where information is readily available on the Internet in mass quantity. Most of the things described on this video are being put into motion right now and are paving the way for a more research based learning atmosphere.

The Question presented near the end was a powerful one. It considers the fact that teachers might become obsolete with the rise of Internet based learning. The video gives several good examples of why teachers will still be needed, such as guidance and affirmation, but in reality I think teachers are going to be taking on an entirely different role in the future of education.

The second thing that I did for this post was to watch the video Welcome to my PLE. It was a video made by a 7th grade student to show the ways that she uses the Internet in everyday learning. It was very informative and I think it gave a really good picture of what our education system will look like very soon.

This form of learning is very different compared to the current way we have been raised to learn. Most of my teachers didn't grow up with computers, much less the Internet in all its glory. That is why it is so valuable for us, as educators, to learn to use these tool efficiently so that we can better teach the next generation.

For the third part of this blog I read a couple of opinions on Smartboard technologies. The first blog I read, Why Smartboards are a Dumb Initiative, was full of some very practical points of why Smartboard were out of date before they were created. It explains that everything that you can do with a Smartboard can be done using other, more cost efficient, means. I also read down through the comment left by other educators and found some interesting responses. The sixth post down in this list of comments was by a guy with the screen name TimeOutDad. He made a good counter argument in that, while Smartboards aren't very practical for technologically savvy people, their simplicity could just be the turning point for some teachers. While I agree with the overall opinion of the blog, I also agree with TimeOutDad in that Smartboards may just be a comfortable segue for yesterdays into tomorrows technology.

I also read the blog Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards which gave a similar opinion on the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the Smartboard. I think we are not through with the Smartboard yet. Like most modern technologies, we usually discover some unintended use for items like this. While I agree that Smartboards can be easily replaced with other technologies, I think the same can be said about a lot of new devices. Like anything, it all comes down to doing the research and finding out whats best for your school and your students.

Comments for Kids 1,2 & 3

My first comment for kids post was for a girl named Kelsey on her blog: Kelsey's Blog. I posted on her most recent post about skating. She mentioned that she loved skating,and she is in a club and goes to skating competitions. She first put on skates when she was 2 years old! She lives in the Comox Valley which is on the east cost of vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

My second comment was on the blog of a girl named Flora who lives in Auckland, New Zealand and goes to Pt. England school. Her blog is Flora @ Pt England School but I commented on her post Netbook Day. It was a short simple blog about how the class had received netbooks and that they were excited but had to leave the devices to charge.

The third blog I commented on was by a bright student whose username was rm2011. His blog, The guy who bought a pickle for a fish and more. It was actually a very witty story about Sherlock Holmes' investigation of why his cousins goldfish could talk. After a lot of consideration and a little sleep loss he finally solves the mystery his cousin had set for him. I was very entertained and did not see the end coming at all. This student used great dialogue. the paragraph structure was a bit off but easily fixable.

The more I read and experience children's blogs the more interested i am in incorporating that into my classroom. From what I have seen thus far it seems to be an excellent learning tool when used properly.

My Family Timeline

Blog Post 5

For this post, I watched the video The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom. It was a very informative video which explored, as the name suggests, the benefits of using the iPod and podcasting in the education field. It's a great idea and i think that podcasts could be a great addition to a teachers arsenal of learning tools. I especially liked the accessibility of the information to students. I liked the fact that the teachers can simply upload their lessons to iTunes and have it available to student who have to miss class, for whatever reason, or are just audible learners and study more effectively by listening. I also liked the fact that the teachers were getting involved with the podcasts and making the experience enjoyable for the students. I think that mobile learning technologies such as podcasts will have a prominent place in the future of education.

For this post I also read the blog: 100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn and Study Better. This idea of utilizing the iPod and podcasts in schools is a very promising idea. I, personally just received an iPod for Christmas and it is one of my favorite devices. It is more than capable of handling all types of learning programs and applications. I think we are only barely scratching the surface of what we can accomplish for learning through podcasting and the iPod.

Also for this post I listened to the podcast The Practical Principals with Melinda Miller and Scott Elias. This podcast was a great example of what can happen with the proper use of a podcast. I think that this can be a great too for kids especially audible learners. This will make it possible for not only teachers to enhance their lessons and communicate with students but also for students to relate with each other. This idea of having kids podcast could be fun for the kids but also be a way to link kids from different schools. Sometimes its hard for kids to grasp that there is more out there than their own environment and to be able to listen to a podcast from somewhere else entirely could be very beneficial.

Overall, I think that podcasts can have a major impact on the way we learn and teach. I am very impressed at the progress that has already been made in this area. Because of the Internet, the world of learning and education is being exponentially expanded in ways that we have yet to imagine. In the next few years we are bound to see more ways to keep revolutionizing out perspective of education.

Blog Post 4

To start off this post, I read a blog called: Don’t teach you kids this stuff. Please? It was written by Dr. Scott McLeod who is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. He is also the director of CASTLE which stands for the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. In his blog, Dr McLeod points out that technology is having a great and diverse impact on our society today. He also alludes to a future where technological literacy will play a major part in the world. I agree with the overall truth of this blog, and the importance of learning new ways of learning. I also think there are better ways to reach people with this message. The post was moving but didn’t make me want to get up and go teach people about the Internet.
First of all I don’t believe that sarcasm will get you anywhere, especially as a professional. The message of the blog was sound but I found the presentation lacking. The sarcastic tone of the blog worked well for those who already know about the Internet and how to use it, but I fear it may be distasteful for the target audience, mainly the technologically skeptical. Secondly I believe the point of this blog, though true, may be slightly outdated. Kids today are going to learn technology. It’s become too incorporated into our everyday lives to be missed. The question is: Who is teaching them? Who are we letting our kids learn the web from? Certainly there is more danger in letting kids run free on the web by themselves than to be taught how to use it by an educator. Kids are going to learn, will we be the ones to teach them?

For the second part of this blog, I watched a video called The iSchool Initiative. It was made by a high school Senior as a way of promoting the iPod Touch as a revolutionary way to learn. He supported his theories with several popular apps already available on the iPod Touch that help students today. He also proposed the idea of a completely new app that will concentrate all your school needs into one tiny package.
My reaction to this video was one of approval. I admire the drive of this kid to want to better educate and equip his generation. I think that the iSchool initiative could be very profitable for both the students and the environment. It is encouraging to see the creative nature of students being put to good use.

For the third part of this blog I watched the video: The Lost Generation. I was well pleased by the presentation of this video. At first I was a little skeptical because it seemed to reiterate the sarcasm of the blog by Dr. McLeod. This video however beautifully and, I believe, effectively communicated a message of change to our generation. It fashioned an idea of our future and just when we began to get comfortable with it the tables turned and a new perspective took shape. I was most impressed by this video and I think it was a successfully artistic memento to this plea to our generation.

For the fourth part of this blog, I watched Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Chior – ‘Lux Aurumque'. This video was an astounding example of the unifying qualities of the Internet. To be able to get so many different people from so many different places to unite in song and video is truly an amazing feat in itself. I personally would have chosen a piece that could better exemplify the capabilities of this technology because the chosen song became very repetitive and left me desiring more. Aside from, that I think that this video is a n excellent example of what we can accomplish with technological insight.

For the final part of this post, I watched the video:Teaching in the 21st Century. I was very pleased with this video. Although lengthy, this video is a shining example of what I believe we need to grasp as educators. Much of the topics brought to light were echoes of my earlier discussion on Dr McLeod's blog. I believe this blog took all of the information in his blog, enhanced it, and made it techno-illiterate friendly. It was easy to understand and captivating to follow. I think it presented the true problem of teaching kids technology in that it proposed the question of: Who is teaching them? and What are they learning? Overall I really enjoyed this video and think that its message is well displayed.

Me, Myself and I

My full name is Darrell Brian Smith Jr. The name "Darrell" I get from my grandfather and the name "Brian" comes from my Dad. I have always gone by the nickname BJ which short for Brian Junior. Until I came to college four years ago, I have lived in the small town of Millry, Alabama. Its a little, out-of-the-way, country town that only a select few people even know exists, but its home. I have lived in Mobile for the past 4 years now and I have really enjoyed my time here. I really didn't know much about U.S.A. when I decided to come here but it has really been an amazing part of my life.

Some of my major interest are pretty simple things. I love listening to music, I like all different types of music and each genre holds a new flavor of life. I absolutely love to travel. I love visiting new places and seeing things I have never seen. I hope to travel all over the world during my life. Photography is among my favorite hobbies as well. I love taking pictures of nature the most, too many of my photo albums have too few people in them. Some of my other interests are camping, cooking, Greek Mythology, reading, technology, and the weather.

I have a great family consisting of my Dad, Mom and a sister. I love them all very much and being from a small town we also live every close to most of our extended family. I want to be a teacher because I love kids. I love to work with them and watch them learn and I would love to be a part of that process.

As for my passions, I love God. Now I know that in the world today that idea has been smudged by a lot of people, and there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about christianity. I wont try to tell you that I know what's going on all the time or how to fix it, but I do have faith in God and I try to hold to Him in the good times and the bad. As a result, one of my passions in life is missionary work. As I stated earlier, I love to travel and I have been on several mission trips both in and out of the United States. I hope to one day use my skills as a teacher to travel abroad and help other people both spiritually and intellectually. One of my other passions is camp ministry. For the past three years I have spent my summers at a campground working youth and children's camps. Camp is one of my favorite places and I will always treasure my memories there. I love it because it really gives me an opportunity to get on a one-on-one level with kids and really get to know them. I hope that one day these experiences will benefit me as an educator.

Practice Post

My first post.