My comments about Mr McClungs post.

I really enjoyed reading What I've Learned This Year by Mr McClung on his blog spot. In his blog Mr McClung gives advice to teachers that he learned through the school year. I really admire that he admitted that at first he was wrong to put himself first and realized that teaching is about the students. Mr McClung said that he use to think he had to have perfect lessons in order to be effective. However he learned that it is important to be flexible and consider his students needs and that the lesson plan may not work. He gave a lot of good advice: be flexible, communicate to students and teachers, and to be responsible.

I feel that the best advice he gave was to listen to the students and show them that you care about them. I believe that you will never be an effective teacher unless the students know you care about them as a whole person. Mr McClung also said something that I truly believe is important never stop learning. In his blog he advised teachers not to be afraid of technology, most teachers are afraid of what they don't know. That's why we have to keep learning. I hope he gets a chance to read our blogs. His students are lucky to have him as a teacher.

Is Wikipedia Reliable ???

I never really knew what Wikipedia was for a long time;I saw it everytime I Googled for information. One of my professors here at the University of South Alabama told us not to use it as a reference for anything because anybody can get on it and add information . After I read the article on NPR website I remembered what my old professor had told us about people getting on Wikipedia and making changes. I'm glad that Virgil Griffith came up with a Wikipedia Scanner to trace the people responsible for editing information. I really liked that he revealed Walmart, Diebold and Dow Chemical for erasing information about their corporations. This seems like a violation of rights ; and their freedom of speech is being violated by eliminating their entries because they want to cover up things that will make them look bad. Diebold was the one I was most concerned with; the idea that a company that makes voting machines is making financial contributions to a presidential candidate and that they erased this information from Wikipedia is appalling.

I definitely do not think that Wikipedia is to be trusted, especially after reading the NPR blog and listening to NPR podcast. I would hope that the Wikipedia Scanner prevents others from editing entries, but I believe that a lot of corporation will just find another way to get around it ; in order to protect their reputations.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture Comments

I have to say that I was really moved by his last lecture. I saw a news story on TV about him right after he died and at the time I didn't know much about him. After watching him talk about his childhood , it is obvious that he was a very special person. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture is very inspiring and makes you want to be an educator that makes a difference in others lives. I can relate to some of the things he talked in his childhood because I am close to his age.

I was very impressed at the detail of his dreams, as a child he seemed to know exactly what he wanted to accomplish. Pausch's dreams fit him , he ended up being a computer geek. The fact that he accomplished his dreams shows his determination. Another thing that he talked about was his parents and that they allowed him to dream. Pausch's parents did not limit him, they allowed him to be creative and try things. It is obvious that Randy Pausch was a dreamer, but he was also determined and motivated to make them come true.

In his teaching Randy Pausch allowed his students to be creative and did not limit them, Pausch was amazed at what his students accomplished. Pausch's enabled his students dreams to come true, he encouraged them to be different and try things with no limits. Pausch spoke about a student he had Tommy Burnett that wanted to work on a Star Wars movie, Pausch even thought to himself that this was a far fetched idea. Tommy Burnette did end up working on the 3 Star Wars movies. Pausch spoke about enabling others dreams, Randy Pausch definitely enabled his students by being an example and encouraging them and supporting them.

Pausch and his partner Don worked together on the Dream Fulfillment Factory, this is an amazing idea that allows students to be creative. In the Dream Factory they worked in groups with no books making things with a promise of a job. Randy Pausch spoke about teaching kids in a way that is fun and they didn't realize they were learning. Its called a "head fake", teach them something that is really hard but make it fun, the kid won't know they learned anything. Pausch had some values he lived by and shared in his last lecture; be good at something, work hard, find the best in everyone and luck " preparation meets opportunity". Pausch also talked about how to work with others by; doing the right thing, listen to feedback, show gratitude and don't complain , work harder. I agree with all of these ideas , Randy Pausch was an amazing professor and he obviously touched a lot of people and helped them make their dreams come true.

Fischbowl Comments

I read the blog and I agree with Karl Fisch about the importance of being a technologically literate teacher. All teachers must be prepared to teach their students and that includes technology. In today's world technology is everywhere and it cannot be avoided. Teachers today must learn as much as they can in order to do their students justice. Any teacher that doesn't want to learn or is not willing to learn should not be teaching others.I agree with Fisch when he compared not being able to read and being illiterate technologically, both are useful and necessary in our society.

There may be teachers who are afraid of change and unwilling to integrate technology into their classroom. These are the teachers that need an intervention by their administrators and the school systems. Professional development is so important in order to keep teachers up to date on new technology. Teachers can also learn from their students,students can teach because they are the ones keeping up with whats new. Technology can be used to enhance creativity and critical thinking in the classroom. No, I do not think that its OK for teachers to be technologically illiterate.

My Comments about "It's Not About the Technology"

I totally agree with the Kelly Hines post on "Its Not About the Technology". I agree that teachers must also be learners, for a teacher to be successful in the classroom he or she must be willing to learn too. Every students learns differently and a good teacher will be able to recognize that something that is not working. I believe that the use of technology in the classroom is important for a students future since our world is technology controlled now. However in the classroom the technology should be used to help make learning more creative. Learning should encourage students to be critical thinkers and the use of technology can help some students reach that stage of thinking.

I also believe that it is imperative to incorporate more technology in schools at a young age. I feel that it is only useful if the teacher is using it for learning and not to make class go smoother or for lessons to be easier. As I said before students learn differently and technology may be a way some students blossom in the classroom. A good teacher will incorporate technology in a way to make the students problem solve and find solutions instead of just following a set of directions. Teachers have such a big responsibility to prepare students for the future and technology is ever changing and so should education.

What I Think About Michael Wesch's Movie

As I watched Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today and it reminded me a lot of the Did You Know ? 3.0. The statements made by the students in the video about the amount of time they spent on the internet and cell phones verses the time they spend studying is not representative of me. I am much older the average college student so I probably have different priorities. When I was college in my 20's I would say that I probably would of been that way, but there were no cell phones and no internet access in the 1980's. I sit in class and watch a lot of students texting in class, they don't seem to be able to focus on class. A lot of college students in my classes act as though their classes are interfering with their socializing because they can't take their eyes of their phones.

Another thing that stuck me in the video was the point made that most professors don't know the names of their students. I can see that happening in a large classroom and this lack of contact makes the college experience more institutional and less meaningful the those involved. The money spent on a college education is so high many students are not taking advantage of what they have, there are so many people in the world who do not have these kinds of opportunities.
I feel that the movie represents me in my 20's, I can see myself getting caught up in the cell phones and internet at that age. At age 43 I do not have to check my e-mail everyday, I a not into texting or chatting on the internet. I do get on the internet everyday to do my school assignments. I have a Facebook account but I rarely check it, i don't feel that need to everyday or even weekly.

It's Time for Technology Talk Podcast Critique

The video podcast was very well prepared. The information in the podcast was useful, it had a lot of good ideas about using technology in education. The participants seemed a little nervous in the beginning and a little stiff. They looked at their notes a lot, but they seemed to get over being nervous as time passed. I think that it would of been better if everyone talked, only a few of the speakers actually got into the conversation. Two of the participants just nodded their heads a lot and contributed very little to the conversation. I think that the podcast would of been more interesting if the participants who have had teaching experience talked more from experience and gave examples from their classrooms.


I think that I would include some type of visual demonstration since it is video and not a audio podcast to keep my viewers interested. I feel that watching people sit and talk get a little boring and will not hold the attention of your audience. I also feel that having a host or an interviewer guide the conversation to keep it flowing may be a good idea. A person with a strong personality and knowledge of the subject matter would be a good choice. Overall I thought the podcast was well done. I realize it is harder than it looks.

Plagiarism and Copyrighting

Plagiarism is copying other peoples written or spoken words and using them as your own. It is important to give credit to those who originally wrote or spoke the words you are using in order to avoid plagiarism. On the website http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/ intentionally and unintentional plagiarizing was discussed. I believe that it is easy to unintentionally plagiarise someone else but it is important to avoid it. It is very important when writing a summary to compare what you have written against your source. I feel that it is best to use my own words and thought when possible and if I have to quote someone , I make sure I quote them or site them as a reference.

Copyright laws have been established to protect peoples written work. Under copyright laws we have to get permission to use their original work. It is up to the author to authorize others to use of their work whatever form it may be, music, books, articles etc. Plagiarism and copyright go hand in had in a way, no one should use someone elses words with out either giving credit or getting permission. I think that many people don't see that it hurts to copy something but if you are writing a report or doing research it is important to have credibility. By giving credit it gives you credibility by showing your sources. Violating copyright laws can be very serious and costly if someone tries pass someones elses work as their own.

Steve Sullivan's Presentation Review

Mr Sullivan's report had many tools that can help people with disabilities become accessible to the web. In the report Mr Sullivan stated a few Acts that require services and tools be accessible to the disabled. I think that it is wonderful that people with disabilities are not being overlooked and that their are people who are coming up with devices to help them become web accessible. In the report he mentioned a few tools alternative web browser, screen reader software, magnification software and voice recognition software. All of these tools would be extremely useful in schools and in the daily lives of those who finitely help include them into the society.

Sullivan's Principles are very important to consider, just because we have laws doesn't necessarily mean that they are being carried out. These devices are not always available to those who need them. Training is also very important, the proper use of these tools needs to be taught so that it is used to their potential. I worked as a paraprofessional in an elementary school here in Mobile and I worked with a little girl who had very poor eye sight. This little girl was unable to learn because she could not see. It took almost an entire school year for her to get magnifiers and a TV that magnified her worksheets. The teachers and I were not trained we had to figure out how to use them. I feel that many people who are disabled are overlooked and that their needs should considered and not put on a back burner.

My Podcast Resources Comments

I listen to the resources provided and I found a few of them to be very well done and some were down right boring. The site http://is.gd/2cd21 WCPN 90.3 had a podcast about Charter Schools and the speakers were great! They were very well prepared, knowledgeable about their subject matter and easy to follow. Their conversation was very casual yet professional at the same time. They had a good chemistry. I enjoyed listening because the speakers gave a lot of examples of things that they do in their charter schools that were new to me.



I also listen to a podcast from site http://practicalprincipals.net/ . This website a tons of information, several podcasts and links for educators. I listened to episode 20 they discussed issues that tech geeks in education have working with administrators. They too were very casual and professional at the same time. The podcast participants were well prepared and the conversation flowed well. It got a little long and boring at times, but they were funny made fun of themselves and called themselves geeks. I think that they were very passionate about what they discussed.