Comments4Kids Post

I looked at Mr Goerend's Classroom Blogs and he has some very creative students in his class. I read through the blogs and I commented on 6 posts. The first one I commented on was Brandon who wrote about having a National holiday to burp. I let him know that I was not a fan of burping but I give him credit for being original. Brett blogged about having an international holiday called Sumo Wrestler Day. Everyone walks around like a sumo wrestler, they put extra food in their bellybuttons when they are done eating. In my comment to Brett I told him that this too was very original and there are quite a few people who walk around like sumo wrestlers without trying to.

Matt blogged about a holiday that fits with Halloween, Laugh Like A Witch Day. He said that everyone is supposed to let out high pitched screeching laughs all day. I asked him if men are suppose to screech with a high pitch like a woman or do men screech differently. Emma blogged about a holiday I just had to comment on, National Spitting Day, everyone spits no matter where they are. Emma said in her blog that it is permitted to spit inside buildings it didn't matter where. In my comment to Emma I expressed that I would not like to participate or witness this holiday first hand. One of my favorite blogs was by Anna who blogged about National Act Like A Mime Day.One Act Like A Mime Day everyone must act everything and not talk, I told Anna in my comment to her that this is very creative and not an easy to do. It takes a lot of creativity to come up with ways to express what you want to say instead of talking. I commented on one more blog that didn't have a name on it. The blog was titled "How Embarrassment Turned Into An International Holiday." In this blog the author blogged that everyone must sprint instead of walk where they are going. I commented that this is a holiday that you have to train for because it will be hard to sprint for a whole day.I really got a lot of laughs from these blogs, Mr Goerend's students are very creative and have a lot of imagination.

Media Literacies Comments

I really liked New Media Literacies video it was to the point and it moved very fast. The video talked about all the things that a person living in our fast paced society needs to survive and to be a productive contributing member of society. the New Media Skills covered in the video that I agree with are;play, judgement, negotiation, appropriation, visualization trans media navigation and multitasking. The other ones I didn't really get a grasp of when I watched the video. I truly believe that using judgement and negotiating is something everyone need to be skillful at in order to get along and be harmonious. If we are going to share ideas and thoughts on the Internet we must be able to judge what we see and be able to negotiate with others to come to an understanding. I think all of these skills are necessary to be effective, multitasking is expected in all work environments.

A point that I found interesting is the idea that for years Media Literacy was controlled by a small group of producers. That is not the case anymore, we are all producers now thanks to the Internet.If you blog and post videos or anything else that can be viewed by others you are a producer. Trans media navigation is also important for today's world we all have to be able to find our way around the technology world or we will be left out. As a prospective teacher it is important for me to play and experience and experiment in order for me to learn. I believe that it is important for me to give my students the opportunity to play in order for them to learn so I must give them the time and opportunity so they will be able to be productive citizen.

I found a website called Project New Media Literacies that explains why it is important to be media literate and culturally literate. One the site it talked about MIT's research based initiative to research how to equip our youth with social skills and cultural competencies so that they will be able to participate in our growing media world. It also talked about how important it is today to bring awareness to the public about how important it is to be globally connected in a multicultural world.

Wendy Drexler's The Networked Students Comments

This little video The Networked Students was short and sweet but was packed with interesting information about organizing a Personal Learning Network(PLN). As I stated in my previous blog I find it difficult to sift through the information on the Internet to find what I really need. This video gave good ideas on how to go about it. I will use all of this information to create my own PLN for my EDM 310 class and for the future. There are so many tool that are useful on the Internet that you never have to step foot in a library or a classroom according to the video.

The video started of talking about a student that did have a book and didn't go to lecture. The student created their own PLN and used that as their curriculum with the guidance of a professor.The student never went to class they used the Internet for all the resources used to learn from. the student learns by making social connections and creating a virtual workbook of all the connections that they made about the subject they are learning about. The professors is there for guidance and feedback , the student is responsible for his own learning.

I don't know if I trust myself to find everything that I need to educate myself. In the video it suggests the use of iTunes U to find lectures, Google Scholar to find articles that are credible and find bookmarked sites that are relevant. Blogging is also mentioned as a way to share with others what they have found and to help others in their search for resources. I am working on my PLN now and I am going to try and use some of the ideas from this video. I see more an more how much is out there at all of our fingertips but if you don't know they are there it is useless.

Am I Ready to Write With Multimedia??

I think I am ready.I know how to type now when it comes to using all the technology available no I am not ready. It as a very difficult thing to do. On the two videos made by Richard Miller:This Is How We Dream he talked about how we do not have to step foot into a library anymore to research for papers, kids now go directly to the Internet. I remember looking into the Encyclopedia Britannica for information, that is unheard of now.When I was in high school way back in the 80's I took typing class (with a typewriter), this seems so ancient now. Children now are typing on computers using word processors, it is a very natural thing to do for the newer generations.

I am learning how to share my thoughts and ideas by blogging. I see that this is a way to share information globally. What is difficult sometimes is distinguishing what is fact and what is fiction. Often when I am searching for information I find myself sifting through so much garbage on the Internet to get what I need. I see so much blogging and I find it a little frustrating because it seems to be all opinion that is not really helpful when I need facts. After watching the video I understand the point that he makes about sharing ideas and thoughts by uniting humanities and the sciences.

Creating a documents on the web using text, images, audio and video has changed the way we communicate now. There was a time when you had to wait for the news to come on. Now all we have to do is log onto a computer, cell phone and we can access anything that is happening in the world. Sometimes we can watch something happening live and unedited. Technology is changing before our eyes and we have to try to keep up. Using audio and video makes it so appealing and makes us want to watch. Now you can get on the Internet and read almost any newspaper published and get more from the website than you would from the actual paper edition because they have videos , audio. Another thing appealing is the ability to respond instantly to something you read by emailing the newspaper editors with your comments. I am very overwhelmed at times and I get frustrated but I definitely see that the writing with multimedia a benefit.

Using iPods in Instruction

I googled using iPods in instruction and I found lots of sites and blogs that discussed the use of them at different universities. Duke University has been using them, they started by giving iPods to their incoming freshmen in 2004 to see if they would be a useful technology . The next year they only gave them to certain students depending on their major. Considering all that is available on iTunes U, the use of an iPod can be valuable in instruction. As I read about the way Dukes students used the iPods I realized that it would be a great asset to most student, not matter what their major.

They found that the use of iPods was very convenient and easy to use. The resources on iPods made it much more convenient than going to the library or the lab. The professors found that their was much more student engagement. Duke did find a problem or two one of which was obtaining licenses for materials. The students that were given the iPods were Engineering students, music and foreign language majors. They used the iPod for downloading music, recording interviews and tutoring sessions. I can see that this would be very convenient to carry instead of books or going to the library. Duke has developed models for introducing and merging computing into college campuses. They have expanded the courses that will use iPods in instruction. I wish the University of South Alabama would follow the model and give us all iPods, I would find a good use for it.

I never knew about iTunes University have you?

I didn't realize that iTunes offered this. I think its a great idea. Many universities are using it to post lectures and other educational tools for free.When I think of iTunes I just thought it was for downloading music and videos. I think that iTunes needs to let more people know that they have all this available. I can see professors and college students using more and more in the future. If you miss a lecture or if you need to review something it can be downloaded to an iPod or computer.

I believe it is also a good idea for those who have graduated they can use to keep up with whats new. I can see school systems using this in professional development and for conferences. There are quite a few universities that are participating in iTunes university, I am sure that the numbers will be growing. the iTunes University is a great way to reach as many students as possible. I think that it is a great way to enhance an online course by using both audio and video podcasts. If you want to learn more about iTunesU click here

Dr Christie's Google Earth Visual Tour Comments

I watched Dr Christie's Google Earth visual tour, it was interesting to see all the famous places that she included in her presentation. I was not able to identify many of them. I have some experience using Google Earth, I have used it to look at my house and my families homes. It is interesting to see all the details like my parents old car that they don't have anymore. These kinds of details give you an idea at how old the pictures are. In the virtual tour it did not really demonstrate how to use Google Earth, I was expecting the tour to have more information and a demonstration on how to use it.

I do see the point that Dr Christie is making in that it can be used as a tool in the classroom. Google Earth can be used to visit places in the classroom that students may never visit in person. I do like the way she presented it and spoke , this definitely can be useful and the students can create their own tour of places they are studying in class. It can also be used to show where they live or where they came from. If you have a student that is from another country they can use this in the class to show others where they are from. I believe there are countless ways Google Earth can be used in the classroom