My Reaction to Michael Wesch's Video about the Future of "Whatever"

This video made so many points that I had to back it up and watch some parts over again. I was really amazed at the idea that media is controlling how we communicate and it has become a language.The new media is disengaging us from people instead of bringing us together. I agree, I use to work in a department store and I hated it when customers came in and talked on their phone the entire time I waited on them, they didn't talk to me they pointed and spoke very little. I see this a lot everywhere I go, people walk around talking or texting and they are not paying attention to the person who they are with. I am an older college student and I have noticed that a lot of college age students can't put their phones down to listen to a professor for an hour. The use of the word "whatever" is indicative of the attitude of people, I don't care and new media is a reflection of that too.

Nowadays you can get on your computer and write e-mails, blogs and say things that you would not dare say to a persons face.Typing on a computer or looking into a web cam is not the same experience as looking into someones face and speaking. I am sure that there are millions of people who have sent a message or written things that they wish that they could take back, but once you send it its gone and there is no turning back. This type of communication can be edited and changed to give a false impression. I think as a teacher it is a good idea to talk about all of these things with students so that they will think about what they are engaging in. I think that it is important to let the students know that communication is a shared experience and that the new media is not always a shared experience.

I do think that people are all looking for someone to connect with , but at the same time they are not connecting they are disengaging instead. the new media is disconnecting us from the ones we are closest to.

CommentKids: My comment to MrsG Student Zebin K

I read Zebin K's blog and he talked about his interest in sports. He said that he liked football, tennis and baseball. I told him that I also like sports and that I liked to watch them on TV. I also mentioned that when I was younger I was the youngest of 3 brothers so I had to play if they need an extra person. Zebin K asked in his blog if we played soccer, volleyball or rugby because he has not played any of these sports. I told him that I played volleyball in middle school but soccer and rugby were too hard and dangerous for me. I didn't tell him but I am definitely too old to play either of those now.

PS 22 Landslide Video Post

First of all "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac is one of my favorite songs so I enjoyed the video a lot. You can tell in the PS 22 Video really enjoyed themselves and that they were well prepared. By doing these videos and posting them on blogs the children can watch themselves and critique themselves. Also they gain a lot of self esteem and pride making the video. I watched the other videos PS 22 choir had posted and they were all great. The singers were not nervous, they were very relaxed. The production process also teaches the children how to create and how to use technology.






Mr Chamberlains class posted their Dear Kaia: Voicethread and Video on his blog. The voicethread was a great way to reach out and connect the classroom long distance. The students all participated in the video and gave it a personal touch. A post like that gives others ideas on how they too can reach out and enhance their classroom experience using technology. This too is a good tool for others to learn from by posting it to a blog.







Dr Stranges EDM posting of South Alabama student's podcasts is a great way for the class to work cooperatively. Often students do not like to work in groups , this gives students experience
researching a subject and creating a script to be taped. I know that I dreaded doing this project, but once we started talking and recording it wasn't that difficult. I have watched others class podcasts and I look forward to watching our podcasts. By watching the others podcasts you can learn what to do and what not to do.

I also liked what I saw on Mr Kaechele Technology class blog. His students are doing a lot of the same things we are doing in our EDM 310 class but they are 8th graders. They are way ahead of the game or should I say way ahead of me. They are using Google Reader, Google Documents, Skype and Flickr and podcasting. They are posting their videos on their classblog. The students are able to share what they are learning with others and learn at the same time. I think that these students are learning so much and are very fortunate to have this experience in school.

ALEX and ACCESS Usefulness to Teachers

I searched the ALEX site and found that it was full of information that teachers of all levels can use. The site provides teaching and learning tools that are great for a new teacher to look at to get ideas. The site also has links to websites that have been reviewed for content, readability and reliability. I think that this is great, it keeps you from going from website to website to just find out it's not what you are looking for. The site also offers professional development opportunities for teachers and school systems to sign up for, you can't learn enough when you are a teacher. This site also had podcasts for all subject areas that you can download and use in the classroom.

I also found that the site has The Alabama Course of Study for every grade level (k-12)and for every subject area. When you click on the grade and a subject it not only gives the standard but it gives you links and lesson plans for that standard. This is a great help for a new teacher who needs some ideas on how to go about teaching the standard. The standards also have a key that tell you what test the standard will be on, for example the SAT or ARMT. This too can be helpful to prepare your students for those high stakes test. Overall I feel that ALEX is a very useful tool for any teacher and especially for a new teacher who needs all the help they can to get started.

I also found ACCESS to be extremely helpful to a teacher. It has numerous resources, links that can be used in the classroom. The vision for ACCESS is "to provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve achievement through distance learning." On this site the State of Alabama Department of Education is offering online courses to participating schools and school systems in a pilot program to test the effectiveness of distance learning. So far they are reporting that it is working out very well, they feel that the students need more contact with the teachers. I think it if about time that Alabama is providing an education that will prepare our students for the future in respect to the move toward technology.

On the site they also provide information about professional development through video conferencing which is great this keeps from having to travel. Video conferencing can also reach more teachers across the state. The teachers have lots of programs that they can use in the classroom to enhance learning by using technology. I did not realize that the Alabama was moving in this direction and I am glad to find this out. I hope that Mobile County schools get involved soon. I feel that both ALEX and ACCESS are beneficial to all teachers especially to a new teacher who may need a push in the right direction when it comes to integrating technology into the curriculum. Teachers nowadays need all the help they can get.

Comment4Kids: Jorhar's Woodtech Blog

I commented on Jorhar's 8th grade technology blog. Jorhar wrote in his blog that he loved to play video games. He also stated that if he could play video games all day that he would. Jorhar wrote that his favorite games was called "Devil May Cry" and he had a picture from the game on his blog. I commented on his blog that I also like to play video games and that I am not very good at them. I told him that I like to play the Wii. I suggested in my comment that he should apply what he has learned playing video games to other forms of technology.

My Personal Learning Network

As a prospective teacher I have learned that there are numerous resources that I can take advantage of . I have learned a lot in my education classes at USA and my professors have been very helpful when it comes to providing us with resources. In my EDM 310 class I have found that there are numerous resources on the Internet that I can use.

Facebook

I have been a member of Facebook for about 6 months. I worked as a paraprofessional for the Mobile County School System and I have become friends with several teacher and school staff. I was first introduced to Facebook by a Special Education teacher that I worked with at ER Dickson Elementary School. I am no longer employed with MCPSS so Facebook is a great way for me to stay in touch with my former coworkers at the school system and keep up with what is going on in the schools today. I have also become Facebook friends with several of my classmates and a few professors at USA. I feel that this is a good way to stay connected with people I meet and work with.

EdTech Talk

I was first introduced to EdTech Talk while reading one of my classmates blog. EdTech Talk posts podcast that have topics about the use of technology in the classroom. I have found these podcast very interesting, often they have guests teachers and administrators discussing various uses of technology in the classroom. This site gives many good ideas and a sounding board to educators who are interesting in integrating technology in children's education. This site allows for live participation in discussions. I feel that this site can and will be useful by giving me ideas on how to integrate video, audio to the curriculum. I am an elementary education student so I will need lots of good ideas on how to prepare my young students for the future. I am following this site on my personal blog so I can keep up with the topics they are discussing.

The Future of Education

This is a community of educators I found while I was googling for ideas on how to build a PLN. This website is a PLN for educators, you can create your own page after you join you can network with other educators that are members and discuss ideas and share information. I found that there are a lot of resources within this one site. Many experienced teachers post activities that they have found to be useful in the classroom. I have commented on blogs and I intend to keep in contact with the members when I need advice in the future. This site has blogs and links to resources on the Internet that experienced teachers have posted. I signed up as a member and subscribed to a RSS feed so I can keep updated.



At The Teacher's Desk

This is a blog that I learned about through Dr Strange, he suggested this blog site on our blog assignment sheet. So I decided to take a look at it and I agree with Dr Strange that this site is another good resource for educators. There are many contributors that we learned about through our blogging assignment like Mr Mc Clung an Mr Chamberlain. I am following this blog on my personal blog and I have found the topics to be useful. This site also gives many good ideas on how to integrate technology in the classroom, like using Skype for ESL students. The contributors are all educators who have experience that I can benefit from and I like the idea that I can contact them for advice or just to give my two cents.

Art Talk Wiki

This is a Wiki created by Dr. Paige Baggett who is an art professor here at the USA. This is a Wiki that Dr Baggett created for her students and educators to use to network. Dr Baggett has discussed in class the importance of making contacts and finding resources that can helpful to us as teachers. I love art and I feel that art is very important aspect of education that is often overlooked. Art is a wonderful world that children need to explore and this Wiki is a great source of idea that is useful in facilitating the integration of art in elementary school. I hope to keep in contact with Dr Baggett in the future and continue to make more contacts in art education.

Comments About Kaia and Her Father

At first I didn't know what to make of this until I read the blog written by Jabiz Raisdana-Kaia's father- in Quatar. I really didn't understand what this was all about. The whole scenario was started by Jabiz Raisdana-Kaia's father- he wanted to take his daughter outside to explore even though it was not a beautiful place to look at. Kaia's Dad is a teacher after reading Last Child in the Woods he felt that his daughter need to go outside and find beauty in the world that she lives in. So one day Kaia and her dad went outside and he let her take pictures with a digital camera in search of something beautiful. Kaia is a very beautiful 3yr old girl, she enjoyed the experience and enjoyed using a digital camera.

Once the pictures were taken, Kaia's dad decided to create to post the pictures on a his daughters blog. Mr Raisdana was concerned about putting his daughter on the Internet and expressed his concerns about exposing her to the world. There are several pictures of things that they found outside and pictures of Kaia taking the pictures. The album with her photographs also has her voice describing the pictures she took. A teacher from Missouri-Mr Chamberlain- contacted Mr Raisdana and they decided to Skype a conversation with the class about the pictures that Kaia took and why he posted her photos.

During the Skype Kaia's dad explained to the class that Kaia was only 3 and would not be able to read a blog or a letter from them. He suggested that they make a video that she could watch and tell her what they felt about her pictures. The video was very well done and sweet they all talked to Kaia and let her know how much they liked her pictures and how they felt about them.

I can see that this type of exchange can bring things that we read about to life. This can be used in the classroom to bring someone that is a world away to your classroom in real time. I think that it could be used to talk to authors about a book that they read. I can see high school using this a way to talk to experts in different fields and bring a subject to life. Skype can be used to make words on a piece of paper to life and make a student sit up and take notice. It is definitely much more enriching than just reading about a subject.