My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete.

Hello EDM 310, I had a great time learning technology with you all. Robyn and Sandra you two are awesome. I really enjoyed getting too know you both. If our paths do not cross again hopefully we can use our e-mail that Dr.Strange set up to keep in touch. For those of you that I did not get to know very well I still wish you the best of luck.

What I learned throughout the semester?

I learned a lot about google in which I would have never learned. I did not realize that presentations, word documents, and spreadsheets could be done using google. I loved that we made an iGoogle page. They were so cool. We also made a blog in which we were to make post throughout the semester pertaining to various assignments Dr.Strange gave. These post dealt with things such as listening to numerous podcast through iTunes, attending an ACCESS lab, and looking up teachers who may use blogs for their classroom.

I also learned about a program called Picasa. Picasa is a photograph program that allows you to do a number of things with photos. I really enjoyed learning about this program and since I got my camera last year for Christmas. I have been doing nothing but taking pictures during different holidays and special occasions. I believe I will use this program in the future. Thanks Dr. Strange for introducing us to Picasa.

Overall, I really enjoyed the EDM 310 class. Dr. Strange is a great teacher who knows how to make things happen technologically with using google.

My ACCESS Lab Visit!!!

I visited C.F Vigor to view their ACCESS Lab on October 31,2008. The instructor that showed me the lab was Mr. Clifford Allred. My senior year of high school Mr.Allred was my Algebra II/Trig. teacher. It was rather hard trying to sent up a time to visit since my schedule did not match his too well but once I we got it set up for my visit Mr.Allred was nothing but helpful when showing me around the lab.


The ACCESS lab that I visited was mainly used for Intervideo Conferencing (IVC) and webbased. The first thing that Mr.Allred told me was that janitors had no idea how to clean the equipment and desk. He then showed me the presenter scene and document camera. The Document camera resembled a projector and its function is to let you see problems with using smart board and tv scenes. This was a nice piece of equipment. You could rotate the item, change the contrast value, and it had a lamp.


The next piece of equipment that he showed me was the smartboard. This resembled a dry erase board and maybe referred to as a giant slate. The document camera would project the information on the smart board and the instructor could use that to instruct the students. The smartboard has markers, which have there own holder. If the instructor should mix the markers up the marker will write the color in which the holder has on it. I found this rather cool. If I wanted I could write blue with a red marker. It's too high tech for me.



The last piece of equipment we experimented with was the computer. This is what the instructor could use to dial up with the other schools. It was a Tandberg scene. It also has a double scene which allows the instuctor to see both classes at the sam time. This came in real handy with Mr. Allred's classes last semester.

Blogs from Classmates

I reviewed Amelia Perkins class blog. I loved the way she incorporated all those pictures and videos into her post. It was very helpful in some aspects to get a feeling of what the Arthur is referring to while taking about different events and films. Her blog was really creative and it seemed that she kept up pretty well with her post deadlines.

I believe that blogs can be used in the classroom. It seems that Amelia has a good idea of what her classroom blog would look like. In using blogs in the classrooms I believe that this would be a great way for the teacher to communicate with the students as well as their parents.

The teacher could post various links and assignments that have been reviewed and diagnostic test for the students to practice. The teacher could also post a calender for that week. So in case the students are absent that student will be able to view the assignments for that day.

Although I thought Amelia blog was wonderful I do feel that she could have wrote a little more about certain topics and gone in greater detail about her opinions about those issues.

My Electronic Contact!!!

The person I was in contact with for this project was Mrs. Cami Argyle. I met Mrs. Argyle while I was trying to find teachers who had classroom blogs. I was really impressed by Mrs. Argyle's blog so I contacted her via e-mail. The topics were mainly how she incorporated technology into her classroom. She teaches kindergarten at Freedom Elementary in Hooper, UT. She is happily married and has two boys of her own.

When I first started mentioning technology I sent her an e-mail full of questions. A few examples of the questions where: 1.Do you believe its okay for teachers to be technologically illiterate? 2. Is it important for teachers to incorporate computers into daily learning for their students? 3. Do you believe teachers are preparing children for the future? Technology is advancing so fast. Some day everything maybe
ran by computers. 4. Do you believe are students are prepared?. This is how she replied, "Our district started offering a technology conference last year. It is offered once a year during the summer. I use the 2 computers in my room as a center rotation. Children can visit the computers during center time and play various games, etc. associated with what we have been learning in class (letter and sound games, math activities, etc). They are basically used as an extension of what we have already learned and practiced in class. I do not use our computer labs as often as I would like too. In the past I have used a visit to the computer lab as an incentive or award. I try to bring in real life experiences as often as possible into my classroom to help prepare my students for the future."
I also asked Mrs. Argyle for suggestions on websites for teachers. When doing so I asked if Youtube or facebook could be used as educational tools. Her reply was, "I have heard of facebook and myspace, but I am not real familiar with them. As far as YouTube, we actually have something similar in our district called WeberTube. I like this better because I am comfortable with the materials and know that they are appropriate for children otherwise they would not be available to us. When I was in college I used websites more than I do currently as far as helping me get ideas and lesson plans."
I believe that completing this assignment has made me think more of how I can incorporate technology more into my classroom. I hope that I succeed in this effort and maybe when I begin teaching I will be just as good as Mrs. Argyle. You can check out her blog at: Cami's Class Blog

Duke University (Center for Documentary Studies)

Duke University has various podcast listed. These were products of the universities Center for Documentary Studies (CDS). According to the podcast, "The CDS is a program which teaches, engages in, and presents documentary work grounded in collaborative partnerships and extended fieldwork that uses photography, film/video, audio, and narrative writing to capture and convey contemporary memory, life and culture." The podcast listed were about various historical times.

The ones I most enjoyed "Live?Die?Kill? Three Questions in Two Geographics" and "Look Back on 9/11 Across America: An Acoustic Exhibit Presents American Voices in the Aftermath of Attack". The first podcast was done by Karen Michel and it was about the Virginia Tech Bombing. The second podcast was just discussing the 9/11 attack. These were some of the more recent events in history so I figured I could relate to them more.

EDM 310 Podcast

I have listened to four podcast from various groups done by some classmates from the EDM 310 class. The first was the one done by myself, Sandra Presley and Robyn Terry and it discussed "Burp Back Education". The second was done by Theola Hines and Larrica Smith and it discussed "Facebook as a Educational Tool". The third was done by Jennifer Harris, Alison Hawes, and Amelia Perkins and it discussed "Technology Used at the University of South Alabama". Last but not least the fourth podcast was done by Brennan Gibson, hanna Callais, Ashley Weeler, and Kimberly Dees and it discussed " Uselful Websites for Elementary Education".

Our podcast (Burp Back Education), could have been better in my opinion instead of going in any order we kinda just butted in from time to time to add to each others comments. So in a way I believe it could have been more organized but I thought the point of a podcast was to hold a conversation about a topic and thats exactly what we did. So in that aspect I believe we did great.

The second podcast(Facebook as a Teacher Tool), I listened too was kinda interesting. I never knew that Facebook begin as a college tool or who invented the idea for Facebook. I do believe that they could have discussed more about what Facebook offers and how people tend to use it. They discussed how you could use memos and bulletins but not much more. They also compared Myspace to Facebook. In my opinion Facebook and Myspace were structured as social tools for friends to keep in touch therefore should not be used as education tools. Listening to this podcast didn't change my mind on that either.

The third podcast (Technology Used at the University of South Alabama), was a little confusing to be honest. They began off by saying they would be discussing four types of technology styles that are typically used in the classroom. Instead of saying this is the first, second, etc. They basically just went from one type to the next. They discussed Something called Noddle, Online Classes, eCompanion, and their experiences with Filiotek. At the end they talked about how Dr. Strange's class has helped them think about how to incoporate technology in their class.

The fourth podcast (Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Teachers), I found to be very helpful. They all gave various websites and actually spelled the names of them so we as future teachers could look them up. Some discussed were: Brainpop.com, educationworld.com, 4teachers.org, and Busyteacherscafe.com. Although not all the information on some of the websites were free most had printable sheets and vaious links for quizzes, lesson plans, experiments and one even had tips for new teachers. These were are great help to me.

Overall, having listened to the various podcast I believe I have more knowldege of how to hold a podcast and would love to do more with technology in my classroom as an Elementary School Teacher.

Technology in Mathematics!

Judy Chandler is a technology integration specialist, mathematics teacher, and math mentor/trainer for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. In her two podcast I learned various reasons why integrating technology into mathematics is important. Chandler mentioned in her podcast that some teachers are reluctant to incorporate technology. This is mostly due to the fact that the teachers consider it an add on and believe that they must cover the chapters in the books in order to meet the standards in which the students will be tested.

What most teachers don't realize is that most information discussed in the books are also taught through various games and activities done over the computer. That is where mathematics and technology come together. Students these days are learning more and more about technology and in order for most to be able to survive in the future technology in the classroom will make a big difference.

The National Council of Teachers in Mathematics believe, "Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics, it influences mathematics that is taught, enhances student learning and its principles, and standards for mathematics documents has included the technology principle as one of the six crucial principles for high quality mathematics education."

Chandler states, "that students are taught lesson by lesson and example by example through a text book". This kind of learning causes disengagement. Chandler suggest, "that we engage our students to think Mathematically". This could be done primarily through asking questions. In my own experience as an observer for a first grade class the students tend to interact more positively to the teacher asking them questions about why the solution is a certain number and how they came to that solution that just giving them example after example. This is not helping them learn how to perform the problem it is merely just helping them get there the problems listed.

As teachers, I believe it is essential to incorporate any type of on hands training that we can. This on hands training could include games done on the computer or anything that keeps the students engaged and not just trying to keep up with the other students. You will have those students who don't catch on as quick and its essential as a teacher to provide as much remedial education and tutoring as you can to insure that all students are on the same level.

"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindset

The podcast video I watched today was discussing and describing to mindsets. The first was growth. People with a growth mind set believe that intelligence can be developed through passion, studying, and education. The second was fixed. People with a fixed mind set believe basic intelligence is just to fix trade. They're very concerned with how much they have and based their activities on whether intelligence will be shown to their advantage.

Carol Diverck, Professor of Psychology and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, has this program where they have an eight session workshop. Half of the participates are taking eight sessions of Study Skills, and the second group are having both Study Skills and Growth Mind Set. The first group showed little improvements and had low grades. This was mainly due to their lack of motivation for the activities. The second group came out on top and had overall better grades. They understood that the brain was a muscle and like all muscles the brain must be used in order to get stronger. The participates in this group learned various concept but also learned how to apply these concepts.

I really enjoyed this podcast video. I believe it relates to teachers in the effect that we should in steal in our students the "growth" mindset. They should never settle for less when more is to be accomplished. Having a "fixed" mind set only holds us from accomplishing great things. We have to stand up as teachers and insure that our students are trained and taught in the "growth" mindset.

Teachers are to be role models for their young students and establish stability in the classroom. This stability is not only good classroom management and good rules and procedures but also motivates their students to do well. For younger students stickers are fine. Have your students try to accomplish new goals each week.

Both of the first grade classrooms' that I'm observing this semester send home goal sheets every week. I believe this is an excellent way to get our students to working to the "growth" mindset. They are given goals and are not fixed on a certain way of thinking or fixed mindset. There are numerous of ways that these goals could be meet. That where parents can jump in and help on remediation for their child. This way the students are continually getting this "growth" mindset in steeled in them.

What is a planet? & Booming Sands

The first podcast that I viewed was, "What is a planet?". I first saw this podcast listed in the k-5 listings. It told interesting facts about how researchers believe there maybe ten to twelve planets instead of just nine. It also revealed a definition of what a planet is. According to the podcast,"A planet is a body that orbits a star, has enough mass to create it's own gravity, has a round shape, and has cleared its neighborhood. This is contradictory however because Neptune shares paths with Pluto. Neptune is considered a planet but Pluto is considered a dwarf planet because it shares paths with Neptune. There are always questions that's why we're glad scientific findings are steadily evolving.

The second podcast that I watched was called "Booming Sands". This podcast was talking about how the sands friction is causing a booming sound. The podcast itself was mainly talking about how Melany Hunt and some other researchers were running experiments on Death Valley in California. They're experiments were focused on finding out why the sand has the ability to provoke acoustic energy when disturbed. This tension is causing the booming sound that is heard from Death Valley and thirty other large sand domes.

I really enjoyed a few of the podcast. I did find that most of the podcast listed where somehow related to science and some type of experiment. I'm sure there are more subjects that podcast could be used in. I believe we could record history lessons or important facts for a specific time during history. This would be beneficial to both teacher and students. Also I believe we could use podcast almost something like a phonics test. We could have different games for the students.

I found a few of the podcast listed under the three grade listings to repeat themselves. I also found that a few were basically just like observation. They involved very little words and not much meaning. The two I am mainly referring to Observe Clouds and Solar Eclipse.

The Edible Schoolyard & A Night in the Global Village.

The Edible Schoolyard was an interesting place to learn about. It's part of Martin Luther King Junior Middle School sent in Berkeley, CA. The garden was started by Alice Waters as a way to improve school lunching. The school now is focused all learning around the garden. The students learn math by measurements done by cooking, science by studying water molecules and photosynthesis, not to mention values such as corporation and teamwork. The students plant, harvest, and eat the foods that are grew from the garden.

I found this school to be a great way of incorporating hands-on with the students. Since all learning comes from planting crops in the garden the students also become more self-sufficient. Working on the garden boost their self-esteem as well as teaches the students to work as a team. I believe there should be more of these types of schools where all of these skills come together and teach valuable lessons that may not be taught elsewhere.

A Night in the Global Village is an adventure for the students involved. It was about students from the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning in Denver. The students are given an opportunity, at the Heifer Ranch set up in Perryville, AK., to change from an American live and life in the live of someone who is less fortunate. On this five acre ranch different living conditions are set up to simulate different countries. The students are put into groups and have to live in the conditions of the country they are assigned. This experiment last one night and is sent to give a better understanding of how the less fortunate live.

I believe this is a great way for the students to learn about different cultures from different countries. They become more aware of how various people live and interact with others. They also are made more appreciative of what they have. Since not all children have it as good as those from the United States.

Podcast

According to the Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, "Podcast is a Web-based audio broadcast via an RSS feed, accessed by subscription over the Internet." So its basically just a conversation which is broadcasted.

The first podcast, SMARTBoard Lesson, was in my opinion not as organized and focused on the topic as the other podcast I heard were. I listened to three or four of the topics listed and thought that the host Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger were spending way to much time talking about the weather, and ways of making changes to the podcast. I did however find some of the information helpful. After all it was meant as a aid for professional development of busy teachers.

The second podcast, Kidcast, was what I thought to be the best as far as interesting and easy to listen too. The topic "Questions Make the World go Round" was the one that I primarily focused on. In this discussion, Dan Schmitt, spoke of how questions are the central focus of a good academic podcast. We need to focus on how to ask good questions and how to go about finding the correct answer. So we should practice having a conversation of only questions. This would be like brainstorming in a way but only using questions. They also discussed how Penn State has 60 second lectures. I found this really interesting. So I kept listening. What Dan said was that a scholar is chosen to discuss a topic and only given 60 seconds to get his/her point across. So basically that person has to narrow his topic to answer one specific question. Dan also suggest that we do the same and practice giving 60 second lectures.

The third podcast, Connect Learning, I found this discussion very useful. The fourth podcast, Ed TechTalk, was also very helpful. It discussed something called Youth Voices. An account is made for each student and mostly is used to introduce students to technology. They also talked of digital photography. The question was raised "Could a picture taken express a person's life?". Is a picture really worth a thousand words? They also talked with a teacher who used Blogs and Youth Voices in her classroom. The teacher had a class blog and the students also had a blog in which they were responsible for commenting on classmates , and posting pictures of their work.

The fifth podcast, MacBreak Weekly, was also one that I believed jump too much from topic to topic. The host were Leo Laporte, Larlin Mann, Scoot Bourne, and Alex Lindsey. Their primarily focus was on cameras. They discussed what they believe to be the best and what to look for when purchasing a camera.

The sixth podcast, This Week in Photography, Alxe Lindsey and Scoot Bourne discussed digital imaging and sharing of pictures. In sharing of pictures I am primarily referring to printers. The host mentioned that a picture isn't a picture into it's in print. They discussed ink jet printers which could be as cheap as fifty dollars. They also discussed dye's versus pigment. Both are great however pigments would be better recommended. This involves my podcast reviews.

Dr. Strange's Photo

 

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

I really enjoyed the video. Randy Pausch is just so full of life and really is a great speaker. He began by sharing some personal information about the fact that the doctors have found 10-12 tumors in his liver and that he has three months of good healthy life left.Pausch found this out a month ago but still has a positive attitude and really shows his humorous personality throughout the lecture. Thiswawa s motivation enough for me to listen to his speech.

His lecture was about: Childhood Dreams, Enabling dreams of others, and about Lessons learned:How to achieve your dreams and enable the dreams of others. Pausch explained about his childhood dreams. His second dream was to play in the NFL. Although this dream didn't come true for him he learned the most from it than any other dream that he achieved. His first coach taught him that fundamentals were important and without them the fancy plays could not be achieved. He also learned that having someone to watch over you and correct you when you're doing things wrong is positive because that means that that person cares. Pausch's coach made this quote:"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." This is also where he discusses what he refers to as a "Head fake". A "Head Fake" is a form of indirect teaching so in other words its what you learn unintentionally. Playing most sports involves an indirect teaching of teamwork, sportsmanship, and perseverance. He also made this quote, ".Brick Walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things". In the end Pausch has achieved most of his childhood dreams and learned favorable lessons from each experience.

His final dream listed was "Being a Disney Imagineer". This dreamed was achieved and he worked one-day week for ten years. He began this career working with the Aladdin VR. This then escalated to "Building Virtual Worlds". This program was set for fifty students from the various departments, the students had two weeks to design,implement, and test, and were responsible for five projects throughout the semester. The students blew him away after the first assignment and Pausch then learned that you shouldn't think less of people cause they will always surprise you.

Under the Lesson's Learned profile Pausch listed some of the people who may contribute to a person's success in fulfilling his/her goals. Some that were listed were: Parents, teachers, Mentors, Friends, and Colleagues. From this section of the lecture Pausch pointed out some really interesting points and suggestions. Among them were: Never Give Up, Help Others, Never Loose the Child like Wonder, Learn from you students. A few suggestions for how to get people to help were: tell the truth, apologize when you screw up, and focus on others and not yourself.
The "Head Fake" was that if you live your life the right way that karma will take care of itself and your dreams will come true.

Presentation

Suggestions in using iPods in intsruction.

While performing my search for the use of ipods in the classroom. I found some reasearch by Duke University. The University's Writing Program directors are suggestiong the use of iPods to reflect on teaching writing. They suggested "using the iPod as an unobtrusice audio record to help writing imstructors capture and analyze classroom discussions of student writing and, with the help of colleagues and a senior writing faculty, improve their facilitation and leadership of those discussions". I believe this is a great idea. We should incorporate more use of iPods in the classroom.

Another site that I viewed was a website created by a Pre-K teacher. (Mrs. Levins)The title was Using iPods in the Early Childhood Classroom. This site involved many great examples and suggestions of use for iPods in instruction. A few examples of how to use iPods in the classroom are: Source of music, Listening Centers, and Podcasting. Music can be very useful in the field of instruction. Students seem to learn from a varity of different resources. Teachers could use iPods instead of regular cassette players or CD players. Her are some links in which you can find more information on iPods.
USF iPods in the Classrooms
Austin ISD Uses iPods As Learning Tools
Sites to See:
iPod Resources
iPods in the Classroom

Dr. Christie's move to incorporating technology into the classroom.

Dr. Alice Christie's, A professor at Arizona State University, website is a great resource for teacher who are trying to learn new ways of incorporating technology into their classrooms. The website includes workshop listings, educational technology links, her class information, and various other links about web design and photography. The link I liked most was the educational technology link. The Educational Technology link listed different categories such as pod casting, instant messaging, educational portfolios, multimedia, rubrics, and online researching resources. As a future teacher I find all of these links to be of importance in some way or another.
The two that I found most worth wild for teachers are pod casting and rubrics. Pod casting can help demonstrate activities that the students may be doing. This could be extremely helpful in that instead of explaining the rules and procedures a million times the students could perform the measures while they listen to the teacher. The second one was rubrics. Rubrics are used by teachers as a evaluation of how the students are doing on a assignment. This is beneficial in that the teacher does not have to worry about showing favoritism because the same standards are set for each student.

Can Wikipedia Be Considered a Reliable Course?

My high school teachers always use to tell their students that Wikipedia could be used as a starting point but should never be used as a resource and not all information that is seen on Wikipedia is true. This to me was great advice because when you're researching a topic you always need to start from somewhere and usually when you type a title or subject in the Google search engine a site comes up with Wikipedia. Well I always use to read the information on the Wikipedia site then go from their to expand and also make sure the information I read was correct.
The next question many students began to ask, "Is rather Wikipedia is a reliable source"? I believe it is to an extent. If you're looking up words for their meaning you should most likely use the dictionary but Wikipedia could be a backup. When you're researching a certain topic one should look for editions and corrections made to the page. Researchers should look for reliable editions but never take the information on Wikipedia to heart due to the fact that this site can be edited by anyone.

Best of the Fischbowl June 2007

In "21st Century Business Panel Blog" Fisch discussed how a group of forty-four or so teachers in his staff development, their district Director of Career and Technical Education, their district CIO, their Superintendent, and four of our five school board members in their district meet to discuss what students would need to know in order to be successful on the 21st Century. Fisch and Kelly Dignan sat this meeting up and provided guided questions that the panel could think about before the meeting was to take place.

I found the results and answers given very interesting. They discussed everything from values to becoming a leader and how teamwork and collaboration are a major key to success. Here a few of the notes which Fisch wrote from his meeting: "Acceptance of differences/diversity is important. Everything is global and folks need to work hard to understand different countries and cultures – as well as the cultures of other companies. Norms are very important."; "Students need to find their passion and learn all they can about it."; and "We need to focus on life skills for students, on creating an environment where students can do their best work. Students need to learn by doing – applied learning, internships."

The two notes that I liked most about Fisch's meeting were: "Both written and verbal communication skills are essential for everyone."; and "There is no one right answer – there are lots of answers, some are better than others – and critical thinking skills are paramount."

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I really found ."Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" post interesting. The blogger made alot of good points however, I don't believe anyone should feel ashamed because they may be technologically illeterate. I do feel like teachers should have some technology skills. The blogger stated,"If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." I believe that's true. Technology is rapidly taking over in the classroom. Having stated that I believe that its part of a teachers professional developement to stay on top with the technology changes. The principle should then take responsibility of makeing sure teachers participate in workshops which are for technology. We as teachers are part of a team and I feel like if one fails we all fail. So instead of critizing those who are technolically illiterate we should hold workshops which discuss the differences and changes of technology. My final opinion is that its not okay to be technologically illiterate but it's what one does to become technologically up to date that matters. Don't just sit on the side lines take advantage of the workshops that can increase your professional developement.

New Articles

Ms. Averitt has located two very interesting articles about RSS Feeds and Podcasting. I have posted class under syllabus and handouts, but I am going to also going to put the links to them here.
The ABC's of RSS Feeds
Podcasting; Just the Basics

Blogs From International Schools.

The first blog that I visited was Zurich International School. It is located in Switzerland. The school itself consist of Early Childhood Education to Upper Levels of school. The school has a variety of different blog sites but this specific one is for students in Economics. The blog would be considered upper school (high school). The site offers in site for the exams, wiki links, and much more. The blog was created and maintained by Jason Welker. Mr. Welker is the Economics teacher at the Zurich International School. The blog link is: http:http://welkerswikinomics.com/blog/tag/zurich-international-school/.


The second blog I viewed was International School Bangkok. It is known as "Thailand's Premier International School". This school also ranges from elementary to high school and on the top of the web site they list links for the different school levels, activities/athletics, parent portal and admissions. The head of the school has his own blog where he discusses the progress made by the school, and up coming dates for various activities. The blog link is: http://www.isb.ac.th/Head_of_School_s_Blogs.

Teacher Blogs From Across the U.S.

The first blog that I viewed was from a kindergarden teacher by the name of Mrs. Argyle. She is a teacher from the Weber District in Hooper, UT. Her blog has various links to inform the parents on the activities his/her child will be participating in. Here's a list of a few of the tabs: homework, favorite books, song and rhymes, and weekly news letters. She also tells a little about herself. Her blog link is: http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/caargyle/.



The second blog that I viewed was from a first grade teacher by the name of Mrs. Parker. She is a teacher from the Goochland School District in Goochland, VA. Her blog is set up a little different in that it just has the assignments listed in a row. Its list the assignments for each subject from that week. It also informs the parents on small things that pertain to their children such as: snacks, supplies, fees, newsletters and that sort of things.Her blog link is:http://blogs.glnd.k12.va.us/teachers/dparker/.

Did You Know?

The video,"Did you Know?", listed statistics/predictions which I had never heard and to be honest never thought about. This statistics were mainly on technology but also discussed English as the widely used language and estimates from the US Department of Labor. As seen on the video our technology is gradually changing and becoming more advanced. The video states that "By the time children born in 2007 are six years old a supercomputers computation capabilities will exceed that of the human brain". Haven these predictions on hand has left parents to question educational officials on rather their child is being prepared for the twenty-first centry.

The language predictions were mind wondering. I never would have guessed that in ten years that China would have been the number one English speaking country in the world. The video states "That hundred percent of the two thousand six graduates in India speak English'. That statistic caught me way off gaurd.

The estimates from the US Department of Labor were bewondering also. The video states "one in four workers have been with their current employer for less than one year and that one in two have been with their current employer for less than five years". The video also states that "The US Department of Labor estimates that today's Learner will have ten to fourteen jobs by their thirthy-eight birthday. These statistics/predictions from the video really got me thinking about how technology is changing. If you have any other questions the video list this website.
shifthappens.wikispace.com

ACCESS

ACCESS, Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, is a Distance Learning program which allows high school students the opportunity to take AP, Advanced Placement, courses which will prepare them for college and the workplace. The courses are to be taken during regular school hours and are offered free to student in public schools throughout Alabama.

The Distance Learning Methods are: Web-based, Videoconferencing, and Blended. On the web-based they would like to add AP courses and the University of Alabama would like to upgrade preexisting online courses. This way the technology is more advanced and those who take online courses have the same opportunity. On the videoconferencing they want to make it a two way conversation. The Blended should have expanded to twenty-four schools in the school year of 2006 and 2007.

In the ACCESS program the school is responsible for the following: register students, provide materials, monitor progress and record grades, and to maintain communication with Distance Learning Staff. This program is too insure that are students are prepared for the future rather its going to college or straight to the workforce.

ALEX

ALEX, Alabama Learning Exchange, is a great website for administrators, teachers, and students. The website contains various links that maybe considered useful inside and outside the classroom. The links are: Course of Study, Web Links, Lesson Plans, Search Engine, Personal Workshop, Professional Learning, Distance Learning and Help.

Course of study has a link which enables you to find the standards for the various subjects and grade levels. Web links shows links for the administrators, teachers, and students, The links for the teacher and students are fairly similar. They pertain mostly to the various subjects such as Language Arts, Math, and Science. The lesson plans link allows you to find lesson plans by the subject, grade level, or keywords. The search engine allows you to search from the different links such as Alabama Course of Study Content Standards or lesson plans and resources. In order to use the personal workshop you must first create an account with Alex. The Professional learning has websites that will help teachers and administrators enhance professional growth and communication. The Distance learning is a big part of ACCESS(Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide. This program is going to help high school students become ready for college and the workforce. We will go into more detail in my next post which is pertaining to ACCESS. The last link which ALEX has is Help. This link should answer any remaining questions you have about the Alex website.

All about me.

Hey EDM 310. My name is Ashley and I'm a Junior here at the University of South Alabama. My hobbies are: playing softball, ROTC activities, going to the movies and shopping with friends. I am presently not holding a full time job however I am in the Army Reserves and have been in for two years now. That is part of the reason I'm attending this university. South Alabama has a great ROTC (Officer Training Course) program, and is only twenty minutes from my family. Being in the comfounds of my hometown and also knowing that after I graduate I will be commisioned as an officer is what has kept me here so far. Not to mention the possibility of getting married to my wonderful boyfriend Mark.
My family means the world to me. I'm the middle child of three daugthers. I'm a true daddy's girl and my little sister is my best friend. I have a chihuahua named Chloe. She's about three to four pounds and has tan fur with a white strip around her neck.

My first post.

Hey Everyone.

now to add a picture.