Monday, November 30, 2009
...we wanna play just a little bit longer
Buenos Noches Bloggeritos
I have enjoyed this class so much! I know all of us are gonna be awesome teachers! I dedicate this song to the EDM Folks... watch it its an awesome tune.
Im am so smart now! Thanks Mr. Sullivan!
http://sullivansedm310fall09.blogspot.com/
blogs, wikis, presentations, Google Docs,
Google spreadsheets, Picasa, podcasts, videocasts, YouTube, PLNs, Twitter, comments4kids, iTunes, iTunesU, Google forms, data bases, Google Earth, Delicious, ACCESS, ALEX, Foliotek,
technological literacy, the future of schools, your "intellectual trail".....I KNOW ABOUT IT ALL NOW! WORLD DOMINATION IS NEAR!!!!
Hola! Como Estas El Bloggeritos! que pasa?
We have learned so much this year from how to network with teachers and other professionals around the world too how to share our opinions, lesson plans, and advice with our students and peers. Once again Steve Sullivan and I had a sit down interview and we reminisced on the Fall '09 EDM 310 class:
Steve Sullivan: Well Justin, you truely have an A in this class...There's no way for you to get anything lower.
Me: I know Steve..Thats the only reason I took the time out to do this interview, you do understand I'm planning a world take over at the moment don't you? Or has Dr. Strange sequestered you away to EDM prison for innovative teaching and lack of crappy class?
SS: Well Justin I appreciate the complement but I...
Me: " I must start asking you questions before you melt my face with your awesomeness" is what you were about to say.
SS: Oh yea that's...exactly it!
Me: Let the questioning begin! Try not to be blown away by my amazing answers.
SS: Are there things you would like to have learned in this class but did not?
Me: I would have liked to learn more about/ done more with podcasting. The masses must hear me!
SS:Are there things you learned in this class but wish you had not (and you will try and forget
them or not use them as soon as possible)?
Me: Google Docs...the word processor in particular. It can not handle my amazing writing powers and it has some bugs going on with it. Bugs belong in the grass not on my computer!
SS: Did this class excite you in any way? I mean excite, as opposed to "was useful" or "was
interesting" or "I did it"?
Me: I was very excited about the podcasts obviously. However, I believe the most exciting thing was when My Group Number One and I melted your collective faces with our full presentation. It was....DELICIOUS
SS: Yea it was pretty good, I won't ever forget that.
Me: Pretty good?!!! It was the most aweinspiring piece of media gold the world haqs ever seen! Your darn tootin you won't forget it! You didnt forget your Birthday did you, then you won't forget that!
SS: What does that even mean?
Me: NEXT QUESTION!
SS: Do you think it was "intellectually challenging"?
Me: For whom? Me? HA I laugh at you computer man!...No seriously, it was pretty straight forward
SS: Were you bored by this class at any time?
Me: Only when the Strange one was there. At first he is intriguing due to his weirdness, but then after that i just want to stab myself with a pencil in the eye socket.
SS: Dr. Strange?
Me: I said no names!
SS: Moving on...Would you change this course in any way (add things/delete things or anything else)? If so, give me your suggestions. Since I am always changing this course I could use your input!
Me: Perhaps separate the Elementary and Secondary and only if to specialize either one. Maybe Elementary could focus more on attention getting techology while Secondary EDM would focus more on the ease of information and how to show the student to use technology further in life.
SS: Very good suggestion
Me: Dont patronize me Steve!!!
SS: Wow..um ok just bite my head off...Next question.
Me:Sorry Steve I had too much sugar this morning.
SS: It's ok. Well Justin, are you Technologically Literate at the moment? To what extent? Low Some .......Medium.... Good...Dare I say...Great? Also, how will you maintain or improve your facemelting technological literacy between now and the time you
graduate and/or start teaching?
Me: In a nutshell Steve...well I wouldn't quite fit. I am VERY .....relatively tech literate. Im not Bill Gather..
SS: Dont you mean Bill Gates?
Me: Him Either! I will maintain this literacy through social networkingand blogs. Also, I will surround myself with knowledgeable people like....
SS: ...Me?
Me: Um....yea sure Steve.
-------------
I had to do this again! Flex those creative muscles! To be honest, THAT is what i dug the most about EDM 310, I got to be creative and the class is designed to promote that and not hinder it. Talk to ya'll in the real world soon!
blogs, wikis, presentations, Google Docs,
Google spreadsheets, Picasa, podcasts, videocasts, YouTube, PLNs, Twitter, comments4kids, iTunes, iTunesU, Google forms, data bases, Google Earth, Delicious, ACCESS, ALEX, Foliotek,
technological literacy, the future of schools, your "intellectual trail".....I KNOW ABOUT IT ALL NOW! WORLD DOMINATION IS NEAR!!!!
Hola! Como Estas El Bloggeritos! que pasa?
We have learned so much this year from how to network with teachers and other professionals around the world too how to share our opinions, lesson plans, and advice with our students and peers. Once again Steve Sullivan and I had a sit down interview and we reminisced on the Fall '09 EDM 310 class:
Steve Sullivan: Well Justin, you truely have an A in this class...There's no way for you to get anything lower.
Me: I know Steve..Thats the only reason I took the time out to do this interview, you do understand I'm planning a world take over at the moment don't you? Or has Dr. Strange sequestered you away to EDM prison for innovative teaching and lack of crappy class?
SS: Well Justin I appreciate the complement but I...
Me: " I must start asking you questions before you melt my face with your awesomeness" is what you were about to say.
SS: Oh yea that's...exactly it!
Me: Let the questioning begin! Try not to be blown away by my amazing answers.
SS: Are there things you would like to have learned in this class but did not?
Me: I would have liked to learn more about/ done more with podcasting. The masses must hear me!
SS:Are there things you learned in this class but wish you had not (and you will try and forget
them or not use them as soon as possible)?
Me: Google Docs...the word processor in particular. It can not handle my amazing writing powers and it has some bugs going on with it. Bugs belong in the grass not on my computer!
SS: Did this class excite you in any way? I mean excite, as opposed to "was useful" or "was
interesting" or "I did it"?
Me: I was very excited about the podcasts obviously. However, I believe the most exciting thing was when My Group Number One and I melted your collective faces with our full presentation. It was....DELICIOUS
SS: Yea it was pretty good, I won't ever forget that.
Me: Pretty good?!!! It was the most aweinspiring piece of media gold the world haqs ever seen! Your darn tootin you won't forget it! You didnt forget your Birthday did you, then you won't forget that!
SS: What does that even mean?
Me: NEXT QUESTION!
SS: Do you think it was "intellectually challenging"?
Me: For whom? Me? HA I laugh at you computer man!...No seriously, it was pretty straight forward
SS: Were you bored by this class at any time?
Me: Only when the Strange one was there. At first he is intriguing due to his weirdness, but then after that i just want to stab myself with a pencil in the eye socket.
SS: Dr. Strange?
Me: I said no names!
SS: Moving on...Would you change this course in any way (add things/delete things or anything else)? If so, give me your suggestions. Since I am always changing this course I could use your input!
Me: Perhaps separate the Elementary and Secondary and only if to specialize either one. Maybe Elementary could focus more on attention getting techology while Secondary EDM would focus more on the ease of information and how to show the student to use technology further in life.
SS: Very good suggestion
Me: Dont patronize me Steve!!!
SS: Wow..um ok just bite my head off...Next question.
Me:Sorry Steve I had too much sugar this morning.
SS: It's ok. Well Justin, are you Technologically Literate at the moment? To what extent? Low Some .......Medium.... Good...Dare I say...Great? Also, how will you maintain or improve your facemelting technological literacy between now and the time you
graduate and/or start teaching?
Me: In a nutshell Steve...well I wouldn't quite fit. I am VERY .....relatively tech literate. Im not Bill Gather..
SS: Dont you mean Bill Gates?
Me: Him Either! I will maintain this literacy through social networkingand blogs. Also, I will surround myself with knowledgeable people like....
SS: ...Me?
Me: Um....yea sure Steve.
-------------
I had to do this again! Flex those creative muscles! To be honest, THAT is what i dug the most about EDM 310, I got to be creative and the class is designed to promote that and not hinder it. Talk to ya'll in the real world soon!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
At the teachers Desk
COMO ESTAS EL BLOGERITOS
QUE PASA!
This blog is one of many collaborative sites for educators to post there ideas and other things to share with all who will look at them. I was asked to discuss the importance or unimportance of these sites. I like this because as you all know; I love to argue! Now I get to argue with myself! I think the positive accentuates the negative, but I think it will work itself out (if that makes any sense at all).
Positive:
This is a great idea to have posts from people who do what you do to share ideas and have a world wide brainstorming and sharing mecca. There is never anything wrong with sharing ideas and learning, after all that is why we want to be teachers is it not?
Negative:
Organization.Call me the pot because I am calling the kettle black on this one. I tend to learn in categories. I like to visualise what I am about to input before I actually do it. This particular blog is a mish mash of random stuff that doesn't give you any idea of what your trying to find out until you read through numerous post of good information that has nothing to do with what you want to know. I'm all for randomness, but when it comes to working and educating I like to be a little more task oriented and organizing the posts would be a good way to please hypocrites like myself ha ha. Maybe if they used this blog in conjunction with a web site that basically copies the posts and puts them into detailed categories, the vistor would benefit from this ten fold.
QUE PASA!
This blog is one of many collaborative sites for educators to post there ideas and other things to share with all who will look at them. I was asked to discuss the importance or unimportance of these sites. I like this because as you all know; I love to argue! Now I get to argue with myself! I think the positive accentuates the negative, but I think it will work itself out (if that makes any sense at all).
Positive:
This is a great idea to have posts from people who do what you do to share ideas and have a world wide brainstorming and sharing mecca. There is never anything wrong with sharing ideas and learning, after all that is why we want to be teachers is it not?
Negative:
Organization.Call me the pot because I am calling the kettle black on this one. I tend to learn in categories. I like to visualise what I am about to input before I actually do it. This particular blog is a mish mash of random stuff that doesn't give you any idea of what your trying to find out until you read through numerous post of good information that has nothing to do with what you want to know. I'm all for randomness, but when it comes to working and educating I like to be a little more task oriented and organizing the posts would be a good way to please hypocrites like myself ha ha. Maybe if they used this blog in conjunction with a web site that basically copies the posts and puts them into detailed categories, the vistor would benefit from this ten fold.
The Machine is Changing Us (...but not for long!!!)
BLOG PEOPLE!!!
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!!!
OK, no this is not a proclamation of my love for funk metal artisans Rage Against the Machine. However, like R.A.T.M. , I make my stand on the decline of western civilization because of people not thinking for themselves and letting technology think for them. Dr. Drexler warned me about diving into Neo-Luddism, and after looking that word up I have to say I struggle with it even now. The thing is, I don't agree wholeheartedly in the Neo-Luddistic stance, however I would like to say I am developing into a Hybrid-Luddist (that's right, I just made up my own word!). I believe, like it showed in Michael Wesch's presentation, we are ALLOWING the machine to control us, not controlling the machine that we created. I think this video in itself is the example of how we can use technology as a tool to teach others and help our fellow man throughout the world. We are being entertained to death, but (coming from someone who makes his living entertaining people) I believe we can be entertained non stop if we want, as long we have other outlets to learn and experience other aspects of life.
The presentation was exhibiting his students experimentation on the politics and sociological effects that YouTube have on society. The subject matter is so vast I could not possibly put it in one blog post, but the general idea was that we as a society have become so jaded to everything that we have made great strides in advancing our technological capabilities all so we can take that long road to the middle. Nothing excites us anymore, nothing shocks us anymore, and the ironic thing is that although we swim in a metaphorical ocean of entertainment; we are not really that amused by it. I know this sounds so old fashioned and perhaps even "Neo-Luddistic", but contrary to popular belief I DO believe technology in itself is a GOOD thing. Thank God for Myspace, facebook,black berries, iPhones and Twitter! Without these networking sites and devices, I would have nowhere near the capability to build a following for my music. I think we just have gone a little overboard.
The only problem is that people are forgetting what the world outside looks like. People are forgetting about the intangibles in life. The spiritual realm (whether you believe in it or not) is unnoticed by the masses because they're watching the latest stupid YouTube video.
I'm going to leave you with this: Today we went to a church members home to "entertain" some of the members of the Mulherrin Home (a home for mentally disabled adults). The Browns have a catfish pond and about 10 acres of open field where they took turns riding on one of Billy Pope's horses. It was the most beautiful day outside, everyone ended up with a fishing pole in their hands, which left no place for a cell phone or other electronic device. Those of us that helped were just as happy to be there as the "kids" were. I looked out over the pond and saw people (mentally challenged or not) laughing, talking, and generally just enjoying themselves. My Nana and I sat on a bench with two of the Mullherin kids and talked. Let me say that again, we TALKED. No Facebook IM's or LOL's. We sat and talked, and then.... we just sat. My Nana turned to me after sharing 30 minutes of comfortable silence and said " You know, we take this life for granted. Something so simple as catching a fish that you won't eat because its to small, or even catching the same fish over and over again can bring so much joy. Yet, we surround ourselves with so much crap we forget how nice life can be". I'm paraphrasing and consolidating a bit, but I haven't heard a more accurate statement in a long time. Guys, it was beautiful out there. We are not profiles. We are not Twitter posts. We are not a computer. We make profiles, Twitter posts, and computers so that we can be humans to other humans all over the world at the speed of a keyboard and a web cam. Use technology. Rage against the machine.
But wait..... We don't want to rage against our own creation. We want to Rage against what we see wrong with the world and make it better. We need to rage forward. We must rage on.
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - Dylan Thomas
Rage On.
Kids singing Fleetwood Mac: Why Publish Student Work to the Web?
This video is amazing! I hope my kids will be able to harmonize like this at their age!
This really hit home for me as you may have guessed. I know the power that music can have in a child's life (or an adult's for that matter)and this is proof right here! I was moved beyond words at the talent and REAL emotion these kids put into their performance and they did it autonomously and instinctively. Needless to say I LOVED this video.
This is a good piece of evidence for why we should publish our work and our students work on the internet. Like in the post about Kaia, there is a risk of exposing children to the world, but think of how much good these children have done and how much they have taken from this. They have inspired the music industry. If the world had more of these stories spread like wildfire rather than the crap we see on the news about the worst events of the day, maybe we would be living in a better place today. Maybe I'm an idealist, but this is what the world needs to see. These kids are our future (I know I'm quoting Whitney Houston) and we can learn from their story and thank God someone did show them to the world.
Watch this one all the way to the end, the kids are hilarious!
This really hit home for me as you may have guessed. I know the power that music can have in a child's life (or an adult's for that matter)and this is proof right here! I was moved beyond words at the talent and REAL emotion these kids put into their performance and they did it autonomously and instinctively. Needless to say I LOVED this video.
This is a good piece of evidence for why we should publish our work and our students work on the internet. Like in the post about Kaia, there is a risk of exposing children to the world, but think of how much good these children have done and how much they have taken from this. They have inspired the music industry. If the world had more of these stories spread like wildfire rather than the crap we see on the news about the worst events of the day, maybe we would be living in a better place today. Maybe I'm an idealist, but this is what the world needs to see. These kids are our future (I know I'm quoting Whitney Houston) and we can learn from their story and thank God someone did show them to the world.
Watch this one all the way to the end, the kids are hilarious!
Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) and the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) program
ALEX is a resource website for the teachers of Alabama to have access to many different sources for help in their classrooms. It contains lesson plans, important and helpful links to websites referring to your lessons, and its own "treasury" of podcast to use for instructional purposes. Obviously,this is a very important part of any Alabama educators PLN. This website also gives teacher their own personal workspace for them to use these resources that they need at the click of a mouse.
The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) program is a site dedicated to students and educators with the goal of sharing information from top teachers in their respective subject to students. They target both exceptional and lack luster students so that they can further prepare themselves for the world in the digital age. It has online classes available in every subject as well as its own place for links to helpful sites such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) program is a site dedicated to students and educators with the goal of sharing information from top teachers in their respective subject to students. They target both exceptional and lack luster students so that they can further prepare themselves for the world in the digital age. It has online classes available in every subject as well as its own place for links to helpful sites such as the Alabama Virtual Library.
Dear Kaia
BLOG PEOPLE OF BLOGVILLE WHATS UP?!
This story is a very touching and enlightening one about the new and inventive ways to teach our children. I believe Kaia's father stumbled on a brilliant idea, and furthermore, he saw what potential danger it could cause. However, he knew that the risk of exposing a child was small enough to include the world in his lesson to his daughter.
I was particularly impressed on the integration of technology and nature in this story. The father wanted to teach his little girl about the natural world and art. He also took that lesson to the masses through Twitter. I agreed with him in the first statement that stated " I realized that Twitter was but only one of the tools that allowed for a group of eighth graders in Missouri to connect with my three year old daughter in Qatar." As I have mentioned before, the father exhibits the mindset that technology is a tool and should be used to accentuate the lesson not BE the lesson ( unless of course you are learning about the tool itself like in EDM310).
This story is a very touching and enlightening one about the new and inventive ways to teach our children. I believe Kaia's father stumbled on a brilliant idea, and furthermore, he saw what potential danger it could cause. However, he knew that the risk of exposing a child was small enough to include the world in his lesson to his daughter.
I was particularly impressed on the integration of technology and nature in this story. The father wanted to teach his little girl about the natural world and art. He also took that lesson to the masses through Twitter. I agreed with him in the first statement that stated " I realized that Twitter was but only one of the tools that allowed for a group of eighth graders in Missouri to connect with my three year old daughter in Qatar." As I have mentioned before, the father exhibits the mindset that technology is a tool and should be used to accentuate the lesson not BE the lesson ( unless of course you are learning about the tool itself like in EDM310).
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