My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

I am so sorry to see this class come to an end, and I hope to see all of you in future classes. I really didn't expect to learn near as much as what I have; I'm sure most of you probably feel the same way if you're anything like me. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing with a computer in January. Now, just a few months later, I really feel okay about the world turning into a world of computers. I hope that everyone learned as much as what I did from Mr. Wakeman this semester. Good luck to everyone with future classes and your future careers!

Thank you Mr. Wakeman for taking the time to teach us everything you have and for taking the time to help us...even when you were pressed for time and tired of repeating yourself! You're a wonderful teacher! Hope to see you in the future!

Knowledge Gained From My EDM 310 Class

I have learned so much during this semester that I really don't know where to start. I think that the biggest thing, the thing that is going to help me the most throughout my teaching career was Excel. I can now say that I will be able to successfully keep a grade book on my computer. This was one of my biggest concerns upon taking this class and seeing the syllabus. After this semester though, I can do not only a spread sheet, but a chart from the sheet's information as well.

The next biggest thing I learned was Power Point. I think that this is going to be a major help to me when I begin teaching and trying to put together a lesson for my class. I have also learned about the sites ALEX and ACCESS and I have learned about Podcast and Videocast. All of these "tools" are only going to make my life easier once I am the one in front of the class. ALEX and ACCESS are wonderful ways to get help with lesson plans, etc.

Blogging is something else that I had NO CLUE about when I first started this class and is another thing that I will be taking with me to use in the future. I have learned this free, unique way of keeping my classroom connected with not only myself, but with my student's parents as well.

Google docs is another free "tool" that was given to us to explore to teach us that no matter what we are provided with and no matter what our "financial allowance" is, we can still keep up with what we need to be doing to keep our classroom going. I really do hate to see this semester end in this class, but I can honestly say that I feel I have gotten more from this class in one semester that what many will get in a lifetime of "My Spacing."

WBGH Podcast

Well, my video podcast I watched was probably not the best for me...but it was probably one of the most useful. It was called Backyard Bugs. And no...I don't think I will ever jump at the chance to watch it again just because of the fact that the pictures of the bugs, especially spiders, were very close and I do NOT like bugs. The whole point of the video though, was to not only teach kids a little about all the different types of bugs we have out there and a little about their habitats, but also how to be safe around them. I think it is good for the simple fact that I don't think a lot of kids, especially city, would ever have the chance to not only learn about all the different types of insects we have, but how to behave safely around them. Plus, because of podcast like these, we can show kids a different side of life that they may otherwise never get to see.


The main thing I liked about this web-site, FULL of podcast by the way for every subject there is, is that it does not provide a video and then leave the teaching part up to you. In my classroom management class we have learned that you are suppose to give the kids a brief outline of what they are suppose to be looking for in a video before you ever even hit play. This is suppose to help them pay attention better and not get side tracked. Something about having heard what they need to be looking for and then hearing it during the video is suppose to spark their attention again and help them retain the information better. This site, under Teacher's Domain section has the objectives or subjects available for you to click on by grade, and then when the video comes up for you to click on to watch it, it also gives you some help for what you need to tell the kids to look for, and then some questions you can go over with them so that they are repeating the information back to you in a way that should let you know they understood what they watched.

This video is not only available to use in a science lesson, but it tells you that this is also a good one to use in language arts. The fact that they are doing this is a big plus in my opinion; they are teaching two subjects with one video. With the limited amount of time teachers are finding available to them, this is a GREAT thing! It is taking the time to "double up!" The language arts portion comes in with the descriptive words being used to discuss the insects. You can have your children listen out for the words to concentrate on that area, or you could have them really trying to pay attention to the habitats of the insects for the science aspect of the video. Either way you go, the children are getting some of both subjects at once. Again, what a great way to use your time wisely. This is going to be the biggest lesson I took away from this assignment...Learn how to kill as many birds with one stone as possible.

Something else I saw that was extremely helpful was that with the videos, not only do they have a short outline of kind of what to ask before, after and during the video to help the kids get the information you expect them to retrieve from it, is that there are also lesson plans to the side for them to continue the lesson with. With this one, the students can draw their own bug and fill it with descriptive words to help explain their insect. Again, they are learning skills they will need in life, along with having fun. In my opinion, having a fun idea planned to follow up with the lesson or video is a great way to have the children put their skills to use. This will help instill the knowledge they need better than just repeating a few words back to you and moving on to something else.

Along with giving you the activity, they also give you several handouts to use as well along with detailed instruction from how long to a lot for each activity, to the instructions you should give to the children. It tells you in depth exactly what skills the activities are going to improve for the students. I know I have said this on so many other sites we have been assigned before, but I really think THIS ONE is the best. Especially for all of us who will be going into the teaching field brand new. This site is wonderful in that it is providing us the information and knowledge that it has taken other teachers years and years to acquire.... All right here waiting for us to use it. All you have to do is log in, click and print. IT IS GIVING YOU YOUR LESSON PLANS. Not only am I going to use this in my classroom, but I guarantee you that this site is going to help me get through my education courses I will be taking. A lot of our assignments in our classes want us to find fun things to do with the children that will teach them as well....it is all right here. Also, when we start student teaching, we will have days that we are told to go and find things to do with the children for certain subjects for the next day, etc. This one site can take all of the stress and worry off of us when that time comes! I encourage EVERYBODY to use this site, just as I will, to help us out!

Edutopia Podcast

I was very shocked by what I saw when I learned about the Edible Schoolyard. I honestly expected this to really be more geared towards teaching kids more about just how to care for a garden, eat healthy, etc. I was wrong...This Edible Schoolyard, started by Alice Waters, was actually started to "improve school lunch programs," because they have learned that the kids are more likely to eat the healthy foods if they are the ones who grew it. But it does not stop there. This project is teaching the children Math, (you have to be able to measure,) Science, (these children are having to learn about cycles of the plants, weather, soil, etc.) Responsibility, (they have to take care of these plants, and they have to learn how to cook the food!) These teachers are using everything that is occurring in this garden, surface tension with water molecules, etc., to teach the children. And they are having fun...HEAD FAKE...This one idea is teaching these children how to take care of themselves and how to take pride in what they do. These children are learning a "sense of magic!" Is this not AMAZING!!!!!
A Night in the Global Village struck me as one of the best ideas for students I have ever heard of in my life. It has been said over and over that our kids are becoming some of the most self centered and "spoiled" than ever before. They don't see past their blessings and they don't care to look to the places all around us that are so much less fortunate. In the Mountains, there is an organization called Heifer International that has a ranch that sponsors this activity for these students. They must split up into their countries full of poverty and starving people, and live as they do for a night. These students are having to learn about poverty, etc. all over the world. They are having to learn how to survive in conditions that are not what they are use to. They are going to have to learn how to make it through the night which is going to require learning how to be independent and how to work together. They can chose to "beg" from their neighboring countries which, as part of the project, they had to find a way to communicate with others without using language. They had to keep in mind that because they don't speak the same language, they would have to find other ways to communicate.

This is one of the best ways to teach the children about problem solving skills, how to work together, and how to communicate with others. Also, it made them realize that they need to be involved in the problems going on all around our world. This is making them know why they need to get up and get involved and not just be a citizen who is here doing nothing but taking up space. I think that the students learned to give more thought about how their decisions they make on a day-to-day basis affect others. I think they learned that they have the power, even as just one person, to speak up and make a difference.


I hope that it is possible for me to have an Edible Schoolyard when I am teaching. These podcast have made me realize that there are things that you can do that are not going to just teach one or two lessons. It IS possible to use "out of the box" ideas and instill lessons with my students that are going to last a life time. Also, they have made me open my eyes a little more to the fact that there are so many ideas out there and because of technology advancing in the direction it has/is, you can actually listen to experiences and problems along with solutions that other people are trying everyday. By listening to these podcast and others along the lines of teaching and ideas, we can use their experience to make the experiences for our students even better by applying ideas that have worked so well for others and learning how to eliminate as many problems as possible.

My biggest lesson I got out of his was that there is no excuse to continue to teach unsuccessfully. There are too many resources available to us for us to chose not to use them. Who would have ever thought having students maintain a garden, they could learn more about math? I also would have never thought about the Global Night project!!! These are lessons that are going to stay with these students forever. Isn't that why we are becoming teachers??? To make a difference.. I can honestly say that I will probably LIVE on Edutopia when I am a teacher!!

iTunes U

My understanding of iTunes U wasn't much to start out with, but it's getting better. One thing that made perfect since to me as to why iPods are going to be one of the perfect learning tools to be incorporated into our classrooms is this...How many teens do you know, honestly, that don't have an iPod???? My friend's daughter is 12 and has 2. Even my husband has one, and that's saying a lot! Trust me! The site points out that it's not just that the student's have the needed tool already, it's that they already know how to use it that is a big plus. The fact that their education can be put on their iPod makes them more willingly to get in there and watch their lectures, listen to the instructors required listening material. Because their education is being put in their familiar world, learning doesn't seem like learning too much. Also, the use of iTunes U through these iPods and iPhones is going to give the nerds, like me, more help with wanting to study more often.

After reading more on iTunes U, I understand that this tool is becoming more useful to teachers who are trying to "customize" their lesson plans more. Because I have never been a teacher before, I don't know if I am dreaming or if it could happen in reality with the amount of time I would be putting into my classroom, BUT, wouldn't it be nice if you could pin-point problem areas of each student and have their iPod packed with the certain material THEY need to succeed? If Johnny needed help in one area and Jane in another, you could put Johnny's area of need on his, and Jane's on hers.

It is my understanding that each individual campus or school, would create their own iTunes U page that they can dress up with as much information as they would like. On one of the Apple i Tunes U sites, under "iTunes U: The biggest campus expansion plan ever," it talks about how you can go outside of the classroom as well. You can post various school events so that students who may be too busy with school and can't attend all of their school functions can still be aware and catch up with their school's activities. This is where I think of me being an Elementary teacher and will have parents who may want to see what they may have missed by not being able to attend all of their child's school's events.

The make-up or "content" of your page/site can be added to or deleted at the administrator's decision. Also, you don't have to let everyone in the world look at your school's or group's page. You can have it blocked with log in's and passwords so that your chosen ones are the only people who can log on and see your information and/or page. Some schools have chosen to do both. They have parts set up to only allow students who are equipped with a log in and password to see certain pages, and then they have areas set up to where everyone who wants to can see the page and use the information they chose to make available. Everything I have read keeps saying that when you set up, it is modeled after the original iTunes page and is suppose to be VERY easy to set up and maintain from the beginning.

In my opinion, if Duke University, one of the top schools EVER, is using this in their classes, maybe it won't be long before we all are. After all, again, if Duke thinks it is a good idea and thought enough of the project to really put in the effort to getting it off the ground, it must be a good idea. Also, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon are involved! That has to tell you that the incorporation of iTunes U has shown benefits. I seriously doubt that these 3 schools are going to continue with methods and tools that are not providing good results. I can say personally that when I was in Psychology and Sociology, this would have been a wonderful tool! I hope that South will do this before long. I also hope that our middle and high schools put this in before long. I would love for my nephews, my niece, and my daughter to have this available to them!

Duke's Use of iPods

Okay, once again, I am learning about something that I have never thought could be used in my upcoming career. Ipods are now learning equipment. Duke University is even using them. They did a study involving them with some carefully chosen, hand picked proffesors. This new "tool" was used to assist in a Spanish class where learning may not come so easy to all of us. The site said that Duke was pretty much THE launcher, partnered with Apple, who got iTunes U started. The site said that, "In the fall of 2004, iPod players were distributed to all 1400 incoming freshmen." South should sign up!!!

Students can put/post their stuff onto iTunes U and is available to everyone that would need access to grade it, etc. My first thought about this was MOBILITY!!!!! As college students, who isn't looking for a little more mobility with class? Especially since almost all of us have jobs, families, etc. The use of iPods would make it so that if you did not understand the lecture you watched on your system in class the first time, you would have the lecture on your iPod to watch over and over if you needed. So not only is mobility being offered, repitition is going to be a bonus feature too. If you're like me, this is what I need in order to get through. I need to hear some stuff a million times before it sinks in.

When Duke changed in 2005 and gave out iPods to only students who were enrolled in the iPod specified classes, (instead of all Freshman), enrollment was filled for the iPod classes, and hit almost a rock bottom for the non-iPod classes. I really think the mobility issue is why. But also, just as we've talked about before, when you can use new tools like this and incorporate them into the classroom, it gives students, elementary or college, something out of the "norm." Maybe just having something out of the everyday ordinary made the students go crazy for it.

Not only can college put iTunes U to good use, but it is also available for elementary and secondary education as well. Teachers can download appropriate material for their classes of all ages. According to the Apple site, "Colleges, universities, PBS stations, museums, and other cultural institutions on iTunes U have created content especially for K-12 students." So the information that is being uploaded is going to be in a variety. This, in my opinion, is important because not everyone is going to be loading information to this site and taking the same view of the subject. You will have several different aspects of the same topic. This is going to, again, broaden the information that is available for the students.

Something that was awesome to me was that this is not only text information that is being put out their. You can post videos, lectures, etc. using iTunes U. I can only imagine how the use of this could have livened up classes when I was in school. There will soon be no more boring videos from 40 years ago that have been shown over and over and over in our highschools or colleges. The development of iTunes U has just opened up an entire world of learning and modern information that can be brought to our classrooms!

Dr. Christie

When I first logged on to Dr. Christie's site, I clicked on the link titled Classes and found it to be very informational for teachers. It talks about how the Internet is a very important tool for teachers as it can connect them to their students as well as parents. My favorite point that was made was, and this is my wording, throw out the "paper and pencil" as the ultimate source of acknowledging how much the children have learned. Don't rely on it so much...Multimedia tools can help children learn to gain knowledge, and even apply their knowledge, in a variety of ways because not every one's learning methods are identical. THIS HIT HOME! As a "hands on" learner, I wish that I would have had teachers and tools like this when I was in school!

I feel that by incorporating as many tools as possible into the classroom only doubles your success rate! It can make children learn and enjoy it...the "Head Fake!"
When you begin to explore these ideas on this site, and you get under the Educational Technology site, you can get links on most of the tools to use such as digital cameras, etc..You can make art not just about seeing pictures in a book for your class to see. You can log into Bill Gate's Bil Gates' Art Warehouse. Is that not amazing?!!!

One of my biggest goals as a teacher is to make learning fun, new, and exciting. I want my students to be knowledgeable of whatever I am teaching and I want to learn to use new and exciting tools to MAKE them remember what they've learned forever! This is a great way to do it. Plus, like what we've talked about in Microcomputing as well as our other education classes, technology is advancing rapidly and we must teach our students as early as possible to get on board. Also, the best way to teach is to lead by example. By me logging on to the Internet and showing them that with the click of a button, I can take them to Bill Gate's art gallery, I would hope it would show them that the possibilities and the learning tools available to us are now endless.

Dr. Christie's Educational Portals page is full of useful links for teachers all the way to senior year of high school. With our current and new to come teachers having sources available, their is no excuse for not incorporating technology into our daily learning. When you look at the Apple Education K-12 link, it gives you several ideas and ways to do this. So what is stopping us? As a teacher, I hope that I continue to use technology to not only help me learn, but to help me teach as well. Now the Apple site is, of course, going to want to boost it's equipment, but as I was reading on this, I learned about i-tunes U...which I had never heard of before. (Quoted from the site because there is really no "re-wording" this,) "Teachers can also find digital curricula and professional development podcasts, both from state departments of education and from university education programs. So just like that, your teachers have access to plenty of new ideas." So no...there is no longer limitations to what I as a teacher will be able to do!