Pod Casts

First, if you do not understand some of the tech talk, this stuff can be boring. I definitely enjoyed the podcast on the smart board. Video and audio gets my attention more so than just audio. To me pod casting is a great way to get what you want to say out on the Internet. One can just sit and talk and it's recorded for the whole world to listen to or to watch and listen.
Audio pod casting will be a better format for those who can listen while driving, can you do that on satellite radio? But video and audio is a better format for demonstration purposes to an audience. Quite frankly, all the pod casts available is staggering, the amount of information out there is huge. It would take forever to listen or watch it all but I'm amazed at how much communicating has changed in such a short period of time.
With so much knowledge available now, how will the future look? For someone who only had an e-mail account when I came into this class I wonder what the future holds. Pod casts on the go with anyone able to see and hear it? Pod casts are to be a great way to get your opinion or information out to the world. Using only a microphone, a video camera and a computer and you can quickly share any subject with so many.
You know what? It's hard to come up with 4 paragrahs on this subject. But the info I listened to told me how to become a better professional or a better photographer. I learned how teachers and educators are coming together with all this new technology and hopefully our young people, children, will be 10 times smarter than I think I am.

Video in the Classroom

Very good point about how do you engage those students who have no drive to do something as boring as writing? And in the end we see a great short film with Darth Schoolkid going down in flames. Funny.

Harnessing you student's digital smarts

As someone who is training to be an educator, this is the video I needed to see. Ms. Davis has truly transformed a small rural classroom into a world wide learning experience. A group of young people, who most likely would have never been so thoroughly involved in the world this way, have had their lives changed. The young lady who was proud of her new blog that she and others, in different parts of the world, helped put together. This young lady will have friends throughout the world, and they will all have something in common, they became friends while learning.
Another aspect of the video is how the older generation, my generation, is benefiting from the influx of all this technology. Being able, quickly, to see how some other educator is teaching their class, and utilizing the techniques if you wish. I think about how I came into this class absolutely clueless about all this technology and now is a very short time, I too, will be teaching with all this technology at my fingertips. I can't wait for this new generation of young people to get to the point where they run the world and other leaders in other parts of the world will be their friends. They will have grown up and learned together in a world that I am definitely looking forward to.

creativity

Very interesting speech, the creativity of the human mind has been with us for quite some time as exampled with the cave drawings that our ancestors left us. Growing up in Alabama's public school system, I had many opportunities in art, music, and dance. Mr. Robinson gives a fine point on how some children are not exposed, on purpose, to the arts. The arts are a past time, not something needed for a proper job. Without creativity, just think how bland life would be.
Alabama's school system has, since I can remember, always had an opportunity for anyone in school to take an arts type class. I'm not aware of any school system that doesn't offer these types of classes. It seems if that is the case, then the parents or guardians would be responsible for any opinion about such topics. I was encouraged to do something, draw, paint, sing whatever, just sing. Mr. R is telling me that more needs to be done to entice children into the arts, but if the parents don't do it, and at school its just a choice, what then?
I just hope I'm able to somehow use music to teach math. And you want to spark the imagination of some young person into the arts, just talk about it, if you make it fun, kids will listen. Take for example Mr. R's speech, it is was not boring, it was comical.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle should have stayed asleep for another 20 yrs and then the new world would really blow his mind. This film was a very nice piece of psychological profiling. There are many people, young and older, who would prefer that all this tech not be here. Just consider that at one time multitasking was the new way to work. Then with studies done on work efficiency, it was shown that multitasking was not as efficient as everyone thought. So we go back to the old school of work, pay attention to only two things at once and get the job done. There has been a considerable amount of change in the work force and in teaching. Anyone with access to a computer can look up just about any piece of information they want, and to this ole guy, that is amazing.
I feel sort of like Mr. Winkle, not that I do not want all this technology, but someone thrown into a world where all these machines are suddenly here could be quite intimidating. Now me, having lived in a world that has changed so drastically has been quite the thrill ride. Now that I think about it, the only people I know who do not know how to use a computer are all older than me. Mr. Winkle has decided to not get involved with all the newfangled machines. But these machines have definitely changed the world and the people in it. You can decided not to participate, but sooner or later you're going to have to try it.

Did you know?

Yes, I did know. All this new technology coming at us has been coming for quite some time. When I was a young man, none of this technology was available to the public because it did not exist. The changes that have incurred have been phenomenal to watch. Just imagine a world where most households had just one phone, and it was attached to your house. Huh? you ask. Yes, if you wanted to make a call, you found a phone booth or went home. Messages were written on a note pad and left for you to read when you got home. Amazing all of us old people survived, huh?
Just think, your "Blackberry" or "I" phone has more computational power in it than has ever been to the moon. There are more people walking around with a communication device shoved in their ear than I have ever seen on Star Trek! All of you young people who accept this as everyday do not know what it's like to have lived and watched this transformation to this new age. But you will know and it will not take long and I for one am most excited to see what the future holds.

About me

Hello everyone, my name is John and I live in Chickasaw, Al. I know it's a small town but we do have a few red lights. I've always lived in Alabama and I love it here! I graduated from Satsuma High School in 1974, I know, ancient times right? After that I worked for Scott Paper Co. for eight years before being laid off. Then I became a truck driver and drove for seventeen years before giving that up. After a few jobs I decided to go to college and become an elementary teacher, hopfully teach sixth grade math.
My few hobbies are one big American bull dog named Sadie who is 8 yrs. old, and a few remote controlled airplanes that I enjoy flying at the park. I like to cook, hang out with friends and I enjoy movies. I just watched "Phonebooth" with Colen Farell and it was an excellent movie. Well. till next time. John