Blog Post 8

This Is How We Dream by Richard Miller

Richard Miller is the professor of English at Rutgers School of Arts and Science. Miller, like many others had a love for books. He expressed how he believes communication is being changed. He discussed writing with multimedia and the impact it will have on our culture. He talks about two basic changes, incremental and fundamental.

The first incremental change he talks about is were we work now. He states that our work space is no longer in libraries, or writing with pencil and paper, but our laptops. As I began to think about this statement I began to think, "when was the last time I went to the library for an assignment before this week". Needless to say, I could not remember. Ever since I have had a laptop my need to go to a library had easily decreased. My work space is at my home. I have everything I need at my finger tips.

The second incremental change he points out is, that we are able to collaborate using networking technology. We are not only able to use text information to do this but images and videos all of which makes learning more engaging. The example he used was information gathered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was able to find the materials needed not only through the web but through information that was being circulated on the campus.

Fundamental change is defined by Miller, as not technology but what makes it possible. He feels that the focus should be "how we work". While I do enjoy the ideal of technology in the classroom. As stated in other posts I do feel that it is important to also teach basic skills ie. writing. The basic skills set the tone for all other learning strategies. I say again that education must exercise the importance of both technology and basic skills.

Carly Pugh Blog Post 12
Carly Pugh is a former student of EDM310, at the University of South Alabama. Carly has done a remarkable job putting Dr. Millers examples and advice to great use. She conducted a playlist project which required students to create a playlist of up to 10 YouTube videos. This not only was a great way to exercise the use of multimedia tools but also practice being a multimedia writer. Her assignment showed how we can learn about others through the internet. This is what Dr. Miller described as collaborative learning. She stated that videos are a great way to interest students. I personally agree and feel that if it is visually creative more can be learned from it. I also enjoyed the video she posted Six Questionis For the Day. She shared some great motivation questions. In fact they are questions that I want to remember for inspiration.

The Chipper Series
I must say that I needed a good laugh and watching the video provided that for me. In the video, Chipper is a student who thinks that she can just skim the top and just get by. She is looking for the easy route but yet still expects to come out on top. It is sad to think that people actually live with the same attitude as Chipper. Needless to say, there are people in EDM310 who are in the same boat as Chipper. EDM for Dummies - I think that this was my favorite of the two videos. I have to admit that I did feel a little overwhelmed as the two girls in the video when I first read the syllabus for this class. After the first two weeks it didn't take long to realize that I needed a plan and schedule in order to make sure that I took the time needed to do my assignments.

As I began thinking about creating my own video, I thought about how I left before EDM310 and how I am going to feel after the course. Off the top of my head I think that a before and after video series might be worth trying. In the before segment I would want to display life and the feelings and emotions of how some people come into the class really green, with very little knowledge about technology and experience in teaching themselves. The after segment would show life after EDM310 in a way that shows what has been learned from the course. It would also show how a students feeling may be different towards the class as well as technology in the classroom. I am not sure if this is what I will stick with. As I continue to brainstorm I may come up with something else that I may find enjoyable.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn
This was a video of distinguished individuals in education discussing the need for change in the classroom. This was very interesting for me to watch as valid points where made. The first thing that really grabbed my attention: "U.S. Department of Commerce. They ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness. Education was ranked number 55, the lowest below coal mining." Wow, what a shocker! This obviously tells us that it is time for a major change in some the classrooms. The second things that caught my attention was this statement, “The kids are having a much more stimulated and rich environment outside of school than they are inside of schools". In some cases I do see this. I think of my son and how when I asked him what did he did in school today he responds, "I can't remember" or "I don't know". That tells me one thing, that nothing was done in the course of the day that grabbed his attention enough for him to think about and remember. My son is a rather intelligent child, and I just feel that the school system in which he is in does not provide the type of learning experiences that make students excited about learning. When my husband and I take our son on a learning experience, known to our son as just another family outing, he is intrigued by what we are experiencing. He will talk about the experience for the entire week long sharing the facts he's learned. I'm saying all of this to say that my son is very capable of learning and remembering what goes on and secondly, if what is being taught in the classroom is as engaging as experiences outside of the classroom the learning possibilities are endless.

Scavenger Hunt 2.0
I absolutely loved the introduction video on the site Discoveryeducation.com.

The first tool I had to locate was a tool similar to Twitter/Facebook. I choose Edmodo. It was very easy to sign up. I think that t is a great asset for parents and students. The reason I like it is because it is very similar to Facebook which I'm sure most students and parents will be able to identify with. It seems a lot less busy than Facebook, which I feel is great because the students can really focus on what is needed. Teachers can create collaborative projects, quizzes and even maintain grades for work completed through Edmodo. I feel that this is a great tool to use in my classroom. It may take some time to get everyone use to it but I feel that it will be well worth it. In fact, I am adding this site to my PLN to insure that I will have it in the future.

I had to choose a video tool to use. I choose, Animoto. It was free to sign-up which is always a great thing. During the little time I spent viewing the site I loved all the themes that they had available. What turned me away from it was the fact that you could only create a 30 sec. video for free. If you had to create a presentation longer than that there was a fee ranging from $5.00 to $39.00 to use the full features. I guess it is not so bad if you only used it for a very special occasion a few times throughout the year. Otherwise it could become very expensive using this tool on a regular bases.

The last hunt instructed us to find a tool where we could create a poll anywhere and anytime. I chose Polls Everywhere.com. This was really cool and easy to use. I love the fact that you can access the poll via text from any cellphone, as well as through the computer or tablet. Teachers can especially use this in Math. For example it would help gather information to create graphs. I can not only see it being a great tool as an educator but personally as well. As I am working on our family reunion, it would be great to form a poll to get an idea on where everyone would like to meet next year.

Checkout my Poll

Try this audience polling system at Poll Everywhere