Goodbye To EDM 310

I would like to say goodbye to everyone in the EDM 310 class for the fall semester. This semester has flashed before my eyes!! I wished everyone the best of luck in the future and in the career path that you may chose. Hopefully, I will have more classes with you guys and gals!! Thank you also Mr.Wakeman for helping me throughout the semester!!

Personal Learning Network

A Personal Learning Network is were people can interact with other people. With this interaction over the computer, people can learn and ask questions to one another. Some PLN's that I visited were Alice Barr's, Candance Folli's, and Crista Anderson's.

Alice Barr's PLN has many videos, blogs, and websites one may could reference. Some of the different groups were Third Grade.....the most important grade, and Online Educators. Candace Follis's PLN is also one I visited and tried to get in touch with. She is an high school English teacher. Even though we have different majors, I thought it would be neat to look into her PLN. Crista Anderson's was new to the PLN. She was just added in October.

The people that I emailed did not get back to me. I do feel that they will in the future. After looking into the PLN of these people, I realized that this network reminds me a lot of Facebook. Facebook is a really simple network system to use and I can see where the PLN has many of the same characteristics.

What I Learned in EDM 310

My EDM 310 class has benefited me as I will be a future educator. There were times that I felt what we were learning was great, however I just do not see where the school systems in lower Alabama have money to implement these programs. I can see where the future of the school systems can be improved by the use of technology.Google docs and Google spreadsheets are a great tool to use if you do not have Office on your computer. I feel that a blog could help me as a teacher to communicate with students as well as parents. Learning about wiki was neat but at the same time I do not feel that I will use this information as much in the future knowing that the information can be edited. With the podcast and the videocast, I would not want to make another one of those. It made me very nervous. In the posts and YouTube videos, I was able to learn a lot. Twitter and iTunes are good to use but, I do not see myself using them in the future. It was very helped to learn about ALEX and ACCESS. It has useful information that will help me as I am a teacher.

At this time there is nothing that I feel I did not get in this class. I would like to take a refresher course in the future like this EDM 310 class. This will keep me stay up to date on what is going on in the world of technology.

I do not feel that I will use Twitter in the future. I have a Facebook account and do not have a chance to use anything else. The Skype is a neat network to use but I do not see myself using that much in the future also. Other than those two, everything else seems to be useful for me.

This class did not excite me. I feel that it would have been more exciting if I would have taken this class during the day instead of night.

Everything that we went over in the class was self explanatory. It did not take a rocket scientist by no means. There were actually times when I would get bored because other people did not understand what was going on in the class.

I would have not been so bored in the class if there would have been something to do during the entire class time. I think it would have been better if there was a dead time during the class that we work on classwork. I like to get in a classroom and do what I have to do and get out.

I enjoyed the course, however I do feel like more topics could have been covered at a time. This would help with the extra time in the classroom.

I feel that I am technological literate at this time. I would rate myself as being good. I feel comfortable on a computer but do realize that computers and technology is always changing.

To maintain my status of being technological literate, I will try to stay up to date on technology. If there is something new that comes out, I will read about it and see if that can help me. I feel as long as you get on the computer every day then you will always be technological literate.

7 Stupid Mistakes, & Brilliant Things Teacher Do With Technology and New Classroom Rules

It was very interesting to see what the good and bad were of technology. The facts that stood out to me were ones that I believe in and will carry out in my classroom. From the stupid list, I chose not supervising students using computers and thinking online communication is ever private. The brilliant things I like with technology are making conferencing real-time and it puts kids in touch with the world. For the new classroom rules the ones appeared to me were know what you are suppose to be learning and also do not cheat.

With the stupid list it is always important to monitor what students are doing on the computer. Even if a child does not try to go to a bad site, sometimes they are just easy to find. Someone should never think that online communication is ever private. I feel that people air to much of their information on the computer. People need to think before they put information online. The brilliant thing of making conferencing real time is perfect for teachers and parents busy lives. Parents can know what is going on in the classroom with their child with a simple email. The other brilliant thing is putting the kids in touch with the world. Students can know what is going on in the whole and how other students of different countries live. I loved the new classroom rules. It is important for us to know what we are suppose to learn and to know why, and what you will do with this knowledge. It helps us have a goal and know how to obtain that goal. The other new rule of not to cheat but do use information while giving credit is great. This is what being a teacher is all about.
7 Stupid Things and 7 Brilliant Things of Technology

At the Teacher's Desk

What is the importance of a collaborative professional blog? To me, this question can be answered with many different responses. A professional blog allows people to connect with each other and also learn from each other. In At the Teacher's Desk there is a question posted that states some suggestions on a website for students to do probability games. Within minutes many people commented and gave websites that they had used in the past themselves. This gave the teacher websites yet at the same time the teacher had good websites that had worked for other teachers in the past.

Within At the Teacher's Desk ,I looked over many blogs. Some that really got my attention were Pencils & Crayons Banned at School, Facebook as a Teacher, and Skype to Connect Foreign Language Students. While I was reading these blogs, I observed to myself what really gets my attention. Some things that stand out to me are the pictures on the website, the length of the post, and the title of the post. These factors can really bring attention for me or it can turn me away. To me, a post should not be to very long. The person needs to express what they are saying and support what they are saying, without having many paragraphs.

Toward A New Future of Whatever

In the video Toward A New Future of Whatever by Michael Wesch, the video addresses how children and adults deal with technology and television. He states that Neil Postman in 1926 stated conversations center around television. How much has this changed, not at all!!

Being on that I am 22 years old, whatever is all around me and a phrase I use daily in my life. To me, it is crazy how a simple word can be used so often and how the meaning can change from the 1960's until today. In the 1960's people would say whatever to express what they meant but today whatever means we are not dealing with a situation. Teachers see this type of attitude often in students. The student may not know what is going on in an activity and just say whatever.

Another point the video made was the influence of reality TV and YouTube. Michael Wesch stated, new media creates new ways of knowing ourselves. This is so true. We may find an interest in something just by watching a YouTube video. In my option, reality shows and YouTube are great in opening new doors for people where at the same time, gives not so good outcomes for people looking for trouble. These trouble makers are able to connect with other people like them and dominate.

Why is important for students to post their work to blogs (or in other ways)?

There are so many important reasons students should post blogs. It allows the student to think in a different way and express how that student feels. By a student making a blog post, there is not really a right or wrong answer. The student needs to make certain that he/she reads or watches the material and thinks out what he/she is writing.

Landslide by the PS22 Chorus in New York City was a great YouTube video to watch. The children were so passionate about the song and seemed to really connect to the song. I am sure that many adults as well as students can watch this video and respond in many different ways. The video may could also help someone think out a matter that is going on within their life. By posting a comment, other people can see how that person feels and see how the video effects that person.

In this class, there has been many different videos that I enjoyed watching and also commenting on my blog. My favorite would have to be the
Achieving Your Childhood Dreams by Randy Pausch. One could post so much information on this video because there are many different approaches one may can take. Another favorite of mine was
Dear Kaia. The other favorite video of mine was
A Vision of Students Today. It helped me to connect with other college students on there experiences. One really had to pay attention during this video because the information was not spoken, one had to read the facts on handwritten notebook paper.

ACCESS

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and
Students Statewide (ACCESS) is for Alabama public high school students. The ACCESS network allows students an online learning experience. It also gives students an opportunity to have a bigger variety of classes to enroll.

The website is simple and easy to use. From ACCESS , a student can log on to the class or can research information under the resource tab located on the website. If a student or teacher is having trouble with technical issues, there is help in this area. Other ways the website is helpful is for providing advanced diploma courses for students. This is a great help for students that live in rural areas. They can take classes that are not available at there schools through the ACCESS network.

This is a wonderful system that the state of Alabama has in place. I was a student in a rural school and because the school was so small, there was only a limited amount of classes available. The system is like an online class for high school students. This helps prepare students for college.

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

The Alabama Learning Exchange ,which is often referred to as ALEX, is an online website for teachers in the state of Alabama. The website gives information on course of study, web links, lesson plans, podcasts, personal workspace, and professional learning. This is a wonderful stop for teachers to get little questions answers or if teachers would like to gain lots of information.

When one enters the home page of ALEX , the tabs that are listed above are shown. The first tab is course of study for the state of Alabama. Under the course of study there is many different classes listed. The classes range from English and Math to Technology courses and also Career/Technical courses. The next tab shown is web links. There is not only a place for teacher web links but also web links for students and administrators. The lesson plans tab is very neat because a teacher can either choose to create a lesson plan or find an ALEX lesson plan. These lesson plans can be chosen by grade level and/or by subject. For the podcast, there are many to choose from which may include information about Alabama or podcast used for students learning. The teacher workspace allows a log in where lesson plans can be stored or teacher web pages can be searched. The last tab listed on the home page include professional learning and would be the most helpful. Under professional learning, information is listed about news, growth as a teacher, communication, opportunities, and tools teachers can use.

For me, this was the first time visiting ALEX . It is so great that there is a go to spot that helps teachers in such a big way. The website provided me with loads of information that I do feel will be helpful in my career as an educator.

Dear Kaia

Kaia








It is clear that students can learn so much from a 3 year old. In
Dear Kaia one may not see where eighth graders can connect with a 3 year old. This connection is very clear in Mr. Chamberlain's Voicethread and Video.

The Dear Kaia video is a short video that shows "this and that" pictures Kaia has taken. I feel that students at any level can connect to this video. Where we live, there is beautiful green grass and not as much trash as indicated where Kaia is located. A teacher could ask the class what things would you take pictures of if you were outside. This also makes the students be thankful for the location in which they live.

For me I can see the reaction on the eighth graders faces as they watched this video. The place that Kaia is at, the students will more than likely never see in their lives. This helps the students interact with people in different locations. Also it helps the students accept people how they are and by the environment they live in. For the father of Kaia, I am sure that he did not imagine the response he would get out of his daughter. He was just being a father involved in Kaia's life. The amount of emotion showed to his daughter and her is work is expressed in his blog, Singing Hearts

The New Media Literacies

In the video The New Media Literacies there are many skills covered. All of these skills are important in the media. It is so important when we are performing a task to be able to multitask, visualize, and yet all at the same time be able to play(have fun).

Many times I do not credit myself enough when it comes to the world of technology. I do feel that we always need to learn as much as we can about whats new in the world. I do not feel that I have all of the skills I need for the 21st century but do feel that I do have enough to function in today's modern world. I do feel that I do have most of the skills listed on the hand out. I have a level head on my shoulders and can normally judge what is going on in a situation. My weakest quality on the list is negotiation. I do not like to prove people that they are wrong and make them feel bad about being wrong. There is however a way one can communicate and teacher rather than make one feel intimidated. With these terms I do feel that if one works with and on them, they will improve.

The New Media Literacies is terms that people need to know in order to stay up to date with technology. The project shows young people how to communicate in the media world and with people of different cultures.

The Networked Student

What student would not want to have class 3 days a week? The Networked Student video gives one information on an American Psychology class and how this class is different online. The student only actually has to be in a classroom 1 day a week, the other 2 days are the online portion. This is a different world from a normal classroom, yet a world that allows the student much more creativity.

Some may ask, what is the need for an online student to have a teacher? The teacher can offer guidance and communication to the student. This may be by the teacher answering any questions the student may have or by giving direction to the student. Also another way the teacher can assist the online student is with information. The teacher can help the student when trying to determine between good and bad information on the internet.

By the student using the online learning network, the student will post blogs and may even use Skype. When using the blogs the students can learn from others and also can comment on the blogs. This helps the students learn from fellow classmates research.

Do I feel that I am prepared to be a teacher of a networked student? I do feel that I would be able to be this type of teacher. It would be a challenge for me because I like to communicate with students in person. There are more students in a network than ever before and will continue to grow.

This is How We Dream

This is How We Learn Part 1 and Part 2 is two great YouTube videos that explain the world of opportunity for multimedia. It is amazing to see what all can go on with in a computer and internet. I do feel that there are parts of multimedia that I am capable of doing. Multimedia is a continual process of learning. In order to keep up with this learning, one needs to be able to adapt to all types of change.

In This is How We Learn Part 1 ,there is a clip of a whale hunt. This is something I would never really want to do first hand, but does interest me as I watched the hunt on the video. I do feel if I was really into whale hunting, I would want to experience the whale hunt in person. The world of multimedia is great but if I have a dream, I would want to be involved in that dream rather than watching on a computer.

In order for the advancement in technology to continue, there must be a lot of resources. The resources include equipment and also instructors. The instructors must know how to deliver the information to the student and also how to use the information.

For part 2 of the video, This is How We Learn ,I really connected on the Virginia Tech story. He started that if the article was in the newspaper, the article would be around for a little while but later trashed. If the article is on a website, that article is pretty much around forever. This does explain how one can collect experience and then put the experience into a document.

IPod Use

Duke Universityparticipated in a research on the use of IPod in universities. Some facts that they found were positive were that the use if IPod's were convenient for both teachers and students, more interest in lectures, and flexible locations. Another findings was the amount of attendance in the classroom. It was low for the fact that the student could download the lecture which they thought meant not need to come to class.

From the students point of view one stated that it gave the student a chance to sleep in class. Another student stated she could take better notes when listening to the lecture more than once. There was also impacts on the school with research. They found that there was increased communication on the campus and also increased commitment to technology at the university.

ITunes University

According to NewScientist, students listen to podcast make better on exams than ones that actually listen to the lecture in person. This is a great way for students to learn about what they may have missed in class for a day. Another great way ITunes University if used is to listen to a topic over. If there is something in the class that one may not be able to grasp, the student can listen to the lecture more than once.

ITunes University can be downloaded through the ITune store. The University of Chicago gives great information on ITunes University. The website goes into detail to explain may questions for ITunes University users and also includes information on podcast. If one would like to submit a topic on ITunes University than they are free to do so.

Both websites give tons of information about ITunes University. This will be a great asset for colleges and universities to assist students in learning. It may not be so great for schools that are strict about students being in class. Attendance would be the only problem I could see with the development of ITunes University.

Dr. Alice Christie

One can easily see that Alice Christie is passionate about teaching and children learning. On Dr. Alice Christie's website, she makes a one time stop for loads of information for teachers. The part of the website that I took extra time with is educational technology.

The educational technology part describes different ways to help teachers that teacher grades K-12. For Internet tools and resources, Dr. Christie explains different terms we see on the Internet and the definitions of the terms. I really enjoyed the part on how to improve a web page. A web page is a way that teachers can not only communicate with students but also parents. When making a web page, we may know what we are trying to say but may not always be clear. Dr. Christie gives examples like using constant fonts and making sure the web page is on a appropriate reading level.

Internet safety is also another topic I explored. It is very important that we as teachers know what is allowed and what is not allowed on the computer for children. Dr. Christie has a 45 slide power point that gives wonderful facts on the internet and technology. During the power point, she states how cell phones can help prevent bullying. One can video or take a picture of the incident and then get help.

Wikipedia

For Wikipedia, I am not sure if I would be willing to trust all the information on the site. If there was a paper that I had due for school,I know Wikipedia would not be one of my sources. In the past I have used Wikipedia but did not realize that people could edit the information. To me, Wikipedia is a way to get an idea on a topic.

For the Wikipedia scanner, I do feel this will be an advantage for Wikipedia. Being able to track where information is from makes more people not post false information. Even though some people would think twice about posting the information, there are some that do not care or will find a way to get around the Wikipedia scanner system.

It is clear that if a company had negative information on a site and had a chance to change the information, the company would. There were examples about Wal-Mart, Diebold and thousands other companies that had information that has been edited.

During the podcast the same information was stated. The people in the podcast did go into more detail on the subjects of Wal-Mart and other companies changing information on Wikipedia to better the company. I feel that one could either read the article or watch the podcast and obtain the same amout of information.

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch should be required for every college student or be required if you are a human being! It is remarkable how encouraging Randy Pausch is even when he was given only six months to live. In his speech, he used lots of laughter and even tears. This does help people connect to him. For me, this lecture was very uplifting and I do feel where this can help me as a person.

Sports have always been a huge part of life. I do feel that while I was growing up that softball and being a cheerleader helped me stay out of "teenage trouble". When Randy mentioned football, I was all ears. He said that football got him where he is today. This is expressed through hard work and fundamentals of the game. Another point that Randy made pertaining to football is that experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. This is a wonderful statement that has loads of meaning!


The brick walls expressed throughout the lecture is how everyone feels at times in their life. I love the way he would make a statement and then a brick wall would appear. This is the way that everyone else in the whole feels also. It is great to know that you are not alone! He puts a better approach on the wall by saying these walls can express how badly we want something.

It is great that he was able to lay his dreams out as a small child and then reflect on those same goals in his life. I loved the way he mentioned we could accomplish ours dreams. He said they can be fulfilled by telling the truth, being honest, apologizing when you screw up and by focusing on others and not yourself.

Randy Pausch was a great man and by that one can conclude he was raised in a good home. All of the quotes that he mentioned were positive. This is what the whole is missing today, honest people. I am so happy this was an assignment for the class!!

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

There is no doubt why Karl Fisch won the most influential post of 2007! In his post Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? Karly Fisch expresses his thoughts about teachers who do not want to enrich their life with computers. He describes that all educators should as least acquire basic knowledge of technology. This will help the teacher inside and outside of the classroom.

The most important fact ,to me, that he revealed was when a parent lets the teacher know he/she was not good in math so that means him/her child will not be either. Parents should never express this to their kids because then the child feels as if they do not have the ability to do well in that particular subject. The same goes for technology, we should never give in and say we are not good and stop at that point.

It is very important for teachers to learn as much as they can about technology. As Mr. Fisch commented, computers have been around for more than 30 years and computers will be here. So teachers should never give up on learning about the new technology in this world because it is going to only help them in their career!

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

The YouTube video A Vision of Students Today by Michael Wesch is a wonderful way to describe college in today's whole. I do agree with the facts that were shown and did enjoy the video. When I watch these videos, the first thing I do is see how long the video will be. This video was around 5 minutes so I was interested being on it was not to long.

One fact was that a very small amount of teachers will know my name in their class (could not remember the exact percent). At USA I was afraid that I would be in a class with a lot of students however my education classes have been very small. I came from Faulkner State Community College where the teachers know your names and are happy to see you each day in class. This is true here at South. Also another fact that was brought to my attention was the use of cell phones. It is hard for me not to text the entire time I am in a class. I do realize that the information that I am learning will benefit myself in the future so the cell phone can wait.

At the end of the video, chalkboards are mentioned. I would like to watch the video pertaining to chalkboards for the fact that I feel that I take better notes from a chalkboard. This may be the child in me but would be sure to say that other also students agree. PowerPoint slides are great and can be reviewed at a later time for reference. When a student goes from comprehending a fact and then making the transition to paper, the information really sinks.

"What I've Learned This Year"

The post "What I've Learned This Year" by Mr.McClung was a great way to be prepared for the first year of school. The post was very interesting and he made great points on each topic. Some topics that I received the most information from was being flexible, communicating, listening to students, and never stop learning.

In the section of the post directed on being flexible, Mr. McClung stated how there can be times when everything does not go perfectly. He mentioned to just go with the flow and make the activity run as smooth as possible. This is a chance for you as the teacher to learn what was wrong with the lesson plan and make adjustments. Communication with fellow teachers is also a topic in the blog. He suggest to build strong relationships with not only the students but also the teachers. I could see where this would be hard to do the first year of school since you are the new face on campus. Listening to students is a must. Mr. McClung gives an example of a comment left by a child on the last day of school. This must of made him feel wonderful to know that he really connected with that student. The last part of his blog is to never stop learning. This is important because if we use the same material year after year, at some point this will not be the most accurate information.

Podcast

For this podcast, I listened to "The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom". The podcast mentioned very important facts about podcast/vodcast and the advantages of using podcast/vodcast in the classroom. It expressed what teachers, principals, and students though about the podcast.

The first fact was that children born after 1980 are considered millenial because these children have never experienced life without technologically(phone and computers). An advantage to a podcast is students are not missing out on a teacher's lecture. If a student is home sick, the student has to more less teach themselves the lesson for the day. When the teacher uploads the podcast, it is like the student is in the classroom along with the other children. This allows the sick student to stay up to date on their assignments in class.

When the podcaster interviews the thoughts of the students on podcast, there were many different responses. One student commented that podcast makes learning fun for them. Another student expressed that her parents like the podcast for the fact that Beyonce was not always in her ear. The principal's thoughts was that parents could hear the lectures going on in the classroom and she felt that was important.


The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

Improvements to Videocasts

Watching the Videocast of students in a previous EDM 310 was a great way to get our brain's going. I watched the Videocast "Who is a Technologically Literate Teacher?: . The Videocast was good but I could tell the students were nervous. Normally I do not like to criticize other people's work but being on this is part of our assignment, I was willing to give it my best.

The first suggestion that I would give is to make sure you speak loudly. This is especially important if you are the one sitting away from the microphone. I feel that if one speaks loud, they are able to hold my attention for a longer period of time. My next suggestion would be to act excited about the Videocast. I know that the students were probably very nervous and uncomfortable doing the Videocast but a little excitement is always fun. It did seem that the students loosen up later in the Videocast.

My last suggestion would be that the Videocast was a little long. The subject was kind of cut and dried but it did seem to me that it went on to the point that the Videocast was boring. I am sure there was a time limit for the Videocast that the students were required to meet. Other than those few ideas, that would be the suggestions that I would be able to make about the Videocast. I am happy that I was able to watch the Videocast from the other students to get a feeling of what it is all about.

Podcasts

This was the my first time to hear or use podcast. I normally do not have a lot of extra time to do activities on the internet with school and my work schedule. The podcast is something I can listen to while I am involved in something else. Podcast to me, opens a new world for education.


While I was listening to different podcast, it was neat to me how they were all different in there on way. With the Smartboard Lessons, the podcasters discussed different topics going on in their lives and then introduced the topic. In one of the podcast that I listened to, they showed how certain movie clips can be involved in math. This was a very neat idea for me because what elementary or high school student doesn't like to watch a movie while they are at school.


For the Kidcast, I was very interested to listen to podcast about Australia. I have always wanted to visit Australia and to hear someone else experiences was very neat. During the Kidcast the podcaster started out discussing the topic instead of having a conversation for the ice breaker. Concerning the podcast This is Photography it was way different. They had advertisements that opened the podcast and they introduced new products in the world of photography.


MacBreak Weekly is a podcast that deals with everything in the Apple and Mac world. In one of the podcast that I listened to, the topic of Apple buying Twitter was in the conversation. The podcasters were very opinionated. For ConnectLearning Episodes 96, David Warlick's podcast is involved with a audience of teachers. The teachers state the importance of children using podcast. With the Ed Techtalk, the podcast that I listened in on was about the teachers summer. They shared information that they learned at the workshops.


The world of podcast has opened my eyes and ears to a lot of information. At first I was not very interested in listening to the podcast. I can now see where the facts can be helpful and up to date.


Ed Techtalk
KidCast
Connect Learning Episode 96
This Week in Photography
MacBreak Weekly
SmartBoard Lessons

Next Generation Learning

In the Next Generation Learning video it becomes very clear to me the differences in learning around the world. To me, it seems that the 11 year old boy is very educated from the abundant amount of technology in his school. Kids can interact and experience events that a classroom 10 years ago could never imagine.



I can not begin to wonder how much money is put into that school for technology. Here in the United States we are facing children in public schools not being able to have text books for some classes and teacher jobs being cut. The children in the video were able to check out lap top computers as if they were books at a library. This just amazes me and I do think the technology in the school is a wonderful thing.

Media Rich Post

Michael Jackson


(CNN) -- The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday. Los Angeles' coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson's blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.
The affidavit outlines probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson.
The Associated Press is quoting a single law enforcement official, who says the L.A. County Coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office told CNN they had "no comment" on the report. An LAPD spokesman says the story did not come from their department.
The 32-page warrant said Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told a detective that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks. Murray said each night he gave Jackson 50 mg of propofol, also known as Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.
Worried that Jackson may have been becoming addicted to the drug, the Houston cardiologist said he attempted to wean him from it, putting together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep during the two nights prior to his death.
But on June 25, other drugs failed to do the job, as he recounted to detectives in an hour-by-hour account that was detailed by detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department

Sir Ken Robinson-The Importance of Creativity

In the Importance of Creativity with Sir Ken Robinson, there are many statements made by him I agree with. By Sir Ken Robinson making examples from life experiences, I was able to connect on the points he made. These may be from an individual being wrong, learning from there mistakes, and by one growing out of creativity.

First of all I for one can see when Sir Ken Robinson comments on when is proved wrong there creativity is just more less out the door. Many times for me if someone downs me and does not encourage me on a topic, I just do not have the heart for the project anymore. In the talk with Sir Ken Robinson he mentions that we grow out of creativity. I see this as a very true statement. I know when I get further into my education classes I USA, I will see problems in the school systems. One problem that I see at this time is making a mold out of the students. I believe that different children are talented in there on different and unique ways. When these certain features are discovered the student is able to excel.

The story about Gillian Lynne was wonderful to me. I feel that teachers should understand the differences in students. They are not all alike and sometimes a teacher needs to go the extra mile to discovered what talent that student displays.

Did you know 3.0?

In Did you know 3.0?, there were so many facts that are around us each and everyday. The last question of Did you Know 3.0? asks what does it all mean? This makes me aware of how fast technology is growing. There are times that I really wonder how there can be a faster computer or a smaller cell phone, but this is just another task for man to accomplish.

One of the facts was that India has more honor roll students than America. I know there are many times that I feel we Americans are on top of the world. This fact makes it very clear to me that we are just apart of the world. From these facts we may can learn from other countries.

The clip also shows me how times have changed. The part of Did you Know 3.0? that states 1 in 8 couples met online was amazing to me as I look back on past times. If I would have asked my grandmother if she would have thought that her grand kids would see what they have saw, I know she would say no. Even with all the advancements I have saw in my life, I feel there is way more to come.

First Post

My name is Heather Vickrey and I am 22 years old. I am from Huxford, Alabama which is a small town 20 minutes north of Atmore. I live at home with my mom, dad and brother. My mom and dad have been married for 24 years which is huge for me! They are my number 1 supporters! My brother is 20 years old and I have spoiled him his entire life. One other member of our family is my 1 1/2 year old mini Dachshund. He is full of energy and a joy to be around.

Most of the hobbies that I enjoy, deal with being outside. I love to ride four wheelers and horses, hunt for deer, and spend time on the water. My favorite sport by far is softball. I have played fast pitch softball since I was 6 years old and love every minute of it. At this time I am not playing but did help coach a 4-6 year old softball team during the summer. A very important part of my life is my family and friends.

Considering my college career, I also have a story. When I graduated J.U. Blacksher in 2005 I received a 2 year scholarship to Faulkner State Community College. Faulkner was great and I loved it dearly. I took one year of General Studies courses and then with the other year I enrolled in the Dental Assisting Program. I figured out that was not for me after 2 semisters and then started to brainstorm for a new career. When I decided I wanted to become an elementary school teacher, I started taking night classes a Jefferson Davis Community College to work on my prereq's. This is now my first semester at the University of South Alabama and really think that I will enjoy the education program.