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.