iPods and Pacemakers

I know this article does not relate to technology in the classroom but I did find it interesting because clearly it relates to technology in general.

"iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart."

An interesting fact that is stated in the beginning is that the problem with iPods and pacemakers was founded by a 17-year-old boy! Kind of ironic how we always talk about how our students could potentially know more about technology than us and here a 17 year old discovers a fact such as this one!

The article states that iPods as close as two inches away causes electrical interference. In relation to the pacemakers, iPods as close as 18 inches from an individual's chest could cause the pacemaker to misread the pacing.

If you'd like to check this article out the website is:

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1048845320070510?feedType=RSS&rpc=22

Pressure's On

I created a blog for the in-class assigntment. I knew it was something that I could do (most important aspect of this challenge) and something that could be completed and well-executed. This is something I would do on one of the first days of class. I think a class blog is a great way for everyone to stay on top of what is occuring in class. I also think it is a great way for parents to know what is happening in their children's classroom.

I stated in my class blog that I will have each student create a blog. I think this will be a great way to unite my class which is an aspect I think is important in a school environment as a whole. I would love to go as far as talking to other english teachers in the school I would teach at to get them started with a blog as well. It would be super cool (I think anyway!) for my class to be associated with what another class is learning--see the different perspectives of another class.

Chapter 5-Hobbs

The television-- a mind-numbing tube that does what for us, right? Well, in chapter 5 the most interesting fact I realized is how the television can be productive for students. In the English classroom, teachers can take how certain things are represented and use it in lessons.For example, in James Doneski's classroom he had his students discuss the topic of gender representation. Boys had to watch a show that targeted women and girls had to watch a show that targeted men. After these students read short readings, did their research, and analyzed the shows, they were able to discuss, "what they had learned about the changing patterns of gender representation in shows from TV history" (73).

Mainly my point is how now, year 2007, the English classroom no longer means reading Romeo & Juliet and learning the dry elements of theme, plot, setting, etc. In the English classroom, students can learn about 'life'--what the real, outside world is all about. Technology is clearly a fine tool to use in executing this task. Media Literacy comes down to creating a new way of thinking and going about getting our students to open up their minds as well.

In all honesty, this might be my favorite chapter. A housemate of mine is a communications major and I expressed what I learned about while reading this chapter because seeing her type of work, this seemed right up her alley. Just interesting that a communicators major found interest in one of my main books for an English class.

City Voices, City Visions

I think kids making videos to learn is fantastic! It is great how teachers are learning to take what is actually interesting to kids (videos) and using it as a form of teaching. It is smart and it works--plain as that.

One of the main aspects that I find very important in a classroom is how almost all of the usage of technology calls for collaboration. My primary goal in my classroom will to have students in a peaceful environment with tons and tons of interaction. When students are video recording or acting out skits, this goal is easily achievable.

Cheaters and iPods?- A Downfall of Technology

Often times in lecture halls, during those psychology 101 courses, kids will sometimes listen to their iPods
while the lecture is going on. This is often possible because slides
and PowerPoint are used and it is much more entertaining to listen to
Nirvana than a lecture. In this article I found on Yahoo, high schools
have started banningiPods because of the way kids can use them to cheat. Since the ear piece is
so small to begin with, hiding the wire and earpiece is something that
can be easily done: "officials realized some students were downloading
formulas and other material onto the players."-- Clearly this is the
problem.

I think the key is that eventually, "each district will
have a policy in place for technology — it keeps a lot of the problems
down." Technology clearly has its positives and negatives. Cheating is
now one of the negatives with the iPod. The result has to be limitations on when they can be used. They should in no way be banned, just regulated.

Here is the link if any of you want to check it out. What do you guys think
of this problem? If you read the article, take a look at what Kelsey
Nelson had to say--Quite interesting and I'd be curious to hear your
opinion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070427/ap_on_hi_te/ipod_cheating

More Details on the Media Literacy Project

My group has been specifically focusing and analyzing on the show
Family Guy. Something very cool happened to Lindsay with her blog-- she got
a comment from a man in California telling us not to only focus on the
show, but broaden our focus on the commercials aired during Family Guy as well.

This is a great, simple point that we did not even think of! So, tonight when
we meet after class, Lindsay, Charity , and myself, we will be able to
further our project on the commercials as well. We can view aspects of what kind of viewers are the commercials pertaining to? Is there a reason why those commercials are on as opposed to others? What sort of commercials seemed to be missing? etc. Does anyone else have any other ideas they would like us to investigate?

Response to Will

The way in which Will engages his children about books is fascinating.
Even so much as the idea of writing books and then being able to send them
out for Christmas presents is a great idea on his behalf. He brings
writing and the aspect of books into his child's life and it actually
intrigues her. From his eagerness and enthusiasm comes his daughters--
and the enthusiasm coming from books is so commendable on behalf of Will.

Teachers should learn something from this. Even though writing, reading, and books are associtaed with school, which is associated with boredom (most of the time), it doesn't need to be that way. Taking those aspects of school and turning them into something fun for kids is the way to get students to see school as enjoyable.

Shape-Shifting Portfolio

In all honesty, some of this technology still confuses me. I am at times hesitant and nervous to get started with it because I am a person who gets easily frustrated. Either frustartion or disappointment cues in because I fear I may not be satisfied with my work.

I absolutely enjoy learning about all the tasks and events I can create with technology, I just feel like I need more of a one-on-one on how to perform.

I do however look forward to learning how to incorporate more technology into the class room and hope to take a course that perhaps guides me in doing so.

Do It On Your Own!

I think it is interesting how Will basically says how a degree in Social Computing is pointless! He takes a major and simply says that people can start doing this on their own, for free. Makes one wonder how many other courses, having Will's outlook, can be abolished in this very same way!

In relation to the whole idea of Social Computing, I like how beneficial it can be for students alone: "Students pursuing a specialization in Social Computing learn to analyze online social interactions, both in online communities and in more diffuse social networks. They learn about features of social computing technologies so they can recognize opportunities to put them to use in new settings and make good choices about alternative implementations."

Once again, this really relates to my whole take of letting students explore in order to benefit themselves. It is also such a positive feeling to figure things out on your own (i.e. "more diffuse social networks," "make good choices about alternative implementations,"). It seems as though Social Computing does not necessarily need to be a major, but maybe even a class taught in high schools? What do you guys think about that? Or is that happening already and I may not be aware of it?

Kids are Competent!

I believe a common theme among the three articles for this week's blog quiz is that kids are competent!


In regards to these articles, our readings, and our talks in class, kids
are capable of more than teachers, or any adult really, often think.
For instance, we should all be aware now that our students might know
more technologically than we do at times. I think one of the main ideas
is that we need to let these kids explore; do not hold them back.

"When adults see young people misbehaving or underperforming, they often respond by infantilizing young people even more[...]"


Kids are a lot smarter than we all think. We should let them show it and
never hold them back. Because, as we saw in the O'Brien article, if
they are held back and get the feeling that they are incapable, then
they will think that too, and that is detrimental.

Baltimore County's Use of Video

In this article it was explained how Maryland's Baltimore County Public
Schools has installed video servers and a video-on-demand system in all
of its 169 schools. The second most appealing idea to me was by a
woman, Della Curtis, who discussed what the ultimate goal of that
school district is: "The vision is to make the curriculum more
21st-century and engaging." It should be a more engaging environment,
because why should kids dread going to school? It is a place they must
attend almost everyday for many, many years, they might as well enjoy
the place!

The idea that was most appealing to me was how a
growing number of districts, "has convened teams of teachers in each
school to brainstorm ways of using the new resources to their fullest
potential across each academic discipline." This idea is fantastic
because it gets teachers to WORK AND COLLABORATE TOGETHER! As a student
we have all had those good teachers-- the ones that intrigue us and
appeal to ourintellect versus the not-so-good teachers-- the ones that
bore us over and over again with the oh-so-appealing (sarcasm) chalk
and blackboard. With the use of these tools and the collaboration of
multiple teachers using them, maybe we can start ridding school systems
of the boring teachers whose classes kids dread attending.Afterall, what teacher wants to be dreaded?

O'Brien

When reading O'Brien, it immediately made me think of my brother. This is his first year in college and he attends Suffolk
Community College on Long Island. My brother, Zack, has never liked
school. To this day actually, the kid is not fond of it one bit. One
thing to add is that learning was and still is a difficult task for
him. He was one of those kids that had to go to the resource room and
take tests in another room and stuff like that. One thing that O' Brien
states I feel was relative to Zack:
When students discover, early in their academic careers, that they are not
doing well in reading (it could be any school discipline), and they
attribute success to stable factors
outside of their control (e.g., the texts are too hard, effort doesn't
yield results, the teacher is hard, they just don't have the ability),
success is perceived as unattainable, universal, and permanent. (O' Brien
30)
This is just it! When my mom, dad , or myself would tell him he is smart, you can do well in
school he just didn't believe it. But there were certain
things in high school that this kid actually did enjoy! And wouldn't
you expect...all surfaced around bringing technology into the classroom
even a couple of years ago.

He told me how even then,"doing like an exercise and letting the students use powerpoints
rather than like write stuff on paper and then they present it" was
more thrilling than what was mostly being done. I'm sure the use of powerpoints
, especially under the control of the students, wasn't as often and
common as Zack and his other peers would have liked. Teachers should
know that through technology, even what is now the old-schoolpowerpoint, can help kids realize that they can be successful in scholastic endeavors:
When students perceived that they were successful, and they could set
personally relevant goals and see that they were improving, they would read
and write more, build fluency, and decide to persevere, even on tasks that
they perceived as being difficult (Anderman et al., 2001; Pintrich and
Schunk 1996). (O'Brien 30)

Media Literacy and My Podcast

Lindsay and I will be meeting on Monday night to start perfecting our Media Literacy project. We will be working with the television show "Family Guy." Hey, if anyone has any specific episodes they think they would like us to incorporate in this let us know asap!

Simultaneously, I will be working on my own Podcast. I am meeting Ray in the library on Sunday so he can give me some assistance, especially with the images and such. I am aiming this podcast toward the Cortland Lacrosse team.

A Little Personal...

So, I have not talked to my Aunt in a year 1/2. We have always been in contact but it has always been a struggle because her and my mom do not get along, thus creating distance between us for as long as I can remember. My mom and my grandmother are also pretty distant but not as much as my mom and aunt. So, I received a text the night before Easter from a random number saying "Happy Easter." I felt bad that I got that someone would send me that text and I had no idea who it was; so, I lied and said my phonebook had recently been erased, "Who is this?" It responded back to "Aunt Niecey" (Aunt Denise). So we got to talking...texting actually.. and it was fascinating to me that texting brought us back to talking. We were texting for a good hour that night, I followed with a Happy Easter phone call the next day. With that she told me she had an e-mail now and checks it 3-4 times a week! I've already received approximately 6 e-mails from her already! I also learned from her that my grandmother has text messaging-- my 70 some odd year old grandmother has text messaging!! WHAT?!?

So, from this it just goes to show me that everyone is getting on the band wagon of technology--even 40-year-old aunts and Grandmothers!

Sorry if this was boring for anyone to read, just fascinated me and seemed more than appropraite for this blog.

Comments on the Chat

Many different issues are brought up in this chat. I will touch on a few of them.

The first is the gaining of information from the internet. To put it in simplest terms, what is good and what is bad? Since I am going to be using the internet, computers, and technology in general in my classroom, I think a primary way to leading my class in the right direction for the year and years to come, is to have a lesson on what sources are legitimate. Make them understand that not every website they go to has valid information. "For example, of the students tested, only 52% could accurately judge the objectivity of Web sites." My class will be part of that percentage!

There was also a discussion about the average age of computers in classrooms. I think schools should really attempt to get decent aged computers into the classroom. We have to make these students intrigued with learning! If those old, sooooo slow computers are still in classrooms, who is going to want to use those?

One man asked the question of whether technology is walking educators these days? In some ways and at some times it may be. The key is to start getting ahead. Yes, George Washington did not have a computer or ipod in his day. But, we do now. And what is the harm in using the tools that are in front of us. They surround us! We need to not be hostile towards the new technology and let it in so we can use it to the best of our ability, especially in the classroom.

Digital Decade and the Opinion of Students

The "Digital Decade" article talks highly of the technology being used
today as opposed to 10 years ago. It states how nearly all schools can
access the Internet
and the percentage of instructional computers with high-speed access is
somewhere around 95 percent. Video recorders and digital cameras are
being used to further students' creativity level in the classroom. It
also states how blogs andpodcasts are being
used. The only thing
which was disturbing in "Digital Decade," which seemed to be proved by
the next article "Outside Interests," was this:

In its annual
survey of the states for Technology Counts, the Editorial Projects in
Education Research Center now finds that, unlike 10 years ago, most
states have technology standards for students and educators, for
example. But few states test to see if those standards are being met,
so the degree to which schools are reaching them is unknown.

So,
it is said that all this technology is being used in many parts of the
U.S., but an accurate estimate is untraceable and unknown. Randy
Herrera makes some very interesting
statements about the technology use in his classrooms. He feels as
though his technology use at home outweighs the usage at school. His
technology use starts right when he wakes up for school by the use of
his alarm clock and then text messages from friends on the bus ride to
school. He gets to school and this is all taken away/ unavailable:

"In
English, for instance, there is a computer in the classroom, but he
says students are not allowed to use it. To do research, his class of
29 troops upstairs to the media center to share 15 computers."

"When
I step in school, I feel like I’m not me anymore. I have to jump into
this whole old-fashioned thing where everything is restricted."

"[...]technology 'facilitates me doing what I do best and shows my creativity, who I am'"

Some schools are limiting students' creativity and are diminishing
the drive that kids could have if technology were used in the
classroom. Why is this even happening? Because it shouldn't be. We want
students to want to learn. If that means bringing in technology, then so be it.

Lyrics

Another brick in the wall (part 2)

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave the kids alone
Hey teacher leave us kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

(chorus at end by pupils from the Fourth Form Music Class Islington Green School, London)

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave the kids alone
Hey teacher leave us kids alone
All in all you're just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

Another Brick in the Wall

All this talk of how teachers need to loosen up and chill out in the
classroom (like I said in class) reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Another
Brick in the Wall." So I looked up the video onyoutube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC0g-x9_NxY

so listen to the words and check it out :)

The 3 o' Clock Conference

The last conference was with the author. We talked about her book and how she would feel about it being put into a movie. We talked about the protagonist of her book and how she basically came to be. She mentioned her two favorite authors, one which is mine, Jeanette Winterson, which I thought was really neat. I asked her which book of Winterson's was her favorite, which was "The Passion." Definitely my favorite of Winterson's as well which was just a kewl, minor, connection to an infamous author.

The statement that stood out to me when she said it was something that had to be written down and shared with this class: "Choose your own path and don't let anyone choose it for you." I liked when she said this because it comes close to signifying my own sense of self. I like to march to the beat of my own drum. I am not one to go along with what others say and do, i do what i like; I do indeed choose my own path.

The English Conference

At the English Conference I went to the last two mini conferences. These meetings were undoubtedly eye openers to what is being done right this instant in the classroom! The way these two women conduct their classes is in an ideal performance. TIME was strongly emphasized. There needs to always be a time to read and a time to write. It seemed that the content of what their students would read would be trivial-- and of course it would be! As long as kids are utilizing time to read, what more could a teacher really ask for? They made a clear point that not every kid is going to want/ enjoy "To Kill a Mockingbird." Sometimes the reading level isn't even up to that level. Once again, as long as their students were reading was the vital point. When it came to writing, it didn't seem to matter what they wrote about either. As long as their students were writing, this was the other vital point. With the reading it was said to lead to increased speed and a gaining of vocabulary.

These two women talked about how they tell their students to read at least 2 1/2 hours outside of class. By doing this, their students have OWNERSHIP of their readings. Owndership to students leads to choices. The choices lead to a navigation of unknown text. They get to pick out their own books and creat their own stamina, different tools, and stratgeies. When asked how they monitored this, the answer was book marks and sometimes a set of vocab words from the choice of books. Friday would revolve around a reader response day or even a book club (sounded like what we had in 374).

One of the best things said in this conference was how Jen, one of the teachers, said that she feels like a student in her own class. She leanrs something everyday. By having students share in class this leads to each individual kid using each other. Social connections come from the books that each kid reads. And the most influential statement wwas how the social connections don't stop with the kids but leak into the teacher.

Welcome Back!

Hey,
Hope everybody's spring break went well! Hopefully many of you were in the warmth and sun. My team and I went to West Palm Beach where we had our first two games. We won them both, are 2-0, and have a game vs. Ithaca tomorrow. I wanted to share that over the break I read Augusten Burroughs "Possible Side Effects." Hilarious and a very similar idea to his book "Magical Thinking." I also bought a book from Borders with all of Dali's paintings and an explanation for each one, so I am excited to continue reading that.

I wanted to share something I heard at the airport during our 3 hour layover. I was in a Borders yet again and a man was purchasing a book and he received 50% off his next purchase. He asks the man who actually seemed possibly to be the manager, "Why would you guys do that?"-- meaning why would I buy this book and receive 50% off my next purchase. The possible manager's response was something that would have made this class very happy: "Because we are encouraging people to read more." Pretty nice huh? Thought this class would appreciate that. Hope everyone is doing well, see you later on.

Significance of an RSS Feed

Last class was an introduction to the RSS feed. The RSS feed is for updating new information on a blog. One way to use the RSS feed is to keep all the information on a blig organzized. All the interests one might have can be kept intact by using the RSS feed (i.e. del.icio.us) All this blog information can get a bit overwhelming. With the aid of RSS feeds, all the information for my students can be kept in an organized and easy access formation.

The blog itself is a way to keep people from all over the globe connected; however, RSS feeds can engage an even wider range of communication. Even last class when the "43 things" was brought up, someone can look at other peoples "43 things" and in a way get in contact with them. It was interesting to see what things people in the world, from all over the world, want to do with their lives. This is only one example, but these RSS feeds can keep my students intrigued. Perhaps, they can look up information on a book they just read. With RSS feeds, looking into that book, they can come up with other detials, information, and ideas about that book that maybe they didn't know, realize, or hear in class.

On the personal sense as a teacher, the RSS feed can allow myself to give quick feedback to my students wthether on their interests or whatever it is that is going on in class. Clearly, there are endless ways that the RSS feeds can be used!

Education Buys a Life!

My Mom did not attend college. My father only took a couple of classes, because in order to become a sergeant he needed a certain amount of college credits. We are not poor, we are not rich. After my parents had graduated high school it was perfectly fine to not attend college and obtain a decent paying job.

Today...EVERYONE NEEDS COLLEGE. As time keeps progressing, it seems as though we are entering an age where EVERYONE NEEDS A MASTERS. In 50 years or so, are we all going to need a Phd to get a decent job?

Friedman, of course, would state that technology is becoming a dominant force in the college world-- we can see this for ourselves! I think Friedman would say that teaching kids technology early in the educational lifespan will only benefit them more later in life when they do enter the college world.

Learning Less?

I think at times educational classes, maybe even schools, lack what is to be really taught to students. Whether students are learning less, I don't know if I completely, 100% agree with that; however, sometimes I think the teaching goes in the wrong direction. For instance, why is it that the Northeast is such a powerhouse in intelligence as opposed to the Midwest? What are we doing that they are not? I think sometimes it is hard to judge what students are learning/ whether they are leanring more or less in a general sense. Many of the big time tests given in high schools (The Regents Exams in select states, SAT's, etc.) look for very specific information. A student can be highly intelligent in my eyes, yet not do so spectacular on the SAT's. Sometimes tests do not say all.

http://nancykeane.com/rss.html

Being at this webpage makes me want to do this with all the books I've read! Her webpage really gives you some insight into many, many books. It made me think of that library page that Jami's group introduced to us. If that webpage were to add something like this along with the stars to show what kind of ratings each book got, it might make it a bit more popular and better in a way?

Good ol' Project iWeb-- You'll Be Missed!

I need to first say that I actually had fun partaking in the iWeb with
Barb and Theresa. I want to give a lot of credit to Theresa who really
knew her stuff with the computer and the designing of theiWeb itself!

Overall, it is relatively simple to create an iWeb
page-- simple enough to get decently good at and then teach your
students how to do. Like I said the night we presented, the one thing I
like most about making thisiWeb, and this can even go for the podcasts, wikis
, etc., is how it really brings that sense of unity to a classroom.
Sure, you can do group work in a classroom, but this is different.
Using the computer and figuring out how to put a page together, taking
pictures of each other and putting them up on a page, bringing what
other people have done onto the website, beats a group talking about a
book any day! I want a classroom where there isplentyyyyy of communication and involvement of every way possible. Using the new forms of technology, i.e. iWeb, is just the beginning to the goal in my classroom.

I didn't like the whole idea of all this technology coming into my
classroom and invading the conventional ways of learning in the English
classroom. But each new class that takes place makes me realize that it
doesn't have to be just one way or another. The conventional ways of
teaching and all this new technology can be intertwined to make a
unique, intriguing classroom that kids will love.

Virtual Schooling

Some college students here at Cortland have been exposed to the "online
class" effect. Before this article I did not realize how quickly this
new way of learning is spreading. Overall, I feel as though it has its
positives and negatives; I think this correlates with what kind of
person you are. I am a person that would rather have the conventional
ways of a classroom to acquire knowledge as opposed to getting it off
an online class. I need to have that teacher in front of me and be able
to be shown and thoroughly taught what is going on at times. I am more of a hands-on
learner- - perhaps more visual learners would be prone to learn this
way? Another thing is, the idea of doing some work at one point in
time, taking a break and coming back to it later in the day seems like
a great idea for some people; however, I know that i would personally
procrastinate this work and it may overwhelm/ suffocate me if I put it
off for too long if a time.

Overall, the article really made
me sit down and think about the future. Years and years ago, people
would have never thought of so much as a computer! Then as time
progressed, the thought of a classroom being held on the computer
wasn't even a thought neither! Now, this is all happening and it is
information like this that really makes you wonder.. what the heck is
next????

Emerging Technology Trends

The article is true in stating how technology has, "opened the doors for almost anyone to become an author, a creator, or a filmmaker." This can be seen as inspirational for people who wish to share their writings, films, photos, etc. with people all over the world. Specifically for students this is does and can in fact allow for more creativity within themselves.

The article also touches on social networking. I enjoy knowing that Facebook and MySpace are not the only ways to take part in social networking!
Now, I would comment on more of this article but it will not allow me to see the second page! So I guess that is all I have for you guys...sorry!

Certain Components in Michael Wesch's YouTube

The way in which I picked apart this YouTube. Short and sweet but absorbed.
"Digital text is different
more flexible
moveable
form and content inseparable.
can do better.
hello world!
blog born every half second
and it's not just text
we will organize all data
we are the web
we teach the machine.
Teaching the machine
the machine is us.
people sharing, trading, and collaborating."

The Webpage on 307

A quick recap on what is happening in the world of Theresa, Barb, and myself-- The webpage is coming along very well. We are meeting at 2 o' clock tomorrow before class,(if there is class considering this snow storm that seems to be hitting us hard thus far) and most likely we will be very close to finished tomorrow. We are looking forward to showing you all what has been coming along.

Learning from the "Unlearning Curve"

The 3 quotations I found most influential from the "Unlearning Curve" were as follows:

- "[...]that we are the sole content experts in the classroom, because we can now connect our kids to people who know far more than we do about the material we’re teaching."

-"We need to unlearn the idea that every student needs to learn the same content when really what they need to learn is how to self-direct their own learning."

-"We need to unlearn the premise that we know more than our kids, because in many cases, they can now be our teachers as well."

in reference to the first quotation, it made me think of what we were talking about in class the other night. A lot of statements in the "Unlearning Curve" did just that. Warlick at some point in his books states how technology, and most of all the computer, is the only advantage that students have over the teachers. The knowledge of technology is something in which the younger generation dominates. This idea goes hand in hand with the third quotation. Teachers these days ARE NOT (I can justify this idea) superior in the technological sense. In this respect, many times we can find that students can become the educators in the classroom. This should not be looked at in intimidating manner but rather a postive one.

Laptops backwards is Spotpal

The fact that students will be receiving laptops is fantastic! My God though, that is a lot of money. Makes me wonder if they will recycle these laptops...graduating seniors will hand them over to incoming freshman? "The program also includes training to show the teacher how to use the technology in their classrooms."-- mmmmm veryyy reassuring!!!

NCTE Position Statement

I understand how a few of us in class the last week were arguing about how we feel the need to "make our students write a paper." I agreed when that discussion took place, and I simply feel it is because we do not want to lose the traditional ways of an English teacher. That concept is, in fact, terrifying to some of us; however, to many it seems as though that is already absorbing and is now dominating. Yes, I am scared to lose the traditional ways of the English teacher-- Reading Romeo & Juliet outloud is exactly what made me want to become an English teacher. The bottom line is, as NCTE states, "Today our students are living in a world that is increasingly non-printcentric."

This idea cannot be ignored. If this is the way to get out students to learn, and the way they will WANT to learn, then so be it. As future teachers it seems as though we need to be selfless and teach in the style that is appealing to kids. If MP3s, videos, visual art, graphics, etc. are the ways in which kids will learn then, once again, so be it. As the NCTE states, we must encourage, encourage, encourage, these ways.

Warlick

I checked out the webpage http://www.kidsclick.org/. The best thing about this site is that is a "websearch for kids by librarians." So, right off the bat it is a LEGITIMATE webpage for the kids to use. There is no doubt in a teacher's mind that if he/she tells his/her students about this search engine that his/her students with be obtaining accredited information. That is a weight off the shoulders of any teacher. As current students, we even know how there are thousands of useless websites out there because they pretty much contain bogus information.

At the bottom of this webpage I clicked on what the page looks like through a librarian's eyes, and it is set up in the Dewey Decimal System. That was pretty neat to see.

I then clicked on the sound search tools. That is pretty kewl because kids are able to hear things like nature sounds, human body sounds, national anthems of the world (that sounds very kewl to me), great speeches, history and politics outloud and much more. I like the idea that kids can hear politics...this option of Kidsclick allows kids to know what is actually going on in this chaotic world. It can keep them well informed if they decide to use it. Just wanted to blog about this webpage and give it props :)

Curriki

If there is anything that is able to somewhat unite teachers from all over the globe together, it definitely sounds like Curriki. This site made me think of LuLu in one respect- - the idea that everyone has some hidden talent. There are many, many creative teachers out there. By using Curriki, many ideas from teachers, ones to use and ones to definitely not use in the classroom, are now available. I think it is great that this is a website that is global and not just within the U.S. That is probably the kewlest part about it for me. I think someone should suggest this website to that sluggish teacher who wrote the blog "On the Reservation." (sorry still a little hostile about that!)

LuLu!

I just got done looking at this site... I think that is pretty kewl how someone doesn't need to go through a publishing company for people to have their books,calenders,images,music,videos, and artwork acknowledged. There is so much hidden talent out there that this could be a fantastic way to view or display it.

As for the classroom, this could be such a great way to get kids to want to put WHATEVER it is that they are interested online for people to see/hear. Some kids would rather play their guitar and make music than write a poem. I think this site is great because it could incorporate any student's likings. A class could decide what they want to do and then each other student could view what every other student put on LuLu and I see this as being a great way for kids to enjoy the classroom and the people in it as well. As for an english teacher, LuLu could give us the benefit of actually knowing what our students are into at the moment, finding a book that relates to their penchant(s), and having them read and enjoy reading on topics they enjoy.

My Friend Leonard

Has anyone read A Million Little Pieces? If so, have you read My Friend Leonard? I know there was all the controversy about James Frey's first book, but if you put aside all that nonsense, I thought it/ they were damn good books. I had some tears strollin down my face on the second one! (don't tell anybody :) ) ok let me know. later kids

A Quick Comment on "On the Reservation"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh was my initial reaction. Here I am dyinggggg to be a teacher. I would give anything to be a teacher in the blink of an eye, and this woman is dreading going to work?? ahhhhhhhh! If she has no energy, my God those poor students! This woman should be seraching her butt off to find ideas and some more creativity to bring into the class room to promote some enthusiasm in herself and especially her students! She mentions certain ideas that she can do to improve her class atmosphere, I just hope she gets to it soon! Sorry for so many explanation points-- I was just kind of annoyed by this blog. How did you guys feel?

Plug it in, Plugging in.

I have many comments on Steve Johnson's Don't Fear the Digital. I love the part where he states how technology is absolutely not diminishing kids' face-to-face social skills. So many of my friends, on a personal level, use AOL's Instant Messaging. I don't know one of my friends that refuses to use it and I know many kids of the younger generation who do the same. This, for example, is an immediate way to converse with someone. Even though it is not verbal, there is probably more conversing going on through AIM than if the phone or the face-to-face meeting took place. Teenagers and even us college kids are going to socialize. There is definitely no doubt in that...I'm sure you ALL agree! Clearly Johnson is correct in saying teenagers are not using technology to substitute for real-world socialization, "they're using technology to augment it" (56).

Kids are in fact using the screen as a new tool which is fun for them, as stated before. With the world at their fingertips, they can explore, share, and shape their world. With all the creativtiy that goes into kids' MySpaces, blogs, webpages, etc. how can one say that their being dumbed down. Williams is absolutely correct in stating that their minds are being sharpened.

Girl Power

A quick, little humorous intro to my blog on Girl Power- - Jen Willis is certainly not one of those girls that started out pretending to be a pirate and then became curious about makeup and fashion stuff! I don't know makeup/fashion from a hole in the wall! Maybe not pirates, but I do know a thing or two about sports, especially lacrosse!

I agree with the power of culture part in Williams' article. The power of society does seem to make people fear that they are in fact individuals "who will be accepted by the dominant culture." What a terrible way to go through life. I am a modest person in many ways, but one thing is for sure- - I do not care about the dominant culture. I know there are cultural norms and such; however, when it comes to being myself, I, for the most part, always have. I have especially done more so then ever before while attending SUNY Cortland. I commend the people as well, that respect me for that.

It is stated that "the values of the classroom often run counter to the values of the rest of society." MY CLASSROOM WILL NOT BE LIKE THIS...EVERRRRR. The part where it states how girls received less attention than boys while being in the classroom atmosphere disgusts me. The class room should not play to the strengths of boy or girl, black or white, prep or jock, gay or straight, tall or short. The classroom is an environment of equality and should stay that way always.

Fall of Berlin Wall=Computers & Technology

Is Friedman overwhelming me a little bit?-- Yes. But I do comprehend the idea that as a future teacher I should understand the points he brings up. In the beginning of The Ten Forces That Flattened the World, Friedman brings up points about the Berlin Wall falling that I read as a comparison to today's day and age.

One thing he states is how The Fall of the Berlin Wall actually made people liberate: "there was only one system left and everyone had to orient himself or herself to it one way or another" (49). Perhaps I got a little too created with some of the stuff he stated, but I took this statement and immediately thought of computers. No matter how hard one tries, one way or another technology/ computers are put in one's face everyday! I also took the part where he says how the falling of the wall liberated people, it seems as if computers have liberated a great part of the world as well. As teachers we are liberated from using conventional ways to teach (bore) our students! Branching off of the idea that in some way/ways people need to conform to technology, Friedman states that the transformation that the fall of the wall brought was unpleasant to much of the older generations. Just like today, many parents, granparents, etc. view technology as an "unwelcoming transformation" (49)- - All in all, that is unfortunately just too bad.

He also states how the fall of the Berlin Wall led to people thinking differently about the world: well hasn't the computer done the same thing? the computer is information sitting at our fingertips, which inevitably allows the world to be viewed differently and in a much broader sense. The computer/technology is an aspect of life that just takes a little getting used to.

A Quick Comment...

Just wanted to mention a quick little piece of information about technology in the classroom. I was talking to one of my teammates after practice, and she is currently doing her student teaching: she mentioned how (some of you may already know this) teachers now do their attendance on the computer. She mentioned how there is a picture of the student's face and if he/she is absent you click on it once. If he/she comes in late you click it twice. I just thought that was interesting and a way that a new form of technology is becoming useful to teachers. Hope everyone will enjoy their weekend....go Colts or Bears?

My Summary of a Bunch of Articles We Had to Read : )

In the article"Why Weblogs" the reality of blogging comes together. It is possible now to get students to like to do work. The computer, as is stated in the article, is seen as "fun" to the students and pens and pencils and paper signify "work." I think that the whole idea behind getting students to like to do work is fantastic-- kind of like a teachers fantasy! The computer is like a trick for us teachers to get students to do work and to like to do it. Now I just need to perfect my computer/ blogging skills and I'm all set!

In the other article we had to read, I was informed that blogging is not only a tool to use in the classroom, but is also being used in "politics, business, and journalism." I may not be very very excited to be using the computer so much, but it is clear that I have to! Who knows in a couple of years, months, days even, what kind of impacts blogging will come to have.

I clicked on another website titled "Remote Access" but the information itself is called "CHAOS THEORY" and it clearly stated how "teachers love control." I think that perhaps this is why I am a bit nervous to be blogging and making podcats and iWeb movies and such, because I do not have a full control over it. But I think with some more learning of these technological advances I will not let "chaos ensue" in my classroom and can even use these tools to benefit my students.

"Fully half of all teens and 57% of teens who use the internet could be considered Content Creators. They have created a blog or webpage, posted original artwork, photography, stories or videos online or remixed online content into their own new creations."
well one thing is for sure as you already know from my blogs-- that's not me! But I do admit however, creating interesting stuff like artwork and photography is a cool thing to do--beats half the other junk that we see on the internet!

The downloading of music is something I definitely partake in. I have become obsessed with ym iPod due to my obsession with music as a whole. I know how to work it well, but I'm sure there are other options on it that I don't even know about.. for instance I do not know how to download videos and television shows that Dr. Reid talked about at our first class. Something I do love and will end on is the "Music Quiz" you can play on it. Under games, "Music Quiz" is this game which the iPod takes any 5 songs from your ipod at a time and you have to guess what the title is and scroll to it and click it. The faster you do it the more points you get.. A lot of fun!

Recent Topic of Interest

I'd like to say that my topic of interest is an exhausting one!
LACROSSE. I play for the lacrosse team here at Cortland, and we just
finished our first week-- or rather just started our second as of
today. It is not only physically exhausting, but to come up with a time
to fit in the endless amounts of schoolwork becomes mentally exhausting
as well.

Although pre-season is brutal, conditioning wise and working the kinks out, the team has a warmmmmm
goal that we look forward to. For spring break we go to West Palm Beach
for Spring Break. It is a great time for our team to bond because we
have our first two games down there and also partake in some other fun
experiences.

After Spring Break what else is there to look forward
to? Well, the Cortland team has had many outstanding accomplishments--
Last year our team went to the Final Four, something that the Cortland
Women's team has never done. The previous year, we went to Colorado for
Regionals, and who knows if I will ever be able to return back there,
so that was definitely an experience. Personally, I have acquired many
awards and such-- but those I do not care to talk about as much because
I never would have received them without the help of my teammates, my
friends, my family.

So, I suppose I can sort of combine two blogs-- My group in class is doing the iWeb thing (creating our own website). I believe our group is going to do a website on the "Extra Curricular Activites @ SUNY
Cortland." I know Theresa is involved with dance here at Cortland, and
I'm sure Barb might have some interesting stuff to add so we'll see how
it goes. Hope everyone is doing well and I will see you all tomorrow.

-Willis

A comment on 'MoSoSo'

If there is one piece of technology that I enjoy and do know how to use, it is most definitely the cell phone. In the first paragraph it states how 21-year-old Brittany Bohnet often uses her phone to take pictures and send them to friends-- this is something that I partake in all the time. If something is funny, I snap a photo of it on my phone and send it to a friend. I went to the beach over winter break (yes it was cold, but I missed it!) and saw a beautiful sunset that I snapped many photos of by using my phone, and continued to make one of those pictures the background on my phone. I may not be too great with the computer, but I love the options that a phone provides.

Still towards the beginning of the article, it is stated that these technologies may be "addictive." Ok...but there are certainly many other pieces of technology that are addictiing as well. The television is probably the most "addicting" piece of technology out there. Even with the computer, we hear about people all the time that are AIM obsessed. Somewhere out there in the web world there is an actual quiz to see "how AIM addicted are you?" I think technology can be an addiction for some, but for the majority, I personally feel that it is just a curiosity. As for the further danger factor of technology, it is all about how it is used. Anything can be dangerous if used in the wrong manner-- even technology.

Responding to the Standards of the NCATE/NCTE Standards

Plain and simple- - Future teachers NEED to be able to utilize the computer (and other forms of media) efficiently. Unfortunatly, a teacher can no longer survive with a pen and pencil. I mean, personally I saw the beginning of this revolution, if you will, in my high school years when the "Power Point" was starting to come about. In a college setting of a lecture class of a 100 some odd students, it seems that the only way to survive is by a power point on a screen so the entire class is able to see and read- - chalk and the chalkboard stand no chance against such a form of technology. The NCATE/NCTE states how teachers now need to, "Help students compose and respond to film, video, graphic, photographic, audio, and multimedia texts [...]" It seems that perhaps these techological advances in the classroom may be more beneficial to students collectively than ever before; NCATE/NCTE discusses a new "wide variety of strategies." To kids these days, it seems technology is more fun than a pen and paper which may be more appealing for a student to want to learn. Afterall, students should not be forced to learn but WANT to.

Hi There

Welcome to my blog,
I am Willis. I Hope to keep this blog as amusing as possible for you guys to read and enjoy; however, that is not a promise! When it comes to technology I am not as high tech as I probably should be. When it comes to technology, the farthest I go is downloading music for my iPOD, text messaging with my cellular phone, e-mailing and instant messaging on the computer. I refuse to conform to facebook. I only have myspace because of my housemate Jennie; she, being very well aware of my aversion towards facebook, myspace, and whatever other cites like those that there are, created a profile for me as a joke that I only check or go on when I have comments or "new friends" (just so people do not think I hate them or am ignoring them.) So, that is about it for now. I am happy to have another class with Stearns, yet I might stuggle a bit! I am sure there are some of you guys who may be a little inexperienced with the computer as I am, which makes me feel better; I am sure we can all help and assist each other because that feels like the kind of environment we seem to be in. Ok, later kids.
-Willis