Comments 4 kids summary

In Mr.McClungs World blog i commented on his blog about Arkansas being the 2nd most unhappiest state. He gave some facts about how they have a very high divorce rate (2nd only to Nevada) and have no professional sports team.

For seem reason i wasn't able to get access to Patrick D's blog for some reason because the computer kept telling me i was looking for something that wasn't here.

In Ms. Toa's class i commented on a girl named Lauren's post on her haiku poem. The poem was very good too as she wrote about her moving to China from the U.S.

Feb 21

I decided to blog on a couple of Dr. Alice Christie's points and how it could benefit me as a physical education teacher. I want to point a couple points that i agree with. First is the philosophy that teachers create such environments to facilitate learning and provide opportunities for self-reflection and self-evaluation. As the teacher it is ultimately your job to create a successful place of learning for your students. As a P.E. teacher, that could mean having activities organized and playing/teaching games to students that will emphasize teamwork, critical thinking, and good sportsmanship.

Another point is that she states learning is reflective and incorporates feedback from teachers (co-learners) and peers. This could mean to encourage communication for strategizing and such between students especially ones on the same team. Students learning to collaborate with eachother is an essential part of making learning more dynamic and flexible. These tools can be very beneficial to learners going into an ever-changing world.

My thoughts on the iTunes Universitiy are surprising very positive after visiting this websites article on them (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16624-itunes-university-better-than-the-real-thing.html?haasFormId=f9768f0e-e55c-439a-b647-e3a56f64a4f7&haasPage=0) On figured students who listened to podcast lectures were just lazy students who didn't want to go to class, but the article stated that those students were receiving higher exam scores so it seems they are effective in some scenerios. As a student i would be willing to listen to podcast lectures because i miss parts of the lecture, trying listen and write at the same time while thinking about what's being said so i can put the pieces together on my own.

As a teacher it would probably make your job easier because you aren't having to repeat things to students as much or email individual students what they missed so much when a student misses classes, but rather just record everything you want them to know and have them all get itune acounts so they can obtain the lectures when needed. It also helps keep students who have to miss class for important reasons a way to stay with the class and not have so many students get behind in class because missing one day in college can hurt you.

http://news.duke.edu/2005/12/ipodupdate.html, this link is on the usage of ipods in Duke University's classrooms since being implimented in 2004. Apparently it was the beginning move of the Universities attempt to incorporate more digital technology campus wide. From ipods to videos, audios, and online collaboration tools, Duke has noticed that the increase comfort level with digital devices has increased studying outside the classroom. The article states that in intends to continue to support a broad range of technology use.

Feb 14th

What I've learned this year
In his blog, Mr. McClung talks about tips he has learned over the years of being a teacher. Advice like making your lessons centered toward your audience not just curriculum. Being flexible even if it means going against something your accustomed to. Communicating about issues instead of repressing them. Remembering that you're teaching kids, not adults and try and think like they do because they think different than adults. Also to use technology and listen to your students like showing interests in their lives. And most importantly never stop learning because we work in a learning envoronment.

Using all these tips can definetly help make your early teaching experience less of a bumpy one. Some teachers don't pick up these things until later in their careers but learning them earlier will make you a better teacher and a more successful one too. My favorite piece of advice is telling upcoming teachers to remember students are kids not adults, so they think differently than teachers and you must take that into account when trying to reach them.

Mii presentation

Feb 7th

Comments 4 Kids
I can't help to be excited to see kids doing such fun things in the classroom. I enjoy a classroom with smiling faces and i enjoy it even more if they were smiling about something education related. It brings a good, positive attitude to the room and makes is easier to interact and cooperate with them. A positive about doing hands-on activities like the kids were doing in the video is that you remember them better than you do things you read.

Langwitches Blog
It seems to me that the biggest positive of a podcast is that because computers are almost everywhere in our society it is extremely convienent for students and parents to access them, especially for the families that have their own computers at home. This could lead to easier ways for kids to practice and listen to lessons learned once they leave the classroom and their parents can also be present with them to help comprehend.

Of course there are poor families who can't afford personal computers and can only access podcast in libraries and schools. But i think that there can be ways to work around such obstacles in order to let every child benefit from technology and not just the privileged. I don't have much experience with Podcast and Vodcast but from what i've heard and seen they seem to be good, creative tools that are simple enough to use for even the earliest of learners.