Fisch: "Is it Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Wow! This blog is very straight-forward, yet so true! I enjoyed reading Karl Fisch's opinion about being technologically illiterate. He couldn't have presented the material any better than he did. He changed my perspective about technology in the classrooms. Before, I thought that a teacher could get by without technology, but truly one cannot. I loved the quote he used comparing teachers who don't know how to use technology to teachers who don't know know how to read or write! In today's society, a teacher cannot survive without updating their technology skills. Not only does it hinder their ability to learn, it hinders the students.

Any student graduating from any university should leave the school with a firm foundation of technology. Children are growing up with Ipods, Gameboys, and home computers, as young as five years old. According to Dr. Strange's survey, society is no longer focusing on reading and writing. Much of the population is evolving into a world of listeners. All in all, it is not okay to be technologically illiterate.

"It's Not about the Technology" by Kelly Hines

"Teachers today must be perpetual learners who are invested in their professions. We must be up to date on current trends, research and tools. We must know what our students are doing and where they are coming from when they enter our classrooms." an excerpt from Ms. Hines' post.

I completely agree with this statement. In order to be a successful teacher, one must be passionate about learning! As a future teacher, I must evaluate what I know and build on it to enhance the student's performance! Kelly Hines also explains that "Technology is useless without good teaching." It's like having all the materials to build a fire, but you don't take the initiative to actually do it. Why not make better use out of the the technology that is already in schools? Before I entered this class, my academic career, pertaining to technology, consisted of computers only being used for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. Though many of my schools had available new technologies such as the SmartBoard, I do not remember a single teacher using them to their advantage.

One could be a 21st century teacher without technology, but they are missing out on the benefits that technology brings to the classroom.The trend of today's students is technology. Though it may seem intimidating at first, in my opinion, teachers must utilize technology to its fullest.

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I believed that there were many interesting points throughout this whole video. It pretty much described my college experience. Truthfully, I am one of those students who waste her life away on facebook. In the beginning, I vowed never to dive into this addictive world, that is filled with updating statuses and posting pictures. But as a requirement for my Freshman Seminar class here at the South, we were told to make a "Facebook" for ourselves. I disagree though with the idea of being just a number at the university. One of the reasons why I came to the University of South Alabama was the fact that it gave me smaller classes, in most cases.

If I was able to add anything to make it more personable to my own life, I would focus more on text messaging, as well as individual phone calls. I see myself as being more balanced when it comes to using the two. Also, I would add study habits. For example, I am a huge procrastinator. It would have been interesting to display certain statistics pertaining to that subject. All in all, there is not much I would change in "A Vision of Students Today."

Comments4Kids Week 2

This week was a little different because we were only required, to comment on one student. We were each given an individual student from a fourth grade class in St. Louis, MO. Reading through the story made me realize how much I truly loved school as a child. In my past, I would have several stories waiting to be written down, off the top of my head. I did not have to worry about deadlines or paper lengths. Though I have lost that passion in a way, reading this student's story allowed me to become that child I once was! This particular story was about one's difficulty in riding her new bike. I remember numerous times falling off my bike, not wanting to get back on it. But just like this student, I was determined to figure out the ropes of my new bicycle!

Comment4Kids Week 1

I definitely found the children's blogs to be intriguing! It blows my mind to think about technology being used in every part of the world. I began commenting on three different classrooms, ranging from elementary to middle school. I found that I could relate to many of the students' blogs. For example, the eighth grade English class I looked at, were reading the Lord of the Flies, one of my favorites growing up!

Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom

I watched the video called "The Benefits of Podcasting in the classroom." I thought this was very educational. Clearly I have learned that there are many benefits to this new art. The teacher not only provides why it is important to include podcasts in your curriculum, but he used some scenarios to get his point across better. When a child is sick, she can not be penalized for staying at home anymore because she has access to the teacher's daily lectures through podcasts. Parents can take a glimpse into what their children are learning each and every day, as well.

Joe Dale allows his students to dive into this new technology by giving them the opportunity to create their own podcasts/videocasts. Ultimately, this "promotes creativity and innovation." The students interact with each others, which builds their teamwork skills and allows them to gain confidence in their school work.

Technologically Literate Teacher

The video cast from last year was very interesting and informative. I learned a lot through the different perspectives that Dr. Strange and the four women had. The women spoke well, as they gave their own opinions on each subject. One subject that really stuck to me was the face that "not only does the student have to be continuously learning, but the teacher must do so as well." Because technology keeps changing, educators must learn to embrace new things.

Upon watching this video cast, I dissected it looking for things to keep in mind for my own video cast. I thought it was a successful device explaining the importance of "The Technologically Literate Teacher." The graduate students seemed a lot more comfortable talking, which made the video cast better as a whole. The conversation style is popular, which makes it a lot easier to listen to. All in all, I thought these students did a great job!