At The Teacher's Desk

No person can possibly know everything there is to know about a certain subject. Collaborative Professional Blogs, like "At the Teacher's Desk," create a positive environment where common professionals can exchange solutions to common questions and ponder innovative ideas. "At the Teacher's Desk" is an instrumental tool for networking amongst the education world. I discovered several posts concerning ideas teachers can use to utilize technology successfully. I found one particular post that caught my eye. It was called "The Fundred Project." This project was introduced to help eliminate the lead problem in major cities. Children across the nation are creating fundreds, their own versions of a hundred dollar bill, in exchange for federal funds. Having this Collaborative blog gets the word out quickly and efficiently about current issues as well. All in all, I have enjoyed this blog tremendously. Not only will it help me in my EDM 310 class, but also in my future classroom!

Here's the link to "At the Teacher's Desk": Click here.

Eh! Meh! Whatever!

Whatever! Whatevvvveeer! Whhhhhhaaaattttevvvveeerr! How can a simple word be transformed into an underlying definition of such a complex generation. Today's generation is a paragon of narcissism, according to Dr. Welsh. I never would have considered such an idea, but this professor makes a great point. Technology has enabled us to put our lives on the Internet, but we tend to constantly replay those mediums only for a need to see the finished product. We are labeled as the "Whatever generation," who does not care about anything. Personally, at times, I tend to go about my day careless, not really concerned about the world and it's problems. As a future professional, I can not allow my "Whatever generation" tendencies to rub off onto my class. Dr. Welsh believes that the next generation's attitude will consist of doing "whatever it takes" to encourage change throughout the world.

Here's the link to Dr. Welsh's lecture Click here.

Publishing Children's Work Using Technology

Wow, what a performance! PS 22's song was very beautiful. This is just one of the many examples of children publishing their work over the internet. I believe that in the 21st century, it is important for students to begin utilizing technology. Although the Internet can be a confusing world, I believe that students can use this as a positive experience. Not only did they receive many comments regarding their performance, Stevie Nicks, herself, gave the students a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity by allowing them to perform at her Madison Square Garden concert. The students were able to gain confidence in themselves. They were very proud, in a humbling way, of their work they placed on the Internet.



Kaia and her father is a an example of successful internet posting. The world got to see how a simple excursion created a network experience that touched the lives of many bloggers. As a viewer, I was shocked to see the comments pouring in from all realms of the world. Publishing this blog allowed networking to take form at its best. Another example of published work was Room 10's classroom blog. Not only does the parents get to see what their children is doing during the day, but Room 10 is a perfect example of how blogging can be used in the classroom. I want to incorporate a classroom blog in my own future because of watching the lives of Room 10 flourish on the Internet. Technology is bringing the world together, whether we like it or not.



A third example of publishing work through blogging is my own personal example. As a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class, my blogs have caught the eye of some important figures. For example, Mr. Chamberlain responded to my blog post concerning the previously mentioned "Kaia." I thought it was great to experience somebody on the outside taking the time out of their daily lives to comment on my post. In a way, I feel a sense of accomplishment, as I complete each one of my blogs.

If you would like to watch the video of PS 22's song, Click here.

Also, here's the link to Room 10's classroom blog Click here.

ACCESS

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide, or ACCESS, is opening doors for Alabama's students. This program is a distance learning experience, which gives students the chance to better further their education by enrolling in some of the courses. Classes are offered as wed-based classes, welcoming technology into today's classrooms. The classes range from Advanced Placement courses to remedial classes to even foreign languages that are not usually taught within the walls of a school. This program offers "quality learning opportunities," taught by high qualified teachers and professors.

I applaud the great state of Alabama for recognizing and embracing the movement to push forward in technology. If a teacher was properly certified, I think the inclusion of ACCESS is vital to the 21st century student, teacher, and classroom. Apparently since beginning the program, ACCESS has seen great improvement in the student's grades and achievements. In recent news, the University of South Alabama is closing in on a similar track. Creating a more web-based environment will not only cut down costs, but will give students more opportunities for outstanding learning.

Would you like to find out more about Access? Click here.

ALEX

The Alabama Learning Exchange, also known as ALEX, is a virtual tool for both teachers and students. Created by the Alabama Department of Education, it provides informative resources that makes learning a particular subject easier to comprehend. Teachers are able to share lesson plans with each other, while students get extra help by clicking on any of the links.

In my opinion, Alabama school systems have developed a brilliant system for success inside and outside of the classroom. In order to create successful lessons, collaboration is one of the key elements for teachers. The ability to exchange information is starting to take the education world by storm. Networking is becoming more popular as society becomes more reliant on technology. For students, ALEX provides legitimate alternatives from the usual Wikipedia and Google sources. Also, this resource allows for more practice in a struggling topic, through online links.

To find out more about The Alabama Learning Exchange, Click here.

Dear Kaia

What started as a bonding moment between a young girl and her father resulted in a learning experience for Twitter users around the world. This journey begins with Mr Chamberlain and his class going about their usual Comments4Kids Wednesday activities. They came across a beautiful story posted by a father who encouraged his daughter to "take a closer look at the world around her." Even though they were inspired by Kaia's own photos and her interpretation of the world, Mr. Chamberlain's class got a surprise call from Kaia's father himself, Jabiz Raisdana. Since Kaia is a three year girl who can not read, he asked the class to create a video for her. Through Skype, Voicethread, and video, the class were able to interact and respond to this fascinating story.

Obviously privacy is a major issue when it comes to presenting yourself and others to the world, by means of technology. Though I am not a parent myself, I understand Mr. Raisdana's perspective on sharing his little Kaia with the rest of the world. It is frightening to become that vulnerable to the world. But all in all, this is a fine example of Personal Learning Networks coming together to collaborate ideas, philosophies, and personal experiences with technology users across the planet. I think Kaia's father took the right step to not only show off Kaia's adventure to fellow family members, but also to the world.

When I continue my technology journey in my future classroom, parents, who are concerned just like Mr. Raisdana, will know exactly what their child is doing in my classroom.! Technology has taken the art of learning and turned it up a notch. There are no limitations when it comes to the discoveries that are being made and are continuing to be made in the classroom. As Mr. Chamberlain's class and my own EDM 310 class has found out, Twitter and blogging are important factors that allow today's society to stay connected.

Here's the link to Mr Chamberlain's response to Kaia's adventure. Click here

Here's the link to Mr. Raisdana's response to Mr. Chamberlain and his class. Click here

Here's Kaia's photo essay. Click here

The New Media Literacies

I agree with the NML Staff's opinion. In order to be successful, we not only have to think about what the media producers are putting out, but also to think what I, as a 21st century technology user, am developing. I believe that the skills discussed in this video are appropriate for today's artist, citizen, and worker.Going through the list of discussed skills, I can relate to ten out of the eleven listed. The only skill that I have not gotten a grasp on, is distributed cognition. I experience distributed cognition all the time, yet personally I believe that this one will take time to perfect. I will most likely acquire this fully by stepping into the education world. I will have to take account my particular social environment, in order to succeed.



New Media Literacies Project begun as a research project to figure out how to better equip the younger generation "with the social skills and cultural competencies required to become full participants in an emergent media landscape and raise public understanding about what it means to be literate in a globally interconnected, multicultural world," as the website describes in its mission. This website is filled with lots of information concerning the Participatory Culture, today's young generation. To be a part of this culture means that you have some ties with social communication whether it be through "affiliation" like Facebook or Myspace, "expression" like skinning and fan videomaking), "collaborative problem-solving" such as Wikipedia and reality computer games), or "circulations" like Podcasting and blogging).

It is important for this upcoming generation to have equal opportunities to embrace the World Wide Wed. Without the knowledge of technology, research has shown that the student will most likely fall behind in their studies. The NML project is pushing for education institutions to assimilate more technology in the classrooms for this rising culture. As a future educator, I realize that most students are already taking advantage of the Internet. Why not make good use of it and teach students to deepen their experiences, using technology as an educational tool?

You can find out more about the New Media Literacies Project by clicking here