As we began discussing and using Twitter in EDM 310, I realized I really didnt know what Twitter actually is. Instead of jumping into Twitter and trying to figure it out for myself, I researched it on google. I first pulled information from Wikipedia (even thought this source is not the most reliable) to get the general information about Twitter. Here is some of the information from Wikipedia: " a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications". This information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
After I researched Twitter, I began to use it by posting tweets, sending direct messages and finding followers. I found that instant results are not to be expected from Twitter as I would have to wait several minutes to read a direct message from someone sitting right next to me in class. I feel that Twitter is a good social networking utility, but it has several gray areas that lack in being the best social network.
As far as using Twitter in the classroom, I do not feel that this is the best way to communicate to your students. My favorite technological method of communication for my students has been blogging since they can use the blog at any time where as Twitter, they might need to wait for that tweet to be posted.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
The video we watched was on Sir Ken Robinson's lecture on a person's passion and how finding that passion greatly changes their life. There were several parts of this lecture that I really enjoyed and I felt that they really spoke the truth about a person's capability to find their passion.
Sir Ken stated that most adults have no idea on what they are capable of. I find this statement is so true. I feel that most people have a tendency to settle for what is put in front of them and do not push themselves to go beyond what they feel they can do. Sir Ken went on to say that people do their best when they do something they love. He says they do this because this love creates a natural capacity for what they love and they love it, which makes them happy when they do it. I find this statement even more true than the others. When we love something, or have a passion for it, we do that task with great joy and precision. We take pride in what we do which leads to accuracy.
Another statement that Sir Ken made, was that we should encourage talent, and the talent will bring forth opportunities. He made this statement because he said that people push so hard for opportunities that they often overlook the talent. To further this point, he went on to say that a lot of times, education is partly responsible for diverting children away from their passion/talents. This is because education as a whole has pushed opportunities and not talents.
Sir Ken said that one reason that most adults do not know what their passion is would be because they haven't come upon their talent yet. In other words, they haven't found it yet. One problem that Sir Ken discussed was that education has been depersonalized and has been treating the mixture and not the child. He goes on to say that education should encourage personal growth, human flourishing, and culture.
I strongly agree with the statements that Sir Ken Robinson made and I do believe that finding your passion truly does change everything.
Sir Ken stated that most adults have no idea on what they are capable of. I find this statement is so true. I feel that most people have a tendency to settle for what is put in front of them and do not push themselves to go beyond what they feel they can do. Sir Ken went on to say that people do their best when they do something they love. He says they do this because this love creates a natural capacity for what they love and they love it, which makes them happy when they do it. I find this statement even more true than the others. When we love something, or have a passion for it, we do that task with great joy and precision. We take pride in what we do which leads to accuracy.
Another statement that Sir Ken made, was that we should encourage talent, and the talent will bring forth opportunities. He made this statement because he said that people push so hard for opportunities that they often overlook the talent. To further this point, he went on to say that a lot of times, education is partly responsible for diverting children away from their passion/talents. This is because education as a whole has pushed opportunities and not talents.
Sir Ken said that one reason that most adults do not know what their passion is would be because they haven't come upon their talent yet. In other words, they haven't found it yet. One problem that Sir Ken discussed was that education has been depersonalized and has been treating the mixture and not the child. He goes on to say that education should encourage personal growth, human flourishing, and culture.
I strongly agree with the statements that Sir Ken Robinson made and I do believe that finding your passion truly does change everything.
Monday, April 20, 2009
EDM 310 Podcasts
Our podcast project this semester was one that truly enlightened me. Not only did each of the podcasts I listed to enlighten me, but also the process of going through this project itself. I did not know what a podcast was before this semester, so this project opened my mind to what a great resource this could be in education and in any other workplace. The four podcasts I listened to were:
Access-Distant Learning in Alabama High Schools
Technology in the Classrooms at the University of South Alabama
EdTechTalk
Facebook: It's In Class! But Can it Be Useful In Class?
As a whole, these podcasts were educational and entertaining; however, there were some areas for improvement in each. One of the things I noticed in these podcasts was the rustle of papers in the background. I wasn't aware of how sensitive the microphone was when my group did our podcast, but this was an issue in our podcast and in others. This extra noise provides a distratction to the listener and should be avoided by keeping notes to a minimum of one page.
Another issue that I noticed in some of the podcasts were conversation fillers such as "um". These fillers put a break in the conversation and suggest that the topic is not well understood. In other words, these words sound unprofessional. These fillers can be avoided by practicing more and becoming more confident with the topic.
The last issue I noticed was the lack of conversation in some of the podcasts. I believe that conversation makes the podcasts easy to listen to and enjoy at the same time. There should never be one dominant speaker, instead, the whole group should be involved and create a story line with their conversation that provides as much information on the topic as possible.
Access-Distant Learning in Alabama High Schools
Technology in the Classrooms at the University of South Alabama
EdTechTalk
Facebook: It's In Class! But Can it Be Useful In Class?
As a whole, these podcasts were educational and entertaining; however, there were some areas for improvement in each. One of the things I noticed in these podcasts was the rustle of papers in the background. I wasn't aware of how sensitive the microphone was when my group did our podcast, but this was an issue in our podcast and in others. This extra noise provides a distratction to the listener and should be avoided by keeping notes to a minimum of one page.
Another issue that I noticed in some of the podcasts were conversation fillers such as "um". These fillers put a break in the conversation and suggest that the topic is not well understood. In other words, these words sound unprofessional. These fillers can be avoided by practicing more and becoming more confident with the topic.
The last issue I noticed was the lack of conversation in some of the podcasts. I believe that conversation makes the podcasts easy to listen to and enjoy at the same time. There should never be one dominant speaker, instead, the whole group should be involved and create a story line with their conversation that provides as much information on the topic as possible.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
BLOGS~Pros and Cons
After readind Jessica Prestage's blog, I realized that we had some of the same experiences with this whole "blog project". At first, I did feel that this blog would be time consuming and difficult to do. However, as I go through the last few blogs left for this semester, I have realized what a useful resource a blog can be. With that being said, I would not use blogging for a personal use, but it is a great resource for the education feild.
One of the pros of blogging (in education) is that a teacher can keep the class up to date with everything that is going on in the classroom. If a student misses a day of class, all he/she has to do is look on the blog and see what was discussed in class that day.
Another Pro of blogging is that it gives the students one more way to get in touch with their teacher with any question they might have on the class topics. I have been a student for a long time now, and any resource I can use to better connect with my teacher has been a huge help.
One of my only cons to blogging is that it is not mandatory. In other words, a teacher can require students to use it, but that doesnt mean anything. Students must actually use the blog in order for it to help them.
One of the pros of blogging (in education) is that a teacher can keep the class up to date with everything that is going on in the classroom. If a student misses a day of class, all he/she has to do is look on the blog and see what was discussed in class that day.
Another Pro of blogging is that it gives the students one more way to get in touch with their teacher with any question they might have on the class topics. I have been a student for a long time now, and any resource I can use to better connect with my teacher has been a huge help.
One of my only cons to blogging is that it is not mandatory. In other words, a teacher can require students to use it, but that doesnt mean anything. Students must actually use the blog in order for it to help them.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Minds
In this podcast, a child's "fixed" mindset it discussed. It states that children go into school and feel that he/she is as smart as he can be or will ever get. I especially believe children feel this way more in this day and time than students did several years ago. With all the technology that is available to students, I can see where they would get the idea that they know all they need to know. I also believe that this is not true. As an educator, I need to do my best to make sure that a students mind is always growing and not staying in that fixed mindset. The podcast also talked about how doing things that help students learn will lead to them operating at their best potential.
I believe that this mind set of students is a growing epidemic and should be in the minds of all educators. As an educator, we must keep our students active in learning and make sure their mind is never stagnate or fixed. By keeping them busy with learning objectives and activities, we will keep them learning.
I believe that this mind set of students is a growing epidemic and should be in the minds of all educators. As an educator, we must keep our students active in learning and make sure their mind is never stagnate or fixed. By keeping them busy with learning objectives and activities, we will keep them learning.
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