iTunes University

There are many ways to use iTunes in the classroom, or as a student. As a teacher, you could assign different things to listen to that are found on iTunes. This could be done in the classroom, or at home. If someone is absent because of sickness, they could simply look up stuff on iTunes so they won't be behind.
As a students, iTunes has different connections with Universities to help students. This unique feature allows us as students to search, download, and play content from class just like music or videos. It is actually kinda cool, it keeps teens focused because the computer is way better than paper. It allows us to stay motivated, have an open mind, you can do it anywhere, and it is always open.
As students and teachers become more aware of iTunes University, I believe that it will help many people in a cool kinda way.

http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu_mobilelearning/itunesu.html

Ways to use an iPod in class

Duke University used iPods in a variety of different ways. Some academic examples include: having course content with you where ever you go, class recording, Field experience recording, studying, and storing files and being able to transfer files. This sounds like a good idea, students given a iPod to help with their success of school. 1600 students received an iPod in the beginning of the 2004 school year, and the Center for Instructional Technology created an evaluation to see just how this new experience would work. Just about everyone loved this new concept and it pretty much went well. http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf


http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/item.php?itemID=10668
This site describes how using an iPod can help troubled math students. In this lesson, the teacher allows each student to have an iPod, and what the student does, is come up with rhymes or songs to help with certain math facts. Students learn faster when they can make up stuff to help them, or hear what they need to know over and over, so by using this activity, the whole class will have different songs ect. to help each other memorize their math facts.

My Presentation

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=ddr7j2j8_23f5bhw8dr

Dr. Alice Christie's WebQuest Resources

I chose to read about Dr. Alice Christie's WebQuest. The WebQuest is a place that teacher's can create to help their student's in many ways. WebQuest allows students to search the web, to complete different tasks, receive help for those tasks, and share with others about what they are doing, or their progress. Dr. Christie has had her students to create WebQuests as their assignments according to their level of teaching.
I thought this was interesting, their are so many ways that the Internet can help connect students to students, and students to teachers. I believe this helps the students in case of emergency or absences. The WebQuest can be used in my classroom to enhance my students learning and increase their ability to complete certain tasks. I see it as if it where like my second classroom where students could go and get extra worksheets ect. to help them or just let them know they have the information they need to complete what needs to be completed.

Wikipedia

Once I finished reading our assigned websites, I came to the conclusion that Wikipedia would be an awesome source for teachers, students, or anyone looking up something online. Notice I say would, if anyone can go into this site and alter the information, I do not think I would trust it when needing information. There are many other ways to get information on just about anything these days.
If the site could come up with a new way to keep this information from being altered once it is posted, everyone would get better results, and maybe Wikipedia could have a better name. I don't think that I have used this site much, but I recall being told it is not very reliable. Now I know why I was told this. I hope that everything can work out for this website.

The Best of the Fischbowl (november)

Today I chose to read the Best of the Fischbowl for the month of November. The title is Why Wireless. The blogger was asked by his principal to submit something in their school newsletter on why they where offering wireless at this highschool. This should have been a very simple write up on why the school chose to offer this technology. Instead, the writer wanted to be sure that everyone who read it, was aware of exactley what was going on and why it should be offered.
In this letter, a main point that he wanted to discuss was why this technology was being offered. It is important for students to understand, and to be informed about the new advacements that are happening so they won't be lost. He states that the children are growing up in this century and things are only going to become more advanced, so why not go ahead and learn these things. I agree, even though sometimes technology aggervates me it has helped in many ways and I sure it will only get better. At the end of the newsletter it says "Why wireless? Because their century demands it."

Fischbowl

Yes, everything these days has to do with technology! It's like eveyday something new comes out and I'm sure the really smart computer people are coming up with new stuff daily. About teachers and technology, I do believe that it is very important. Just think about it, there are so many ways technology could allow a teacher to help a student say they where sick or something.
As we advance into this new era of computers and technology, instead of just talking about people who have no clue how to turn a computer on, we need to help them. Just the other day I attended a PTO meeting, and the school purchased a certain website, and the students and parents can log on and click their teacher, and worksheets ect. will appear. It's kinda like extra work to help improve kids knowledge. There was also a website that children/parents could go to and review for the number of tests they have to take each year. This will allow the students to get more practice, than besides the classroom. I think it's neat the variety of ways people can communicate, and get help all through one little device, the computer.

New Article

Ms. Averitt has located two very interesting articles about RSS feeds and Podcast ibg.. I have posted them under Syllabus and Handouts, but I am also going to put the links in here.
technology website

the abcs of rss feeds

Chinese and English schools connect through their Activboards
Schools in London and Houhai use what is called an Activeboard. This thing is super cool. Students are able to teach other students across the country different lessons, ect. they are also able to ask and answer questions about themselves. I found a blog that teachers shared ideas on other ways for students to communicate, and also telling how cool they thought this lesson was. This idea was brought about by a teacher who visited different countries, and found out about all this technology, she wanted to start it in her schools, and so she did.


http://blog.prometheanplanet.com/?p=221



Brendan Smith, an educationalist and an environmentalist had a great idea of putting fresh water aquariums in the classroom. Some schools in Galway Bay, Ireland had tanks put in, but not only did these tanks inhabit water creatures, but they inhabited water creates from their very own Galway Bay. This gave the children an opportunity to see what their actual surrounding were. The children loved it, and were able to notice how an ecosystem works and what creatures have what jobs. I thought this was a special way of allowing the children to really see what happened right out side their homes and schools.
Marine Aquarium in a School Classroom, Connemara
http://brenspeedie.blogspot.com/2006/01/marine-aquarium-in-school-classroom.html

Monday Sept. 1st

Wow, that was pretty cool. I didn't realize how advanced our technology really was. I learned a lot in this video, I learned that lots of people either don't like their jobs, or either it's hard to keep a job. And the Internet is growing, growing, growing more and more people each day are gaining knowledge through the computer, and some are creating new soft wares and all kinds of cool stuff to help others who need it. Something I didn't realize was that China is really full of smart people, and they probably do all kinda stuff online that I don't know about.
The main thing purpose to this video I think, was to show the viewers how technology has progressed through the years. This shift happens is really neat, if I understand it right, computers are sent to other countries, and by the Internet children/adults can basically "have school." That gives these countries who are not as advanced as we are an opportunity to grow. I just know that through the years there are going to be so many new things that come our way it's crazy!