Blog Post 10

Dan Brown discusses how institutionalized education has been around for many years, and that education should continue to adapt to the informational age. He explains that "if institutional education wants to survive in the information age, then institutional education needs to do more than just adopt a few new tools." Brown goes on to discuss how information, in the distant past, was quite valuable. Over time, that value has decreased because everything is free on the internet. I liked when he discussed how information in colleges is there, but only if we can pay for it. He explains that this will eventually go away, and all information will be free on the internet. In some ways, this has already happened. The question is raised, however, "what about the economy?" How will the freedom of information affect the economy? Many things that we used to have to buy separately are all available either on the internet or in other convenient uses. When we talk about small things, the economy is irrelevant. But when large scale things like education are brought up, every aspect, including the affect on the economy, positive or negative, must be considered. How this "new" education is going to affect everyone as a whole is most important. The video was going great until Brown said that he dropped out of school because "it was interfering with his education." Regardless of what the school was doing to "his" education, what will he tell his potential employer? At this point, Brown along with other dropouts with no college degree will have difficulties converting the minds of college graduates, teachers, and administrators to a "better" education. I decided to comment on the video before reading Morgan Bayda's post. I did not want anything pointing me in any particular direction. We both share similar views, especially about Brown's decision to drop out of school.

These two questions act more of an identity finder than anything. Figuring out what your question is can identify you as a person. When people try to find their question, it is often difficult for one of two reasons; they don't feel important enough, or they feel "too" accomplished. When deciding what my sentence would be, I had trouble for both of these reasons. To decide what I would write, I thought about my life and the effect I had on those around me. I consistently try to affect people in a positive way, no matter what it takes. I treat everyone the same, regardless of any discriminatory mindsets. Everything I do, or at least try to do, points to the Golden Rule.

“I always try to do what is right, following the Golden Rule, and remain a neutral party while insisting respectfully a peaceful resolve.” (Len Jenkins)

Additional Assignment 3

I think the most important thing Sir Ken Robinson discusses in this presentation is how students are getting penalized for getting distracted. There are so many distractions for students, and if the teacher cannot facilitate their interest, why should the be expected to be bored? There was nothing about the video that I disagreed with. Everything Robinson discussed was relevant and could be defended. When it comes to the college of education, there are some congruences. The design of the college has not changed much in recent years. Though a change is ongoing, the same “one teacher, boring lecture to many students” idea is still in effect, with the exception of EDM 310 of course. Students in the college of education, unlike those in grade school, are less classified by age or level. Younger students who are smart often excel at the same rate or even quicker than students that are older. Students are only held back by their own willingness to learn. To address the issues that Robinson raises, I can make more people aware of these issues though studies showing the differences. In one setting, I would have the average classroom full of students with one teacher and a boring lecture. In the other setting, I would have many students in a classroom full of technology, interacting with each other and collaborating new ideas with a fun learning process. After a time, I would evaluate each class and discuss their performance with colleagues. This would be one way to get people to open up their eyes and see that education must change to facilitate learning in the technological age. I enjoyed this presentation, especially the diagram that was drawn. It really helped to see what was going on with visual representations. If I had to do a presentation, I would most likely play the role of author. One of my passions has always been writing, and I would be content in writing a script for a presentation of any kind.

How to read marching band drill coordinates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nH3zvaxthA

Skype Interview Project

http://screenjel.ly/cjBTwBUfvkg

Blog Post 9

What I've Learned This Year

In this essay, Mr. McClung shares his experience as a first year teacher. McClung elaborates on key points that he considers important. He talks about “reading to the crowd”, focusing on how teachers place too much emphasis on teaching the material, and little if any emphasis on making sure the students comprehend and understand what is being taught. What McClung said that I liked the most was “in order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction.” This does not mean that you have to always let them drive your instruction, but you should give them the opportunity when presented. McClung also talks about “being flexible.” He explains that lesson plans are not always going to go according to plan. Being a music major, we as conductors have a lesson plan from rehearsal to rehearsal. That lesson plan changes, however, from piece to piece. Sometimes, the students will surprise you and do something well that you may not have expected, and other times they will do worse than you expected. Whatever the case, being flexible is always the best option. McClung is correct when he talks about “Communication”. It is one of the most difficult skills to develop. Most people now, with social networking and such, can easily say things online because there are no direct effects. Communicating in person, however, is much more, well, personal. Most people are afraid of confrontation, but confrontation does not always have to be negative. Constructive confrontation is better than no confrontation. I enjoyed the part about “being reasonable.” McClung says that “our job as teachers is to simply pick them(the students) up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again.” He explains that we can still have high expectations for the students, but that we should “not scold them for not coming through.” I have had quite a few teachers that were not reasonable. When students would fail, those teachers would simply look at them as if in disgust or disappointment, and offer no help. What sort of message does this send to the students? McClung also tells us “don't be afraid of technology.” He reassures us that “technology is our friend.” We should all embrace technology and use it to our advantage. McClung sent a strong message when he said that we should “listen to our students”, and that “we may be the only ones who do.” While there is no need to learn every detail in our students' lives, we should have some knowledge of what their life is like. Without this knowledge, we cannot communicate effectively with our students and we become nothing more than another teacher who doesn't seem care about anything but work. Finally, McClung makes a good point when he talks about learning; “why not soak up as much as you can?” The question is “why not?” What is stopping us from becoming efficient in our own field of study? How can we expect the students to learn new material if we are going to be hypocritical and refuse to learn more ourselves?

Short Movie Project

Blog Post 8

“This is How We Dream”

The video “Writing with multimedia” is about how writing in the world has changed. Books used to be the main ways of writing to get information across. Now, that information is stored globally on the internet. Most books are online and can be accessed almost anywhere in the world. Most people now have no need to go to the library because everything they need is on the internet. This is not a bad thing. As Miller explains, we should share our ideas with everyone.
My favorite part of the video was the program about “aggregating bots that are released into the web and determine an emotional profile of the world moment by moment.” With technology growing more rapidly than ever before, programs like these will continue to show up. Though this program and programs like this are only beginning, technology is growing and there is not telling what it will include five or ten years from now.
Toward the end of the video, Miller shows a 3d image that combined two buildings, “the best of the humanities with the best of the sciences. The building has not been built; it is just an idea. It is a green, solar powered building. What Miller is trying to explain in this building idea is the “shared labor between the humanities and the sciences in order to create a bright future.” This building not only represents a combination of the two, but it represents a certain communication.

“EDM 310 is Different”

I found the chipper series to be quite humorous. The video may have over-exaggerated some things, but some students might actually attempt things like that. Who knows what people are capable of doing. I did not like watching EDM 310 for Dummies. It wasn't the acting or the video itself, it was the message. No class should be that frustrating or need an instruction manual for dummies. If there is a need for a class dummy manual, either the student shouldn't be in college, which is most likely the case, or the instructor should do a better job.(Which is not the case in this class)
I would like to create a video tutorial showing how we should do various, and more difficult, assignments in EDM 310. I know there are already many videos like this out there, but everyone has a different perspective, and one more wouldn't hurt. I would also like to create a video that explains and describes how much EDM 310 has helped me. The first week we had to download multiple items, many of which I didn't know existed. Now, I am using those items to my advantage. A video showing how EDM 310 helps might be motivational.

"Smartboards”

Reading various blogs, I found that many people think smartboards are "dumb". They consider them a waste of money. The phrase "you get what you pay for" does not necessarily apply here. I believe that if teachers are to use smartboards, they should do so in an effective manner, drawing students to the material.
I can understand why K. Martin disagrees with Bill Ferriter. Martin works for DE School for the Deaf. Obviously, deaf students will need extra attention when it comes to conveying education. If using smartboards is good for them and Martin knows that it helps, then the money is not wasted As long as the teacher does not use smartboards in a “be all end all” sort of way, I see no harm being done to the students' education. Also, the teacher must make sure to do everything needed to engage the students and work toward having them engage their own learning and critical thinking.

http://www.edweek.org/persona.html?U=1113147&plckUserId=1113147

Timetoast 9b

These are only the first home consoles of each series. Note that there were many revisions of each, and they can be found on the links provided.



In case the links did not work: http://www.thegameconsole.com/

PLN Progress Report

Starting my PLN was quite difficult, simply because I have never done one before and didn't know exactly what to include. After a couple hours of thought, I finally discovered what I want my PLN centered around; writing. I have always been inspired by writers, and writing in general. My main focus is fiction. I find it fascinating that the human mind possesses so many thoughts and that people try to write those thoughts down in a creative way. As I research more about writers, I am finding many writers have great work but are not famous. When you ask a random person who J.K. Rowling is, they know exactly who you're talking about. But if you were to ask someone who Greg Keyes is, they would have no clue.(Go ahead, look him up) This is not to say that Rowling's work is not good, but just because a writer is not famous doesn't mean he/she is a bad writer. As my PLN grows, I will find more writers to talk to and hopefully get a firm understanding of what it really means to be a writer. Perhaps I will even collaborate with some of the best writers one day.

Blog Post 7

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture speaks to many people in many different ways. How a dying man could give such an inspiring lecture is not as out-of-the-ordinary as people might think. Pausch knows he is dying, so he is doing everything he can while he can, including helping people like his kids accomplish their childhood dreams. Throughout his lecture, Pausch talked about how many important people in his life would tell him things that were quite direct. Instead of blowing them off, he would listen to them, accept their constructive criticism, and move forward.

One thing Pausch said was “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”. Throughout my career, I have experienced this a lot. Having been prepared in my musical abilities, I have been given many opportunities by many people. Pausch also says, “Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.” Even though you may not get everything you want, you gain much experience in the process.

I like the fact that Pausch had so much humor in his lecture. At one point, he told all the ladies, “When it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it's really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.” This statement really spoke to me. So often ladies fall into many traps, and they believe things that men say too easily.

His lecture was performed in front of an audience of about 500 and viewed by over 12 million. Ironically, however, the lecture was not for them; it was for his kids. Everything Pausch discussed had something to do with achieving your dreams. Some would view his story as “that sort of thing couldn't happen to me”, but the fact is it can with hard work and persistence. Pausch talks about the brick walls we face. In life, there will be many brick walls that stand in our way. We must learn to overcome these walls and move forward in life.

Timetoast 9a

Additional Assignment 2

If learners are motivated, they can and will teach themselves. Anytime I am motivated, I consider learning fun. For a younger generation, life is all about having fun. Children can teach themselves. In fact, they begin to teach themselves before they are two years old. They start to realize that they have control over their bodies, and they use that control to their advantage. Learning is no different. Children realize they have control over how and what they learn, so they use the technology needed to accomplish anything they want to accomplish. I believe the internet is a must if children are to teach themselves. More children would use a computer, something they find puzzling and new, rather than simply reading from books, which can take longer and does not require interaction. Having this access to the internet allows the students to learn with others instead of learning from one teacher. When students can experience learning with their peers, they are more likely to enjoy what they are doing and learn more in the process. When students are faced with problems and they solve these problems, they acquire a sense of accomplishment. As they succeed in their everyday life, they are constantly looking for new ways to solve new problems. You can motivate someone to learn by showing them how much fun you are having by learning yourself. If a student sees that another student is motivated to learn and is having fun in the process, that student will almost always strive for that same motivation. I am motivated to learn by realizing that you can never learn everything. Everyone learns at least one thing new every day, but I make it a point to learn as much as possible every day. I am constantly teaching myself how to do many things. Usually, I teach myself how to use a computer effectively. Sure, I have a strong basic knowledge of the computer, and I can easily navigate around many programs, but there are still many programs that I have yet to discover for myself. I believe a teacher plays a great deal in learning. When I attended MGCCC, I had a teacher who taught a Western Civilization course. His lectures were so intriguing that I actually did research about the subject on my own time. If it was not for his great lectures, I might not have found that information interesting. Teachers tend to have the capabilities to make things interesting for students, whereas we can't always see the fun in learning ourselves. On the other hand, not all teachers are like this one. The most important thing that I heard on this video was “If there's stuff on Google, why would you need to stuff it in your head?” Many teachers expect us to know everything about the subject and be able to relay all of that information on command. Knowing that much about any subject is quite substantial, but it does not make any person smarter than another; it just makes them better at memorizing information.

C4T #2 Summary

The first blog post is about, in part, rules in the classroom. The points made in the discussion relate to almost every teacher today. The post reads, "Sometimes I even have to invent more based on some things that occur repeatedly. Often times, I can let rules go because I see the students have adapted beautifully." This message is clear, that students without these limitations would be lost.

The second blog post is about science fair projects, and how parents should help their children. The post reads, "Parents should do their best to let their kids take ownership of the project as much as possible." This is one of the most important things that you can do for your children. When you allow your children to take "ownership", you instill a sense of responisibilty that they may not get elsewhere.