Blog Post # 2

Did You Know?

This video was very interesting to watch. It's unthinkable that the Chinese will have more English speakers than the rest of the world combined. It's also almost unthinkable to know how many people are on you tube all at one time. I personally didn't get a cell phone until I was 15, but the number of kids who have one, especially so young, is crazy.
Will I be ready to teach these kids that will have so much new technology by the time they are grown? I know I will do my best to stay up-to-date with the latest information in order to prepare them.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video was humorous and obviously meant to make you think. Why after all these years has everything around us progressed, yet education remains the same? Teachers still stand in front of students and lecture them, but are they really teaching them? We as future teachers should take this into consideration. If the future of education is to change we have to help change it.

Schools Kill Creativity

I really enjoyed this video, because I agree with it. He points out that we teach kids for one purpose, which is, to be college professors. We limit children from doing things they are good at and enjoy, and we try to force them into what society believes is right. We shouldn't hinder these kids from the things they are good at, but we should encourage them to branch out and pursue these things.

The Future

Watching those videos was pretty cool. It's hard to imagine a world where those things are second nature. To think I may be teaching children who will grow up to work in a world with these things is a little wild. The way I see it is I will also be working in this world possibly. I not only have to prepare my student's, but I will need to prepare myself. I honestly look forward to see the way things change and what's invented. I wan to be ready.

Blogpost # 1

Hey everyone, my name is Jessica LaForce, and I'm an English Education major here at South Alabama. I'm finishing up my third year, and I can't wait to graduate. I live here in Mobile, so that's really the reason I chose to come to South. I have a big family, and we are all very close sometimes too close! I married a year ago, and we are now expecting our first baby. I don't have many interest, but if I picked a favorite it would be reading. I could read all day everyday if I could get away with it! That pretty much covers everything I can think of, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Time Management Randy Pausch's "Time Management" video was very enlightening. When the video first started Randy mention's that if we could end procrastination we would do much better with managing our time. That is a big one for me. Procrastination is my middle name. I also liked when he said, "do the right things adequately." Also I liked the idea of have a plan, but be willing to change that plan. All around I really enjoyed the video.

My new Post #2

This is my new post # 2.

New Post

This is my new post.

Podcast Project # 8

C4K Summary for March

I commented on three different kids blogs and really enjoyed reading them. There was Erick, Jacob, and Charlotte. Jacob said he wanted to time travel to medieval times and be a Knight. I told him how some of my favorite books are time traveling books, and that would be a cool time period to travel to. Erick told me a little about his life of being a kid. Some things he does is homework,chores, and watches T.V. I told him how good it was that some kids still do chores. Then there was Charlotte, her blog was cool because she had a video with it. She wrote all about her summer vacation. I commented on the more interesting things she did like mini golf. It's been fun to comment on these kids post.

Blog Post Assignment # 5

dangerously ! irrelevant
The above link will bring you to Scott Mcleod's blog, which is called dangerously ! irrelevant. I have visited this blog before, and I enjoy reading it every time I do. He has a straightforward way of giving his opinion. In the post we read this week I thought he was just that, straightforward. Maybe not to begin, but as a whole the post made its point. Teach your children technology! Technology is the future whether we choose to get on board or not. I also have done a little research to find out; who is Scott Mcleod? Well, he is a an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He also is the Founding Director of the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association, and the Center for Digital Education. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues also at Mind Dump and Education Recoded and occasionally at The Huffington Post. He also just completed his first book, What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media. I found all of this information about him here.
iSchool Initiative
The iSchool Initiative video by Travis Allen was inspiring. I say inspiring, because he was so young when he made the video. His ideas for our future schools are awesome! Cutting the cost per student from about $600 to $150 is insane. Sign me up! The examples of all the learning apps he gave were really cool. I didn't know there were apps for all of those things. With one touch we can study all of the president's. Or we could look up any math equation. I think his idea for schools is really great.
While watching the virtual choir I have to admit I thought it was a little weird. Of course it's awesome that these people could do this all online without ever meeting, but it still reminded me of the end of The Da Vinci Code. I possibly would have had more of an open mind to it if it wasn't so creepy!
Teaching in the 21st Century
This video by Kevin Roberts raises a lot of questions for a future educator. Robert's suggest that teachers should teach student's skills rather than the basic information. He suggest that student's already have access to the information so teachers should show them how to use it. What does this mean for future educators if he is correct? It means that as future educators we need to be technology literate. In order to teach children how to use technology we first have to master at, and because it changes everyday we have to grow with it. I personally do not completely agree with Robert's, but I do agree to some extent.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets website had many tools that a teacher could use for their reading class. There were apps available and also a quiz students could take on the home screen. There were podcast student's could watch. The website is pretty much a reading class in one. Anything you want to know you can find on the website.