My Sentence Video

Presentation Project # 5

C4T Assignments # 3 and # 1

For my C4T assignment I commented on Scott Mcleod's blog, it's called dangerously ! irrelevant . The first post I commented on was titled,  Iowa Governor Terry Branstad's recent remarks about retaining 3rd graders. This was about retention and how it can prevent a student from graduating later on. This post also said that his state was holding student's back in the hope of raising test scores. In my comment on this I agreed that they shouldn't hold kids back just for the higher test scores, but I disagreed that retention could be the sole reason a kid doesn't graduate. Scott wrote back to tell me that it can be proven that retention can be the cause of a student not graduating, and he encouraged me to follow a link in his post to see where it had been proven. I thoroughly enjoyed this post, because I found it an interesting argument. 
The second post I commented on to Scott Mcleod was called  Digital Learning Day: The aftermath.
 This post was interesting, because it let me know about "Digital Learning Day." I previously did not know there was a day like this. He goes on to tell us a little about it and gives links that may interest us on the topic. In my comment I demonstrated my gratitude for this post, and I agreed we need more days like that.

Blog Post Assignment # 3

Technology in Special Education
This was a video done by Lace Cook. She teaches many special needs children, and in this video she demonstrated how technology can assist them. There were three different children with disabilities that showed us how technology helps them personally. Two of the kids couldn't seem to speak at all, and using a computer they could communicate much more easily. Another kid could speak more, but the computer doubled the time he usually finishes his work. This video could make anyone a believer in technology in the classroom. I know it showed me what it was capable of, and that was just one class, I can only imagine the affect technology would have if it was used all over. I would recommend this video to anyone interested in education.
Apple.EducationApps.com
After watching the video of the little boy using the iPad to help with his autism, I found an app I think would be great for a special needs student. The app is called Alpha Writer, by Montessorium, and it can be found at the above link. This app incorporates words and picture's together to help kids learn. A student could click on a picture of an animal and the word and picture will pop up. I think this would be a good app, because as the student sees the picture they can also place the word with it. Also, I believe by doing this on an iPad the student feels they are having fun rather than doing work.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The above link will bring you to a website that shows you just how fast technology is spreading and growing. This is a count done by Gary Hayes, and is also extremely astounding. There are million's of SMS messages sent every few seconds, that's insane! So, what does this mean for me as an aspiring teacher? I think it means I better be computer savvy and extremely technologically literate. If we as teacher's want to keep up with our student's and the world around us we have to be those things. Teacher's are supposed try and keep themselves well rounded in my opinion. They need to keep learning in order to teach. This website is a great example of how we can't slack off in our own education even for a minute.
A Vision of Today's Student's
 This video was done by Michael Wesch, and it was of student's letting people know what there lives as student's are really like. All of the sign's they held up gave me a little information about student's today; what they do in class and what they get out of class. What I got out of this was that student's are bored by by the way they are being taught today. Instead of listening to there teacher they are on Facebook or Twitter. Only a small amount of teachers actually know their student's name. I think if we really want to teach our student's we need to actively involve them. Catch their attention. By lecturing them we aren't accomplishing anything. So, maybe if we use technology and active learning our student's will become better learners.

Project # 2

My about me Wordle.

Blog Post Assignment # 2; Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts

Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts is an awesome video, by Vicki Davis, about teens learning through technology. This video show's you what teens in southern Georgia are doing to connect to people all around the world. Through using the internet they not only connect, but they learn something new all the time. Even their teacher say's how her student's sometimes learn things she did not know, and they show her how to do it. Her class has traveled to the middle east because of their blogging and such. This class is a great example of how technology opens so many doors to learning and experiencing new things!

Blog Post Assignment # 2; A Vision for 21st Century Learning

A Vision for 21st Centuty Learning is a video by ameyers3727. This person's video presents the question of; Why are we still teaching kids through books and lecture's? We have so much technology that kids could learn so much easier using it. There was an example of a virtual tour through Ancient Rome. I don't know about everyone else, but when I was younger I would have thought that was awesome! The point was made kid's wouldn't even know they are learning. I'd have to agree with that.