Blog Post #8

Dr. Richard E. Miller

This is how we dream Part 1 and 2

These videos showed the difference between fundamental change and incremental change in the way we accumulate, process and share information. In earlier days to research you had to rely on books in the library and newspaper articles that were both reporting on events in the past. Furthermore, when you get a book from the library, the book is no longer available to other students. You also had to physically visit the library that could be a time consuming process. After all your research you were able to publish your work but at times some data you collected is no longer accurate.
New technologies change the way we research and structure information incrementally by for example increasing the speed we share information. There are no longer weeks or months between events happening around the globe and the time this information is provided to the user but thru websites, blogs, podcasts for example news can be shared instantly. Also research can be done online, accumulating data from current events and being worked by multiple users at the same time – compared to only one person being able to loan out a book at the library. Another big advantage is the physical independence of your location. In my opinion this is a big contributor to “flatten the world” because it doesn’t matter if you’re in Mobile, AL or New York City or in a remote village somewhere in the Middle East – you still have access to the same information and the same speed, this information is shared.
A fundamental change Dr. Richard E. Miller described was the new ways we not only gather the information but also share it. The world wide web allows us to use live data, from events that are currently happening and re-assemble it according to our desires. If you only are interested in certain types of news for example, you can filter this information and share it with others with the same interest. This structural change allows not only information to be shared rapidly but also the type of information that is shared. He described automatic bots, which are searching the internet for updates on certain topics, or certain areas (e.g. blogs) and then compile the output of the desired data. This fundamental change allows us to watch live election results on TV, while the data is coming in. You can comment instantly and share these results, or write an article on it and link to the live data. I agree that we’re on the edge of a new way of how we share and process information as a society and we can’t even imagine, what will be possible in the future.

Carly Pugh Blog Post #12

Carly Pugh Blog was very interesting and seemed slightly confusing to me but after reading it a second time I could begin to see the similarities between what she was doing and Dr. Millers hope for the future. Carly was incorporating several different videos to help students realize that sources can come from several different areas not just from a book. People who do not have the same passion as Carly in reading books can now watch videos with the same information than reading. Some people are more receptive to videos than written words. The video I was touched by was disabilities with possibilities and the video on the Carly’s blog. If a picture can paint a thousand words, how many words can a video say? Great work Carly!!!!!!

EDM 310 is Different

EDM 310 for Dummies

EDM 310 is a useful tool that all students are able to utilize things such as twitter, youtube and blogs. If a student is willing to learn the methods taught in the class a student will be a better teacher because of all the resources taught in the class.

The Chipper Series

The point of the video is that steps and deadline set by Dr. Stange are necessary. This was a something that had to be pointed out to Chipper through out the video but in the end she came to her senses and went back to school to continue her journey in education.
I think since this is a class that meets once a month on average how come that class cannot be completely virtual. Can the class be taught via computer using youtube videos, skype, or even something like a video class? The advantage would be one class that can have several hundred to be given information via the computer. You tube videos can be watch several times if a student doesn’t understand a project and every student can learn at their own pace. For example, a mastery type class, where a student has to master a certain task in order to move forward

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I agree that the classroom environment has to do a lot of catching up in order to adapt to the latest changes in technology and how the students learn. Students are no longer relying on just the teacher when it comes to studying a specific subject, for example a traditional history teacher will work with students provided in a history book. However, another way of involving in a history subject would be visiting a museum and research information to the specific item of exhibition on their mobile internet device (e.g. cell phone) while passing through the building. This shows the more involved the students are by the way they’re learning and the more freedoms of their tools of choice they have, the more engaged they would become. Technology is advancing every day and our children are already using it, its just a matter of the teacher keeping up with students.

Web 2.0 Scavenger Hunt

My first adventure was to find a tool that is similar to Twitter/Facebook. I found Edmodo. Free membership is offered, which is great for any NEW teacher. The handling seems to be intuitive and easy to maneuver through. There is a lot of functionality integrated, even google docs. As a teacher this could be used in a classroom environment to schedule tests, share certain documents with certain groups of students as well as using it for posting and sharing blogs and articles among students and teachers. You’re able to use it as a mobile app for posting information during a project or scavenger hunt for the students. You can launch surveys to get instant feedbacks for school related topics and this tool will allow you to manage the information flow between the users and manage special projects.

Second I found a new video tool that I have not used before. Its name is Photopeach. You are able to create a video or slideshow using photos that you can either upload or taken a trip in a museum that you would be able to make a presentation to teach students about any topic. You will be able to add text, music and other special effects. This is somewhat similar to a power point presentation but a whole lot simpler. As a teacher this would definitively save time when sharing information with your students and not just simply talking to them about a subject

Lastly I was to make a comic and post so here is my first comic.