Blog Assignment 5

Don’t Teach Your Kid’s This Stuff. Please

Dr. Scott McLeod works at the University of Kentucky. In “Don’t Teach Your Kid’s This Stuff. Please?” he writes about all of the things people teach their kids about technology. Many people do not believe that technology is evil and kids should not use the internet but the ideas still remain. I have seen the way technology is pushed out of the classroom. It must stop. This humorous presentation of what not to do is a great way to spread knowledge.

The iSchool Initiative

In The iSchool Initiative Travis Allen shows how technology could be used to teach students. He goes through various apps that are around right now. In the future he believes that apps and iSchool could be in schools. I believe that the information in this video is important because it shows how easily some apps can be brought into the school. This could save schools money while integrating technology.

ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry

In this short video Travis Allen shows what he is doing with the iSchool Initiative at age 20. Now with a team of 25 he travels to schools promoting mobile learning. He has gained national publicity which is helping us move forward. In the video he reemphasizes the importance of moving forward in our schools. This video shows that one person can make an impact.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir

In this video we see 185 who have never performed in person singing together. The song was very beautiful and shows what type of a coordinated effort we can have using the internet. My initial reaction to Jennifer Chamber’s blog post was of shock. I never thought about a virtual choir before and after listening to the music they created I was impressed.

Teaching 21st Century Students

In Teaching 21st Century Students Kevin Roberts he shows what could learning could be in the future. It shows there are possibilities through blogs, Facebook, cell phones, Twitter, Wikipedia, You Tube, iPods and Google. He wrote about how students do not need us to find information. Teachers should filter the information students find on their own. In the video he shows how independent students think more critically. In the video he asks the audience questions and provides information. One thing I took from this video is that learning needs to be relevant and engaging. I also understand how technology needs to be a part of learning to day because of all the possibilities.

Reading Rockets

At this site I found a lot of information. It included information for teachers, parents, principals, and others. It includes apps and video promoting literacy. Many of the apps were for reading and writing through various techniques. One of the popular techniques for spelling was through phonetics which many people say works. At that site there is information for new teachers regarding teaching strategies. There is a learning store provided by the site which provided resources for educators. There are videos and books to help facilitate learning. In the site there is a list of top 12 comprehension apps. One of the top 12 is a game called Professor Garfield Fact or Opinion where Garfield teaches the difference between fact and opinion. It is an interactive comic type of app which would be very engaging for students who like comics. It is available here through iTunes or through the Reading Rockets site.