Finished

I completed W531 today with the completion of my reflections of the past semester. This has been a very trying time for me. My father died 04/14 and it has been a struggle to get the school work done along with the necessary tasks after a death. He was very unhappy with the direction of the USA and I have to agree with him. When the "Birthers" get more press than our 3 ongoing wars, you have to wonder about the priorities of the nation.  I definately do not think education is a top priorety. I am ashamed of Indiana for giving vouchers to Christian private schools and going after the public teacher union. Cutting women's health care and anti-tobacco funding while not passing a smoking ban is also shameful.  Are these really our prioreties as a state?

Prezi presentation

I have done a Prezi presentation for my W531 final project. I have been going through the Prezi tutorials to get a feel for it. It is a very interesting site and lets one use a lot of creativity. I am not sure I am that creative but I will give it a shot. I have embedded the Prezi. It is a work in progress.

Podcast 101

I have been trying to finish up W531 and have discovered a lot of neat sites. I have never listened to a podcast before or really understood what they are. I can not believe the variety and amount of information on about any subject that is available. Music, literature, seminars, etc. I don't know how anyone could keep up with it all. I have been using my Ipod to download some podcast and listening to them in the car. I always wondered what the "rss"-Really Simple Syndication feed icon meant and now I know its used when a podcast is available on a subject related to a website.

Module 4-2 Digital Literacy

Can technology bring joy and excitement into learning in the science classroom?  This was the question asked in a video from the 2011 NSTA Conference in San Francisco.  The teacher's and presenters answered with a resounding "YES".  The main points from the conference were:
Science teachers are becoming more science facititators than science information distributors. With the growth of information on the internet, science teachers have the opprotunity to guide students to learn instead of being the source of information.
Mobile devices such as tablets and mobile smartphones can be very effective in engaging students in the science classroom.

Standardized tests are harming science education. We are not teaching students to be curious about the natural world which is a basic requirement for science education.

I read a post from Shamina Gilmore an elementary School teacher from Miami, FL. She was posting on what forms of technology she has integrated into her classroom. Smartboard, Microsoft Powerpoint and classjumpcom .She is a big technology integration proponent in her elementary classroom.

My big question from all my readings and videos for this assignment is:
How can teachers be the innovative technological integrating facititators when they are spending so much time teaching students how to take a standardized test? I really can feel the frustration from teachers (videos and in blogs) who want to be innovative but feel the disconnect between what they are told is happening in science education and what the see in their schools. I have not taught in 10 years so I am not on the front -line. I hope that when I did teach I integrated at least some of the NETS standards in my classroom. I did try to be creative and innovative with  my assignments. I did try to use the computer lab with students when I could. So much has happened since I taught. What is happening in the science classrooms? I could use a refresher course as a techer's aid.

Module 4 Changes

4-H Goes Digital
This video is about how 4-H has progressed from primarily agricultural based organization into a community based organization that introduces technology to students. The focus is on getting minority young adults hands-on experience in research projects which benefit the urban and suburban communities they live in. By using technology and aquired skills, the 4-Hers are helping map neighborhoods, develop informative videos, develop web 2.0 sites and gain valuable experience in their own neighborhood . 
I found it very interesting that 4-H has broadened their organizations vision as our society has moved away from a rural farm based economy to a service economy.  I also found it interesting that 4-H was using technology to reach students who were "at risk".  The projects were community based and relative to the students lives. The 4-Hers were very advanced in their use of technology and were contributing to specific research public projects.
As for a goal, I would say integration of technology that students/employees use everyday in their personal lives (computer, cell phone, video camera ect.) will  be a priority in my classroom or business.

Emerging Technology 2: Wordle

Wordle is a interesting site. I am not sure what to make of it. I have visited it repeated times. I have looked at the public log of wordles and created my own a few times. It took me a while to decide if I thought it was useful or more like a toy. After some thought, I think it would be most useful as an introduction to a lesson or an ending to a lesson. I would use to introduce vocabulary or hammer home points of discussion.
Here is one of the wordles I created by using cnn.com
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3241402/Current_Affairs

Emerging Technology 1+: Teacher Tube

I have been fascinated today by looking through the clips on Teacher Tube. I have watched videos on plate techtonics, wave interference equasions and the water cycle. This would be a wonderful resource for me as a teacher.  I can use it to find information,  and to brush up on concepts for future lessons. I looked through some Teachervision lesson plans and they seemed quite good. I am not adventurous enough right now to do a video for publication but if I was teaching I would. Students too can watch videos covering a wide range of topics across the curriculum. I'm sure they would like some of the goofier teacher videos.
I will watch how this site develops over time. If properly maitained, this could be a great site.
This is a link to a podcast on wave equasions. I find it fascinating.
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=222975&title=Podcast_8_2___interference_equations
Here is a link to a lesson plan on telescopes. I wish I had had this when I was teaching astronomy.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/slideshow/telescope/63983.html?