My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone in my 310 EDM class this spring semester. I thoroughly enjoyed all my classes with y'all because all you guys were amazing to be around. I learned a lot from every one and was loved reading your blogs to see what you had to say on the same topics as me. one of my favor tie things was viewing and listening to all of your PowerPoint presentations about your lives because I find it amazing to learn about others and to see what people are into. Again, this class was great and would recommend it to anyone: great professor, great people, great class! THANK!

i-Tunes Podcats: Grade 10

One of the podcasts in the WGBH/PBS section of the i-Tunes U section that caught my eye was the post on Global Warming. Now I have always been a bit of a sceptic when it comes to Global Warming, but i still like to see the arguments because they do make a really good argument and makes me want to help our environment. It was talking about how the high amounts of both carbon monoxide and methane gases were causing a green house effect in our world which increases the temperature of our planet and fills our breathing air with chemicals that do not belong in our body. At the end of the podcast, the narrator told the view ways to help the environment by recycling, using less energy in the home, and perhaps purchasing more efficient vehicles (such as hybrid cars.)

As I have stated before, using podcasts in class I feel is a great way to teach kids. I think its even better when the students can go home and learn more about a certain subject on their computers. We are now entering the "computer age" in learning and pretty soon they are going to be talking over the entire education curriculum. I am not arguing with what will happen, I think it is a good thing, but it must be used for educational purposes or it will simply not be effective.

I would love to use i-Tunes U for my future classes when I become a teacher. This is something that would be very beneficial for all students as well as teachers wanting to take their teaching to the next level. As I said before, being a teacher in the future and not understanding how educational podcasts work will probably not go well together. Although it is very good to try and still do the hands-on learning with students, being able to post lectures, study guides, and chapter reviews on line using i-Tunes is a really cool thing. Easy access to things online may lead to more students being prepared for their classes.

Edible School House

The Edible Schoolyard was created by chef and author Alice Waters. It was founded at Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkley, CA in 1995. The purpose of this organization is to "create and sustain an organic garden and landscape that is wholly integrated into the school’s curriculum, culture and food program. It has been going on for over a decade and has gotten a number of positive reviews from people who have heard of it: me included!
After watching the podcast of these children, I first saw that these children were very excited. It is wonderful to see kids at that age learn about their own personal health and well being and getting into great habits at these early stages of life. It was interesting to me that these kids were learning things hands on and not just "burping it" back to the viewer. I think if given the opportunity that these kids could really teach others what they have learned in the edible school yard. This was something that I never really thought of as a tool to teach little children, but I am very impressed with the work Ms. Waters as done. To read more about Alice Waters click HERE

i-Tunes University:Benificial?

i-Tunes University is a brand new function developed by Apple and is starting to be expiremented by universities all over the country (most recently Stanford University. The basis behind it is that lectures for classes will be recorded onto students i-pods for them to listen to at home. Now some people may find this to be a waste of time and money: please hear the arguments because the studies for this expirement may suprise you.
A recent study has been conducted involving students and their grade comparisons between using and not using i-Tunes for their classes. A study was conducted by the University of Stanford with Physics students. Some where given i-pods with podcast lectures while others were not. Surprisingly, students who had acces to the lectures at all times averaged a 77 on their exams while the other students only averaged D's. Now these results may not be the case under circumstances with different schools, types of students, etc., but they are not anything to just toss under the rug. To see the results of the test for yourself click i-Tunes Test.
When looking at it myself, I believe that this is something that can definatly improve my life as both a student and teacher in the fututre. It would be good for students who miss class because although they miss the "physical" aspect of the learning process, they can still learn the material and have access to the lecture at all times. Even if you were attending the class, this is a chance to go back to the lecture and keep your brain fresh with the information that was given by the proffessor. Of course there are some disadvantages such as student perhaps using the i-pod for other uses during class time, but I would have no problem with limiting the content just for the sole purpose of the learning and not for music. I would also think this would be good for my future students as well. I may not always be around to help them, so having them listen to my lecture could be beneficial for them as well.

EDM 310 Spring 2009: Final Post

I can defiantly say that I am excited I took this course. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the learning experience, the way the professor handled the class, all of it. I got to learn a lot in this class about different types of Microsoft programs and how to become a more effective teacher in the future. Although some things that were being taught in this class were things I already new, it was still nice to review a bit and grasp a better idea on what was being taught.
One thing I am glad I got to learn was Microsoft Excel. I was a bit sketchy with Excel prior to this class, and now I feel that I can use it and be comfortable with it. This will help me a lot in my career because now I can use Excel and become more organized and hence a much more productive teacher. Another thing I got to learn from this course was how to make pod casts and use them to educate other students and/or teachers. I had absolutely no idea what they were, how one made them, and even if they could be used in a school environment. Luckily I can use them in the future to listen to what teachers may have to say about a subject so I can better prepare my class. All this I found exciting and actually enjoyable to use.
As a whole, I believe that this course pretty much hit the nail on the head. There was nothing I could think of that I wanted to learn that was not already being taught to me. This is a course I highly recommend to anyone wanting to become a teacher because I know for a fact that my career has been changed for the better because of this course.

iPods and Education

Could iPods really be used for educational purposes? When i firsts heard of this I was a bit skeptical because I have an iPod and I defiantly do not use it for any type of educational purpose. But according to Duke University they can be. In 2007 Duke University gave 1600 students ipods fully equipped with voice recorders and notepads built in. The purpose of this was "to encourage creative uses of technology in education and campus life...". To me this is true because we are growing up in a more technological time and the use of computers and laptops are taking the places of pens and paper. But there are some cons to this. They still play music for one. This is bad because I myself would be tempted to play music in class as suppose to using my iPod for educational uses.
The University also states in on their Mission Statement that there are many benefits to Ipod usage in school. Some examples were the time flexibility, interest level of learning goes up, and the simplicity of it to use for interviews. All these are very impressive and makes me re-think the whole thing, but my opinion still stands that its probably not that good of an idea. I just feel that we have enough technology that helps us in all these fields that we really don't need the iPod for our classes. If this "tool" is that important I am sure Office Depot sells a device that can preform all the functions the Ipod can without the use of playing music. Again i feel its a valid argument, but just not plausible for the uses of education.

Dr. Alice Christie

Dr. Alice Christie received her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Language and Literacy from Arizona State University. She currently goes around the country and gives workshops about education and teaching younger students. From reading her website it seems that many people have come to honor her wisdom and love going to her conferences and workshops. I must admit after viewing the website for only a few minutes I was pretty impressed with this Professor whom I have never heard of before.
This website could be very useful for me as well as any other aspiring teachers. The website Dr. Christie is designed to give all teachers insight on how to "mold" the students into future teachers themselves. One of the nicer things on this website that I enjoyed were her podcasts that she posted. Each podcast has a different teaching cue and are very simple to follow. And with Dr. Christies open and somewhat humerous delievery, it is easy to listen too as well.
Another great application from this site is the Classes applications. Here teachers can click on a particular class an upload just about everything from Power points, syllabi's, and even tests and quizzes. This is extremely helpful and thoughtful of Dr. Christie to give these things for free. This really speaks of her character and determination to teach all people. She also puts up photos from all her workshops and from others classes which is nice for the kids who visit the website.
I would have to say that this particular website is probably the most helpful site I have been to. This site is really insightful and interesting for anyone interested in becoming a teacher. To visit this website click HERE

Wikipedia: Trustworthy?

Is Wikipedia reliable source for ones school project, english paper, or geberal knowledge? There seems to be two sides to this argument. On one side of the argument, a lot of people (including college students) find Wikipedia a great source for assignments. Me myself find wikipedia a wonder to use. But there are some reputale arguments out there informing people to be aware of possible misconceptions on wikipedia.
One student from the California Institue of Technology named Virgil Griffith, claimed that Wikipedia is faulty because they allow anyone to edit their pages. This is true and I can understand where he is coming from. I myslef know this and always check the sources behind the sources on Wikipedia. The one good thing about Wikipedia is that you can see who wrote the page and even who has been editing it. So if i were to give any advice, it would to use Wikipedia as a starting point. It is a great source when used sparingly. Also, make sure you check your sources so you know who is giving the information because there are some bad pages out there. To see and hear Virgil's podcast click HERE

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

The Story of Randy Pausch's last lecture is a sad and yet uplifting tale. The Maryland born Professor attended Brown University where he got his bachelors in computer science and then attended Carnegie Mellon University where he would get his PH.D in computer science. Doctor Pausch would then go off to be a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and be the creator of the Alice software project which is a computer animations software on Java. All these accomplishments are very impressive indeed, but this man's life would be cut short once he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.

When I found out that Professor Pausch was giving a speech after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, I thought this would be a very solemn and depressing speech to the students. However I was very surprised to see Professor Pausch cracking jokes and being humorous in the face of his own death. The speech was entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". The main objective of the speech was to encourage people to achieve their childhood dreams. He goes on to describe his own childhood and how "every picture of me had a smile". After telling the crowd of how he achieved his dreams of becoming a "Disney Imagineer" he goes into the dreams of others.

Doctor Pausch then tells a story of a student he had whose dram was to be part of the new Star Wars movies. This was a moving story because Doctor Pausch helped this young man achieve his goals and made it seem that every one's childhood dreams could be within reach. The last part of his speech was him talking about a project he ran with some students and how he was helping them achieve their utmost potential in life. The speech ends with a standing ovation and it was very clear that everyone in the room was moved and effected highly from Pausch's speech.

This speech to me was very inspirational. Thanks to men like this people everywhere can mentally prepare themselves to achieve their childhood goals. I myself was moved from this speech not only because i was inspired by his story, but because he related to everyone and made everyone seem as equal. He lightened the already tense mood with some jokes and quips and this I thought was in good taste. I encourage everyone to watch this video because it is very inspirational and moving for all people who want to achieve their dreams. To watch his video, click HERE

Fall 2008 Podcast Critique

I must say that the Podcasts from the Fall 2008 were very impressive. they really presented a great argument and grabbed my full attention. The two podcasts that caught my eye were "Can Youtube be used for Educational Purposes" by Adrienne Lynch, Joylyn Reese and Brian Stevens and Possibilities for Using FaceBook for Educational Reasons" by Allison Midgette and Shaundretta Bethel. I chose these two because they were both about using today's two most highly used websites for educational purposes. And not surprisingly, both of these podcasts were very well done.

The first podcast was about Youtube and whether or not it could be used for educational purposes. The students talked about how students relate to sight and visuals better than just reading. And in this day and age I believe this to be true. One student also claimed that current American students react more to "hands on" types of learning. The go into details about how Youtube has a lot of good as well as bad tools. They were saying that it should be used but used sparingly because of some of the "questionable" material. But One of the students said how it could be used not just for academics, but sports and even theatre blocking schemes. Towards the end of the Podcast the students end it by stating that it can be used for professors as well. It sees that these students came to a consensus that it could be useful in "furthering the education" and development of students, but for educational material only. To access the YouTube website click HERE.

The next podcast I listened to was the Using facebook for educational purposes. This was the exact same argument as the Youtube one, only for facebook. Facebook (for those that do not know) is a world wide site with people having their own profiles showing their pictures, networks, and personal information about themselves. In this podcast one the students stated that she used facebook for a teaching tool when she was a teacher. i can relate to this because my football coaches use facebook to keep tabs on their players as she did with her students. She also said that they had multiple choice quizzes on there which sounded really reputable and something I liked. Later on they said that its good for Universities because they can give out community e-mails and statements via Facebook. I think this is a great idea because they use the same things for football: when there is an announcement, they will send messages to anyone on facebook and its quite convenient.

These two podcasts where defiantly worth the 20 minutes I spent listening to them. They were very insightful and well prepared as far as evidence was concerned. they both pretty much had the same thesis: These things (Youtube and Facebook) would be good educational tools, but used sparingly as well as responsibly for the greater good of our education.

The Fischbowl (Technological Ignorance)

It is now the year 2009, and the ability to operate a computer and using the Internet still eludes some of us. In our current "computer age" people can use computers for just about anything. According to some, not being used to computers, or being technologically ignorant, can cost them jobs and even thwart them from being effective teachers for children and students of all ages. These are the views of Mr. Karl Fisch the creator of The Fischbowl. According to his beliefs, one cannot be a teacher in this day and age without knowing a thing or two about computers and the Internet.

The question that seems to be raised up with this video is "Can people be technologically ignorant and still be effective teachers?" I have heard and read blogs on this subject and arguments going both ways. Karl Fisch believes that students and teachers today are to dependant on "paper and ink". In one of his Fischbowl Presentation Videos, he says that students need technology not just to help them out later in life, but because it is cheaper in the long run and much more environmentally sound. All very strong arguments from Mr. Fisch.

I was reading a blog and one thing that really stood out to me was how people and especially teachers need to adjust to the times. If you are not adjusted to computers now, that would be as if you were a teacher and you could not read or write in the 19Th century. It is not a matter of being stupid or dumb, but rather ignorant. I feel that people take the term ignorant to seriously. All it means is that you are unaware of how something operates or works and no one told you how something really works.
I personally agree with the allegations of Mr. Fisch. In this day and age it is absolutely vital to know how a computer works and how to use the Internet to be an effective teacher. there is some truth to the statement that if you are not familiar with how a computer works and the technology behind it, then you are no better than a teacher 60 years ago who could not read or write. I think that all teachers, students and soon to be teachers should take some type of course to make them savvy with all the new technology in our current time period. This is for the better of their education as well as their future students' education.

Podcasts and the teaching Expirence

One tool that seems to be used for the furthering of students and their education is the use of Podcasts. For those who are not familiar with it, Podcasts are audio and/or video files that are distributed over the Internet. Some teachers in the united States are using Podcasts as a tool for children and even adults to communicate and share teaching information with people all over the world. The First podcast I listened to was the SmartBoard Lessons Podcast. The SmartBoard Lessons Podcast was like a radio station for teachers to communicate. Some teachers (such as Elizabeth Christophy) shared her views on the benefits of using a website called teachersconnecting.com and how it has helped her discuss teaching habits with other teachers across the country. Another podcast system that seemed helpful was the KidCast Podcast @ intelligenic.com. In episode #56 (The importance of asking questions),it states that "questions make up the heart of good educational podcasts, whether teacher or student produced" and that "questions set our focus." This was a very interesting episode and i was not the only one who thought so. The next Podcast i listened to was the EdTechtalk podcast. I liked this one the best because you could actually put in questions during the podcast for the teachers and have them answered for you. The main purpose of this podcast was the benefits of educational technology amongst teachers and students. This podcast was actually given an award for best use of audio in education (Edublog Award.) To check out my personally favorite podcast go to EdTechtalk.



The next two podcasts (MacBreak Weekly and This Week in Photography) were different from the others because they were not meant for the furthering of education for children or even high school students. These were more of radio talk shows for teachers. the purpose of these "talk shows" was to share and compare teaching cards and even ask questions on how to be a better teacher. I found all these podcasts to be interesting and helpful for all up and coming teachers.

International Blogs for teachers/students

Apparently it is not only America that is taking advantage of all the blogs and websites on the net. After doing a little searching on line, I have discovered that Portugal too has taken advantage. Luckily for me I can speak Portuguese fairly well so I can get around on the blog website even though it is written in Portuguese. The site I liked the best was the teacher web website. (Teacher Web) The great thing about this site is that you can search for any teacher in just about all major countries in the world. But going back to before, I found interest in Ms. Ana Margarida Flor's blog.

In professora Flor's blog it's got all kinds of links for her students (as well as others interested.) Some of the links she has are for homework, posted grades, art, and study guides. To view her page click on the link Ms. Flor Even though this site was my favorite, I did find something interesting about the Australian teachers and their own blogs for their students.

It seems that even the excitement and craze of blogs has reached "down under". Yes even in Australia teachers are using blogs for the benefits of their students. The site responsible for this is the Australian educ. bloggers site. (Blogger Link) The teacher whom i focused most on was the Lauren O'Grady who is an English teacher in Victoria, Australia. On her blog, Ms. O'Grady gives her students a brief summery of her life and links to some of her favorite websites regarding English literature. Unlike the other blogs I have seen, Ms. O'Grady tells her students and other teachers what she expects out of teachers as well as herself. I found this thoughtful and think that it would make her as well as other teachers better at what they do. And isn't that what students really need? A good role model for their studies? Apparently the Australian teachers union does. To see her page click this link. O'Grady Page

Blogs for American School Teachers/Students

One website whose main purpose is to keep connection between students and teachers through blogs is the blog.wired. site. WIRED . This site is used by many schools across the country (especially Technical schools.) The purpose of this particular website is to keep the students and teachers in contact with each other and to look up information on what you happen to be studying. Now since this is more of a technical website (with information about cars, computers, etc.) One thing about this website I found interesting are all the blogs showing how to improve one's cars, electrical systems, and computers. So you really don't even have to be a student at a Technical school to get something out of this website. It is no surprise that schools like Diman Regional Vocational Technical high School give input on these certain subjects. To see this schools website and view their own blogs click here: DIMAN

After viewing a technical school's blogs and how they operate, I thought it would be nice to view a public schools blog and see how they operate in the public school setting. One website that uses blogs for teachers is the Scholastic Community Message Boards website (To view click here.) Scholastic Message Boards This website is basically for the younger students and includes blogs from kindergarten and 1st grade teachers. One teacher's blog that impressed me was the kindergarten teacher Mr. Jeremy Brunaccioni (Jeremy's profile) In his blog he puts in his thoughts on teaching as well as pictures of what students in his class have drawn. This is very important for kids to have their pictures up because it gives them a optimistic boost of confidence for their art. Just another example of why blogs are very good for the development of all ages. (to see some drawings click here) PIX

Fischbowl Video

A movie I had the pleasure of watching was an educational one known as "The Fischbowl: Did You Know?" The movie is made up of about 8 minutes of numbers and statistics regarding our country and the advancements it has made over the years. The movie goes into great detail about how much people in our country use cell phones, Internet, laptops, etc. One idea this video conveys is the importance of learning amongst the world's youth and how other countries (non-developing countries) do not get the opportunities the kids in countries like the U.S receive.

A one point in the movie, it states that there are 2 billion children in developing countries and that 1 out of 3 never completes the 3rd grade. This is really disturbing to me as a student because in this day in age, we have so much knowledge and technology to send e-mails and text messages (as stated in the movie with surprisingly large numbers) and we can not provide books or other learning materials? The One Laptop Per Child Project" or OLPC looks to change that by giving kids in poor countries laptops. They said that "children who never held a book could now hold the entire world."

The whole premise of this film is really hard to understand while watching it. however, at around 6 minutes and 45 seconds into it, the film claims that its purpose is to show that we need to prepare ourselves for jobs that have not even been thought of yet so we can prepare ourselves for the problems of tomorrow. As the given Albert Einstein quote stated: "We Can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

The end of the movie says that it is vital that we as a generation prepare ourselves for the challenges of tomorrow. Whether it asking your principals or teachers or whomever, it is important to prepare oneself and ones family for problems that will occur. It gives a link to the website for more information. Here's the link if you would like to view it: Shifthappens I myself enjoyed this movie and urge people to give it a try. Click the link here to view Video

The importance of "ACCESS"

If you are planning to excel in the classroom for the future as well as for tomorrow, the ACCESS may be the program for you. ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide) is an online tool used by both students and teachers. The whole purpose of this program is to show the importance of online learning through "distance learning". With exposure to this program, I as well as the website believe that a student can learn more efficiently and a teacher can improve his/her lesson plans.

One term used throughout the ACCESS website is "distance learning". But what exactly is "distance learning"? Distance learning is described by the ACCESS website as learning online. And with ACCESS they can make this a reality for students. They do not however want to disrespect the importance of teachers in a classroom setting. They say that interaction with your piers as well as teachers builds great memory and social skills. But there is a method to the ACCESS site's beliefs.

There are a lot of options for students looking to "advance their learning experience". The ACCESS program offers more challenging courses as well as easier ones (depending on what your certain needs are for a particular class.) With these, they also offer advanced degrees for up and coming students or perhaps teachers whom want to advance their teaching degrees. And with all the videos and power points they offer, this program can be a fun experience as well as an educational one.

The ACCESS program is a very helpful tool for all students and teachers. I myself will most likely use this fine program during my journey from student to teacher. As a current student I will use this website to get some extra help of even learn a bit more in order to help my process of becoming a teacher. And as a teacher, using ACCESS would be very helpful if I ever wanted to advance my degree or perhaps even learn a bit more about my own profession from others. If you want to visit this website (which if your a student I urge that you do) follow this link.
ACCESS

Importance of ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) and ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide.)

One important website that all teachers as well as future teachers should use is the website for ALEX. ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange, is a site that lets teachers of all courses of study come and pick up lesson plans, chat with other teachers, and have access to other sites regarding their lesson plans. It even has its own personal workspace for teachers who may want to keep all their important documents and teaching aids on the site at their disposal.

Another important site for Alabama teachers and students is the ACCESS website. ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators Students Statewide) is based of the same principles as ALEX, but has tools for high school students as well. The emphasis for this site is the purpose of distance learning for students. Distance learning is used for the purpose of giving students knowledge for High school and college via online. Both of these programs are extremely helpful for the advancement of Alabama students and teachers.

Although the ACCESS website stresses the importance of actual teachers, they also show the benefits of online learning for students as well as teachers; as stated above this is known as distance learning. The ALEX website is also a great learning tool for teachers and can provide up to date lesson plans for all courses of study (even some for special needs.) It is easily seen that with these two programs helping the youth in Alabama, that their achievements will be great.

I am defiantly looking forward to using ALEX as well as ACCESS for my own teaching career. I love teaching others, but like all successful teachers I like to look to others for their ideas and thoughts. By doing this I can better myself as a teacher and better the students. Also, if I have anything to share to people I can. The purpose of being a teacher is giving back to the community (or in this case Alabama.) And I see no better way to do this than by recieving aid from these two extremely helpful websites. I defiantly recommend these websites to all aspiring teachers and even high school students looking to advance their knowledge.

First Post

This will take you to the website MLB

My name is Nicholas Anthony Nogueira. I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama and I am majoring in Physical Education. I was born in Sao Miguel, Azores and moved to the United States when I was just 5 years old. Since then I have lived in Boston, Massachusetts and love it. I grew up with 2 brothers as well as a mother and a father and plenty of cousins. one thing I hold close to my heart is the connection I share with my brothers and parents because there is no bond like the family bond.

I was always active in my community ever since I was a child. I was an Eagle Scout by the time I was 16 and was always involved in walks against cancer. I am also very interested in the Martial Arts and have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. At the age of 15 I attended Bishop Connolly High School which was a private Catholic School in Fall River, MA. There I played 4 years of Football and was pretty good and got a full scholarship to play college football for Charleston Southern University.

While at Charleston Southern, I was majoring in Kinesiology and spent most of my time playing football and spending time in my fraternity (Phi Beta Sigma). I am extremely active in my fraternity and do a lot of charity events and raise money all in the name of my frat. Then in 2008 I transfered to the University of South Alabama. Right now I am a Junior and hopefully will be graduating Fall of 2010.

In the future I hope to be able to teach Physical Education at the High school level. I would also like to be the Head Varsity Coach of a football team. While Teaching I plan on getting my Masters Degree in Administration and becoming an Athletic Director.