Project 16

C4T#4

C4T Comment 1

     I recently read a blog post by Mr. Chase called "Things I Know 255 of 365". In his post he compares the archaic education system that is now in place to that of the economy. The laws of supply and demand are introduced to fill the need of the new job markets. Technology is key to these new market directions.

Hello again Mr. Chase,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I recently finished Microeconomics and quite enjoyed your blog post. It is true that education must diversify its assets if it want to maintain its status in today's ever changing market. I believe this can be done, but this move has and will come with much opposition. But, I believe that if we introduce a technological infusion into this educational economy we can win the hearts and minds of the investors. It is our responsibility to do what must be done to help education remain liquid and strong. It is truly too big to fail.
Thanks,
Christopher Reindl

C4T Comment 2


     I recently commented on a blog post by Mr. Chase called "Things I Know 284 of 365". In his blog he talked about how a big meal brings together all who attend. It makes you reflect about the lose of social contact one feels in this technological age we now live.


Hello again Mr. Chase,

     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I very much enjoyed your blog post this time. I truly see that the technological culture we have thrown ourselves fully into lacks community. Never do we make time to meet with neighbors or socialize with the outside world as we did in yesteryear. I hope that with this world we can find a happy medium and realize that their is still a human at the keyboard. Thanks for your blog post.

Sincerely,

Christopher Reindl   

C4K Summary Post 3

C4K Comment 1

     Today I commented on a blog post by Sean. Sean is a student in Mrs. Yollis' 3rd grade class in California. He wrote a very interesting story about the adventures of two pumpkin friends called "The Hero Pumpkin". I very much enjoyed reading his story and loved seeing how well written his piece was. I am always put back by these future students. They do so much at such a young age. Keep up the good work Sean.

Hello Sean,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your story "The Hero Pumpkin" about two pumpkins, and some unfunny robot scarecrows. When I read it I could see the events unfolding in front of my eyes. You truly know how to write a good story. I thank you for your work in Mrs. Yollis' Class. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
Sincerely,
Christopher Reindl

C4K Comment 2

     I recently commented on a blog post by Lorenzo K-B called "Going to Space". In his story he talked about the world ending. He had to flee to Jupiter. In his entry he made a few mistakes but I appreciate his creativity. If all students still could use their imaginations, the sky would be the limit to their abilities. Thanks Lorenzo K-B for a fantastic blog entry.  

Hello Lorenzo K-B,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I quite enjoyed your story about going to Jupiter. I thought I would share some fun facts. Jupiter is called a gas giant because of it's huge volume and the fact that it is made up of primarily gas. It also has many moons. I wanted to point out that in your second sentence you might have meant to say Astronaut and not arsonist. An arsonist sets things on fire for no reason. I really enjoyed your story and hope that you keep writing.
Thanks,
Christopher Reindl

Blog Post 13 Option 2

My Teacher is an App

     I recently read an article by Stephanie Banchero and Stephanie Simon entitled "My Teacher is an App". In it we learn that students are taking more of their core curriculum online. In thirty states students can take their entire class load from the comfort of their own home. In some places students are still required to still attend a school, but upon arrival they take most if not all their classes online.
   
     Students in these environments get the opportunity to use technology that is already familiar to them and use tools that will enables them to prepare themselves for the modern day workforce. We have already discovered that the students of today are studying to perform jobs that do not even exist yet. Look what has changed in the last twenty five years. Everyone has a home computer and most if not all of a household knows how to use it. When I was in school my classroom had one computer and we were proud of it. It was an Apple II. We could word process and play simple games like Number Muncher and Oregon Trail. It sure beat typing papers on the typewriter in the corner of the room.

      The world is changing at an exponential rate. Technology today will obsolete in ten years. We must allow ourselves to continue to learn these new technologies, and what better way than the virtual classroom. Students have the ability to learn on their own and can teach themselves. They can and will use the technology anyway, so why not use the tech to teach? It is a splendid way to give students problem solving abilities and it attributes to creativity, but the "jury is still out" on its abilities to teach.

     Teachers that educate through online services may be responsible for more than 250 students, where as teachers in traditional schools may be responsible or 150. This makes it hard for teachers and students to communicate in a timely manner. It is frustrating to students that need help to have to wait for their questions to be answered so they can complete their tasks on time and with the desired results.


     The ability for students in the cyber classrooms to perform on standardized testing is also in question. After some students that were primarily taught online were tested against students from traditional schools the results showed that the tech students did worse in most subjects especially math and reading. Though online only schools seem to be an excellent alternative, the facts show otherwise.

     This problem has been all but solved in a new school in Miami called the I Prep Academy. Though it is only in the test stages, students have done well in this new and technologically savvy environment. The school merges online learning with regular lectures. The students have flexible schedules in order to focus more energy on problem areas, and teachers have the freedom while students are learning online to give one on one instruction to students that fall behind. There are no regulated classes or mandated schedules.  Students have the freedom to hold their future in their own hands and let their teachers be a guide to achieving success.

     Will this virtual school provide all the answers? I don't think so, but I believe we are on the right track. Schools have changed so little in the last three hundred years. Online learning has had only a couple of decades. It takes time to work out the bugs in a system that has to introduce new technology all the time. I believe that we must find a happy medium between the old and new. We cannot expect all students to take to the new just as we cannot expect all students to except the old. We must structure our classrooms to help all students to aspire for greatness. We must allow ourselves to be free-thinkers. We must enable ourselves to see the big picture. No one likes change, but we must be able to do just that. We are not trying to become teachers for ourselves. We want the chance to share our knowledge and experiences with students in order to better their lives. Whether in the classroom or the computer, we must be prepared for an unknown future and be ready to be the educators that these future students will need in their corner.
        

Blog Post 12

Evolution in Teaching and Technology

     Why do you want to be a tech savvy teacher? What makes you want to implement technology in your classroom? Checkout the you tube video and the title link above. In this blog post I would like you to find reasons online. They can be in the form of other blogs, wikis, podcasts, videos...ect. I want you to start with the you tube video above. This will be a good stepping off point for your intellectual journey. After you find what you are looking for write a quality blog post about what you learned including links to your source material. Have fun and learn something about yourself.

Student Podcasts

     I started my journey with a wonderful podcast by Cheyenne B.from Desert Harbor Elementary in Arizona. A podcast is like a radio broadcast but on the computer. In it, we see how a student can use this technology to not only learn about a subject, but also teach others about what they learned. The student teaches us about an art work called Dust Bowl by Alexander Hogue. I love the way one can use such a simple technology to reach such a broad audience.

Student Wikis

     I then looked at many student wikis. Wikis are collaborative efforts of many to talk about one subject. They a made up of blog posts, podcasts, videos, and much more. I found a very interesting wiki that was started to educate teachers on the importance of technology in education but morphed into something pretty cool. On it, one gets to see many examples of what it is to be a 21st century teacher. Technology in education is breaking down all the walls.

Student Blogs

     I next found a blog about why students should blog. It was written by a secondary education teacher in Australia. In her blog she talks about 20 different reasons why students should blog. It is important to give  students an outlet to be able to talk about their personal learning plan, and also teach others about their experiences. With this technology, students can collaborate with people worldwide. It take a classroom and makes it a world stage.



Student Videos

     Student videos are a fantastic way to educate your students in a fun and exciting way. Students can have an opportunity to make a video that can help others understand what they themselves are learning. It causes them to work harder because their work will be seen by a whole world of people. Students are ready to implement this technology into their personal learning plans and we have to be ready to give them the tools to achieve those goals.



    We will be teaching a generation of students that have never lived in time without computers. We will have to be always learning to keep up with the ever-changing world of technology. We owe it to ourselves and our students to enable this medium in our classrooms. Technology is not going away. You can jump on the bandwagon or simply be left in the dust. I hope we all can live with our decisions. We must foster creativity in our students and give them the problem solving skills to reach their goals and achieve their dreams.

C4K Post 10 Part 1

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

     Today I took a look at Mrs. Yollis' classroom blog. She has made something pretty special. Her students get the opportunity to learn from each other and from students around the world. They learn to blog, podcast, make videos, and use the internet as a learning tool. Her students become better writers because they write for a world stage instead of just their teacher.

     She also has done us all one better. Instead of just teaching her students to use these technology, she has them use the tech to teach others. Her students use videos to teach others how to video. Her students use podcast to teach other to podcast. They all use technology because they see its merit and they want other to see it too.

     I have had a hard time over this semester trying to figure out if technology in the classroom is the right fit for me. I worried that it would just add to the already stressful load we put on our students today. But, I was wrong to think that. We can't afford to not teach in this way. We must introduce technology into our classrooms now. We can not deprive our students of this great opportunity.

     Mrs. Yollis and her class have already accomplished what we only talk about. They have figured out how to bring this huge medium under control and how to use it productively. We can talk a good game but they are doing it. If we can all inspire to be half the educator Mrs. Yollis is, we will be alright. I thank her and her class for a job well done.

Blog Post 11

Little Kids...Big Potential

     Today I watched a wonderful video by the students in Ms. Cassidy's 1st grade class. We see in the video how technology has not only been introduced but how it is helping to educate these remarkable students. They use tools like blogs and wikis to learn from people around the world. They get the opportunity to communicate with children and adults alike to help understand this new medium.

     Ms. Cassidy is a very remarkable educator. She began a class webpage and later a class blog to utilize 5 computers that were donated to her classroom. With the support of her school system, she has utilized the tools that she was given with amazing results. In a Skype interview with Dr. Strange, Cassidy, Kathy Cassidy talks about why and how she has implemented these methods into her classroom.

     Ms. Cassidy says that it important to understand technology is not going to go away. We as future educators must figure out how to use these tools in a positive and constructive ways. We have to allow ourselves to embrace what feels foreign to us. Sure, we never had these opportunities in school, but why should we keep other from learning. That goes against what we are trying to achieve.

     Technology is changing everyday. We must learn how to adapt to this ever changing environment. It is scary to think that we could deny our children the opportunity to get ahead in life. Using computers to do school work helps develop the skills to be able to be creative and use problem solving skills in the work place. It is true that no matter what someone does for a living, computers will be a part of it. Let's do our best to give our charges all the tools they need to succeed.  

C4K Summary Post 2

C4K Comment 1


     Today I watched and commented on a handy video by Gina. In the video she explain what blogs are. She did a wonderful job and truly made it easy to blog. Gina is 7. We are coming so far with technology and what we can do with it. I truly look forward to seeing what Gina and other children worldwide will make of this brave new world. 


Hello Gina,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I just watched your video and I really enjoyed it. You did a very good job of describing what a blog is. A blog is a very handy tool and a great way to share your feelings with everyone worldwide. I look forward to reading more on your blog.
Sincerely,
Christopher Reindl

C4K Comment 2


     I recently commented on a blog post by Cherokee. She is a student that is very excited about science. She did a good job in the way she structured her argument but had a few proofreading errors. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed reading about someone excited to learn. There is light at the end of the tunnel. 


Hello Cherokee,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I recently read your blog post about science. I like that you are so excited to learn and I hope that will continue to be the case in the future. I also liked the way you asked a question then answered it. It was unique. I think you might want to give it a quick read through. There were a few errors in syntax at the bottom. Overall you did a great job and I hope you continue to blog.
Thanks,
Christopher Reindl

C4K Comment 3


     I recently commented on a blog post by Jeremy. In his post Jeremy used his blog to brainstorm ideas for a short story he wanted to write. I thought his ideas were fantastic and would truly love to read his finished product. It just goes to show one more way that the use of technology can do.


Hello Jeremy,
     My name is Christopher Reindl. I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I like your story concept. I don't know much about BMX but I would love to learn more. I think it would be an interesting read, and I hope you publish it in a summary blog post. I enjoy your blog and look forward to reading more about you in your blog.
Thanks,
Christopher Reindl

C4K Comment 4


     I recently commented on a video made by Gabriel. In his video he talks about Fiji and Rugby. He did a good job explaining his topics and he used the medium to the best of his abilities. I learned a good bit from watching his video and hope that he continues to work on more projects like this one. 


Hello Gabriel,
     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I quite enjoyed your video. You did a very good job with your research. I also would love to see Fiji. I also enjoy rugby. It is a very intense sport. I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
Thanks,
Christopher Reindl

C4K Comment 5


     Today I commented on Mr. McClung's class blog. He uses his blog to interact with and educate his students. In his blog post he gives his students some incite into absolute monarchy in Great Britain. I like the idea of using a public forum to help educate his students. I think he may have checked out EDM310.


Hello Mr. McClung,

     My name is Christopher Reindl and I am a student in edm310 at the University of South Alabama. I very much enjoy British history, especially the House of Stuart and the House of Hanover. They truly are the imported monarchy. James I was James VI king of Scotland. William III was William of Orange. Of the 4 George’s only 2 were even born in the United Kingdom. In hope your students enjoy learning about the monarchy as I did. So much scandal and controversy.

Thanks,

Christopher Reindl