Blog Post #8

This is how we Dream - Parts 1 and 2 By: Richard Miller

In this video, Dr. Richard Miller tells about new ways that we can teach using "collaborative technology". He begins with pointing out that our new workspace is our desktop; it is hardly ever paper and pencil anymore. From our desktop, we can (as he puts it) "research the riches of the world." He says that we have just as much access to books and media on the web now, so we really don't even have to go to the library to do projects anymore. Dr. Miller points out that he and his staff are able to collaborate on the web using not just text, but also with images and videos. He mentioned that he and his fellow staff members put one of their publications on youtube, and within 3 months it had over 9,000 views and had been embedded into blogs. Towards the end of the video, he states that he does not have a way to teach the technology that he has described, because they would need "Ubiquitious composing technology, spaces that foster collaborative learning, inspiring teachers of new media composing, and pedagogies that foster creativity and collaboration."

You can tell that Dr. Richard Miller really knew what he was talking about. I was very impressed by this video. I thought it was really interesting how he and his colleagues were able to collaborate like they did using the internet. If we could learn to do that in our schools, working together with other teachers might would become a little bit easier, because we wouldn't have to hold meetings after school. We could just find a time that it easiest for us all to meet, and then get on the internet with our webcams at the same time. He says "We need inspiring teachers, people who tell you that they're teaching visual literacy. I don't think they've yet begun to deal with how profound this change is..." I agree with him. Maybe they've realized that technology has advanced, but I do not think that they have realized just how much new technologies could majorly impact our schools, and our ways of teaching. I think it would be awesome if we could have some kind of curriculum to teach teachers and future teachers about the technology, and how to use it.

Now to answer the question, Am I prepared to write with multimedia? I know that I could definitely try! With all the technologies out there and all the internet resources I think I probably could. The only thing is that our schools will have to first be able to get all the technology that is needed. Maybe we could do some simple things, but not all the things that Dr. Miller showed in the video. He said that for himself to even teach it at his university they would need more materials. I know that I said in the previous paragraph that we need a type of curriculum to help teach us how to use these technologies, but I honestly feel like EDM310 is helping to do that! I can't speak for others, but so far it has taught me to use podcasts, make youtube videos, use smartboards, and so much more. I think that as technology progresses, it will be incorporated into EDM310. Now, for the next question; "Will my students be able to do this?" I think it will be a while before students can do most of what he showed in the videos. Like I said, first the schools would have to get the technology to do it. If the right technology were added, then its a good possibility that they could!


Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

I think that Carly's idea is great! It involves making us think about our future educating methods, what kinds of technology we want to use and basically what kind of teachers we want to become. I think that by assigning us to make a youtube playlist, she is inspiring us to use internet resources and technology; therefore, she is doing exactly what Dr. Miller talked about. She did a really great job instructing what to do, and she even gave an example of exactly what she had in mind to be accomplished. She is definitely creative! I loved her form of writing. While reading her post, you almost feel like you are inside her head (I mean that in a good way!) She will definitely be a teacher who has realized the change in technology, and who is ready to incorporate it into her teaching methods. She really did a great job!


The Chipper Series & EDM310 for Dummies

I found these videos quite humorous! They did a great job on them. Both videos made me wish that I could make tutorial videos to help future students with the things in EDM310 that my classmates and I have both struggled with. For example: I've had a hard time with managing my time, and also with the PLN. It would be cool if I could make videos for future students helping them to do these things! The EDM310 for dummies video was a really great idea, and I really think that if Dr. Strange wrote the book he could definitely make some money! To me, the purpose of both the Chipper Series and also EDM310 for dummies was to help people realize that if you have problems with the class, there are always people who are willing to help, but you must be dedicated to the class to really succeed!


Learn to Change, Change to Learn

In this video, several different people all gave their opinions about how they think that educators need to change their curriculum and teaching methods. They are basically saying that the curriculum needs to be more student-centered, to where students can be able to relate their experiences outside the classroom to their experiences inside the classroom. They bring out many great points. One man stated "The kids are having a much more stimulated and rich environment outside of school than they are inside of schools". I think this is really something for future educators to think about. We don't need to "dumb down" our curriculum, but we need to change it to where it at least interests the students. In the video, a different person states "Kids are very rich content developers today through their social networking science, they're big communicators through email, instant messaging, and even text messaging; and yet all of these things are banned in their schools." I agree with most of what she said, I just think that we might have a difficult time monitoring their texts and instant messages. Her basic point is that we aren't really allowing them to use the things that they learn from the most. That is true to an extent; we do have internet and computers in the schools, but they only get maybe an hour or two a week on them.

For the most part, I agree with the basic message of this video. I think that people who are coming up to be teachers will be good with this because we realize the present/modern ways of learning; but as for the current teachers already teaching (some but probably not all), they really need to learn to adapt the use of technology into their lessons.