End of MEDT class

Well, this is my last official post for my MEDT 3401 class, though it won't be my last post ever. I'll continue with the blog. There are a few questions my professor wanted addressed....
1. Two favorite assignments and why:
My top favorite assignment was the blog and everything that went with it. Blogs are such a great way to keep people updated. If a teacher has one, parents can read it to see what's happening in their child's classroom, administrators can read it to keep up with what the students are doing on a daily basis, and students could check it if they were absent to get updates about assignments. They're fun to personalize, too! I've loved putting up pictures and changing the background. It really feels like my own little space.
My second favorite assignment was the digital story. I had so much fun making mine (which is posted on an earlier blog), and I think my students would have fun with them as well.
2. Top 3 tech tools I hope to use in my classroom:
Number one is definitely the blog! I've praised it a lot already, but I really, really love them! Number two is a tie between digital stories and podcasts. They could both be used as a culmination for a unit, for test review, or for a number of other things in the classroom. I say number three with a few reservations. I think it would probably be wikis. The reason I'm holding back a little here is that I don't know how practical a wiki would be for middle school students. If a space is able to be edited by many students, I would worry that a student could erase someone else's work or put up inappropriate material. I really like the idea behind them, though. Maybe I'll try them out with a small group and see how it goes. I could use them until they become a problem, but I think that part of teaching is anticipating the problems your students will have and working to avoid them. I'll have to put a little more thought into wikis.
3. Piece of technology you'd like to get better at. How can you do this:
I want to get better at podcasting. GarageBand has so many buttons that I have no idea what they do! I'd like to learn how to use it to its full potential. I suppose the smartest way to go about learning this technology would be to look at the many tutorials and instructions that are available online. I know myself, though, and I know that that probably isn't the way I'd go about it. I think I'll just play around with it more and see what I come up with. Macs are so user-friendly that they're very functional with the "playing to learn" method that I use with computers.

I am sad to see this class end. I think I've come a long way since the beginning of it. On the first day (which seems so long ago now!) I was scared to death of blogs and wikis and podcasts, etc. Now I love it and can't wait to try it out in the classroom! A HUGE thank you goes out to Mrs. Huett for opening my eyes to the world of technology!

Last picture for this class.... This one is of my mommy and my little sister Sammi last summer at the lake. I love this picture because they look so happy. Summer is the best time of a year. So sad that it's almost over!

DHMO.org Assignment

First of all, I want it to be known that I in no way support DHMO.org or have anything to do with them or any firm opinion on them either way.

This was a rather odd blog assignment. I'm not quite sure what it has to do with my MEDT class, education, or my classroom except maybe that Mrs. Huett wants us to learn how to evaluate sources. The point to the assignment isn't what this blog is about, though. I was asked to look at the website DHMO and investigate its credibility, purpose, etc. Here are the questions I was given and the information I have discovered:

1. Who wrote or produced the information [on DHMO.org]?
From what I could find out, the website was made by Dr. Tom Way. The copyright is in his name. Dr. Tom Way is a professor of computing sciences, and his website is http://www.cis.udel.edu/~way/ . On this website, there is a link to the DHMO website.

2. What authority or special knowledge does the author have? If the site is credited to an organization, what do you know about the organization?
Well, it is a .org website, which leads me to believe that it has something to do with an organization. There is a logo on DHMO.org for the Environmental Assessment Center. I don't know anything, really, about the EAC. I googled it and what came up was the National Center for Environmental Assessment. Whether or not these two centers are the same thing, I'm not entirely sure. What is interesting about this little bit of information is that NCEA is linked to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agencey), which DHMO.org suggests, "may be conspiring to cover up the whole DHMO issue." DHMO.org also suggests that EPA is possibly linked to the CIA. (Little sidebar: apparently the chemical DHMO is a chemical compound that is potentially dangerous and is found in certain products used by the government and products for cleaning. It also has supposedly been used by athletes to enhance performance. DHMO.org wants the substance banned.) Do I smell a conspirancy??? :)

3. What bias or slant do you detect in the source? What does it say that indicates a bias?
On the home page for DHMO.org it says, "The goal of this site is to provide an unbiased data clearinghouse and a forum for public discussion." However, the site clearly wants to ban DHMO - doesn't seem very unbiased to me; it obviously is against the chemical. Also, the site claims that DHMO is everywhere, but I haven't ever heard of it, and DHMO.org doesn't deny that this is a very underpublicized issue.

4. Should DHMO be banned? Why or why not?
I must admit that I'm not an authority on the issue and can't really make a claim either way. I think that before I give an opinion on banning the chemical, I'd have do much more extensive research about the chemical and its uses and dangers. I know that's not a very satisfying answer, but it's all I can say on the issue right now.

The next part of the assignment was to watch a news report on DHMO and comment on it. Unfortunately, both file types that were linked to the assignment were unopenable by my wonderful Mac, and it is 6:30 on the night that the assignment is due. I'm now regretting procrastinating this part of the assignment, but I'm not able to comment on this news report. :( I hope this doesn't mess up anybody in my group for their blog evaluations!

Picture time! This one is of my little brother Patrick, who isn't so little anymore. He's an awesome football player!

Podcasts in the Classroom

I've listened to a couple podcasts that were made by elementary school students before I made my own (which was pretty fun, by the way). The first one I listened to was a Willow Web podcast about energy. It was so cool! The kids talked about renewable energy and how it is used. The entire podcast was made by kids, and it was very well done. The kids were all working together, and it is obvious that they did a good bit of research. The podcast was broken up into segments, which made it flow really well. There was also upbeat music in the podcast. I can't get over how good it was. And Mrs. Huett said it wasn't one of their best; I'd love to hear what's considered to be their better work! The second one I listened to was a Coley Cast titled Early English Settlements in North America. Like the Willow Web cast, it had upbeat music, was segmented, and was done entirely by kids. The students clearly knew their stuff; they were using lots of vocabulary terms like colony, charter, cash crop, and indentured servants. The only complaint I have about it is that it didn't seem quite as well rehearsed as the Willow Web cast. The kids stuttered a little and stumbled over some words. I think that with a little practice - maybe running through the cast a few times or even editing out the stumbles - it would've been a lot better.
Podcasts are such neat things to use in the classroom. Like the digital stories, doing a podcast would be a great way to finish up a unit. It could also be used as a study tool; the kids could record things they've learned that could show up on a test and then listen to the podcasts to study. If the technology is available to me, I think I might actually use these in my classroom. I used to be so against technology in the classroom, but it's actually starting to grow on me. I'd still rather have textbooks, novels, paper, pencils and a blackboard than a bunch of computers and technology, but if I could have both, I think it could be very beneficial to my students.
Okay, a picutre for this time.... This one is of my little sister and my step-dad when he was in the hospital. He was in the ICU for 10 days because part of the membrane around his brain had started to rupture. It was over a year ago, and it was a really scary time. I thank God every day that he is still here with us. Now, it's as if nothing ever happened; he's totally healthy! :)