Itunes University

I think using Itunes University in the classroom will save money and allow students to remember things better. Itunes University has a database of tons of podcasts for free from top museums and research facilities. If a science teacher wanted to do a unit about sea turtles she could use Itunes and download their “turtlecast” for free instead of having to go and purchase a likely very expensive and old VHS. This generation of students has also been exposed to Itunes previously so they will not have to learn very much new technology in order to start doing podcast reports of their own as well as listening to others. I think teachers enjoy using Itunes University because it gives the students a chance to be the teachers themselves. Also when the whole world can look up and see exactly what you said you’re more likely to take your work seriously so the quality of student podcasts may be higher than what they would have done on an essay or paper.
Itunes University could be especially useful in foreign language classes. It is very difficult to learn a second language once you get into middle school and up. Unfortunately that is generally when American students start their French or Spanish 101. The podcasts would allow students to have conversations among each other that they could post. The teacher could then listen to them all and critique each group equally instead of having to quickly move from group to group. If the students are able to hear the language they are learning each day and use it frequently they will be more likely to retain it. Also foreign language instructional book and tapes can cost hundreds of dollars but Itunes University is free. That’s always a plus for teachers and students!

My Presentation

Dr. Christie's Site

I am always amazed at just how little I knew about technology and how it can be used in the classroom to enhance learning. To me there were power point presentations and internet searches with an occasional class blog. Dr. Christie’s site really got me excited about how I could improve the quality of my instruction and my students’ enjoyment of it. I’m going to teach English and eventually History as well. I thought about the web quests and geocache projects Dr. Christie spoke wrote about. There is so much I could do with those!
For my English classes I could have them do a web quest. They could look for Shakespeare references on websites and blogs to see just how influential his writing is. For my history classes I could set up a treasure hunt around the school. The students could learn about Schindler’s Gold and then search for plastic Easter eggs filled with various things like chocolate coins and bonus questions they could answer for extra credit. By using the GPS tools they would also be learning about the systems real archeologists today use. I look forward to using technology in my classroom because I feel my students will truly enjoy AND retain what they have learned with me.

Wikipedia Edits

When I first started college my English 101 teacher told us two things. Always check your grammar and NEVER trust Wikipedia. Obviously there was a reason behind her distrust of the source. Wikipedia was an interesting idea. People are able to come together and compile bits of useful and useless information. The problem with this is that anyone can alter Wikipedia. This new tracker that Griffith invented shows just how much companies and politicians have used Wikipedia to make themselves look better. It always disturbs me when I see someone using Wikipedia as a source on a research paper. For example an entry on George Washington could have been done by a ten year old and not the professor the student assumed would have done it. Anyone can play with Wikipedia. This is what makes it fun and useless at the same time. One of my professors said if she saw Wikipedia as a source she would throw the paper in the trash and that student would receive a zero! Companies are posting things that may not necessarily be true and Wikipedia and people are buying it without even questioning who the author was! It’s very important that people take the time to think about who wrote what they are reading and what their motivations could be. I for one will never trust Wikipedia again!

180 Days Response

My second Fischbowl post came from a blog entitled 180 Days. It describes how teachers have a hard time teaching everything they want and need to in such a short period of time. In high school I remember how we would spend 30 minutes on real learning and the rest would be spent doing busy work or chattering amongst ourselves. Teachers would also have to spend a large chunk of class trying to prepare us for standardized testing. Instead of teaching a subject in detail she would only be able to cover the basic material that we would be expected to know. If there is no depth to a subject do the students really learn anything at all or do they just memorize and regurgitate what they are told to? It's great that schools are being held responsible for the quality of their instruction but standardized tests are not able to show the strengths and skills of each individual. I don't think we need to lengthen the school year. Instead a single test should be administered to all the seniors in order for them to graduate. There can be a class devoted just to reviewing what would be necessary for it. That way the teachers would be able to teach their subjects just as well but without having to sacrifice quality for a standardized test.

Teachers and Technology

I found the Fischbowl discussion to be very interesting because it addresses how people are willing and almost proud to admit that they have very little knowledge of computers and technology in general. My friends and I often discuss how we are the last generation of children who can remember a time before a computer was in the house and in the classroom. I’ve seen how computers went from being boxy and using huge floppy drives to being 2 inches thick with memory sticks. I feel like I was not taught enough about and with technology while I was in school and now it is time for me to play catch up. I’m as embarrassed to admit I have trouble with basic blogging sometimes as I am to admit I barely have any knowledge of a second language. I think it’s time to correct that as well in the school systems.
I agree with Fisch that it is time for teachers on a large scale to become technologically literate. That’s not to say that every single one of them should know how to hack and build websites of massive proportions from scratch! What’s needed is the ability to use technology to enrich students’ education. The internet provides teachers with the opportunity to work along side their counterparts in other countries! Instead of reading about the ethnic dress of Japan an American teacher and a Japanese one could arrange to do a podcast with the Japanese students in traditional costume! It would make the lesson so much more memorable and fun. There are wonderful teachers now who are not very good with computers but it’s time we all willingly sat down and improved out skills for our students’ sake.

New Handouts

These are some articles on RSS feeds and podcasting. Here are the links.