Week 11

Today, every where we go someone will have an ipod. They are used every where we go and it seems like just about everyone in the world has one or some form of one no matter what the age. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and are used for more than just entertainment now days. Duke University has come up with some interesting ways to use an ipod in the classroom. It is called the "ipod initiative." Here's a link:Duke Initiative

Many students and teachers were involved in this research study. Duke bought about 150 ipods for some students and faculty to use over the course of a couple months in their classrooms. They found both positives and negatives in using the ipod in the classroom, but it seemed to be mostly beneficial to the students rather than not.

The ipod was used in three different music courses, spanish, and english. The students found many different things beneficial in using the ipod in the classroom. Things such as better comprehension for listening, more advantages for difficult lectures, and being able to use pre-loaded content and loading it themselves. Other courses used the ipod for different reasons such as recording, which I thought was something rather interesting. About twenty different kinds of courses used the ipod for recording, whether it was lectures, field notes and experience, or just sound and data collection. They found many positive aspects as well to using the ipod for recording lectures. They found it very convenient and also very useful in groups with peers. However, one LARGE problem with this that most of the faculty expressed concern about was the attendance rate because recording their lectures was so easy students felt they did not necessarily need to come to class, which became a problem.

So as we can see there are both positives and negatives to using the ipod in the classrooms. The students seem to really enjoy using the ipod for different reasons and so do the faculty; however, there were concerns about the attendance, which is understandable. I think using the ipod in the classroom would be a great asset if used correctly. It is something most students are very familiar with and teachers could really get their students excited and involved in something they are very interested in outside of the classroom inside their classroom as well.

Week 10

Dr. Alice Christie graduated from Arizona University and received her Ph. D in 1995 in Educational Technology and Language Literacy. She was a previous teacher until retirement in the past few years, and now holds workshops on how to enhance learning with technology in the classroom. She believes very strongly in integrating technology in the classroom and bringing her students up to date with current technology as well as any type of future technology that she can. She has devoted herself to a lifelong journey of learning. She also wants to do all that she can to encourage educators to incorporate web design, gps, and any other type of technological thing that will further the education of students in the classroom.

I think there is alot to be learned from people like Dr. Alice Christie. Her website was very informative and very encouraging. As a future educator, it made me want to learn more about what she does and see what all projects she participates in. Her encouragement in the GEOPA project I think is a wonderful thing! Technology is something that is apart of our everyday lives and needs to be taught to everyone everywhere. She believes that using any type of technology in the classroom just about will help us (future educators) in our classrooms. Whether its blogs, email, web pages, gps, or even web cams it can all help children further themselves in some way or another just a little bit. Dr. Christie may not be someone who is well known, but she is definetely someone that is recognizable for what all she is done, and is currently doing. Everything that she encourages is the way of the future, and educators need to take her advice by using tools in the classroom that she suggests!

Week 9

This little article made me even more cautious than I already am about using definitions or articles on the site.I have always been warned about Wikipedia especially in college, but I never thought it was actually edited by so many people. Reading this article made me even more weary about even considering the information that I read on Wikipedia. It seems like because the site is used so frequently it would be one of the most up to date and valid cites, but apparently that is not true.

A man named Virgil Griffith traced the IP addresses back to computers to see who was editing some of the information on the site and it turned out to be some people that most would not expect. Who is to say that some of the topics are not just strictly opinions from some of the corporations listed from Griffith's list like Diebold, Pfizer, Exxon Mobil, and Walmart. The Democratic Party, Republican Party, the CIA, and even Churches are also editing information on the site. People use this information on papers and in research and it is not even close to valid. I hope that more articles like this one start to surface to make people in college and high school more aware of who may be editing the information on Wikipedia, and what kind of information they may be getting on the site.

Week 8

I chose November's topic "Why Wireless" to read about this week and I found it rather interesting. Arapahoe High school has made its entire school wireless and open for all of its students. While they see this as an advantage I can also see how it could be a disadvantage as well. It does makes sense why they did it for their students so they could start checking grades, having more access to databases, access to information on the internet, and logging into what their teacher's have for them. However, I also see the other concern the loss of concentration of the students. This is why Mr. Fischer wrote this large letter for parents. He explains why this is such a good idea and why they should accept this. This bulletin/letter was very informative and would have made a lot of sense for a parent, and after reading it they should have been more accepting of the idea of wireless internet at a Arapahoe.

I personally feel that this would be a good idea for schools, but it should be limited. I would welcome this as a future teacher because I know the internet is the way of the future and many students need more access to the internet. All students do not have access at home and having it at school would give every student the advantage to access all that they need at school. I feel wireless would be a wonderful asset to most schools if it was regulated and students knew there were regulations and policies.

Week 7

Fischer's is completely right for having the opinion of educator's being technologically "educated." It is about time for educator's to become technologically advanced. I agree with Fischer that people should be embarrassed by the fact they do not know anything about technology today especially if they are a teacher. Teacher's should be required to know something about technology and intergrating it into their classroom. It is, after all, what everything is based on in our world today and the kids future depends on it!

I agree with him completely about it we should stop being so nice for the qualifications for jobs as well. If they do not know how to type and work a computer and its applications they should not be able to be a teacher. The kids in the classrooms future truly depends on what we know as teachers, and we should all know how to work these machines as well as others. I think something should be done about this just like Fischer said. We should step up to the plate and stop living in the past, and make sure our qualifications are up to date because we have to may things at stake.