I watched the podcast produced by Stanford University entitled, " 'Growth' vs. 'Fixed' Mindsets in Learning". In this podcast, the argument is made that some students have the idea that their intelligence is "fixed" or that they can't improve their intelligence with practice. Some students think opposite of this. They think that their minds are expandable and can "grow". The beliefs that students have about their abilities tend to influence which activities they participate in and how they participate.
A study was done which involved students attending workshops that dealt with the "growth" idea and study skills and another set of workshops dealing with only the study skills. The students who attended just the study skills workshops did not really improve much in the classroom but the students who attended the study skills workshops and received the idea that their minds can grow did improve in the classroom. Students learned to compare their brains to a muscle that gets stronger with use. The skills the students learned in the growth mindset workshops caused such an improvement in the students' schoolwork that their teachers were able to tell a difference. The presenter of this information in the podcast then relates all of this information to race car driving and life in the business world. With both of these scenarios, people must learn to change and adapt and accept new ideas. Students with the growth mindset are able to flourish in these situations but students with the fixed mindset just feel inferior.
I can see this information being helpful in the classroom because if a student has the "fixed" mindset, they are not going to succeed and may eventually fall behind the other students. As a teacher, I should be continually on the lookout for which types of mindsets are in my class and how to help the students with the fixed mindsets see that their mind isn't just an unchanging object. I need to be able to encourage students to do better and to expand their minds. I also need to provide opportunities for them to stretch their brains and make their brains work without them really realizing that they are growing their brains. There are many ways that their brains can be stretched and strengthened and I will have to be able to employ several methods to help my class's brains grow and grow.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Accessibility for All
I am so glad that Mr. Sullivan took the time to educate us about not only the blind that may very well be in our future classrooms but also how to accommodate those students. I was not aware that there are so many different kinds of software to help visually impaired people in so many ways. I really liked the piece that was like a regular keyboard but was a blind person's computer. The fact that it is portable is very nice since I know that I use my own laptop very often. The software that spoke the website to the user was not as enjoyable to me. I assume that it could be loaded onto a laptop as well and then could be portable just like the other piece of equipment. Knowing that these technological resources and the agency that he works for are available is a tool that all teachers should have.
WGBH Podcasts.
I listened to the podcasts from the K-5 Section and I found some pretty neat videos on solar eclipses and the moon. I listened to "Solar Eclipses" first. It was hosted by Susan Stolovy of the SIRTF Science Center and produced by NASA/ JPL Caltech. Susan talked kind of fast which made it hard to understand her. The video defined the terms "umbra" and "penumbra". An umbra is the area inside a full solar eclipse and the penumbra is the area inside a partial solar eclipse. There was an animation to demonstrate how a solar eclipse takes place but it didn't last very long. It took a lot of attention to really make sense of the video. The video did point out that the moon is four hundred times smaller than Earth but that it is four hundred times closer to the sun than Earth is. If these proportions were different, there would not be a solar eclipse ever because the moon would either be too big and block the sun completely or the moon would be too close and would block the sun completely. This podcast was okay but I liked "Total Eclipse Animation" by NOVA "Eclipse of the Century" better. This video discussed most of the same principles and ideas but also had some new facts, such as the stages of the eclipse and that the solar atmosphere that is seen during a solar eclipse is known as the corona. This podcast also had some animation to help demonstrate the concept. With the two videos combined, I think students could probably grasp the concept. I like that these videos were not very long. Each video was just over a minute long. I also watched a third video, "Why Doesn't the Moon Fall Down?", produced by NASA/ JPL Caltech. It was hosted by Doris Daou of the SIRTF Science Center. I learned some new things from this video! The moon is actually always falling toward Earth but because of the rate and direction of the fall, the moon will never hit Earth. The moon is never falling down in the same direction because the moon spinning quickly about its axis causes the moon to fall in a path that ends up rotating around Earth. If the moon spun any faster, it would spin out of control and out of its path around Earth. If it spun any slower, it would fall into Earth due to Earth's gravitational pull. This explains the moon's orbit around Earth.
I really like the video and audio podcasts much better than the podcasts that are just audio. These could very well be of use in a classroom because having a short video that gets right to the point of an issue and illustrates it well is beneficial. The animation of difficult topics really brings the topic alive for students and helps them put the facts that they know into play.
Also, since these videos were all short and the three of them combined didn't take up much more than five minutes (if even that long), they could easily be integrated into a day of class. Lengthy videos or videos that require a teacher to "find the spot" of interest in them are hard to fit into an already busy day. I know that I had teachers who battled often with the VCR or DVD player, trying to find where we left off with a long video or where the information was on the video that we needed for that day. The short time span of the video is also good since most children do not have very long attention spans. Long videos also provide one of the best opportunities for sneaking in a nap and that is never a good thing for the teacher or the student.
I really do think that podcasts like this will definitely be beneficial and readily useful in a classroom.
I really like the video and audio podcasts much better than the podcasts that are just audio. These could very well be of use in a classroom because having a short video that gets right to the point of an issue and illustrates it well is beneficial. The animation of difficult topics really brings the topic alive for students and helps them put the facts that they know into play.
Also, since these videos were all short and the three of them combined didn't take up much more than five minutes (if even that long), they could easily be integrated into a day of class. Lengthy videos or videos that require a teacher to "find the spot" of interest in them are hard to fit into an already busy day. I know that I had teachers who battled often with the VCR or DVD player, trying to find where we left off with a long video or where the information was on the video that we needed for that day. The short time span of the video is also good since most children do not have very long attention spans. Long videos also provide one of the best opportunities for sneaking in a nap and that is never a good thing for the teacher or the student.
I really do think that podcasts like this will definitely be beneficial and readily useful in a classroom.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Alabama Virtual Library
The Alabama Virtual Library is a resource that is free to residents of the state of Alabama and made possible by the legislature of Alabama. Any resident of the state of Alabama may receive a card from their local public library. The card is good for three years and may be renewed at the same library or if the user has moved, at their new local library for another three years. An Alabama Virtual Library Card allows users to access numerous newspaper articles, journals, databases, and magazines from a computer.
Since this service is available to all residents and is free to all, it ensures that people may educate themselves on almost any topic that they chose. All they have to do is visit their local library. This is a great service that the state of Alabama provides for its citizens.
I attended public school in the state of Alabama and I had an Alabama Virtual Library Card. My classmates and I constantly were using the Alabama Virtual Library for research papers, science fair projects, etc. We were able to have access to materials that I know our school system could never afford. The website was very user friendly and provided my classmates and I with wonderful resources. I am sure that by now my card has expired but I just may go get it renewed the next time I have a chance.
Since this service is available to all residents and is free to all, it ensures that people may educate themselves on almost any topic that they chose. All they have to do is visit their local library. This is a great service that the state of Alabama provides for its citizens.
I attended public school in the state of Alabama and I had an Alabama Virtual Library Card. My classmates and I constantly were using the Alabama Virtual Library for research papers, science fair projects, etc. We were able to have access to materials that I know our school system could never afford. The website was very user friendly and provided my classmates and I with wonderful resources. I am sure that by now my card has expired but I just may go get it renewed the next time I have a chance.
More Podcasts!
I liked these podcasts better than the previous podcasts. Since these are available as video, I found it easier to stay focused on what topics.
The Edible Schoolyard is in California and is a garden that students cultivate while learning basic skills. Ecoliteracy is the main theme of this podcast. Ecoliteracy is using the environment to learn. This concept reminded me of the monks of the Middle Ages and how they knew so much about science and math. These students are also learning much about science and math through agriculture. Students were also having to apply the skills that are usually taught in the classroom and that application of skills reinforces the need for the skills. The teachers on the video were able to explain the water cycle, multiplication, and even social studies all while using the garden. They explained the water cycle using the dew that is on plants in the early morning. They taught multiplication and fractions as they made pumpkin pies from pumpkins they had grown. The students were told that the recipe called for one and a half cups of an ingredient and then asked what that would be if they doubled the recipe. Since the variety of pumpkin that they were about to cook was a French variety, they also were able to tie in social studies. The students in the podcast were middle school students. A garden of this sort not only teaches knowledge that is usually in a textbook but also pride, self-worth, and the fact that they are needed. All of the students were so proud of what they had accomplished and realized that they all had a job to do in the success of the garden. This concept of using a garden to teach skills also reminds me of a project that my fourth grade class did. We hatched chickens from "yard eggs" in an incubator in our classroom. We would break an egg every few weeks to be able to track the development of the chick. We learned about the development of animals and we also were able to get a real sense of time due to the fact that we had to wait a certain amount of time for the chicks to hatch. We, like the students in the video, also were able to gain some personal knowledge when some of the chicks died after hatching. We learned how to handle emotions and death. I truly believe that learning in such an environment is an ideal situation and one that leaves a lasting impression on a student.
The second podcast was also in video form.This video takes place on Heifer Ranch in Colorado. The students that visit this ranch take part in a Global Village experiment. The students are randomly assigned in groups to a country and then must live as people in that country live for twenty four hours. The students are given limited supplies and very primitive living conditions. No group is given all of the supplies that they will need. This forces the groups to barter and trade with each other for the necessities. These students are able to get a first hand account of what it is like to truly be hungry, to desperately need something that someone else has, and to be forced to beg for basic goods. Students said that they feel that they learned a lot during their experience but that they still may not have gotten the complete experience since they knew that the next day would be a normal day with food, running water, electricity, etc. This experience seems like a a good experience for some children but I just do not know that I would have enjoyed, as a middle school child, being in the wilderness for twenty four hours with limited supplies and having to beg to have my needs met. I don't know that I would particularly like this now or even being outside for twenty four hours with all of the supplies that I would need. This kids really stepped outside of their comfort zones and did well to think of the good that comes from empathy rather than sympathy.
I think that podcasts like this could be of use to me as a teacher since they involve other children. Children are nosy and love to know what other children are up to. Being able to see that children in other areas can learn in other ways could possibly prompt students to take a look at the world around them and see how they can learn from everyday objects. I am from a rural area and I know that if the children in my area could see that the daily tasks that many of them have to do have a practical application, they would not only enjoy their chores a bit better but also be reinforcing the skills that they learn in the classroom without even realizing it.
With the Global Village podcast, since it raises awareness for world events and needs, I think that other podcasts along the same lines would be beneficial when we do different canned food drives and other events to help the less fortunate. Many children simply do not understand the need to do charity work. Many schools and organizations will reward the class or group who does the most charity work or donates the most cans. Then, children will do whatever they can to outdo each other and win the award. I think that if children were able to see the reason why they do the charity work, then they would be more apt to participate in activities to help those in need when they are adults.
I also think that since these podcasts are in a video format, these would be more useful in a classroom than just audio podcasts. Since some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others may have attention problems, a video with audio may meet the needs of the majority of the class. I found it hard to pay attention to the podcasts that were just audio and wished that they had some sort of video, graphic, or something to look at. I do like the fact that the podcasts deal with children and have interviews from children on them so that students can see that this relates to them.
The Edible Schoolyard is in California and is a garden that students cultivate while learning basic skills. Ecoliteracy is the main theme of this podcast. Ecoliteracy is using the environment to learn. This concept reminded me of the monks of the Middle Ages and how they knew so much about science and math. These students are also learning much about science and math through agriculture. Students were also having to apply the skills that are usually taught in the classroom and that application of skills reinforces the need for the skills. The teachers on the video were able to explain the water cycle, multiplication, and even social studies all while using the garden. They explained the water cycle using the dew that is on plants in the early morning. They taught multiplication and fractions as they made pumpkin pies from pumpkins they had grown. The students were told that the recipe called for one and a half cups of an ingredient and then asked what that would be if they doubled the recipe. Since the variety of pumpkin that they were about to cook was a French variety, they also were able to tie in social studies. The students in the podcast were middle school students. A garden of this sort not only teaches knowledge that is usually in a textbook but also pride, self-worth, and the fact that they are needed. All of the students were so proud of what they had accomplished and realized that they all had a job to do in the success of the garden. This concept of using a garden to teach skills also reminds me of a project that my fourth grade class did. We hatched chickens from "yard eggs" in an incubator in our classroom. We would break an egg every few weeks to be able to track the development of the chick. We learned about the development of animals and we also were able to get a real sense of time due to the fact that we had to wait a certain amount of time for the chicks to hatch. We, like the students in the video, also were able to gain some personal knowledge when some of the chicks died after hatching. We learned how to handle emotions and death. I truly believe that learning in such an environment is an ideal situation and one that leaves a lasting impression on a student.
The second podcast was also in video form.This video takes place on Heifer Ranch in Colorado. The students that visit this ranch take part in a Global Village experiment. The students are randomly assigned in groups to a country and then must live as people in that country live for twenty four hours. The students are given limited supplies and very primitive living conditions. No group is given all of the supplies that they will need. This forces the groups to barter and trade with each other for the necessities. These students are able to get a first hand account of what it is like to truly be hungry, to desperately need something that someone else has, and to be forced to beg for basic goods. Students said that they feel that they learned a lot during their experience but that they still may not have gotten the complete experience since they knew that the next day would be a normal day with food, running water, electricity, etc. This experience seems like a a good experience for some children but I just do not know that I would have enjoyed, as a middle school child, being in the wilderness for twenty four hours with limited supplies and having to beg to have my needs met. I don't know that I would particularly like this now or even being outside for twenty four hours with all of the supplies that I would need. This kids really stepped outside of their comfort zones and did well to think of the good that comes from empathy rather than sympathy.
I think that podcasts like this could be of use to me as a teacher since they involve other children. Children are nosy and love to know what other children are up to. Being able to see that children in other areas can learn in other ways could possibly prompt students to take a look at the world around them and see how they can learn from everyday objects. I am from a rural area and I know that if the children in my area could see that the daily tasks that many of them have to do have a practical application, they would not only enjoy their chores a bit better but also be reinforcing the skills that they learn in the classroom without even realizing it.
With the Global Village podcast, since it raises awareness for world events and needs, I think that other podcasts along the same lines would be beneficial when we do different canned food drives and other events to help the less fortunate. Many children simply do not understand the need to do charity work. Many schools and organizations will reward the class or group who does the most charity work or donates the most cans. Then, children will do whatever they can to outdo each other and win the award. I think that if children were able to see the reason why they do the charity work, then they would be more apt to participate in activities to help those in need when they are adults.
I also think that since these podcasts are in a video format, these would be more useful in a classroom than just audio podcasts. Since some children are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and others may have attention problems, a video with audio may meet the needs of the majority of the class. I found it hard to pay attention to the podcasts that were just audio and wished that they had some sort of video, graphic, or something to look at. I do like the fact that the podcasts deal with children and have interviews from children on them so that students can see that this relates to them.
Podcasts!
I am late with the post that I should have done last week. I had a horrible migraine Wednesday and Thursday and looking at the computer screen or listening to the podcasts would not have been a wise thing to do since light and sound only make my migraines worse. :(
I started off by listening to the SmartBoard Lessons Pocast, Episode 147: Student Interaction. It is hosted by Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger. This podcast started off kind of off the topic. For about the first three and a half minutes, the hosts discussed Ben's cold and joked around. They discussed Ben's huge ego and his goal of the two hosts one day hosting a morning radio show. They then moved on with discussing some housekeeping issues and contact information for themselves. Ben and Joan then did some more ego boosting. This is already about five minutes into the podcast and they really haven't said anything about the topic of the day. Joan finally started to share some websites that she found or heard about that were interesting but Ben kept interrupting her and being sarcastic. By now, I had already lost interest in this podcast. They were just being silly and wasting time. At almost directly the seven minute mark, Joan eventually tells everyone of a tool (or toy) that does apply to the SmartBoard. There is a website that allows visitors to access a screen that looks like a piece of bubble wrap and then proceed to "pop" the bubbles. I have been to this site a few years ago and it can be addicting if there is truly nothing else for one to be doing. Joan talked about how this can be used on a SmartBoard and how instead of having to reload the site, one can just click on Fresh Sheet and get a new piece of virtual bubble wrap. This is not an educational tool at all unless maybe you count the bubbles. It would be a fun alternative to counting blocks or another object. You could count the bubbles as you pop them. Joan didn't make this connection. I just thought that maybe the bubble wrap could be integrated into the classroom setting. After the bubble wrap segment, they again started with their nonsense yet kept reminding themselves that they were on an educational program and should be discussing how to use a SmartBoard in an educational setting. This podcast is a good example of what not to do on a podcast. Be focused and get to the point within the first ten minutes.
The next podcast that I listened to was Kidcast #56- Questions Make The World Go Round. It is hosted by Dan Schmit. He was doing the podcast from the Thatcher School in California. The Thatcher School is a private, residential high school during the school year and is a conference center for teachers for one month during the summer. The school hosts Teach the Teachers Collaborative which is a series of workshops. With the school being in the almost wilderness, it provides a setting that allows teachers to be out of their usual environment and really think about the topics that they are learning and focus. Mr. Schmit had been working with some science teachers about ways to mix science and technology. One way that the two could work together would be to do podcasts about topics of study. Mr. Schmit said that the teachers had alot of questions for him and he had alot of questions for them. This led him to think about questions. He said that questions make good podcasts. Instead of podcasts just being a way for students to get information about a topic or assignment, students could use podcasts as a way of asking questions with the goal of really getting an answer or reaching a conclusion. Schmit shared "The Question Game". In the Question Game, players may only speak in question form. Questions have to be relative to previous questions. If teachers would record these questions as a podcast, they could then have students and others review them and find the "best question". I don't like the idea of finding the "best question". I don't really believe that any question is any better than another question. Anyway, the game is just a way to get students thinking and asking questions and getting outside sources to comment also. Schmit also talked about asking questions in a pyramid sort of form. Start with very basic questions (who, what, when, where, why). Then move to deeper questions that deal with understanding a topic (If this, then...). Next, ask questions that concern the application of the topic (Is this an example of... OR Is this not an example of...). The fourth group of questions that need to be asked are questions of analysis. These questions will be used to research the topic more in depth. This sounded like the kind of questions that are used to begin a science fair project. The final set of questions that should be asked are questioning the evaluation of the topic (Is this really true? Is this the only case?) If these questions are asked in a podcast the podcast is more fun for the students to do and it also makes the thought process more fun. Schmit said to start with the evaluation question as a jumping off point and then to go back through the other steps starting with the basic questions so that the class will end up with the evaluation question. This podcast was much better than the other podcast. It was short and simple. Schmit also talked briefly about a podcast competition that was being held so that KidCast could have a library of examples of their tools. Schmit did a very good job podcasting. Maybe that's why he wrote a book on podcasting in the classroom.
EdTechTalk was the next podcast that I listened to. EdTechTalk had many teachers all talking with many guests. The topic of this session was Voice Thread. I still have no idea was Voice Thread is after listening to the first ten minutes of this podcast. The hosts kept talking about different books they were reading about the brain. They did have some interesting points about the brain, such as brains working better while the body is moving about and brains work better when the body is comfortable. One speaker said that she tried to teach her class some history facts while they marched around the room and that the students remembered the facts better than they usually would do. Another speaker said that she allows her students to do their work at their desks, on a bean bag chair, etc. so that they are comfortable. This podcast was very confusing and distracting since the main speaker kept randomly speaking to people as they joined the chat room that was the hub of this podcast. She kept thanking them for joining the chat room so that they could help her with the podcast. Also, the sound of her keyboard clicking was very, very distracting. The main speaker, I never caught her name, kept saying how much she loved Voice Thread and how her kids in her classroom already know what Voice Thread is in the third week of school. I am glad that her kids know what Voice Thread is because after nine minutes of this podcast about Voice Thread, I had and still have no clue what Voice Thread is. The presenter seemed to be doing a billion things at one time and was very distracted. After ten minutes of the podcast, the special guests are finally introduced. The special guests are the two creators of Voice Thread. After over ten minutes of this distracted mess, I didn't even care to learn what Voice Thread is.
The last podcast I listened to was This Week in Photography, 051:Three's a Crowd. The title said it was hosted by Alex Lindsay and Scott Bourne. Only Scott hosted this podcast. He did have some guests with him, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkman, and some man named just Aaron. They talked for a while about some new forms of cameras that are available and some retouching software. There is software now that can take a photograph and make facial features "prettier". The guys had a great time with this and joked a lot about what "prettier" really is. They were funny but did have a good point, what is "prettier?". They also talked some about Microsoft's photo software but none of them had ever tried it. They are all Mac users and were very adamant in their loyalty to the Mac system. I wish that they had tried it so that they could have given some real life examples about problems and capabilities of the program. They said that they wanted others to try it and give them feedback. They did a pretty good job with their podcast. I just wish that they would try the software themselves so that they could describe it better than just giving the specifications of it that are on the box.
These podcasts did show some good points and bad points of podcasting and some dos and don'ts of podcasting. These podcasts show the benefits of being well prepared and focused instead of doing several things at once or just kind of winging it. These podcasts also showed the toll that background noise can take on a podcast and how it can distract the listener. I hope that we don't make these same mistakes in our own podcasts.
I started off by listening to the SmartBoard Lessons Pocast, Episode 147: Student Interaction. It is hosted by Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger. This podcast started off kind of off the topic. For about the first three and a half minutes, the hosts discussed Ben's cold and joked around. They discussed Ben's huge ego and his goal of the two hosts one day hosting a morning radio show. They then moved on with discussing some housekeeping issues and contact information for themselves. Ben and Joan then did some more ego boosting. This is already about five minutes into the podcast and they really haven't said anything about the topic of the day. Joan finally started to share some websites that she found or heard about that were interesting but Ben kept interrupting her and being sarcastic. By now, I had already lost interest in this podcast. They were just being silly and wasting time. At almost directly the seven minute mark, Joan eventually tells everyone of a tool (or toy) that does apply to the SmartBoard. There is a website that allows visitors to access a screen that looks like a piece of bubble wrap and then proceed to "pop" the bubbles. I have been to this site a few years ago and it can be addicting if there is truly nothing else for one to be doing. Joan talked about how this can be used on a SmartBoard and how instead of having to reload the site, one can just click on Fresh Sheet and get a new piece of virtual bubble wrap. This is not an educational tool at all unless maybe you count the bubbles. It would be a fun alternative to counting blocks or another object. You could count the bubbles as you pop them. Joan didn't make this connection. I just thought that maybe the bubble wrap could be integrated into the classroom setting. After the bubble wrap segment, they again started with their nonsense yet kept reminding themselves that they were on an educational program and should be discussing how to use a SmartBoard in an educational setting. This podcast is a good example of what not to do on a podcast. Be focused and get to the point within the first ten minutes.
The next podcast that I listened to was Kidcast #56- Questions Make The World Go Round. It is hosted by Dan Schmit. He was doing the podcast from the Thatcher School in California. The Thatcher School is a private, residential high school during the school year and is a conference center for teachers for one month during the summer. The school hosts Teach the Teachers Collaborative which is a series of workshops. With the school being in the almost wilderness, it provides a setting that allows teachers to be out of their usual environment and really think about the topics that they are learning and focus. Mr. Schmit had been working with some science teachers about ways to mix science and technology. One way that the two could work together would be to do podcasts about topics of study. Mr. Schmit said that the teachers had alot of questions for him and he had alot of questions for them. This led him to think about questions. He said that questions make good podcasts. Instead of podcasts just being a way for students to get information about a topic or assignment, students could use podcasts as a way of asking questions with the goal of really getting an answer or reaching a conclusion. Schmit shared "The Question Game". In the Question Game, players may only speak in question form. Questions have to be relative to previous questions. If teachers would record these questions as a podcast, they could then have students and others review them and find the "best question". I don't like the idea of finding the "best question". I don't really believe that any question is any better than another question. Anyway, the game is just a way to get students thinking and asking questions and getting outside sources to comment also. Schmit also talked about asking questions in a pyramid sort of form. Start with very basic questions (who, what, when, where, why). Then move to deeper questions that deal with understanding a topic (If this, then...). Next, ask questions that concern the application of the topic (Is this an example of... OR Is this not an example of...). The fourth group of questions that need to be asked are questions of analysis. These questions will be used to research the topic more in depth. This sounded like the kind of questions that are used to begin a science fair project. The final set of questions that should be asked are questioning the evaluation of the topic (Is this really true? Is this the only case?) If these questions are asked in a podcast the podcast is more fun for the students to do and it also makes the thought process more fun. Schmit said to start with the evaluation question as a jumping off point and then to go back through the other steps starting with the basic questions so that the class will end up with the evaluation question. This podcast was much better than the other podcast. It was short and simple. Schmit also talked briefly about a podcast competition that was being held so that KidCast could have a library of examples of their tools. Schmit did a very good job podcasting. Maybe that's why he wrote a book on podcasting in the classroom.
EdTechTalk was the next podcast that I listened to. EdTechTalk had many teachers all talking with many guests. The topic of this session was Voice Thread. I still have no idea was Voice Thread is after listening to the first ten minutes of this podcast. The hosts kept talking about different books they were reading about the brain. They did have some interesting points about the brain, such as brains working better while the body is moving about and brains work better when the body is comfortable. One speaker said that she tried to teach her class some history facts while they marched around the room and that the students remembered the facts better than they usually would do. Another speaker said that she allows her students to do their work at their desks, on a bean bag chair, etc. so that they are comfortable. This podcast was very confusing and distracting since the main speaker kept randomly speaking to people as they joined the chat room that was the hub of this podcast. She kept thanking them for joining the chat room so that they could help her with the podcast. Also, the sound of her keyboard clicking was very, very distracting. The main speaker, I never caught her name, kept saying how much she loved Voice Thread and how her kids in her classroom already know what Voice Thread is in the third week of school. I am glad that her kids know what Voice Thread is because after nine minutes of this podcast about Voice Thread, I had and still have no clue what Voice Thread is. The presenter seemed to be doing a billion things at one time and was very distracted. After ten minutes of the podcast, the special guests are finally introduced. The special guests are the two creators of Voice Thread. After over ten minutes of this distracted mess, I didn't even care to learn what Voice Thread is.
The last podcast I listened to was This Week in Photography, 051:Three's a Crowd. The title said it was hosted by Alex Lindsay and Scott Bourne. Only Scott hosted this podcast. He did have some guests with him, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkman, and some man named just Aaron. They talked for a while about some new forms of cameras that are available and some retouching software. There is software now that can take a photograph and make facial features "prettier". The guys had a great time with this and joked a lot about what "prettier" really is. They were funny but did have a good point, what is "prettier?". They also talked some about Microsoft's photo software but none of them had ever tried it. They are all Mac users and were very adamant in their loyalty to the Mac system. I wish that they had tried it so that they could have given some real life examples about problems and capabilities of the program. They said that they wanted others to try it and give them feedback. They did a pretty good job with their podcast. I just wish that they would try the software themselves so that they could describe it better than just giving the specifications of it that are on the box.
These podcasts did show some good points and bad points of podcasting and some dos and don'ts of podcasting. These podcasts show the benefits of being well prepared and focused instead of doing several things at once or just kind of winging it. These podcasts also showed the toll that background noise can take on a podcast and how it can distract the listener. I hope that we don't make these same mistakes in our own podcasts.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Wow. Originally, I thought this was going to be a very sad, sappy lecture given that it truly was Pausch's last lecture ever. Everyone who attended the lecture knew that Pausch was battling cancer and that Pausch would likely lose his battle. Pausch opens the lecture by addressing just that. He had cancer. He had been invited to give a last lecture. By Pausch outright address what was on everyone's mind, he lightened the mood a bit. He also challenged people to know what you can change and what you can't change and to go from there.
When Pausch talked about his time at ETC, he talked about field trips to Pixar and the real life application of the programs, such as helping the fire department. Students learn more and learn easier when they can not only have fun but also see a real life application to their studies. I know that this is true in my own studies. If I can see a way that I can really use what I am learning, I learn it quicker, easier, and more willfully.
Pausch also talked about "Alice", a program to help children use technology. Children can create their own movies and video games. This program not only teaches computer programming skills, which is in higher demand everyday, but also makes students work some with storytelling and creative writing. "Alice" is a "head fake", meaning that it causes students to learn without realizing they are learning. Pausch says that students will "have fun while learning something hard".
Pausch later talks about creativity and life tips. Teachers should also teach some form of life tips in addition to their coursework. He says to give kids freedom. He uses an illustration about painting a bedroom and how he was allowed to paint his bedroom how he wished when he was a child. He painted an elevator on one wall, a submarine, things he would like to have or was interested in. Let children be creative and give them freedom to create how they want.
Perhaps the greatest bits of knowledge that Pausch gives to others are to keep your arrogance in check, truly sell education like a salesman would do, never lose childlike wonder, and to help others. However, the theme that underscores all of Randy Pausch's last lecture is to have fun!
When Pausch talked about his time at ETC, he talked about field trips to Pixar and the real life application of the programs, such as helping the fire department. Students learn more and learn easier when they can not only have fun but also see a real life application to their studies. I know that this is true in my own studies. If I can see a way that I can really use what I am learning, I learn it quicker, easier, and more willfully.
Pausch also talked about "Alice", a program to help children use technology. Children can create their own movies and video games. This program not only teaches computer programming skills, which is in higher demand everyday, but also makes students work some with storytelling and creative writing. "Alice" is a "head fake", meaning that it causes students to learn without realizing they are learning. Pausch says that students will "have fun while learning something hard".
Pausch later talks about creativity and life tips. Teachers should also teach some form of life tips in addition to their coursework. He says to give kids freedom. He uses an illustration about painting a bedroom and how he was allowed to paint his bedroom how he wished when he was a child. He painted an elevator on one wall, a submarine, things he would like to have or was interested in. Let children be creative and give them freedom to create how they want.
Perhaps the greatest bits of knowledge that Pausch gives to others are to keep your arrogance in check, truly sell education like a salesman would do, never lose childlike wonder, and to help others. However, the theme that underscores all of Randy Pausch's last lecture is to have fun!
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