I was exploring the latest tech news on the Fox News website and discovered this site that the University of California-Berkeley has implemented into their university curriculum. It is a personal site, using the popular video sharing site YouTube, in which they include lectures and other event information throughout the campus. As I continued to think about the possible uses of this site, how awesome would it be if you missed some of the day's notes and wanted to retrieve some more details on what was covered in class, to just log on to this site with your CatID login name and password and watch away? Please leave comments below and let me know what your thoughts are!!!
Check out the article HERE!
Check out the Cal YouTube Website HERE!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Lincoln Elementary School Reflection
In thinking back to our class visit to Lincoln Elementary School, here in Cedar Falls, it is quite amazing to think about the numerous ways that they use technology. First of all, let it be noted, that Lincoln was built around 2003, so each aspect of the building is amazingly new and current.
The major feature that I noticed when I was there was the microphones that some of the teachers wore when presenting a lecture. I found this extremely beneficial in a couple of aspects. First, the teacher could still speak at a reasonable volume, as the microphone was wired to speakers throughout the room, making it a little easier so they did not have to shout. The other reason this would prove beneficial would be that it could be recorded and reproduced at a later date. If a student missed a certain day's lecture on a math or English assignment, the podcast of that lecture could be presented to the student, allowing the student to stay ahead with his or her schoolwork.
Another observation I had was just how MUCH these teachers integrated technology into their classroom. The use of the overhead projector seems a minor part of the classroom now, due to the shift to the projectors mounted to the ceiling. Commented one teacher, "I feel lost if something is not working." This just proves that the shift is ocurring as far as classroom technology.
As for the students, WOW! Each of them had their own favorite part of using the computers in the classroom, whether it was playing games, working on websites, or creating and showing a PowerPoint presentation. It was fascinating to see just how excited they got when they were allowed to share their favorite sites and activities using technology.
From a broader perspective, to see how the school was networked together was amazing. Getting a sneak peek at the hubs that their network runs on was absolutely awesome! They have whole rooms dedicated to their computer netowrking supplies! It was also interesting in learning just how networked the entire Cedar Falls District is at the present day.
Overall, this experience really opened my eyes in viewing the level and amount of technology that occurs in the classroom. Each element that we observed seemed to be in use in the classroom and the students really seemed to enjoy it. I can just hope that as I graduate and enter into the teaching profession, I will be in a district that can afford or already has been able to afford these certain types of technology that can easily be integrated into the classroom curriculum.
The major feature that I noticed when I was there was the microphones that some of the teachers wore when presenting a lecture. I found this extremely beneficial in a couple of aspects. First, the teacher could still speak at a reasonable volume, as the microphone was wired to speakers throughout the room, making it a little easier so they did not have to shout. The other reason this would prove beneficial would be that it could be recorded and reproduced at a later date. If a student missed a certain day's lecture on a math or English assignment, the podcast of that lecture could be presented to the student, allowing the student to stay ahead with his or her schoolwork.
Another observation I had was just how MUCH these teachers integrated technology into their classroom. The use of the overhead projector seems a minor part of the classroom now, due to the shift to the projectors mounted to the ceiling. Commented one teacher, "I feel lost if something is not working." This just proves that the shift is ocurring as far as classroom technology.
As for the students, WOW! Each of them had their own favorite part of using the computers in the classroom, whether it was playing games, working on websites, or creating and showing a PowerPoint presentation. It was fascinating to see just how excited they got when they were allowed to share their favorite sites and activities using technology.
From a broader perspective, to see how the school was networked together was amazing. Getting a sneak peek at the hubs that their network runs on was absolutely awesome! They have whole rooms dedicated to their computer netowrking supplies! It was also interesting in learning just how networked the entire Cedar Falls District is at the present day.
Overall, this experience really opened my eyes in viewing the level and amount of technology that occurs in the classroom. Each element that we observed seemed to be in use in the classroom and the students really seemed to enjoy it. I can just hope that as I graduate and enter into the teaching profession, I will be in a district that can afford or already has been able to afford these certain types of technology that can easily be integrated into the classroom curriculum.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Shift Happens
When I was enrolled in Educational Media in the Fall 2007 Semester, we watched a video entitled, "Did You Know 2.0?" It outlines the way that the digital world has affected not only the United States but the entire world. It is quite an interesting video with nearly every screen being another fascinating statistic that really demonstrates how the digital shift is occurring. Most of these things are events that we are aware of occurring, but the drastic impact on the nation is something that goes unrecognized. The video can be seen below.
Feel free to comment on your thoughts about this, I would enjoy reading them!
Feel free to comment on your thoughts about this, I would enjoy reading them!
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