Youtube is one of those debatable topics that teachers think about, do I use it or not? Youtube has a lot of great information and a greater amount of questionable items. Youtube would be a great tool to view videos of the Presidential Address to Congress, or old clips of School House Rocks. However, you have to decide whether to let students find it themselves or you have it up on the screen.
Teachertube has information that but unlike youtube it is not questionable. Teachers are the ones that post videos onto teachertube where as youtube is available to anyone.
I could definitely see myself using both of these sites in my classroom not so much to organize my lessons but for all the odd things that might come up. Like the Presidential Address to Congress, it is something that just pops up every 4 years so you can really plan on it. Plus in the years that we are not electing a President you can use these videos to show solid examples, and not just a theory. Students remember better when they experience things first.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Podcasts
I had never heard of podcasts before this class, with that said I think they are amazing and the best part is FREE! I like the idea of using podcasts as a morning assignment while the teacher is doing her morning routine the students have one of their own. Students would come in sit down what a podcast on the internet or one that has been loaded onto a DVD and then played back. Which would probably be the best way since podcasts can be lost in space never to be found after some time. Students would then be given a short time to write their reaction to the podcast.
Podcasts are also a great way to introduce a new concept to students. For example I recently watched a podcast talking about the solar system, you could let them watch the podcast and them go over definitions. First lesson on planets out of the way. It didn't even take that much energy out of you to plan what each lesson in the unit would cover.
Podcasts are also a great way to introduce a new concept to students. For example I recently watched a podcast talking about the solar system, you could let them watch the podcast and them go over definitions. First lesson on planets out of the way. It didn't even take that much energy out of you to plan what each lesson in the unit would cover.
Blogs as Teaching Tools
As a teacher I would use blogs as a writing tool, allowing the students opportunities to voice their opinions. My idea originally about blogs were mostly negative because I had never experienced the use of them, however after submitting posts throughout this past semester I can now see that they are a great way to integrate technology into the classroom. Blogs also would be a great way for parents to see what is going on in the classroom. If each student is assigned a week or two throughout the school year, and told they get to blog about what the class learned during that week, it would show parents that their children are learning something that they can use in life.
Blogs can be used in various ways in a classroom, but I think the best way would be as an informational tool. Getting information out to parents like homework assignments, field trips, lunch menus, school closing, etc. Things that a simple letter or note home might be over looked. In this day in age, adults spend most of their time at a computer they are everywhere you can not escape them. So why not take advantage of that via Blogging. It's a great communication tool.
Blogs can be used in various ways in a classroom, but I think the best way would be as an informational tool. Getting information out to parents like homework assignments, field trips, lunch menus, school closing, etc. Things that a simple letter or note home might be over looked. In this day in age, adults spend most of their time at a computer they are everywhere you can not escape them. So why not take advantage of that via Blogging. It's a great communication tool.
Teaching in the 21st Century
When and if I become a teacher, I will take what I have learned in EDM 310 to broaden the horizons that are in the little minds of my students. I know that technology is ever changing and new things are popping up everyday so I will definately have to keep an open mind about new advances. I will teach my students how to use Blogs, podcasts, videos, and maybe even youtube and teachertube to keep them interested in what they are learning. I know from experience that it is hard to stay focused when you are sitting down for 8 hours a day in the same four walls. So these ideas will keep my children interested, and craving to learn more.
About Me
My name is Erin O'Rourke. I live in Mobile AL, where I currently am a student at the University of South Alabama. I have a BA in Elementary Education from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina. Where my mother forced me to go she told me I needed to experience life and I loved it so much at the Abbey, she had force me to move back home.
I currently work at Trinity Gardens Community Library which is a branch of the Mobile Public Library where I am a Library Associate 1 and the Branch Manager, I love the library. I knew graduating that I wanted to work in a Children's Library which is why I went back to school. I want to get a MLS at some point so I figured teaching would tied me over until that happened. When I was younger I hated reading with a passion, and then my 4th Grade teacher assigned our class to read The Giver by Lois Lowry and it became my favorite book. Now that I work in a Library, which houses only children's books I read a lot of books. My educational experiences have opened my eyes. I started school at Little Flower Catholic, then jumped into Murphy High School which is HUGE in comparison. Only to revert back to the small school atmosphere at the Abbey, and then South which is HUGE in comparison to the Abbey.
My goals in life are to become a Librarian, teaching was just a building block up that wall, and it gave me something to do while I was unemployed other then accumulating more debt. Now that I work at the Library I'm not all that sure that I want to continue on down the teaching road. But until a more permenant postion comes along I will stick to what I have grown up doing, LEARNING.
I currently work at Trinity Gardens Community Library which is a branch of the Mobile Public Library where I am a Library Associate 1 and the Branch Manager, I love the library. I knew graduating that I wanted to work in a Children's Library which is why I went back to school. I want to get a MLS at some point so I figured teaching would tied me over until that happened. When I was younger I hated reading with a passion, and then my 4th Grade teacher assigned our class to read The Giver by Lois Lowry and it became my favorite book. Now that I work in a Library, which houses only children's books I read a lot of books. My educational experiences have opened my eyes. I started school at Little Flower Catholic, then jumped into Murphy High School which is HUGE in comparison. Only to revert back to the small school atmosphere at the Abbey, and then South which is HUGE in comparison to the Abbey.
My goals in life are to become a Librarian, teaching was just a building block up that wall, and it gave me something to do while I was unemployed other then accumulating more debt. Now that I work at the Library I'm not all that sure that I want to continue on down the teaching road. But until a more permenant postion comes along I will stick to what I have grown up doing, LEARNING.
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