Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream

In Richard Miller's This Is How We Dream, he is trying to open our eyes to what has already changed and what is changing around us.I went ahead and watched the whole video of both parts so that I could really understand what Mr. Miller was explaining.+ I agree that this change is good, but that doesn't mean that books have to totally replaced. I love to find a good book and get lost in it. Mr. Miller says we are living in the greatest change of human communication. He couldn't be more right. Today, more people communicate through email, text, instant messaging, blogs, and social media sites. We are moving away from pencil and paper into a technology based world.

To accommodate this new learning environment, Mr. Miller says we need inspiring teachers and spaces that foster collaborative learning. Mr. Miller also says that we need to invent a way/space for this learning to take place because there is not one readily available. I believe that teachers can gain the tools and knowledge to educate students the way Mr. Miller wants if given a chance. It is something that everybody must get accustomed to. Hopefully, one day schools all over will be able to create the type of environments Mr. Miller describes.

To be honest, this was not one of the best videos I have watched in EDM. I found it hard to keep up and fully understand everything. That being said, I did learn a few interesting things. I think Mr. Miller's "dream" is sure to happen in the near future. Technology is advancing everyday. When we put the right motivated people together, they are sure to produce an extraordinary learning environment and inspiring teachers to fill it.

Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12

At first glance I thought, "oh my gosh this girl loves to write, she must be an English major." Turns out she is :) To give Carly a little praise she is an AMAZING writer. Even though it was a simple blog post, it was interesting and found myself wanting to do her assignment just for the heck of it! What an awesome idea.

I think Carly hits it right on the head. After reading this, I better understand what Mr. Miller was saying. By putting together a playlist of the videos she described, you are writing you own book, if you will. This is writing with multimedia. Instead of using words in a textbook, it is audiovisual and entertaining to others. Thanks Carly for helping me understand!

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

I agree that the change starts with the teachers. Teachers must have to tools and access to communicate with other teachers from all over the world. They can exchange ideas and help support one another. Then, they can help their students go global and reach out to other students and teachers from across the world. I also agree that standardized tests should be a thing of the past. One of the teachers in this video said that "the jobs that our students will have do not require a right answer vending machine approach." This reminded me of a previous video we watched that said the jobs that our students are going to have don't exist yet. We need to educate to that. We need to teach our students how to find information, validate information, communicate with it, and utilize it. It is not about teaching to a test. With this new wave of education teachers and schools can produce brave, genius students. Welcome to the NEW 21st Century!

Scavenger Hunt 2.0

1) Locate a tool that is similar to Twitter/Facebook and provides a social platform for students and teachers.

I found Edmodo and made an account as a teacher. Edmodo actually looks a lot like Facebook. With this site I can create groups for each of my classes. The students can join and stay up to date on all assignments and any classroom news. I can create a library of links for students to view that will assist them with homework and for extra help if needed. Edmodo also allows me to connect with other teachers to find out what they are doing in their classrooms. We can communicate ideas to each other and offer support.

4) Find a tool that you have never used before.

I found Puzzle Maker. This tool allows you to make several kinds of puzzles to help you students. Finally, some fun in learning. Some of the different puzzles include: Math Squares, Cryptograms, and Crosswords. These puzzles can help students with their math and vocabulary skills, not to mention they will hopefully enjoy doing it.

5) Find a tool to create a poll anytime, anywhere.

My poll can be found at Poll Everywhere

EDM 310 Is Different

I loved the EDM310 for Dummies video! I would create tutorial videos for everything that I didn't understand at first in this class. I can help future EDM310 students with their intellectual journey, and hopefully help them better understand their assignments. Also, I think a fun video be to have every classmate share one piece of advice for EDM310 and provide that for future students as well.