WEEK #12: Videos

WHAT:

We talked about all the great things that can come from video sources such as YouTube and TeacherTube.

SO WHAT:

YouTube is something that I know I will use a lot in my life. It quick easy access to a countless number of videos. I can find videos for school homework, presentations, or even for personal enjoyment.

I can use YouTube and TeacherTube when I'm a teacher. I can use if to find educational videos. I think that using the fun educational videos like School House Rock or Mr. Duey's videos can help bring excitement to some of the more boring subjects. And then the concept is put to a song it makes it easier for the kids to remember.

NOW WHAT:

Now that I know all of the great things that videos can do for a classroom, I need to find more. I can search these websites for videos that will teach different subject matters and make a list of them. Then when I'm a teacher and I need something to spice up the subject of math, history, etc I can simply just refer to the list of videos.

Also I need to continue practicing with splicing videos. I get the general idea of how to do it but I need more practice so I don't forget. I can then splice all the videos that I wrote down and burn it onto a CD or save it to my computer so that I'll never lose it if the link gets deleted or something.

And last but not least I can look for videos that are simulations. The simulations are a fun way to learn and can make learning more interesting. Rather then just lecturing to your students all day you can teach them with simulations that teach about rain forests, under the sea space, etc. You can even take them somewhere like Space Camp that allows them to not only see the simulations but actually be able to act it out and feel like they are a part of it. I think that this can be some of the best ways to learn!

VIDEO:

The video demonstrates all the great things that we are now capable to do on our phones. I think its amazing how you are now able to check e-mail, use a GPS, listen to music, watch TV, etc all on your phone. Its great how far technology has come, but at the same time there are consequences. Now that a simple phone can do almost everything people are constantly on them. People are on their phones while driving, trying to check out at a register, in class, etc. I think technology is great and the potential it has is incredible. But if people don't become more careful and realize how much they relying on technology, then people are going to start forget how to function as actual real live living human beings because they will be to caught up in their world of technology.

WEEK #11: Podcast/Vidcast

WHAT:

This week we talked about what podcasts and vidcasts are and why they can be useful.

SO WHAT:

Podcasts are neat because I can use them for many things. My biology teacher posts his lectures as podcasts. Now that I actually know what a podcast is I can listen to any lectures that I have missed. Also it can possibly be a great way to research things (assuming that you find it from a creditable source). If I have the option to listen to a research article, rather then read it, I think I would get more out of it. I am the type of person who looks at the words and my eyes move back and forth, but I don't actually read and comprehend the words, so this could be very helpful to me.

Vidcast are great for many of the same reasons as podcasts. With research and learning I definitely would get much more out of it if I could not only hear it, but see it. You could even use vidcasts as a way to do a presentation. You could get together with your group and make a video of some sort and then publish it on line. I have learned that there are endless possibilities.

NOW WHAT:

Now that I have a small understanding of what podcasts and vidcasts are, I need to continue using them to strengthen that understanding. I need to learn the ins and outs and find all the great benefits and tools that it offers.

Vidcasts and podcasts are things that I could use in my classroom as a future teacher. I could use them to explain instructions for students who might have been absent that day, to record field trips or class activities that the kids might want to remember, etc. Like I said before, the sky is the limit!

VIDEO:

I agree with the video that blogging in the classroom can be a great idea. The video mentioned many great reasons why you should blog in the classroom, but my favorite were when it said that it extends the walls of the classroom, gives students a voice, and gives them an audience. Students can develops a better understanding of who they are by writing. It also gives them a safe way to express themselves. Another reason that blogging could be a good idea is that you can give the parents the link to their students blog and that way they can hear in their child's words what they learned today, how they feel about certain things in life, etc. It will give them a chance to learn and hear from their child about things they probably never would have thought to ask them about. In a nut shell, it opens the door for many new possibilities.