Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
After watching both Part 1 and 2 of This Is How We Dream, I feel that Dr. Miller gives great insight as to the road that the careers in English, reading, and writing are steadily traveling on. Although these videos were posted from 2009, I felt that they very much applied to our modern world today, and many of the ideas Dr. Miller shared did not sound very unfamiliar to me. Dr. Miller makes a statement in one of the videos that ideas are not meant for individuals, but to be shared. In my opinion, this could summarize the entire purpose behind both of these videos.

In Part 1, Dr. Miller emphasizes the importance of excellence in reading in writing. He points out that we are now living in what is possibly one of the greatest movements in communication and technology in history, and I could not agree more. I would never in my wildest dreams imagined that elementary school students would be blogging with people halfway across the world if someone had asked me three months ago. Now, however, I realize how far I was hidden in the dark about the growth and purposes in technology. When classes, business meetings, and other professional gatherings can be coordinated through web use, it is now more crucial than ever to become fully knowledgeable in the basics of reading and writing. If a person wants to be highly successful, however, it is almost necessary to become experts in these areas. There is one key element that unites us from all walks of life and all around the world, and that is effective communication. If we do not train ourselves to become skilled in communication using technology, our academic achievements, potential careers, and so much more could be in great danger.

In the aspect of sharing ideas, Dr. Miller shows how much can be accomplished by using network communication over the web. He demonstrates how he was able to write documents for newspaper articles and other projects by communicating with colleagues and students online. The project that told the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fascinating to me. He showed audiences that it is possible to write articles and incorporate text, videos, and sound, and share it with others through blogging and other aspects of technology. He was also able to add music, and other great leaders in education and civil rights were able to add discussions to this piece of work. This reveals just how much life can be brought into projects with the help of the correct technological tools.

In every example that Dr. Miller gave, he showed how he and others were able to work together to not only get projects done, but cause them to be so much more moving in our hearts than if they were just written down in a printed book. This can relate back to Dr. Miller's opinion on sharing ideas. If not for video chatting, blogging, and other forms of communication, these new ways of learning, writing, and educating each other could not happen, and the world we discontinue to progress intellectually. Because Dr. Miller grew up surrounded by books, he has a tremendous amount of appreciation for writing and the change in this world that it can bring when done correctly. After watching these videos, I believe that Dr. Miller is simply trying to empower the fields of creative and effective writing and skillful technology use, and bridge the two worlds together. I now have a better idea for one of the fundamental values of my English class in the future.



Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh

Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12 is the perfect example of what Dr. Strange is trying to instill in our minds throughout the semester. In this blog, Carly was a tremendous help in giving examples of how using parts of technology, such as YouTube videos, can help students learn. It also is a great way for teachers to set goals for their students, get inspiration for assignments and other class materials, and remind teachers why they get out of bed and come to their classrooms every morning. I could see many similarities between the videos she posted and the ideas that Dr. Miller present to us. He is simply trying to show how technology and using web videos and communication can help shape us into leaders and work together to make differences in this world. Although she did not directly say this, everything that Carly stated in her blog post can be referred back to this principle. I thoroughly enjoyed her post, and will keep her ideas in mind for my future as an educator.



The Chipper Series

The story of Chipper's roller coaster of careers is the perfect example of how students misunderstand the true meaning of procrastination. I cannot lie, I have been this same type of student more times than I can count. I blamed not getting my work done on time and everyone and everything else instead of taking full responsibility for my lack of effort. I like this video because, to me, it shows how students do damage to themselves in the long run by not getting their work done. If Chipper had just completed her work on time, she never would have had to bear the frustration of working dead-end jobs that never brought her success. I think that too many students are focused on their excuses of why they can't do something rather than the ways that they could have. The sad truth is this: the real world doesn't care that you were tired, had your boyfriend over at your house until 11:00 pm, or that you haven't been able to check Facebook all day. The bottom line is, you have to do what you have to do, whether you like it or not. In Chipper's situation, she had to go through many troubles simply to realize that they could have been avoided had she just gotten her work done on time. Although this video was comical, there was much truth behind the lesson Chipper learned in the end. This is good motivation to not procrastinate, and I hope that all students see the importance of submitting their work on time so that they do not have to go through the same situations as Chipper.

EDM310 for Dummies

This video reminded me of myself when I first began this class in January. I was beyond frustrated and thought it was impossible for me to succeed in this class. Thankfully, I consulted people who have taken this class before me and was able to improve with their guidance. EDM310 for Dummies is an excellent way to get the basics of this class down pat for anyone who feels just like I did those first few weeks. Some people may have no one to explain things about this class that might be a little bit confusing, so this video definitely serves a great purpose. Although we are striving individually to become learners on our own, there is comfort in knowing there are those out there who have been stressed by the initial shock of how much EDM 310 requires of students just as I and others like myself have been. I will be sure to refer to this video more often, and I urge those who are struggling in this class to do the same thing.

As a person who grew up laughing hysterically at sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live and Mad TV, I have a great sense of appreciation for skits and know how effective they can be in relaying a message while still making people laugh. I have always enjoyed helping with skits every chance that I have gotten, and I would have had a blast working on either one of these videos. If I had a choice, however, I would love to work in a video about the importance of being passionate about education and making it a priority. I think this would be a great way to show the difference between teachers who genuinely care about their students and try with all their strength to help them grow, and those teachers who are there to simply get a paycheck. I would demonstrate this because I had way too many teachers in school who treated students this way, and if not for my 12th grade English teacher, I may never have been inspired to be a passionate educator myself. By creating a video such as this, I feel that it would better help students to avoid becoming half-hearted instructors at all costs.



Learn to Change, Change to Learn

This video is a collection of thoughts that are very much in agreement with the way I feel about the future of technology. Every person who spoke was connected to modern technology and education systems, and together they shared an amazing vision of the way education is changing and is becoming centered around bringing out the fullest potential in every student. For those who are completely unaware of how schools everywhere are becoming more involved in project-based learning and in sync with the skills and creativity of children, this video is a great eye-opener. Someone in the video made the statement that our world now has children captivated through devices such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Skype, etc., but the classroom, which should have them engaged the most, is the least up-to-date when it comes to technology. This is a scary thought, considering that it is ulimately teachers who train the entire work force of our world. If we, as educators, do not show students how to be prepared for the jobs and careers of the future, then no one will.



Edmodo

After looking through some of the different aspects of WEB 2.0 Tools, I was highly impressed with the Edmodo site and chose to create an account as a teacher through it. I enjoyed the short video tutorial that demonstrated how teachers are able to create accounts and add groups, much like the ones on Facebook. This device can also be linked to students' and parents' cell phones, which is beyond helpful considering how much texting has become a vital part of our daily communication. Teachers are able to make posts that students and parents can receive through text messages. If there are assignments or projects coming up, teachers are able to create groups for each assignment and then add students to the groups. In this way, communication about individual assignments are much less vague, and students, teachers, and parents alike are better able to all be on the same page. Parents can also be able to know about events coming up for schools, and pictures of field trips, projects, and other school events can also be uploaded through this site. Similarly to Twitter, Edmodo allows teachers to follow subjects as they would individual accounts, and can be updated in the news of each subject and post to these pages. Because I plan on teaching English and language arts, the first subject I followed was, not surprisingly, language arts. I also followed other subjects that could potentially be helpful to me one day, such as social studies, creative arts, and computer technology. This social networking site appears to be so helpful that I am already thinking of ways to incorporate this into my classroom that I don't even have yet! I'm definitely looking forward to taking advantage of this site with my future students.



Animoto

It took a little more searching than I expected, but the tool that I believed help create the WEB 2.0 Tools introduction video is Animoto. This is an outstanding tool to create videos and enhance them with features such as videos, photos, music, different text styles, and so much more. When I looked up the pricing for this tool, I found several great options. Videos lasting up to thirty seconds are free, with limited video styles and music tracks. The next option that was provided was that for only five dollars each month, full-length videos can be created that can have thirty plus video styles, and all are downloadable. Lastly, for thirty nine dollars per month, students and teachers are able to create twenty minute, multi-song videos, which are unbranded HD, pro-exclusive video styles, and can retain two thousand licensed music tracks. With all of these superb features, this does not seem like a bad deal at all.



PhotoPeach

One video tool that I discovered while searching through this site is PhotoPeach. This tool, in a nutshell, is a way to create and manage slides and slideshows through the aspect of social networking. This network provides a way for educators to easily create and manage student accounts, organize projects with tags and publish them as public pages to share with parents and the community, and create unlimited photo albums and customize them. In a world as visual as ours, this type of education tool can be helpful in sharing ideas with students in ways that better appeal to them. If they have a clear vision of something, they are more motivated to accomplish the goal, in my opinion. With this device, teachers are also able to download shows, upload music, and customize the transition effects between photos. This is also a very secure feature because students are unable to alter or delete teacher accounts because they will not have access to them. This seems like a fun, free, and easy way to collaborate technology and media into the classroom.