Week 13, iTunes University cont.'d

This video on the "Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindset is very powerful. This study showing that people who develop their mind as a muscle, rather than as if their intelligence is already predetermined, show much better work in school, in business, and in life in general. I absolutely agree with this.
We as teachers must know and must teach our students that just because they haven't learned something yet does not mean they never will. Students need to learn that just like a baby or any other muscle, if you don't use it and exercise, then your brain will not grow. No one, particularly, students should ever need to be concerned that someone will think they are stupid or dumb just because they haven't mastered a skill yet.

Week 12, iTunes University video

I think this is an amazing resource for the classroom!!! I watched a video called "A Night in the Coral Reef" and I think that students will love it. Watching this video is so much more interesting than reading about fish in a textbook. In this video, you learn about different types of fish in the coral reef at night, particularly the predators. I got very interested in watching the video and feeling as though I was actually swimming with them! I think students will love this!

There were many types of videos on all subjects for all ages and abilities of students. Teachers can implement these videos as supplements in their lecture. I also think that all students of any age will be able to relate to these videos; they are very clear and concise.

For the coral reef video, particularly, I would able to show this video and any others I could find to let the class really experience what it would be like to spend a night in the coral reef. These videos would be great for many types of thematic units, whether it be the coral reef, rain forests, weather, and a myriad of other topics. Instead of having students read about these from a textbook with flat pictures, they can experience these subjects first-hand.

Week 9, iTunes University

Being able to use iTunes as part of a class would be completely useful as a student and a future teacher. I would love to be able to take my class with me wherever I go. I could study while I was walking between classes or eating lunch. It would also be helpful to have a detailed review of the previous class, before the next class or a test.

As a teacher, having more of a connection to my students and my students being able to have more one-on-one instruction is great. Students will be more prepared with their homework, and since I am teaching Elementary Education, parents will also be able to connect to students' work in the classroom.

Week 8, Using iPods in the Classroom

I never really considered using an iPod in the classroom, though it would be useful since most students do have them, no matter what the age. One website, Apple Education resources, has great lesson plans to get started using an iPod in the classroom. Some great ideas for elementary students were using them to listen to letter sounds and making songs for math facts. This website is

Duke University seems to be getting quite a grasp on using iPods and technology in the classroom. The students in the article seem very receptive in using them and being able to take their instruction outside of the classroom. I think this is the best reason in which to use an iPod in the classroom. Students being able to take education out of the classroom and be able to improve their studies will greatly increase student participation.

Week 7, Fischbowl Post 2

For this second post, I read the November 2007 blog post titled "Why Wireless?". I thought that this post had a lot of good points about schools having wireless Internet access for personal computers. I think that this should be the case in high schools overall. Mr. Fisch makes the point that students in school, even those of in college, need to be able to access to information.
This also all goes back to his ideas about technological literacy. In order for students to grow and learn, there needs to be greater access to technology. This is completely necessary in the technologically motivated world that we live in. In order to be technologically literate, students and teachers need access to information and materials. A great way to do that is to provide wireless Internet.

Image with Title and Alt Tags

Fischbowl Blog Reaction

This post from the Fischbowl is something we as future and current educators should consider. Technology is most certainly a way of life for us. Many people do not remember a time before the Internet, e-mail, Google, and instant updates on our iPhones. Also technology is something that each generation behind us is learning and using at earlier age and with more skill than we ever thought possible at the same age.
I know that now second graders and even as young as kindergartners are sitting down at the computer, accessing the Internet, and using it in their spare time and as part of their education. Being a technologically literate teacher is not an idea or a good thing to know, it is a must in the 21st Century classroom.

4K Class Blog

At Richard's Elementary School in Wisconsin, there is a fourth grade class using blogs. The teacher is Mary Kreul, but the ones you really get to know are the students. Each new post is by a student or two students working together. They are very interesting, often telling stories of some experience or about a class they like. I think this is a great way for a classroom to use a blog.

Mrs. Lowe using Blogs

I found one class in Missouri which is using blogs. The teacher, Mrs. Lowe has a blog where she posts things that happen in the classroom and also uses it to asks questions and post discussions for her students. Her class is elementary age students, fourth or fifth grade, I believe. The blog and website are at.
And here is a picture from the website

ACCESS Program

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) Program is an amazing addition to the classrooms in Alabama. This program allows students to use distance learning by having video conference classes and online courses added to their course offerings at their high school. ACCESS allows many students who never would have had the opportunity to take AP classes or other electives not offered at their school a chance to take them.
This resource allows students a chance at a 21st Century education and a chance to be able to compete better in college and the world around them. ACCESS also provides an opportunity for schools to have greater graduation rates and the ability for students to retake classes in order to "stay on track" to graduate.

Adding A Picture To Your Blog

This is a picture from my senior prom in 2006.

ALEX 2

As I said before, ALEX seems like a great resource for any teacher. As an elementary teacher, in particular, subjects should be taught to the students for comprehension, and there is an element of entertainment which must be involved. By using ALEX, I can organize my lesson plans for class very easily which allows for time-saving. By saving time, I can develop more interesting ways of teaching the material.
Also, having access to other's lesson plans allows me to perhaps use some ideas which I hadn't built into my own plans. If someone has perhaps a great way to develop interest in reading or a fun way to teach multiplication and division, I can use that in my teaching, thus making me more effective.

Week 2

The Alabama Learning Exchange or ALEX is a great resource for teachers. It is a communal website with great technology and information for teachers of all grade levels. This system is extremely organized and very user-friendly. Any information one needs is arranged by subject and then by grade level. There are resources for the state required curriculum and many example subject ideas.
I think the greatest features I have found about ALEX are the personal workspace and the shared lesson plans. The personal workspace is great for developing and saving our own personal lesson plans for reference. Also the ability to see and incorporate other's ideas is great. I think that ALEX is a great resource for teachers that I had not heard of before.

Video Reaction

I thought that this video was astounding. There are really a lot of things that I clearly did not know and had never really considered before. The develop of technology for one thing, just amazed me. The idea that a supercomputer could have greater capacity than the human brain is something that my brain can hardly wrap itself around. Also, the development of nations, particularly India and China, is something that we have all considered/thought about, but the rate, and such an amazing one, is not something that seemed so important. After seeing this movie, that is really just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. All around the facts in this movie continually amazed, shocked, and generally interested me.