My Last Post

Overall, I have learned a lot from this class. This is my first blog. I never even knew how to write a blog before this class. What I have learned about the most is podcasts. I did not even know what a podcast was until this class, and I think they're very educational and useful in the classroom. (I just don't like making one myself) Also, I learned how to use Google Docs which was interesting since I did not know about that either. However, I like using Microsoft Office better.

The only complaint I have about this class was the syllabus. It was too confusing to me, and then, we got a little behind in class which made it worse.

I'm a much more computer literate person now, and I enjoyed the class very much. The main reasons are the non-threatening atmosphere and Mr. Wakeman. I think everyone felt comfortable asking questions or for help from Mr. Wakeman. He's an excellent instructor because he was easy going, but when he was serious, he got right to the point. For the amount of material that had to be covered, I think he done an excellent job of teaching it.

More Educational Podcasts

Since I'm going to be a high school teacher, I chose to watch two podcasts for grades 9-12 from WGBH, a provider for iTunesU. The first one I watched was "How Body Responds to Exercise." The video podcast was about a group of people who wanted to run the Boston Marathon who trained over a year to do so.

The second podcast I watched was "A Night In The Coral Reef" which was about the underwater sea creatures who come out at night to feed and what the coral does at night.

I only watched these two but there are many other titles that can be used for many different school subjects. They are narrated in simple, everyday English which makes them easy to understand for students.

I would like to use some of these podcasts or others like them for my classroom one day when I'm a teacher. I plan to download some for K-5th grades to show to my children because they are very interesting.

The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village

Created by Alice Waters, The Edible Schoolyard is an excellent educational tool which teaches middle school students very much. Parts of each core subject are learned through farming and cooking. The students plant, water, and harvest a garden in their schoolyard, and once the foods are harvested, they get to learn how to cook recipes using those foods.

A Night In The Global Village is another excellent teaching tool. This program allows students to experience a day in the life of people who struggle to survive. The students are divided into groups and given a very limited amount of supplies. One group starts out with nothing to trade since they are living as refugees. The students have to learn to negotiate with other groups without using a common language.

I think these are excellent programs for all students. However, I don't think I'll ever be able to use them as a teacher besides allowing my students to view these podcasts and others like them. Since I never knew such programs existed until today, I think it would be a great opporunity to get involved in one of those programs as a teacher with my students. These programs are excellent because the students are learning in a way that keeps their interests, and they are much more productive than lecturing.

Using iTunes University

Added to the long list of things I've learned the past three months is iTunes University. This allows students of colleges, universities, and grades K-12 to download and play school content such as lectures and school events. Also, these audio and video podcasts can be downloaded to iPods or iPhones for learning on the go.

In order to learn more about iTunes University, I looked at different iTunes pages from different colleges or universities. First, I looked at Westchester Community College's iTunes page. Some podcasts they have include campus videos, campus events, and faculty and student presentations. Ohio State University's iTunes page has tracks for many different aspects of the university from news and events to student life and even includes commencement ceremonies.

There are also schools or school districts on iTunes for kindergarten through twelfth grade. One that I looked at was New Jersey's Montclair Public Schools' page. Through this page, many different tracks can be downloaded such as New Jersey history, the Presidents, and Girls-Self Image. Additionally, I looked at Tennessee Department of Education's page which includes tracks on topics such as educator resources and program resources.

To get to iTunes University, go to iTunes and click on iTunes U. If you don't have iTunes, click here to download it at Apple's website. It's free. Overall, I don't think I'll ever use iTunes U as a student unless I ever have a class assignment that requires me to use it. As a future teacher, I think it'll be great to post video or audio lectures for students who need reinforcement on a certain class topic. To learn more about iTunes U on Apple's website, click here.

The Use of iPods in Education

In an attempt to increase the use of technology in higher education, Duke University gave free 20 gigabyte Apple iPods to all students enrolled in courses that required them. Beginning in 2004, all freshmen received these free iPods and upperclassmen were loaned these devices if enrolled in a class that requires one. Now, only students enrolled in classes that require them receive iPods.

I think it's a very useful tool for college students today. They can record lectures and interviews for research and study. Also, they can use them to store notes and other documents. However, there is a concern over the the use of the information recorded and whether or not copyright laws are being broken. With the iPods, any information can be placed on the internet for anyone to see or hear. Overall, I think the use of iPods in class will catch on to other colleges and universities across the country.

Dr. Alice Christie's Site

After researching the use of blogs in American classrooms, I decided that I'd like to have a class blog or website once I become a teacher. I think it's a very useful tool for students and parents of students, and Dr. Christie's site will be very helpful because she gives advice and links for web design.

First, I read her tips for a good web design such as limiting your screen to no more than five colors, using font large enough to read, writing text using everyday language, and always keeping your target audience in mind. Also, she gives links to sites that offer graphics, banners, fonts, and backgrounds. She even includes some that you can save directly from her Web Tool Kit.

Dr. Christie explains the importance of a photo's size and how to use text in photos. She also shows how to change the color and gradient of photos. In addition, she has links to examples of good and bad website designs. Also, she gives examples of good and bad web page names.

I like how she has a rubric for evaluating the usefulness of websites done by teachers, schools, districts, educational programs, and colleges/universities. This is an excellent tool for deciding whether your site is helpful and functional. Another great thing to know about is Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers. This tells educators how they can use copyrighted material.

Is Wikipedia Reliable?

First, I'd like to say I've only used Wikipedia when I didn't know where to start research for a paper or other assignment. The reason: every one of my instructors forbade his or her students from using the free online encyclopedia due to its reliability issues. Since anyone can add, delete, or edit an article, the accuracy of the information you receive is not guaranteed. However, that may be changing due to the Wikipedia Scanner created by Virgil Griffith.


This program connects the Wikipedia user who altered an article to an IP address which gives the location of the computer used to make the changes on Wikipedia. This should crack down on the number of people who change information to make themselves or the company they work for look better. On another note, those who edit articles on Wikipedia for their own benefit could easily use their computer outside their home or work place . By doing this, these individuals would be nearly impossible to trace. Therefore, I am still skeptic about using Wikipedia as a main source for research information.