Final Exam

Today, we had a group final. I had the pleasure of working with Patrick and Kira- I got lucky - they rock. We were to create 2 activities incorporating 21st century technology and our three disciplines - Math, Science, and History. It is usually difficult to do a project that involves more than one subject matter but we really put our head together and created two awesome activities that could actually be used in a school setting. Our topic was renewable resources where one activity involved creating a Wind Farm and discussing all that goes with it. The 2nd was to create an advertisement for a solar power car using a wiki. I like the fact that we worked in groups of three. I think that amount of people works best in a group effort. Overall, we were successful and met all the requirements given by our professor.

Nick Donofrio

I haven't attended a forum where I listened to a profound speaker in a while. Overall, I grade this experience with a B-. Like anything, there was the good and the bad. It started off with two gentleman (there names escape me) touting our upcoming speaker, letting us know why he is so important and why he is speaking to us today. I see the importance of this, but because it was premeditated, it just seemed strange. Anywho, Nick Donofrio is definitely a compelling speaker. He had my attention right from the get go. He did not try to be too funny and did not blow me away with mumbo jumbo that I would not understand. He stated why he was here, what his intentions were, and what he was going to talk about in the upcoming hours. In the beginning, I was all ramped up with excitement and inquiry but found myself feeling rather disappointed when I left the auditorium. He talked about how we as a people need to be able to change as quickly as the world around us - which seemingly is not the case today. He talked about many things, many ideas such as the ever growing world of technology, globalization, and the VALUE of innovation. The thing that bothered me was that he never gave specifics. He said we as teachers need to teach out of the box. That sounds GREAT. That is what many of us want to do. That is what many of us are taught to do- BUT how should we go about it. I know how I want to change the classroom but I am one of many. I can't change the curriculum. I can't change the structure of our school system. I don't want to be a person that says I CAN'T but these are major topics that need to be addressed by a larger authority. I didn't expect him to have the answers to everything but if you are going to give a talk, I felt it a necessity to give the answers to the questions that you pose. Also, I felt that his answers skated around many of the questions asked by the audience. I am sure it is difficult to answer questions on the spot but I just found that his answers left me unfulfilled. Overall, I am definitely glad I went because I learned a whole lot and thought about things I never would have if I hadn't gone.

Our almost Last Class

This was our last class - kinda. We have a lecture to attend to in our next class and after that we have our final. We did some miscellaneous things this last class. There was a lot of discussion which I enjoy because it makes time fly and I get to hear what everyone else thinks about certain topics of the day. We were shown the wordle.net website which is completely awesome. I can see students using this and having fun being creative as I did. It is a good form of self expression. Also, I got to take a look at a couple of google sketch ups that my classmates have done. I have started to think about what I want my classroom to look like but just have to get on google sketch and start rocking it out. We also clarified some of our final assignments and I am feeling pretty good about the end of the semester. We reflected on the class as a whole in discussion board. Reflections allow me to dig deeper into things. Actually writing it down forces you to really think. I enjoyed this class overall. I did alot more with technology than I would have done if I did not take this class.

Copywrong

Unfortunately I did not enjoy our last class very much. We started listening to Linda Smith talk about 2nd Life which seems interesting but I did not feel like I was absorbing any of what she was presenting us with. I will understand the nuances of 2nd Life when I play around with it a little bit. It was fairly boring but class got a little better when we started discussing copyright infringement and all that goes on when using "somebody's ideas". It is such a gray area and is extremely frustrating for a student who is trying to put a project together or write something factual. I believe that you should give credit where credit is due to a certain extent. Using logos and icons can be a messy proposition if you do not get the proper approvals which could lead to empty pockets after a law suit. IS IT EVEN WORTH IT? Frustrating is the only thing I can really say about this whole mess - Frustrating !!!!

Technology Survey

Today I received an email from New Paltz which included a request to take a survey about the technology at the University. I thought that this was pretty relevant to this class so I decided to blog about it. I think that New Paltz does care about technology or else they would not survey everyone. Although I take many classes where smart boards are accessible, close to zero teachers use them at all. It is kind of sad. The survey asked many good questions about what technology you use, are there enough computers on campus, overall satisfaction questions about the existing technology, software inquiries, and laptop inquiries just to name a few. I thought all the questions were relevant and if acted upon could make the student experience much better.

Classroom Tech. Project Day

On our last class we spent much of the time introducing our creative projects to our group. My group was Patrick, Kira, and me. Patrick did a really cool power point that included interviews with a couple different teachers who really incorporate technology into the classroom. Kira did a nicely crafted movie of her experiences with technology. Both were really interesting and kept my attention. I did a mock Pardon the Interruption(PTI) skit where the focus was on technology in the classroom at the school I observe. I had a ton of fun creating it. I love the show and watch it everyday so it felt pretty natural for me to imitate Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. Those guys are two of my favorite sports personalities.

Other than showing each other our projects we talked a lot about our upcoming project which is to create a technology based assessment. Everytime I think I understand what is expected of me on this one, I get a little more confused. I Of course, I'll give it my all and with hope and a little luck I will nail it down - maybe. This was by far the quickest class to date.

Windows Movie Maker

HAYYYYYYYYYYYOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MovieMaker rocks. It is very similar to photostory but has more bells and whistles which can make a huge difference when you are creating a school presentation or a nostalgic collage of memorable moments. Its great incorporating music with pictures - talk about capturing the attention of the viewer - you got it with this program. I always wanted to learn to use this program and I'm glad this class gave me the avenue to do so. By far one of my favorite pieces of technology this semester.