My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete!

To my fellow classmates I would just like to say GOODBYE! It has been real fun getting to know some of you. I learned a lot, at a real fast pace, but I'm GLAD its OVER!!! Hopefully I will see all of you again someday!

Last Post

I can honestly say that while I knew quite a bit about the internet, and microsoft office. I still learned ALOT as well. I think I will mostlikely take the use of podcasts and blogging with me. I like the idea of useing them as a journal of what the class is doing, it is a great way to keep parents updated as to what their children are doing. I haven't heard of Google docs, before taking this class and I don't think I would ever use them for the fact that I didn't like the functions they offer.

I would have liked to have learned access and publisher alittle more I have played with them for work and other classes but never been taught all the things they can be used for.

I can't really think of anything else, I don't think it was very beneficial to me to take a computer class one night a week. I feel like everything was crammed in and once we got started with one project we jumped to the next. One night a week classes have worked well with other classes for me but I don't think I will be taking anymore.

WGBH Teachers DomainPodcasts

In itunes U you can view a wide variety of podcasts. You can also view these videos by going to Teachers Domain. Where they have thousands of videos that are helpful to teachers.


I watched a podcast Observe Clouds that was just streaming video of clouds floating in the sky. They ask the viewer to watch and see if they can see the clouds changing shape in the sky. I think this would be a good podcast to view and then take students outside to view clouds moving for themselves. I think it would be a good break from the class work and they could use their imaginations when viewing.

You could also make it a writing lesson and when the kids come back in have them blog or podcast what they learned about clouds. The things they observed, and then draw a picture of a cloud changing/ transforming as it floats in the sky.


The second podcast that I watched was What is a Planet? This podcast told what a planet is, what defines a planet, and also talks about the controversy with Pluto which was recent said to be not a Planet but a Dwarf Planet.

I think that these types of videos are excellent examples to be seen by students in a classroom and then give them an assignment. It would also help with retention of information by students.

Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village

The Edible Schoolyard is the baby of Alice Waters a Chef, who in 1994 wanted a way to improve upon school lunch progams. She said of children "if they grow it, cook it, then they'll want to eat it." It is a non-profit organization at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. The teachers at MLK Jr. are able to use the Schoolyard as a way to integrate social studies, math, science, and life into their classrooms. Everyone is a learner in the Edible Schoolyard, each person does their part, from planting to picking.

The intrgration takes a very common sense approach, they learn about plant species, and where they can be found in science and social studies. Math comes in the kitchen, where they are preparing the food, mixing ingredients. These all come together to build life lessons that the children take with them. I liked how they used the most common materials for tools in the kitchen; the children were using wine bottles as rolling pins. I would have never thought about using them for that. I like the idea of children tasting the fruits of their labor.


A Night in the Global Village was very interesting as well, it is located at the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas. This shows the Rocky Mountain Middle School from Denver, Colorado learning about different countries and the poverty that they live in. The children pick numbers, shown around the ranch,where they have four living conditions set up; Guatamala, Tailand, Apalacha which is a Refugee camp and Zambia.

Each location has different amenities Guatamala gets all the water, and have the nicer beds, the others get food, with the exception of the refugees, they get nothing food, wood, and on top of that they can't communicate with the other villages, which is just carrots, potatoes, onions, nothing special. The experience is to allow children to see how other countries that have nothing live and survive. It will also make them think about all that they have, and maybe change them and their feelings.

I think showing classes podcasts like these would be helpful, these kids are changing the world with the things they learned from both of these experiences. I would like to see public schools in Mobile doing something like the Edible Schoolyard, especially some of the schools like Chastang, Mae Eanes some of the ones that the children don't care and the parents don't care either. I think it would teacher some of the students what it would be like to take care of yourself, I remember taking a cooking class in middle school and I loved learning how to make different foods, it also lets you experiment with different flavors and spices.

iTunes University

As a student iTunes U would be helpful when you miss a class, you could just upload the information you missed from the iStore. Keeping you up to date, like you never missed the day. It would also keep you from pestering your Professor with questions. iTunes U creates a different learning environment from the conventional style we are used to today. It would open doors for different styles of learning. It would allow students like me, the visual learner would be able to see examples of lectures not just notes.

The other opportunity that iTunes U would make would be the fact that students would have access to the classroom 24/7 all they would need is a computer, iPod, iPhone, etc. It would also allow you to take the classroom outside, on days like to day when its warm and the sun is out NO ONE wants to be inside, they would rather be outside.

As a teacher iTunes U would make the classroom more enjoyable. You could teach a variety of subjects, and styles. While on a field trip you could have the students looking at other examples, or take them outside on the school grounds and let them identify the different birds, trees, flowers etc that they just learned about. Then upon returning to the classroom have them blog about their findings.

iPods as Learning Tools

The two articles that I read for this blog were very informative. The first one is on Apple.com, this site explains Apple's implementation of new tools that will help teachers and students alike. The second website that I read was titled Duke Gives iPods to Freshman. In 2004 Duke University gave 1,650 incoming freshman a 20GB iPod to "foster innovative uses of technology in the classroom". They downloaded the freshman orientation info for the students to listen to at their leasure, with the hopes that they will download course information, lectures, lessons and much more.

I had never thought of an iPod being used for anything more then to play mp3's, but both of these sites gave a new look. I wish South would give there students an iPod. it would have been alot more useful to students to have that fee tacked on to tuition, rather than a new football team(sorry to the players). I think it would be very useful when dealing with handicap children, who may not be able to take notes. They would be able to learn the same things as someone who took notes and then use them for a review. It could be very useful with speech classes, they could her pronouncation of the words and then be able to repeat. Newer iPods have more capabilities then the older ones and they are advancing everyday.

Dr. Christie

Dr. Alice Christie has a PhD. in Educational Technology and Language and Literacy from Arizona State University. She taught in K-12 schools for 25 years. She was also taught in the College of Teacher Education and Leadership at ASU, currently she travel nationally and internationally doing workshops on "How Technology can Enhance Teaching and Learning". From her website you can tell that she is a woman of knowledge and she enjoys learning and teaching.

The thing that caught my eye on her site was the section on photography. She gives a little explaination as to why she takes pictures and then some of her photos. This could be useful to me as a teacher because you can give a child a camera, tell them the assignment and let them use their imaginations. Then have them view the pictures pick one and write a journal entree about the picture and their inspiration.

You could make this a morning activity while, you are calling roll, taking up lunch monies and all the what nots that you have to get together. Photos are something that each person views differently, they have to power to jog a memory, or spur creativity. So you can also have the students review a classmates work and write a comment or two about what they liked about the picture. Then at the end of that assignment make a collage for the students to view their work.

I liked this website it was full of information that I can use later on in my career or even now. I am doing an arts and crafts lesson each month at the library for the children who come in, and this gave me inspiration for a lesson that would be two parts. One week they could go outside and find one thing they find intriguing. The next week they can find their picture and frame it and display it on the wall.