Week 11: October 27

Tonight we will:
1. Review Course Calendar
2. Introduce Google Earth
3. Use Google Forms (project 5)
4. Discuss project 8
5. Discuss PLN Post
6. Discuss Skype project 7
7. Summative Presentation project 11

Project 5 - Cut & Dry

Create a Google form that collects the following demographic information: Name, Address, Phone, and email address. In addition you must ask three other questions that you think will be important for you to know about your students when you are a teacher. Create a link to your form in a post on your blog.

Finally, you must visit the blogs of at least three of your classmates and answer their questions. Leave a comment on their blog providing them feedback on their questionnaire. When you have finished email me the names of the students who's forms you completed.

Project 8 Report

You must participate in Comments4Kids by posting at least 5 comments on blog sites of kids throughout the world. Assignments will be separately distributed. You must report on this assignment in a post on your blog. In your post discuss the kinds of things the students were doing, how they appeared to use technology, etc. This post must be made no later than 5 pm of the last class day of Week 14, November 17th.

Week 10: October 20

Tonight we will:
1. Introduce Google Earth
2. Begin working with Google Forms
3. Review for Word Processing final
4. Monitor PLN Progress
5. Discuss Skype project 7
6. Summative Presentation project 11

Google Earth: Better than Ever!

Take a look at this video showing new features in Google Earth 5.

Week 9: October 13

Tonight we will:
1. Discuss Midterm Reflections
2. Review Revised Syllabus
3. Review Blog Topics part 2
4. Review Delicious, Twitter (PLN)
5. Discuss Skype project 7
6. Summative Presentation project 11

Is the internet making us stoopid?

Writer Nicholas Carr, has written an article for The Atlantic Monthly with the provocative title, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Click Here and listen to the interview listed under the title listed above.

Project 11: Summative Presentation

This is a collaborative project with 2 other students. A list of proposed topics are listed below. These presentations must involve the use of all media (audio, video, graphics, still pictures and text). These presentations are expected to be professionally done and should demonstrate the mastery of the skills developed through this course. Due Week 13.

Possible Topics

Electronic Books vs. Print
Outstanding Teachers with Technology
EDM 310 Class Ad
Future of Print
Future of Schools
Debate Computers to Kids vs. Computers to Labs
Debate Tech Literate vs. Not Tech Literate
Hand Held, Inexpensive Digital Video Cameras - Review 3
Faculty Interviews
Use of Instructional technology at South Beyond WP. ( excluding ecollege and foliotek)
You Propose a Topic

4th Annual Technology Expo and Luncheon

The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind is hosting the 4th annual Technology EXPO and Luncheon. 18 vendors will be on hand to demonstrate technology that assists people with sensory impairments. Click Here to see the blog for more information.

Preparing Personal Learning Network PLN

Here is a great presentation on preparing a PLN by Richard Byrne, How to Build a Personal Learning Network Actually, this entire blog is a great resource for current and future teachers.

Week 8 - October 6

Tonight we will:
1. Review Blogs (Topics part 2)
2. Review Twitter (PLN)
3. Introduce Skype (project 7)
4. Podcast Interview Presentation (project 12)
5. Midterm Reflection

Class Photo Fall 2009

After a rough night of podcasting the students of EDM 310 were just chillin! Great job folks!! Stay tuned, these podcasts will be released soon on itunes.

Podcast Recording - You MUST Attend!

Tuesday, September 29 - be ready to record your podcasts. In case any one is worried about the camera, don't! These will be audio only.

Remember, make sure you know the plan and don't read your material know your material!

I know you will all do great! See you tomorrow. SS

What Do we Know About the Students Taking This Course?

This is a report on all students taking EDM 310 this semester (8 classes)
How old are you? Over half are 19-22 (53%). Teens and 20's make up 82% of the classes. The 30s are 15%, 40s 2% and 50s 1%. Most of you (71%) do not have children living with you. Most of you never read a newspaper, or do so only occasionally (59%). Only 10% of you read a newspaper every day. Most of you (99%) watch videos. 44% of you watch more than 4 hours of video every week. Half of you own an iPod or an iTouch, 70% of you own some MP3 player. 51% of you listen to music more than 2 hours a day, 27% listening 3 or more hours a day. 98% of you own a cell phone. 25% of you own a smart phone; 11% own an iPhone, 8% a Blackberry. 34% of you send 50 or more text messages a day. Eight of you report sending more than 200 text messages a day! Most of you are Facebook users: 81%. Over half of you have a MySpace account: 54%. 44% of you spend an hour or more a day on your social network accounts.
59% of you read less than a book a month (not counting class assignments).
94% of you own a computer. 91% of you own a PC. 5% of you still have a dial-up connection to the internet and another 5% have no access to the internet at all.
64% of you have a digital video camera, 87% of you have a digital camera that takes still pictures. 82% of you claimed to be proficient in word processing at the start of the class. 94% of you had never participated in a podcast before this class.
19% of you are taking an overload (more than 5 classes) 59% of you work half time or more. 91% of you intend to enter the teaching profession and another 5% say they probably will. 54% of you want to teach in an elementary school, 18% kindergarten, 15% middle school and 35% high school. (You could select more than one so % is greater than 100) The most desired subject areas were Sports (19%), Literature/Reading/Writing (18%), Social Science (13%), Math (10%).
91% of you think that teachers should be "technologically literate" (no definition was given for this term). Only 19% of you thought you were not technologically literate when you entered this course (again, no definition of this term was given)

And that is YOU!

Week 6: September 22

Tonight we will:

1. Call for old business
2. Project 4: Professional Blog
3. Web Accessibility
4. Podcast examples & discussion
5. Work on podcasts in groups

Podcasts: Groups and Topics

Group 1 - The Pros and cons of Online vs. Traditional Classroom Education

Ham Barnett
Lizzy Eiland
Justin Wall

Group 2 - Useful Websites for Elementary School Teachers

Hannah Reynolds
Lindsey Clausheide
Whitney Kyte

Group 3 - Incorporating Web Technology into the Elementary Classroom

Allison Benton
Shaneise Tate
Angel Padgett
Nicky Jittan

Group 4 - A Debate: The Impact of Technology in the Elementary Classroom

Julie Szteiter
Julie Hays
Mat Moorer

Group 5 - Reflections: Randy Pausch's last lecture.

Britney Thomas
Ashley Janes
Katie Johnson

Group 6 - Using Google Tools in the Elementary and Middle School Classroom

Kevin Robertson
Timeka Holloway
Keith Burt

Week 5: September 15

Tonight we will –

1. Make-up Presentations
2. Start Professional Blogs (project 4)
3. Discuss Personal Learning Networks (project 6)
4. Review Twitter
5. Review Delicious
6. Review Word Processing in Google Docs.
7. Begin pod/video-casting (project 10)
a. Assign groups
b. Develop topics

Did You Know 4.0

Did You Know 4.0 is now available! Add a review of this new version to the assignments already given for September 20, 2009.

Or Click Here to watch on You Tube.

Week 4: It's Presentation Time!

Tonight everyone will have an opportunity to make their presentation to the class. As each class member presents all other students will fill out an evaluation form rating various aspects of the presentation, the subject matter, and the presenter. I will also evaluate each of you. I will use my evaluation and the evaluations provided by your peers to assign grades for this project.

Remember, this is a fun activity on a topic that you know more about than anyone else, "YOU". So enjoy yourself, be fair to your peers and you will do great!

Post Your Presentation to Your Blog

Below is my presentation, "Lake Bruin"



To post your presentation to your blog -

1. Go to Google, Documents, and open your presentation
2. On the top right click SHARE and choose "Publish / Embed".
3. Click "Publish Document"
4. On the next screen that comes up you will see 2 lines of HTML code at the bottom. Select that code.
5. Click the right mouse button and click "COPY"
6. Go to your blog click "New Post" and "Paste" this code into the post.