Review of Podcast

I have never listened to a podcast before so this is all new to me. Before I could begin this assignment I had to learn a few things first, like what was a podcast and how does it work? At first I found it to be confusing and very time consuming, but after listening to several podcast I was amazed at how much valuable information was available for educators. The first few podcast that I listened to came from Smartboard Lesson Podcasts. Most of these podcasts had similar characteristics.



The host of the Smartboard podcasts were all very enthusiastic, funny, and they loved to talk. I realized that podcast are very similar to radio talk shows. One of the podcast that I listened to was Teachers Connecting, A strong Foundation. This podcast was very informative. In this podcast a Kindergarten teacher discussed ways that she used webkinz, blogs, and smartboard in her classroom. She shared some great ideas on how to involve the children in the learning process. The podcast also gave some great information on links for teachers to incorporate in their classroom.



I also listened to several podcast from Kidcast and EDTechtalk. I found that the host in these podcast were also very enthusiastic and liked to talk a lot. I did not like these podcast as much as Smartboard. Kidcast had some neat ideas to get the students to be more creative, but it was too drawn out. The hosts talked more with each other then they did about the topic. The EdTechtalk podcast was confusing to me. I found it hard to follow and they also carried on with each other. They talked so much on their podcast that you got bored.



The Connect Learning podcast was great. The host was again very enthusiastic, but also down to earth. He went right to the heart of the subject and did not carry on. I listened to podcasting 96. It was a conversation about podcasting with media coordinating with Librarians about using podcast in libraries. The podcast was done live at a conference with 6,000 Librarians. I enjoyed listening to this podcast. The librarians could ask questions and get an immediate answer. Great ideas were shared on how to use podcast to connect with the classroom and then carry it into the home. The tone of this podcast was great!



I was not impressed with the podcast from Macbreak Weeekly. I found that it was confusing and hard to follow. They joked around to much and never got to the topic. I felt like I was wasting my time while they carried on a separate conversation ignoring the reason for the podcast. This Week in Photography was a great podcast. The hosts were friendly and they were quick to get to the point. The hosts shared some great information with the listeners. They discussed future podcast topics and how to get listeners involved. They also had news updates. The podcast I listened to also had information about different cameras and how they are used. I found Week in Photography podcast to be a valuable tool.



In doing this assignment I have found it very helpful. I think that podcast are a great tool to use as a resource. The majority of the podcast were very informative, but I did discover that it is very time consuming. As a busy mother of three I do not have the time to sit and listen to podcast that ramble on. Some of the podcast need to cut out some of the unnecessary talk and get straight to the point. I feel this would be more beneficial to the listeners.

5. Next Generation Learning

The movie was very interesting. I actually watched it with my 2 daughters. They were telling me that they do some of the same things in their classroom. They use the promethium board in their classroom. I had no idea what it was or how to use it! My daughter is now trying to explain how she uses it in her 3rd grade class. It is so amazing how far technology has come. I am like the mother in the video, we only had black boards to use when I was growing up.



I am all for the use of technology in the classroom. I think that it is very beneficial to everyone. It was amazing to see how excited the children were about learning. They actually looked like they were having fun in school. I believe that the use of technology in the classroom helps foster a child's creativity. I am going to write down some of the suggestions in the video to use to enhance my own classroom.

4.Vicki Davis:Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

I love Vicki's teaching philosophy. People have the false assumption that teachers know everything and that is not the case. Teachers are always learning something new everyday, most of the time it is coming from the students. I also agree with her that students all learn in different ways and we as teachers need to recognize that. I think it is very empowering for a student to get in front of a class and teach what they learned. I feel that it is a wonderful tool to help encourage and build upon a student's self confidence.



The Flat classroom project was a very neat idea. I think that Vicki did a wonderful job in helping her students connect to the world. Her enthusiasm to continue to learn on a daily basis is a very encouraging lesson to all educators. I just hope that when I return to the classroom that I can run my classroom in the same manner as Vicki.

3.Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I really enjoyed the video. I agree with many of the points that he highlighted in his speech. Mathematics and language are very important to children, but I believe that we as educators have a responsibility to foster children's creativity. Whether it is dance, music, or the arts teachers should encourage children to excel in these areas. As a teacher I have seen kids fall through the cracks when it comes to this subject. I have seen the straight A student being acknowledged all the time, receiving all the awards, but the average A/B student who excels in music or art goes on ignored. How does that build self confidence? I am not saying that anything is wrong with honor students being recognized, but what about those who do not excel as well in math or language, but shine in music?
As a mother I realize all children are different. My three daughters have very different personalities, talents, and interest. As a mother and teacher I try to encourage all forms of creativity, everything from mathematics to music.

2. Did You Know?3.0

I found this movie to be very interesting and troubling. I actually took EDM 310 9 years ago and when I went to class this past Thursday night I was shocked on how much it has changed. The curriculum for the class back then was totally different. After leaving class I was a little overwhelmed with all of the new technology. I did not even know what blogging was. I had to get my 15 year old nephew to explain it to me. To tell you the truth, I just got on facebook about 2 weeks ago and I am still learning how to use it.



I believe that the video shows how quick technology is changing and I am not sure if society is ready for it. I agree that we need to keep up with the world, but I would hate to see it take over our lives. It seems as though that day maybe near. It is really scary to think that we might have to fight computers to keep our jobs. I just wish the world could slow down a little. Before long my five year old is going to know more about computers than me.

About Me!

Hey Everyone!
Here are a few things about me. I was born and raised in Mobile. I attended McGill-Toolen High School and Faulkner Community College. After completing my associates degree I met and married my husband of 12 years. My husband was a Lieutenant in the US Army and soon after we were married we moved to Hawaii. We spent three wonderful years in paradise before my husband came down with type 1 diabetes. He was medically discharged from the Army and we returned home to Mobile.

After returning home, I finished my degree in Elementary Education at the University of South Alabama in 2001. Shortly after graduation, I began my dream of teaching. I was the third grade teacher at St.Vincent Catholic School. It was a terrific job and I loved working with the children. My husband and I started our own family. We were blessed with three beautiful girls Courtney 8, Madison 5, and Abby 3. They are my life. I have come to realize that my biggest role in life is being a mom. I take great pride and joy in raising my family. After several years of being a stay at home mom I decided it was time to return to my second passion in life, teaching. I am currently at South to renew my teaching certification and return to the work force:)!