The Fischbowl Blogspot

This video to me was a little bit scary. I know our world is progressing in technology but to see how quickly its progressing makes me question how the older generation is going to catch up. I am 55 years old and my children have been in the internet world at school and at home for ten years but I haven't been and neither have my parents. I know we have to move forward but it seems that technology is moving at such a fast rate of speed that I wonder how we ever going to keep up. Older teachers who are teaching our children will have to progress in order to help our children progress into this very fast world we are living in.
My other concern about the progression of modern technology is how are we going to be able to afford all this new technology in the classroom. Will the statement "No child will be left behind" come true. We are in the worse financial crisis in our lifetime, in order to survive will we be going back to the bare basics? Yes,"Shift Happens" but which way will we be able to go backwards or forwards?

iTunes University

I found iTunes University one of the most exciting sites I found so far on my adventure into the technological world of internet. This site will definitely get students collaborating in new ways. It makes web-based research easy and safe for younger kids.

Mobile learning is reshaping the educational experience. Learning no longer happens only at a desk it can happen anywhere if the student and teacher have the right equipment. With iTunes U, you can give students, parents and the rest of the world access to free educational content around the clock.
Mobile learning is changing education in a big way with the great popularity of iPod and iTunes. With iPod players, iPhone devices and portable computers, high school and college students already have mobile access. Slowly these mobile devices are being provided to K-12 students so they can access the Internet in the classroom. Soon teachers will be able to tap into that access. These mobile devices will allow teachers to teach their students anywhere, and by being able to put their lessons and lectures on engaging podcasts and slideshows students will be more willing access these new learning devices.

Students and teachers accessing into iTunes U. will find a new world library with one of largest and fastest growing sources of free educational content. Students can access over 150,000 lectures presentations, videos, reading, and podcasts from all over the world, and what a world we live in. Students and teachers can go to iTunes and select iTunes U. and find courses and podcasts they want to use.

Back when I taught in the 70’s I had learning centers which contain math games, spelling fun sheets, social studies fun quizzes for the children to work on when they finish their main activities. In this day and age the learning center could be iTunes U. accessing podcasts or videos that would allow the students to take a virtual tour of an art museum or a historical land site. It would also allow the students to interact with other students about the content of the programs being view or listened to via chats, email and social networking.

Response to Karl Fisch's blog

Karl Fisch writes in his blog about people of the 21st century need to be technological literate. He truly hates to hear people say they don't really get computers. To Karl Fisch this statement is like saying they aren't good at math. He feels that in order to be a teacher in the 21st century you must be technology literate and be willing to make the effort to learn more.
We cannot afford to be illiterate in this day and age. In order to teach we must become knowledgeably in technology or our students are going to suffer. I know that by taking this computer course it has open a whole new world in teaching methods for
me. By the time I finished this course I hope to be able to share with my students blogging,podcasting,and many other uses for the internet. We need to experience the technology world right along with our students. We need to demonstrate to them that we are continually learning and teaching them the tools of technology that will carry us all into the 21st century in order for all of us to be successful.

The Making of a Better Podcast

I listen to "The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch" BW0119W. The students who presented this podcast were Sean Caballos,Chip Curtis, and Heather Averette. I felt that Heather was reading her lines and this is an area where I would like to be more conversational and relaxed in my broadcast. I also felt they should have explained more about Randy Pausch's last lecture in the beginning of their podcast. I want to give an overall view in the beginning of my podcast, outline what the podcast is about and then summarize at the end.
In "Useful Websites for Educators" BW0414W presented by Keesha Miles,Emma Jones and Doris McManus, Ifound that they only mention their websites once for each website. I'm going to say each website at least twice so people will be sure to get them written down.
"Examing Dr. Strange's Thesis That Students Now Are LIstener/Watchers and Not Readers/Writers"BW0610W which was delivered by Melissa Zebracki and Amanda Williams. I felt one of the girls spoke too fast and not clearly. In my podcast I want to speak in a clear, slow and conversational form.

Podcasting

SmartBoard Lesson Podcast is delivered by teachers, Ben Hazzard and Joan Badger who give us fresh and engaging lessons ideas weekly.The lessons focus on using interactive whiteboards in the classrooms.These two teachers engage in normal conversation about where they live, the weather they are experiencing, what is going on in their daily life before they get into the lesson for the week. They converse with each other on how you can use different methods to teach the lesson to your classroom. Kidcast is a companion to the book,” Kidcast and Podcasting in the Classroom” by Dan Schmit.He introduces himself and talks about what’s going on in his life at the beginning of each podcast and then goes into the lesson for the week.I listen to #60 “The Mini Series of Podcasting.He gave tips on how to develop your own format, use of music and art to help you develop your own podcasting with your students. EdTech Talk is a community of educators interested in discussing and learning about the uses of technology.It webcast several live shows each week.During the shows, listeners can use any common media player to listen to the discussion and use the chatroom to make comments and ask questions. EdTech Talk uses homegrown webcasting and other new media technologies to help people connect, learn and collaborate.You can listen, watch and participate by finding webcast venue details on the event calendar. Connected Learning Network is a web-based distance learning center that works directly with corporate trainers, technology training centers, college faculty, K-12 teachers and administrators. An example in this network would be Connect e/learning solution which delivers engaging contact between tutor/student interaction in an innovated and easy to use interface. The Connect Learning virtual classroom extends education and training to students wherever they may be. Online classes connect student/tutor with real live audio and video while delivering interactive exercises in an exciting learning environment. MacBreak Weekly gets the latest on Mac news and views from top journalists covering Apple today. This round table discussion is audio only and complements the video only by MacBreak. In This Week in Photography you listen to Alex Lindsay, Frederick Van Johnson and friends each week as they discuss camera techniques, technology and news. With in depth question interviews and discussion around everything from taking family photos to understanding how state of the art cameras work, you’ll hear it all on This Week in Photography.

Trio World School, Bangalor

Trio World School,Bangalor

Trio World School is accredited by the University of Cambridge International Examinations(CTE) for IGCSE, AS and A level examinations. It is fast becoming one the most reputed international school in Bangalore. Its global curriculum integrates well with the rest of the world making it easy for students to transfer anywhere in the world.
Trio World School has low teacher/student ratio with the teachers being highly qualified and dedicated. It offers world class infrastructure by having Wi-Fi Campus, state-of-the art laboratories and computer center, and a comprehensive library. It also offers other language such as Hindi, French, and Spanish.

International School Bangkok (ISB)

International School of Bangkok
Thailand Premier
International School of Bangkok

International School of Bangkok is in Thailand and serves over l850 students from 50 countries in grades Pre-K to 12.It follows a North American teaching style with standards-based curriculum by international practices. Its instructional approach is centered on the students. Students benefit from outstanding teachers, a challenging curriculum, small class ratio, the latest technology and facilities and a wide choice of extra curriculum activities. The International teaching staff comes from over 20 countries and work together at all levels to evaluate and improve student learning. The head master of the school is Bill Gerritz who has a blog called “Head of School’s Blog.” Every week he puts out a blog about different topics of interest. They range from “Environmentally Greener Schools” to “Nerds at ISB”.

My Presentation

Blog Reviews

Mrs. Grover’s Fourth Grade Class
West Elementary School
Independence, IA.

Mrs. Grover has created a blog that has the classroom on the web. The site was created to keep families updated on their children’s accomplishments and important information about the classroom’s activities.
She has created for you to and find out what is going on the classroom. The books are divided into 5 different areas.
1. Home which tells about the school, the district area and about Mrs. Grover.
2. Parent’s Corner gives parents information about supply list, newsletters, and schedules.
3. Curriculum which goes over new math, science, social studies, language arts, and health and physical educations courses taught by Independence School District.
4. Students Links is where the students can link onto the site and find daily activities in spelling, homework assignments, computer projects, geography, math, science, reading and language arts. There are all kinds of work sheets, activities on the related subjects, projects and events for the children to master.
5. Teachers is the last book where you can find teaching forms, internet tools, data collection and interaction resources. It even shows you how to create your own website for the classroom.
Mrs. Grove’s website is an excellent source on creating your own classroom blog site for parents, children and teachers.





Mrs. Renz’s 4th Grade Class
Tom McCall Elementary School
Redmond, Oregon

Mrs. Renz’s has created a file cabinet blog for teachers where she found some great Internet websites. She has organized them into 3 different groups.
1. Educational Sites which gives educators scoring guides, rubic makers, graphics organizers, award makers and resources for teachers and administrators.
2. Subject Matters ,Unit and Lesson Plan Sites which allows you to go to many different sites for the subject you may need a lesson plan on. For example if you were going to do an Art project you would go to this site and you could chose from 20 different areas that would allow you to teach lessons from each area of its expertise.
3. Graphics,Textmakers and Websites are the third drawer’s contents. This drawer has some of Mrs. Renz’s favorite graphics and animations sites. It allows you to find any subject on line and gives you ideas for bulletin boards, coloring pages, work sheets and clip art.
Overall Mrs. Renz’s blog space is a site where you can find everything you would need to teach a fourth grade class. It is a excellent resource website for a new or old teacher.

What is ACCESS?

Access means Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students statewide. It allows Alabama High School students to have opportunities and in advance placement electives and other courses that they may not have otherwise. It also provides students the ability to gain advance diploma courses, remediation, and supplemental resources. Some reasons they may not have access to these courses would be that they live in a rural or low income area. They can gain access to this diverse curriculum by Internet based courses taught by Alabama certified teachers who are trained to teach online.
Access also provides teachers, school administrators, guidance counselors, and other school personnel with many technological tools and added multimedia to better their instructional resources. It allows teachers all over professional development through the use of Access. Teachers are able to interact with students in many effective ways thus broadening the scope of teacher and student relationships in an upper level of learning via internet and video classrooms.

Picture Test

My University

Take a look at the University I attend
click here

What is ALEX?

ALEX means Alabama Learning Exchange and for someone who is trying to become a teacher or is someone who has taught many years ago, this site is wealth of information on the standards of Alabama education. It helps student teachers and new teachers along with the old ones to create lesson plans on whatever subject and age level you need. ALEX covers all curriculum from K-12th. It also gives you web links to related subjects (such as Language Arts 4th grade) that help you find sources on this subject to expand your curriculum guide lines. Professional Learning areas help teachers to find websites that can enhance their own career choices.
I wish that I had ALEX back in the '70's when I began my teaching career. It would have made finding resources for teaching different subjects so much easier. It holds a wealth of knowledge at the click of a mouse. Just make sure you know how to click that mouse correctly.