Blog Assignment #8

This Is How We Dream: Parts 1 & 2

Richard E. Miller is an instructor at Rutgers University and he discusses the change of our culture from one that reads and writes to one that listens and watches in his presentation This is How We Dream.  He begins his presentation with the thought that he began his career with the wish to work with books. This led to him actually writing a book that, as he put it, went the way of all academic books; it's now out of print and for sale on Amazon for 59 cents.

He then begins discussing what he calls "incremental changes". The first of these being that we don't research and write papers strictly in the dusty stacks of university libraries anymore. We carry around our laptops and have access to infinite amounts of information on any given subject. The documents that are created from this can either go the way of most prints, that is be circulated and eventually thrown away, and/or they can be put on the web where they survive forever. The next incremental change is using networking and creating documents that are not only textual, but include auto and visual elements as well. These elements don't have to be things from the past, however. Mr. Miller used the example of the election results in the most recent presidential race. We were able to see polling results as they came in and also almost instantaneously view news reports of said results.

Mr. Miller discusses the many different way in which students can compose. He surmises that there will eventually be a shift from students composing with word processor to them creating with the digital tools that he described. Fundamentally, the presentation of the Humanities must change. Attention needs to be paid to the "auditory details" of presentations.

This presentation was amazing! The future of education is a bright one indeed, especially for a future Language Arts teacher like myself. The use of multimedia tools is so fascinating. Composing will hopefully become something that students become engaged in because they are able use elements that are stimulating. There is so much to this developing method of teaching and I can't wait to learn more about it!

Carly Pugh

Wow. That's the first thought that comes to mind after viewing Carly's blog post. Her passion for teaching and learning are extremely evident. I am in love with her ideas and views because they reflect my own. The assignment for her post was to create an assignment for EDM 310. She came up with the idea to create a playlist of YouTube videos that reflect the subject matter you would teach and that could be useful in your classroom. This is precisely the type of activity that Mr. Miller describes in his presentation. Carly takes subject matter that would for the most part is dreaded by students and found videos that make them engaging and fun. The stories and ideas become alive in these presentations and stimulate the viewer in ways that simply lecturing about the same material wouldn't be able to.

EDM 310 Is Different

The videos EDM 310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series outline important topics needed in EDM 310. They were both hilarious! The Dummies video depicted the frustration I have felt about this class perfectly. It would be awesome to have a Dummies guide for quick references sometimes. If I were to create a video, I think it would be on organization and procrastination. My biggest problem is underestimating the amount of time it takes to complete a project and then I end up not doing my best on it. It's a habit that many students have and one that they may have trouble breaking. A video suggesting skills to get past this would be very helpful!

Learn To Change, Change To Learn

This video challenges the elements of what I would call a "traditional" classroom where students sit and listen to lecture. Teaching by rote memorization of facts and the right/wrong answer model are antiquated methods of the past. Social networking and technology as a whole have created a generation of students who learn more outside of the classroom than they do in it. Students must be taught not what the right answer is, but rather how to find the right answer or create a better answer. One educator said that he looks forward to the death of education and the birth of learning.

I couldn't agree more with these points. Students most definitely need to be able to be free thinkers, not just robots. Creativity is KEY to them becoming successful individuals. School needs to become so much more flexible and be able to adapt better to the times. Rows of desks and chalkboards are out of date. Social media, podcasts, project-based learning, and networking are all elements that must become incorporated in education today.

Scavenger Hunt 

Social Platform For Teachers, Students, and Parents
A tool that fits this description is called Edmodo. The format is very similar to Facebook and offers a wealth of information. This could be used to come up with new ideas and collaborate with other educators. It also provides an easy way to post assignments and quizzes. It's also a way to stay organized. In a world of laptops and cell phones rather than pencil and paper, it's always a great thing to have access to calendars and other things online.

Comic Strip

PhotoPeach

This tool is so user friendly. It allows the easy creation of slide slows. To get started, you upload your pictures to the site. Don't like the order? No problem. You just drag and drop to rearrange. Then you add a title and some music and captions to the pictures. Some of the special features include the ability to create interactive quiz slides, set the privacy level of your slide show, and have others comment to share their thoughts and opinions.