Technology tools

What is Podcasting?

SITE NAME: Podcasting Tools

This article was very good at explaining what podcasting. I will admit, I have an iPod, but I very rarely use it and so the thought of engaging in podcasting did not interest me at all. Technology scares me as it is. I have learned a lot this passed semester, but I was not sure I wanted to branch out and accept certain things. One of those things was podcasting. As I read through this article, I found it very interesting how helpful this may be in a person’s daily life. Podcasting was initially intended for the iPod, but it can now be used through certain software on websites and any other type of MP3 Player. A few things mentioned in the article that podcasting is most often used for are: 1) Informational Content 2) Band promotional clips and interviews (media) 3) Industry or organizational news 4) Instructional informational materials and 5) Story telling for children or the visually impaired. All of these things podcasts can be used as resources for. I think it is an incredible technology and can expand people’s minds. It’s like education on the go. I believe it would be incredibly beneficial to a classroom environment. There are a few reasons that I want to use podcasts in my classroom. One reason is that I believe it will help maintain students progress. If a student misses a day of class but is able to listen to what he or she has missed over a podcast, they will easily be able to stay on track. Also, I have a firm belief that a student's success is dependent on how involved a parent gets. If a parent knows what has gone on in class, it will be easier from them to make sure their child stays on top of things. They may also be able to keep track of activities at school and encourage their children to participate. Technology is a great thing. If we, as educators, use it correctly, it will benefit our students in a huge way


SMART Boards

SITE NAME: PC Magazine

SMART Boards are an amazing technology. A teacher or any kind of presenter can have a lesson plan come up on the screen, stop it at any time and write on the board. On the website pcmag.com it explains, “It transforms the display into a truly interactive tool that can make meetings and demonstrations more effective and productive.” In this case, it makes lessons more exciting. It will help students to want to become more involved. I think this technology is a great way to present a subject. It will keep the students interested; it gives the teacher the opportunity to be creative. Altogether, it will make the learning experience more enjoyable. The downside to this kind of product is that it is very costly and with the way school funding is these days, a technology like this may be unattainable. It is quite unfortunate, but there is always the hope that sometime in the future they will go down in cost and every classroom will be able to have one of these SMART Boards.

CAN I SAY "HELL" ON THIS BLOG??

This has been the hardest week of any semester I have been in school. I have had a paper due for my English class, I had to make sure my UEN site was up and complete AND I had to make the annoying decision to retake my math class that I have almost completed. All of that, along with some irritating personal issues has made this week the week from hell. So much for my diet! That being said, I have really enjoyed coming up with ideas for the final project in this class. I like to be organized and I like to have some control over what I do and this had been an awesome opportunity to expand my horizons. It has been frustrating at times because I did not feel like I was living up to my own expectations, but I just went back, perfected everything and became pretty happy with the way things turned out. I love my idea for a brochure. I think it was very creative and I hope to keep that in mind when I have my own classroom. I still have some things to work on, but for the most part I feel very pleased with the outcome of my work in this class. I still have time to make things better though and that is what I plan to do. ;)