Blog #5

Listening to the presentation -Eagle Nest Radio & Class Blog- about the Romans, reminded me that they are a big part of our history.
The Romans invented architecture, and they built buildings to worship their Gods.
In the ancient world people were a little strange. The Romans liked to watch people die; it seemed to be a game for them. They had gladiators who were slaves, trained to fight.
Then came Julius Caesar who was a wise leader of Rome. He won many battle and the people trusted him a lot.
Also in Egypt was the beautiful Cleopatra who was the queen. Many people think she is Egyptian but she is actually Greek. She was known for her beauty, charm and intelligence.

After watching this presentation, I had the idea for using music in the background so there will not be any silent parts, and it will keep the listeners interested.


Watching the video The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom I learned a lot about podcasting and how it works. It is very beneficial as it may be used/listened anywhere in reach of a computer.
Podcasting allow for differentiation in the classroom. It focuses on higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, creativity and innovation.
Podcasting is a different way of learning and this excites the students, and it allows them to teach concepts to others.
After interviewing some students they think that podcasting is interesting and exciting, as it allows them to be creative and act.
Even the principal thinks it is an effective tool if it’s used appropriately, and it’s also an opportunity for parents to communicate and see what is happening in class.

This podcast was very interesting and gave me further ideas for my podcast; they used pictures, music and interviewed people. So there was a lot of variation and it kept the listeners interested and focused.


After reading, Judy Scharf Podcast Collection now I have a better understanding of its purpose.
I realized that podcasting takes time, it’s not something you can do if few minutes. This is why if you want to succeed you must give plenty of time to your students to accomplish their tasks. Also give the students various topics so they can be free to choose and be creative.
The link provided is very helpful if you are a first time user. It explains you exactly what to do and it gets you started so you are not completely lost.

This is very helpful as it will help me manipulate my podcast the way I like it and now I have basic knowledge on how to edit things such as background noise.

Blog #4

Link to Scott Mclead Post
I totally agree with Scott McLeod. I truly believe that our children should wait before they get access to a computer, phones, and blogs. How did we do it when we were kids? I personally didn’t have a phone, blogs or a computer, and I was fine. I think we’re losing the “pleasure” of writing on paper and using ink pens.
I believe that when you’re in elementary school you don’t really need to use technology- it’s not a big need. Students need it especially in high school and in college.

Who is Scott McLeod?
Scott McLeod is the co-creator of the video we had to watch for one of our blogs- Did You Know?
He has received several national awards for his technology leadership work.




After watching “The iSchool Initiative” video it makes you really think about the future and what will happen to your kids. It’s scary to think that nearly everything can be done through technology. In future years teachers will be cut down as a lot of classes will be online, for example look at this EDM class- I don’t have to go to class, I can just stay home and communicate with my teacher and peers through the blogs.
However he does state something very true, less paper will be used/wasted, which will help our environment, but what he doesn’t realize is that the manufacturing of iSchools may produce more pollution resulting to damaging the environment.




My first reaction when watching “The Lost Generation” was “is she crazy?” during the first half of the video I was against her. And then suddenly she had hope and everything made sense, and I started agreeing with what she was saying. I think that if our generation really wants to make a change we can.
In her video I really liked how her text made sense in both ways- you could read it from top to bottom or from bottom to top. I guess this shows that there’s more than one way of thinking, you have the negative or the positive side- it’s for you to decide which one you’re on.


Link to Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir- “Lux Aurumque” video gave me gooses pumps when I first heard the voices. I took me a few seconds to understand what was going on. This really made me think about the future and what are we going to do next? I think it’s fantastic to be able to take music lesson through technology, so a lot of people can afford it. But on the other hand it’s “ruining” the charm of a choir, and actually going to see real people sing. If everything is going to be through technology, what will happen to our social life? Are we still going to have one?

Alternative Assignment #1

After doing this small experiment I learned a lot. Google Squared is very handy when you’re doing researches on countries, mountains, music…etc. The information is shown very clearly and you can even add the information you need if it’s not there.
Wolfram Alpha is very useful when comparing things. The work is basically already done for you; you just need to type what you’re looking for.
Before this assignment I had no idea that Google Square and Wolfram Alpha existed.
After reading my comment about Did You Know, I did mention that I did learn a lot about countries. I could learn even more if I decide to use these two programs.
This exercise is very interesting, and I’m glad to learn about new statistics about different topics.

Here is a screen shot of the Pitcairn Islands.

I just read Food For Thought, and just smiled. It’s impressive to see young children using phones, computers, and ipods…etc even if they probably never used one before. Today's kids are growing up with technology, “it’s in their blood”.

Summary Post CAT Teacher #1

I was assign to read and comment on Morgan Bayda's blog. In the first blog – Pictures and Projects- she talks about her volunteering work and what she was doing. Ms. Bayda also talks about how fulfilling it is to be able to participate in different project that brings happiness, and health to a community. She also mentions all the things she was able to do such as, plant, grow, build, harvest, and teach and much more. One thing she wrote that I really enjoyed was “Work hard, play hard and keep your eyes wide open the whole time!”

In the second blog I read- Tranquillo, she talks about her experiences in Costa Rica. She tells the readers how it’s wonderful being able to eat natural fruits from trees. And she also tells us how amazing it is to be in a peaceful and natural environment. Morgan Bayda also talks about her experiences at night when she comes across surprising big, harmless bugs, and how it differs from home.

White African

Blog #3

After watching the movie of Michael Wesch- a vision of Students Today, I was surprised to see the student’s reactions. At the beginning you see students showing notes saying how they are in large classes, few teachers know their names, books are expensive, and how students pay for school but do not show up to class. And then as the movie goes on you see what each student does, for example how many hours they listen to music, watch TV or sleep…etc. Then towards the end students gives facts about how they are lucky to be in college, because so many people are able to pay for an education. And at the end you realize that maybe the only solution to our problem is technology.
This movie does cover a portion of my college experiences, there wasn’t a time were I told myself that what I am studying now would not exist when I’m done studying. I’m also aware that I am very lucky to be where I am today and being able to have high level of education.
If I were the producer of this movie I would also include that technology is a good resource and may solve a lot of problems, but I personally believe that it’s not the only possible way to solve our problems. We tend to rely on technology too much and we forget about all the great books that have been published with great sources and solutions.


Link to Mrs. Hines Post

Having read, “It’s Not about the Technology” by Kelly W. Hines” it makes you think about the future and where we are going. I really liked the way she started her post by saying “I am sitting here at my laptop, occasionally watching my Skype and Tweetdeck…” This makes me smile because this is exactly what I do when I get on my laptop; I log on and check if I have any notifications or new emails on facebook or hotmail.
I agree when she asks “what will our children need to know and able to do?” and a lot of people think about technology, well I don’t think it is the most important thing in life. As we go on more and more people are on their facebook, ipods and phone and do not have a real social life, it’s all based on technology. Technology is not the first thing we need in a classroom, there are other more important things that come first.
Teachers today should be willing to learn, they should be up to date. Educators should know about their students- what they are doing and where are they coming from. If teachers decide to use technology they must be trained and know what they are doing otherwise it is a waste of money.
I personally believe that students should be balanced between learning through technology and books.


Link to Karl Fisch's blog

After reading Karl Fisch's blog, I totally agree with him, when he said, “All educator must achieve a basic level of technological capability.” Today nearly everything involves technology and I think it’s important to have a basic knowledge on how to use the equipments.
It made me smile when I read the part where he says, that parents often said that “they were not good at math, and this is why their children are not good”. I remember my mother saying it to me when I had a hard time trying to solve a math problem.
I agree with Karl Fisch, that teachers can still be successful even thought they don’t know much about technology, but it’s getting harder and harder because now companies and schools are looking for people with good qualifications that can use technology fairly well. I think teachers should always be willing to learn new things and be open minded about it.


Link to Gary Hayes: Social Media Count

It put a smile on my face when I clicked on the link of Gary Hayes- Social Media Count. Not all of us realizes how much time we spend “wasting” on the Internet, we could be much more productive if those blogs, facebook, phones…etc didn’t not exist. We would not be distracted to see who’s online or who sent you a message. However on the other hand I do realize that we rely a lot on technology, a lot of people would not be able to “survive” without their phones or checking their twitter account.
As a future teacher I do worry a little, and wonder if teachers will be needed in the future as nearly everything can be done through technology. Maybe in the future students will be able to stay at home and to their schoolwork online, therefore fewer teachers are needed. We need to be careful with technology as it may help us a lot but eliminate a lot of valuable things.

Blog #2

After watching the video “Did You Know?” I learned a lot of facts that I wasn’t aware of. Everything seems to increase drastically as technology is advancing, and population is growing.
This movie is also giving you facts about different countries around the world. While watching this movie it made me realize that a lot is happening around me every second and I don’t even realize it. This shows that a lot of us are in there own world and are maybe not aware of what is going on in their environment.




“Mr. Winkle Wakes” which makes me think about my great parents. In this video you realize that the world changed from when you were a baby until now. After watching the video you see that Mr. Winkle Wakes is not comfortable with the “busy people” or the “strange sounds” that he hears.
He went to different places in the city and didn’t understand all the new things he was seeing but then he went to a school and realized that some things never change even after a hundred years.
This makes me think about the future and when I will be older. There will be definitively new inventions and I wonder how will I react to them.




In “The Importance of Creativity” I was reminded that everyone has a different and interesting education. I was also reminded that each one of us is talented but do not always show it. Picasso once said, “All children are born artists” and I think it is very true.
In schools we do have Art classes but it’s down on the hierarchy of education. Some of us think that Art is not as important as Mathematics and Languages. I don’t agree with this because I believe that through Art you can show your personality and be different from everyone else. Often when you tell your teacher or even your parents that you want to do Art or Music they tell you that you shouldn’t do it because you’re not going to become an artist or musician so there is not point. And this is not the best thing to do, as we’re not growing in creativity, we’re growing out of it, which I personally think is a shame.




“Harness Your Students’ Digital” makes you think about how you want to teach as there are several ways you can teach and make it interesting for the students and for the instructor.
Vicki Davis uses different type of technology to work with her students she uses computers and phones. She believes that every student can learn, but there are different types of teaching. You can teach through paper work or using computers like she is. Vicki Davis makes it also interesting for the student, as she is not only the one who is always teaching the students, she makes the class do presentations and learn from one another. I believe this is very efficient as it differ from all the other classes where most of the work is on paper. She also makes the students think, as she doesn’t give them the answers to everything, she lets them do researches and I think it’s a great way to learn. I personally believe that when you do some research for yourself you tend to remember it forever oppose to being told the answer.