Blog Post # 2

Video #1
Did You Know??

It is very important to look at life in many different ways, sort of think outside the box. The facts about China were surprising in the video Did You Know?3.0. Technology has and is ;impacting the world in a very positive way. It has become a part of our daily lives.

I use Google, mostly as a search engine, all the time. Since taking this class, I've learned many more uses for Google. It was amazing to see how many people use Google on a monthly basis. Technology is ever evolving and we must learn to use it. We use text messages to communicate all the time...never really thought about how many use but was was eye opening to find out just how many we do use. Technology has taken over.



Video #2
Mr. Winkles Wakes
Age has no limit when it comes to be technologically literate. There are young and old who are not technology literate. I will be a senior citizen in a few years and I try really hard to learn as much technology as I can because I see what the world is coming to. In the video, Mr. Winkles Wakes,  Mr. Winkles slept for 100 years to wake up and find all had changed. School had changed with computers and tables and the hospital had changed with all types of machines to help people feel better. I can imagine how he felt.

When I was in school we used paper and pencils to take notes,do homework and take test. We did have machines to help people feel better, but they were not as modern as technology today. The old way of school was Mr. Winkles comfort zone as well as mine. Technology is being improved and developed everyday for use in classrooms, banks, grocery stores, businesses, hospitals, everywhere. It is tested and tested over and over so we can be successful when we use it. Classrooms are slow to use technology. Teachers are not taught to use computers. Little if any training is allocated for their training. How can they teach what they have not been taught? Instead they are asked to teach certain skills on the computer and are scared to do so as I would.


Video #3
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

The length of the video,Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity,definitely got my attention. I soon became interested in what Ken Robinson was talking about, and forgot about how long the video was. Everyone can be creative.Creativity to me is not necessarily creativity to you and it doesn't have to be. We grow and children grow when we use our creativity, whether it is in the classroom or on the job.
Ken Robinson commented that one should not be fearful of being wrong. That's right and I feel the same way.

As we age our mistakes are seen by us and others as something very negative. Anyone who has ever made a mistake understands the lesson that was learned from the mistake helped to build our character. Teachers should educate the whole child, and allow those creative juices to flow. Incorporating the "arts" in classroom units helps the child learn as well as develop their creativity. Putting children in groups does not foster creativity. It limits them to only being around others as they are and that doesn't allow them to grow and be creative in other ways.


Video #4
Glass,Schools, the Future and Change

The video, A Day Made of Glass was enlightening. All classrooms could have displays on each desk. There would be no more need for squirming around in seats to see what is displayed on the smart board or chalk board. Solar panels on roof tops of buildings would become energy panels for the schools. School field trips would be enhanced with the Glass project tool and children could share their experience on the field trip with their parents at home. Community interactive Glass worktables would allow students to collaborate on online projects with students from other schools.The tablet would allow on going communication between the students and teachers. Students who had to miss class would be able to participate in class as usual with the tablets. They could participate in discussions individually and in groups. The Glass tablet would be as common as the cell phone. Everyone would have one. I think Mr.Winkle would be out of his mind with fear if he awoke to the Glass Project. Change was not one of his favorite things and I am pretty sure the Glass tablet would not be. I like the idea of the project. I think it would add an excitement to teaching and student's learning like no other. I must admit, I would not be very comfortable having to use all of the technology the Glass project proposes without extensive training.  Project Glass will make it possible to keep people in the moment. 

Project 2 Wordle

Blog Post #1

My name is Patricia Hampton and I currently live in West Mobile, Alabama. I have lived several places over seas to include Frankfurt, Erlangen and Stuttgart Germany. While in Germany, I was employed with the Department of Defense as an Elementary teacher on the ERLANGEN Base Installation. I taught first and second grade classes as well as first and second grade combination classes. My husband and I are family oriented and now suffer from the empty nest syndrome. We have two sons and no grandchildren at this point. We anxiously await their arrival someday but only when they are ready. I attended college long ago and received a Bachelor of Science degree from a "Historically Black University".

I taught elementary school for sixteen years and eventually felt "teacher burnout". I left the teaching field for the corporate world where I found myself... still in the education profession. This time it was training adults. Little did I know that one day, I would want to return to the world of the "little people" as I have found myself at this point in my life. Teaching is a profession and the skills to do so are a part of me. I know this now. I love the gratification I feel when I can see a young child apply a skill that I have taught him or her. Children are always anxious to please. I am interested in cooking, baking, arts and crafts, gardening (not very good at it), and traveling. My favorite ways to relax are to read, watch television shows such as NCIS,LAW and ORDER, POLITICAL ANIMALS, COVERT AFFAIRS, and BURN NOTICE. I also enjoy CNN, FACE the NATION, and POLITICS NATION. I am a flexible , responsible team player with great interpersonal skills. I have been known to try out new cookie recipes on my team members. I look forward to working with the members of the EDM 310 class.

Randy Pausch on Time Management
Time is our number one asset. There lots of time wasters in our daily routines of life. Time wasters can be eliminated if you know where they are located. They are strategically placed in everything we do. In Randy Pausch's exercise on how to calculate the hours per day or week I allow for sleeping, grooming,eating, commuting,and running errands, the time I wasted was clearly shown.Planning, prioritizing and identifying my goals are clearly important when managing my time. I agree with Randy Pausch's idea of keeping a journal to monitor where and how I use my time. It organizes my tasks for the day and allows me to make changes when needed and see the how the changes will effect the remainder of my day.

Randy was a mentor and friend to Dr. Gabriel Robins of Virginia University. He archived all of Randy's lectures and video's for viewing online. Randy Pausch also wrote a book called The "Last Lecture", published in 2008.  Randy Pausch died in 2008 of cancer.

Penn State Time Management
The Time Management Semester Calendar tool is most useful to me. There are many great ideas and activities to help you manage your time. The best one for anyone reading the article is going to depend on the person doing the reading. I am a visual learner and it helps me to see my daily activities and events as is displayed in a Semester Calendar. It is much easier to set aside time to study and complete schoolwork when I can see my entire day or week.