Podcast Info

A podcast is something that posts both audio and video through the internet for people to listen and view. The way podcasting works is through software programs named aggregators or podcatchers have to be downlowded to be make possible the listening or watching the podcast. Teachers can use podcasting in four ways and they are curriculum augmentation(by introducing new material, supporting current lessons, reviewing material), profesional development(conveniently lets teachers stay current on instructional technology skills or education issues), material presentation by both teachers and students whether they may be lectures or projects and so on, communication with community and parents by supplying the parents and community information on the on the events of their children's schools and for the parents, reports on their children's advancement in school. Podcasting has been used in one school to provide information and promote learning by posting educational videos using their students. Broward County Schools News 2 uses podcasts to show infromation to audiences involving the district, awards, titles and educational options available to students. I think that podcasting is a terrific tool for humanity and especially for educators, because it is efficient and convenient. Podcasting makes learning fun and easy because all you have to do is download a video or audio and listen to it or watch it at the place or setting that you are, at you comfort and convenience and also it is a good tool to post videos to or presenting information for school related issues, whether you are a teacher or a student, and surely it is a g reat bridge for communiocation between teachers and students, where teachers can help students ate their own pace. Most importantly, it helps teachers learn more on being better educators by using it to learn.

The url of my podcast of choice is http://www.digitalpodcast.com/. I chose this podcast firstly because of its digital status, since digital gives better visual and audio quality and non-digital. In addition, because it has vidoes/audio about all sorts of topics from comedy to news to fitness and so on and it is very organized. What I thought about it in general is that it is a very efficient tool for entertainment and education that people really are fortunate to have available in today's world, simply because of the multitudes of resorces offered and the conveniency for most people to receve them.

Alabama Virtual Library

The Alabama Virtual Library is an online format of a library limited to Alabama residents, which has multiple resources for people to use when they want to look up scholarly or credited infromation. It can help people from all levels, whether they be in elementary school, middle school, high school, college and the general public. Its resources range from journal articles to book passages to encyclopedia sources, like Britanica and others and so on. The finder can search for their information through search engines in each resource icon they click on and it will give them a list, if specified information is available of the related resource titles to choose. The searcher can also find information based on topics, whether Adult Education, Business, English, etc. Conclusively, the Alabama Virtual Library is a very resourceful source for researchers.

The Alabama Virtual Library can help me as an educator by giving me the vast access to all theses resources relating to what I am teaching, to help strengthen my knowledge, and hence the knowledge of my students. It can make me be able to let my students use the resources to search for information, whether it be for a paper or a test or just for the sake of knowledge, and therefore helping my students expand their minds and their researche skills. They and I can strengthen our research skills , by our constant use of it and by knowing which database to use and which resource to use for what information, which can surely make us better researchers and writers. My helping my students be the latter, that would make me a better educator. It also gives students home access to the library and therefore access to secondary sources, if some may have a hard time getting transportation. In addition it makes researching easier for them, than having to find books in libraries and fully read them for a tediuos purpose, making it a matter of convenience. Conclusively, all of the above shows that the Alabama Virtual Library is a very important resource for education, for reasons of education, research, convenience, etc.

Mr. Sullivan's Disabled Learning Presentation

I thought that the presentation was very informative and interesting. To me, it was very inspiring how someone like Mr. Sullivan is able to teach people to how to educate the disabled, when he himself is legally blind, by giving us the perspective of people in that situation. What I learned is that the disabled have legal rights in having online web access, among other rights of getting special help that they may need in the education system, that being thanks to many laws passed. I also learned that the disabled can help themselves, using special devices and Mr. Sullivan showed us this keybord for the blind that they use when they use the computer, and it seems to be very sophisticated and how it has all these special features like the rail and sensors, for the blind to be able to feel what is going on in the computer, which is why this device costs 6000 dollars according to Mr. Sullivan. In addition, he told us certain behaviors to look for in students to determine if they are disabled, whether they are short of hearing or seeing, etc. I think the information can help me be a better teacher by letting me be more aware of my disabled students in class by their behaviors, especially blind ones, but disabled in general also, and to help me to address their disablity and to apply/give them their legal rights and to know how to teach them to help themselves and be independent, like Mr. Sullivan .

Google Thinking

Regarding the Changing the Way We Think article, I agree that Google and online search engines in general are innovative inventions that did modify our way of thinking and perception, especially in the way that we receive information and ideas. The way I see it is and according to a part of the article to my understanding, that online searching limits us to information from sources that agree with our views and ideas, that we are not forced to see things form different perspectives and I suppose that is a downside to this phenomenon. I personally do not see any changes in my stimulus or changes in my personality and behaviour because of internet surfing, I feel the same person as before and if any changes occured, they were for the better because I learned a lot from the internet and from going to different websites about different issues, which takes me to the next point. I agree with the article that online searching encourages assimilative learning and finding referencial materials, but I disagree that it does not encourage material that causes changing of views because online searching has caused me at some instances to modify my ideas and opinions. I also think it is amazing how a person can text a long story with 160 or even 140 characters as you can do in some websites according to the article. Overall, I think that online searching/Google is a great invention for the human mind and does not make us any less intelligent, if not more, in my perspective.

Google Presentation

My Google presentation.

ALEX

ALEX which stands for Alabama Learning exchange, like ACCESS, is a program that is created to make school education and learning to be more effficient and convenient. Its website porvides teachers with weblinks to aid them in their teaching. It provides courses online covering all subjects and classes, making it easy for people who live in areas and attend schools that do not offer them. ALEX has a function that makes lesson plans for teachers for their classes, making their jobs easier for them, timewise and effortwise. In making the lesson plans, teachers can decide the objectives and levels that they want the lesson plans, and ALEX will meet those exact requirements. It provides a personal workplace for teachers who are registered to store and submit lesson plans and teacher webpages. It provides a professional opportunities page for people to choose from and receive from their website. ALEX is a resourceful program for both teachers and students alike.

I Think it would help me as a teacher because of the conveniences and the help I would receive from them, can make me a better facilitator of knowledge to my students. It can give me more time to teach my students about the subject matter and to do so with more knowledge and resources, due to its function of making my lesson plan or giving me my workplace to create my lesson plan, in addition to the web links that it provides for teachers/students to receive desired information . It helps me reach students from different places and communicate with them online and at their own pace, helping them to learn better. I think ALEX is a very good invention for teaching and learning.

ACCESS

ACCESS is a system that is made to make high school instruction of better quality, teaching wiswe and technology wise. It gives a technical ability to provide courses through the internet, using the most up to date technology. It also encompasses internet-based classwork with Alabama certified teachers to have access to school sites that would not be able to have contact with them to get them to teach for them, in other words reach al areas including rural with eaqual learning opportunities. Resources provided will involve extra mulitimedia and technology tools to improve teaching. It combines online learning with classroom learning, getting the benefits of both. ACCESS clearly is an innovative invention for high school education.

My thoughts on the usefullness of ACCESS on me as a teacher starts with the fact that it will let me have the opportunity to reach people from distant areas online. Another benefit of ACCESS to me as a teacher is that I will receive technological and educational training which really expands my ability to be a more informed and productive teacher to my students. Through it, I would professionally grow and be forced to be especially organized and prepared, due to its sopisiticated use. Will also give me a chance to give feedbak on how to improve its courses , giving me as a teacher a greater spectrum of understanding alternative teaching. I would be available for individual help for my students, helping them learn at their own speed. It is clear that ACCESS is a very useful tool for teaching.

All information received from the ACCESS website:http://accessdl.state.al.us/showaccess.php?lnk=aboutaccess