Monday, April 27, 2009

Final Blog

Well Ed, it has been fun hasn't it? Blogging was a good way for us to stay connected and to share our information and advice with each other. It can be used as a great learning tool in many classrooms. I like it because it is like a diary entry or a journal entry. You can say anything you would like to share with others and just vent sometimes. My advice to future bloggers would be to only share what they wouldn't mind everyone knowing. Random people can look at your blogs and add comments to them. Also using the proper 'netiquette' is definitely a good idea. I am not sure what else to say about blogging because we have talked about it all semester long. Overall, I did not mind it, I would like it better if I could just do it on my own time instead of having to share my mind by a certain time I guess, but there isn't a much better way of assessing it, so it works for me. Thanks for everything, Ed! (And for coming to our games!!)

Cell Phones

Two things for this post. First of all, I just found out how to Bluetooth my cell phone to my computer and transfer music and pictures and videos through both. It was totally cool. I used pictures that I edited on my computer and made them the background on my phone. I can't believe that took me so long to realize how to do though, I guess I just never tried before. Secondly, Jordan and I were talking today and her family got rid of their landline phone. She says that no one ever calls them on it. Maybe this will help us save money and...go green possibly? My family has considered the idea many times and have yet to make the switch. I do not doubt that we will in the future though.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Next Blog...

Well I just skimmed Alexis' blog about online courses and I also have mixed feelings about them. I have taken two already since being in college and will be taking one more this summer. I have always done fairly well in them, but I feel that it is not nearly as interactive as I prefer my classes to be. I don't think I learn as much because I feel the need to teach myself the material (which is not a bad thing and should be done, but I think there needs to be some instruction too.) I like the convenience of the online classes and the fact that we are able to do them on the road and we never miss class. Its hard to keep up with I guess though sometimes too, because I always put that class on the back burner and forget about it. I did hear recently about an online course cheating scandal throughout the athletic program of a Florida university, so that is also always an issue. There is no proof that students aren't using their book to take exams or using students who have already taken the course, it is based on an honor system. That, I believe, is one of the biggest downfalls of online courses...as for this class, since it is half in class, I feel that I do the work, but then I get to class and realize that I have forgotten to do the online portion. So Ed, if you could shoot me an email letting me know of things that I have not done, that would be greatly appreciated =] Thanks!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Scared of Technology

Jordan recently sent me an email trying to get me to join Twitter, and I have yet to click the link. I don't know why, I feel like it is another Facebook type of a site. While I was just talking with her about it, I realized that it is because I am scared to do so. Clearly, I am not shaking in my boots, but I just feel like it would be difficult to learn a new thing and have to figure a new one all over again. She assured me that it was easier than facebook, but I just don't know if I want to move into it yet. I am sure I will at some point, but not quite yet. I feel like someone from my mom's generation when I talk like this. My mom refuses to get a facebook because she says she is too busy and already has enough sites to check online because of online banking and emailing. I guess there are getting to be too many things online for us to handle these days.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

College Visits

I was listening to the radio on the way home from campus today and heard that less and less high school students are visiting colleges across the country. Researchers say this is due to the higher oil prices and the expenses of traveling. To get students to check out campuses, some schools are doing video interviews and tours of schools through the use of cameras. I thought this was really cool, especially for people who are tight on money. When I really got to thinking about it though, it really takes away the personal aspects of it. I know I came here because of how it felt to be on campus, this feeling is completely lost when tours are done online. 

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

More from FLA

One of the fathers on our team (Kali's dad) loves taking pictures of us when we are playing. He must take about 500 pictures a game, no joke. The pictures are posted to one of our team websites within days of the games being played. What is so cool about it, is that parents who are unable to travel get to check out the pictures and see their children without even being there. It is so awesome. These pictures also help us see how our mechanics are with our swings or with our fielding. I have noticed a few things that I need to change with my swing just from looking at these pictures. Digital cameras have become more and more useful through time and are definitely a positive advancement in technology. In the mean time, thanks for keeping your eye on us Ed, we appreciate your support!! (9 game winning streak and keepin' it going!!)

Monday, March 9, 2009

Technology on Trips

This past week we have been traveling all over the state of Florida. Without our GPS navigator, we probably would have never made it to any of our games. It has always got us to our locations, thankkkk god. Anyway, Kali probably already mentioned it, because she said she would, but in any case, the GPS took us in some crazy direction and took us on a dirt road. It may have gotten us to our destination, but this proves that there can be glitches in technology. Another thing I would like to point out is that wireless internet is a lifesaver. Without it, I would not be able to send this post. As a side note, we are currently on a seven game winning streak, so thats good! We watched the baseball team play down here today and there is a thing on our athletics website that allows us to see the game happen on our computers from home. This is ideal for parents who live too far away or can not travel to see their children play. Definitely a good thing to have.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Keeping in Touch from Afar...

This weekend, our softball team is away in South Carolina. Today we played two games and won them both...it was awesome!! We beat W. Carolina University in our first game, and then played Virginia Tech, for the second time this season. They got us the first time, but we came back ready to win. The game was scoreless through the seventh we went into extra innings. They scored, we score. In the top of the 9th, we were able to get out of the inning without giving up a run. Then in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, one of our girls lined a shot out to the third baseman who then tagged third base, leaving us with two outs with runners at first and second. Miss Alexis Souhlaris stepped up to the plate. Next thing we know, she smacks a three run, walk-off homerun giving us a 4-1 win. I did not know how else to react, I had tears in my eyes. To tie this to technology, we have 3 girls at home who are hurt or sick and they would have no connection to us without it. We use our computers and cell phones to keep quick contact with our other teammates.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Technology...

As we write more of these posts, I am actually finding it harder to keep trying to relate technology to my field of teaching. I guess it would help out in many ways, but none that I would need to keep up with like a high school teacher would. The preschoolers I work with for my Childhood Practicum class right now rarely use any form of technology, they do everything by hand and learn through play. Im sure I could use technology to keep track of attendance and observations, but that is nothing I don't already know how to do. In response to the comment left on my last post, isn't that class awesome? I totally agree with the story time and the almost magical feeling you are left with when you actually grasp the attention of all those children.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Hmmm...

This is the third blog on here and I actually forgot about it until now, so my apologies. Ed had posted on the last blog saying how much responsibility is involved in taking care of all those young children. I completely agree, but I love having a lot of responsibility. I got a cat recently just because I wanted more to take care of. I really really enjoy working with the children during my lab for childhood practicum, it is so much fun to watch them interact and play with each other. I don't really know what kind of computer education is needed for a preschool class, but I know it is a good tool to have.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Second Post

I think that it is very very important for teachers to be constantly learning about new technology so they always have a firm grasp on what to do. I feel like the younger generation is capable of learning about it faster than we are, and that goes for all generations. I know I am better with technologies than my mother is, and she is better at it than my grandmother. In our EDT 400 forums, we talked about this. People decided that teachers should have to go to mandatory classes to stay on top of the new technologies. I think this will be one of the hardest parts of teaching. That and the observation of the students.
I am going to be working with young children, K-3 graders and observation is the key to building good relationships. Jordan will agree, we learned it in our childhood practicum class this morning. I feel like that will seem very overwhelming to me at first, but when you think about it, all you have to do is observe and reflect. You can learn a lot about a child by just watching them and even interacting with them. You must always be excited to see them, it shows them that people care about them. I feel like this might be hard to do for me, especially if I happen to be in a bad mood that day, but I think I will be able to put my feelings aside for the education and care of my students. Another thing that really seems interesting to me now is that you never know what people are going through, or what happens in their home life. Some children have strong trust issues, and its the teachers job to overcome that, you might be the only stable person in their life at the current time. I am very excited to make an impact on children's lives and I hope to be a teacher they remember positively.

http://www.thisweekineducation.com/
http://Specialeducationlawblog.Blogspot.com/
http://kathyschrock.net/blog/

Monday, January 26, 2009

Future Jobs

What are some of the future professions or professional goals for the students in the class?

I personally would like to one day run a daycare out of the comfort of my own home. I would love to make an entire addition to my house designated specifically for that classroom. I realize that this would take a lot of money to start up, but the rewards would outweigh the costs.