Blog Post #8

This is How We Dream
By Richard E. Miller

     Let me begin by saying Mr. Miller is no Dr. Pausch. This presentation was made up of two videos; part one and part two. If you have been keeping up, then you know exactly what I mean by this. If you don't, let's just say he is not as interesting. In part one, Mr. Miller stresses the fact that technology is rapidly taking over literacy. I think that he wants present and future educators to grasp hold of these technologies and take the many advantages that technology is offering.

     He made a point about how most of our hard copy books are now ebooks. Mr. Miller is absolutely right though. Do you know how many people have ipods, iphones, laptops, and cellphones. It is almost always easier to pick up your phone and read something really quick. People always have their phone. Since I have had my iphone, I find myself constantly googling things that I do not understand or just want to know more about.


     In part two, he is focused on using the new and advancing technologies to live your dreams! He believes that we need inspiring teachers and spaces that foster collaborative learning. He discusses how we are free to dream and should be sharing our thoughts through the internet with videos and images. He says, "There are people out there that believe that our ideas don not belong to us individually but as a culture." All of the videos now available can help teachers with lectures and students also. He is fascinated in the upcoming technological world that we are living in and believes that "this is our dream".




Carly Pugh's Blog Post #12
     Carly is both amazing and inspiring! Oh what wonderful word choice she has! So how does she relate to Mr. Miller and his hopes for writing with multi-media? It is clear that Carly understands his hopes and it is obvious that she will definitely be exercising these tools as well. Carly's post actually made his lecture more understandable. After that, I think I actually get it now. Good job Carly!




The Chipper Series 
EDM310 for Dummies
     These videos were hilarious, but I wish that book "Edm310 for Dummies" was for real! I must admit, like the ladies in the YouTube video, I too have felt like this at one point or another. I have felt like I was going crazy especially in the beginning. As time has gone on, I have become less crazy because I know it is something that must be done. Now I just breathe in and out and tackle these assignments one at a time and mark them off my checklist. This may sound crazy, but for some reason the checklists takes away stress as well. When I see things turn green, it's like a little weight has lifted off of my shoulder. 

     For my own video, I would create an introduction video for this class. Introducing all of the different tools that will be used and explaining what each will be used for. I probably would also add a part 2; which would be a tutorial for some of the assignments that were a little more challenging than others. This will give them an over all idea of just how technologically literate or illiterate (haha) they are. I would also tell them how long these assignments may take and I could never forget to mention the fact that it is paperless. I think a video like this will help to mentally prepare you for this type of class. 


     Mental Preparation is not enough though! Procrastination is ones biggest enemy in this class. You definitely can not be a Chipper! Chipper was too much. Like most people, she wants the results of great work handed to her. This class is a fine example that once you put your mind to it, you can do great things. I am so proud of my blog, I show it off to all of my friends and family. The best part about sharing is that I can say, "I did this myself". That's the point of the class though because when you do it yourself, you know how to do it for real!


Learn to Change, Change to Learn
     This video is about opening doors for students that will better prepare them for college and life. The world around us has been taken over by technology and education needs to jump on the band wagon. There is so much more that can be done in the classroom when you add the technologies of today. I liked this video and agree with its message for education to embrace technology. Personally, I have learned so much from technology in this class. These tools are going to enhance my classroom by 100 percent. My journey in this class has taught me to "change to learn and learn to change."