Jay

Overall, I have enjoy this class. I have learned a lot of new tips and tricks for software that I am was already familiar with. The most useful has been the lessons on Power Point. I have never been a big fan of the program, but it seems that for all of my classes that Power Point is an essential application to know. I really appreciate the ways to make a presentation more power and less of staring at the back of someones head as they read their slides. After learning how to make presentations more powerful, I can now see the use of Power Point and how it can be a very effective tool. I have even used these techniques for my final presentation in another class. Needless to say, my professor was very impressed.

What I would have liked to do in the is class is a HUGE project, rather then a paper, little projects or a final exam. Maybe create a kind of portfolio that centers around one topic and grows as the class progresses. But that is also a time issue. If we were just studying technology and not in conjunction with education, this would be the way to go. Maybe create a entire unit with all of the different types of applications that can be used….from this list of applications, use at least 3 of them to create a unit lesson plan on your content area.

Another thing I would have liked to have done more in class is to just have the opportunity to play with different types of software and maybe do some more collaborating work. Maybe we start a project and then we have to switch computers and add to that project and so on. There would be some crazy productions!

Overall, I thought the class provided a very structured way of approaching technology and how it can be applied in an educational setting. I liked seeing all of the different web sites in the beginning of class. This is a great way to show how the web is ever evolving and advancing the pursuit of education and web 2.o. There is just so much out there and it is so easy to overlook a web site that might be an excellent educational tool. Your enthusiasm toward your content area is very apparent and your excitment over the use of technology in the classroom and outside of it makes students want to explore more on their own and take a leap of faith into the deep end.  Thank you for a great class!
Cheers!

I am running out of ideas. I feel it creep upon me. I had such witty responses for other past entries, but now I feel like I am repeating myself and carrying on in an unurbanesque manner.

Reflecting is not always the best way to learn. I am a audible learner. Everything I hear, for the most part, I remember. My writing is horrible and I can never read any of the hastily scribbled notes. What’s helps me to learn is to talk about it after the fact. I make the connections with the life around me and those who are willing to listen to me ramble.

But for the most part, these blogs have been the most enjoyable part of the semester. I have had a place to kind of rant and rave in my own voice and things that I am kind of interested in and reflect…sigh…on my past media studies path. I feel old.

Blogs have a power. A power of format. Blogs have a voice….but who is listening. Blogs make writing easier to accomplish, shift click+function+alt and all my formatting issues are a thing of the past. I love it though. I can’t stop writing…sometimes. But how to get the kids to want to do the same thing is the question. If I am at the point where I am getting bored with writing then something has to change.  How am I going to modify this strategy to enhance my classroom?

Maybe using different tasks for each blog entry. Give the students a document that tells them that 3 entries must be reflection, 1 must be creative writing and the then the last a new paper type like article. Having a couple of suggestions can help students come up with their own ideas in the long run. Give the man a fish and teach him to leave you alone. Move on to the more important parts of the process. Students are going to figure out what you of them and then take it to the next level. Be sharp and ready for the next unexpected question.

I guess what I am saying is that I could use a little push in a different direction. Maybe if there were more response to my post or more of dialogue going on, I would be more into the process. Cuz right now it feels like my audience is only you and I…. few others, tops.  Maybe less blog entries and more responses and discussion posts? Maybe what I should do is try looking to see who else is out there and comment on their posts. Expand my audiance per say. Once time is not a factor I will try that. These are all issues I will be working out as I implement a blog in my classroom. I am going to use it for sure, but I want to tweek what I want the students to do. I also want to write in the good old composition books. Sometimes immediate response is what I want to check….instant creativity is going to get cha.

Web 2.0 also scares me. Is this the next Big Brother? What if I join a social network that connects me to my address book, phone, TV, email, facebook, ning, wordle, digg, oatmeal and other non adult sites and can contact me at any time for updates and subscriptions reminders? DO I want that? DO I want to be connected to the world around me that much? DO I want live in the real world or cyber world? Paper or plastic? Do I want to write like Emily Dickenson? Would L allow this iphone app to use my corrent location?

Now I am listening to really spacey music. I don’t know what the future holds for writing. Pretty soon we will be able to writing on invisible screen that appears at arms length away and write novels that are projected on the walls. Dictation is going to be the wave of future once the computer can transcribe our words and edit on the go. Do we lose something in this transaction? Do we lose part of the creative spirit by giving into the convince of the modern world?  What would Therou say about that? He would probably jump in and drown himself in that pond of his and be done with it.

This has been a stream of concious blog entry. Granted, I did have to go back and edit some of the bad bits out, but for the most part I got what I wanted out of it. Faulkner, eat your heart out. As I lay Dying my ass. As I Try Blogging is more like it!

I’m out…..(dropping the microphone on the ground in a gansta like manner).

Using podcast for education is a great idea. The place down south where kids get to listen to podcasts on the bus is fantastic! What a great idea as long as the kids don’t walk off with the media players. This is a great way to get additional education, but there must be some quality control. Some kids could just listen to their own ipods or zone out and not absorb any other the information. A refection of some sorts or little quiz might be in order to ensure that kids are actually using the technology. Because if they are not, what is the point of spending the money on media. If the program is just for enrichment, then no worries all around. It would be nice to give students the options to choose what they want to listen to peek their interest and get them learning on their own.

I participate in a podcast that my old boss from ElementK started a while back. It’s called Your Travel Show -its your show so don’t screw it up! – and we talk about different travel experiences, news and lots and lots of joking around. The problem that we are having is generating an audience. I know that there are people out their listening because of the logs, but we never get any phone calls from listeners to add to our show. We haven’t done that much promotion either. But this has been a great introduction for me in creating my own podcast….

I am currently in the process of learning how to get a website and set up my own podcast. I have a couple of friends that have expressed interest, but I am going to be the main developer for the site. My main concern is finding a place to host the website and a server to store all of the posts. I have no clue how to create a website, but I have some friends that are going to help out and I will learn on the way. I really want to learn HTML so I am going to combine both of the projects together. It will get better as I learn more.  SO…my podcast is going to be a reflection on modern day life, technology and impromptu script readings of favorite cult classics. I am going more for entertaining and fun for my friends over education for this podcast. But once I have practiced with the generation and formation of this project, I will be able to transfer this to my classroom. Giving students the opportunity to read out plays and their own stories to present to the class or add to their blogs is a great way to get them interested in English Language Arts. Who knows what they will discover!

On a different note, I just got WordPress on my iPod touch! Now if I have a constant wifi connection I can blog whever I am choose! This is going to come in handy if my new podcast ever picks up steam!

But in this instance, the government wants stop ISP providers from slowing down or blocking content that put a strain on the network or charging different rates to users. Is that a bad thing? Why would the consumer be upset about having the government step in a stop ISP providers from tiering their services. The FCC is actually trying to protect the Internet!

If it does come down to where companies start tiering there services, then in my opinion, those companies are doomed to fail. New smaller companies will pop up and start offering cheaper services for what the Internet was like when it was free and open to all. So let the ISP companies try to do their worst, because John MaCain might actually be in right in the fact that other companies will come in a steal those dissatisfied customers.

PC Magazine recently had an article about the 5 biggest hopes for Net Neutrality. In order for all of this wonderful Web 2.o stuff to work, the Internet needs to remain free and open to any type of users that are out there. Whether you just use the net for checking the email, skying friends all over the globe or big time gamers that download tons of content the Internet is there for us all. Who knows, one day you may want to start having Skype conversations in class, but you can’t because you can not afford the rates from the ISP providers.

Now I am no expert on this issues, but I have started looking into it and want to know more about what is going to happen down the road. It’s wise to know both sides of the argument and make the best decision there. I kind of feel the MaCain is just trying to throw a curve ball to Obama and mess up his agenda (Gotta love the two party system, but that is a whole other issue). Mark Cuban offers a strange insight on Net Neutrality saying that is will actually benifit comcast, but I can’t follow his analogy of a busy street without the cops to NN. The Internet as we know it may not be around as long as we think. What can we do to make sure there is a change for the positive? How can we help? Cheers!

I have never seen a very interactive power point presentation. All of the ones I have seen have been simple slide shows with bits of audio or movies and lots of text. The presenters would invariably be reading off of the screen and not be addressing the class. I still see this today…sigh. Other times the presentation might be very interesting, but it would be an overload of information, mainly text, and it was just too hard to get everything down before the moved on to the next slide. Usually, groups would hand out the presentation in note form so what was the point of taking notes in the first place. So why pay attention if you are getting the notes? This was always a time for me to doodle in my notebook or zone out and think of what I need to get at Wegmans.

The nonlinear presentation are very appealing. This reminds me of the old CD-ROM days back in college. I am looking forward to creating the class project. It feels like we are going to be making a mini CD-ROM and depending on the way we break up the content, could be a very interesting presentation.

I have more to say….but I not really in the mood right now. !!

Coming Soon!! Net Neutrality and John McCain and a long distance dedication

I wish that this tech was around when I was in school. I am not a good writer…in fact I hate writing. I had to do the journal writing in my High School days and would attack each session with vigor, but nothing ever came out of it. No one read it but the teacher and I would never go back to it and finish off an entry. It was an assignment that needed to be completed…that was it. By the time the computer became a tool in the classroom, I was already in college and attacked paper writing the same way I did back in High School. If I had become more comfortable using computers as a writing tool at an earlier age, I might be less dishearten when having to write papers.

I have tried so many different ways to write papers. I have used outlines, graphic organizers, breaking down sections of the paper, peer reviews and I even use a digital voice recorder when I am brainstorming ideas or come up with a good sentence. The writing center has been some help, but the people that work there aren’t experts in my content area or even know how to write a decent essay in some cases. I am a much better speaker then a writer. I would much rather give a presentation then write a paper. I have tried to make a presentation and then write a paper on it, but I still hit the same stumbling blocks as before. I guess I will always struggle with accurately expressing myself  in academic papers. The important thing now is that I will be able to teach how to write a paper. I know how frustrating it can be so I need to find ways to make it less of a hassle for my future students. Maybe if I went back and started writing very simple papers in a rigid structure I can improve.

BUT…blogging has got me writing. Not regurgitating other peoples thoughts or completing assignments, but writing in my own voice…my own style. I enjoy writing, venting, discussing interesting topics and so on. I know my style is very informal and that’s what makes me, me. I feel like I am actually defining my writing style and I know that it’s not academically legit, but that is not important to me. Look at Kurt Vonnegut…his style was unique and brilliant. If I can tweek my writing to be a story-teller…Vonnegut-esque or Garison Keller rants would be a goal for me.

When it comes down to it, the pros out weigh the cons for using a blog in class. The biggest con that I found is that technology is moving at the speed of light and is constantly changing. Just when you become comfortable with the current level of technology, something new will come along. Then you have to go through the learning process again of finding the most optimal way of implementing the new tech. Tech is suppose to be making out jobs easier, or if not easier, more efficient.

I very impressed with Ning. Facebook really drives me crazy sometimes, but how else am I going to keep in touch with some of my friends overseas…and to tell you the truth I don’t hear from that much anyway….hmmm. But Ning looks like a place to meet like minded individuals ELA education professionals. Once things slow down with school work I am going to explore this site a bit more and see if I can find some new inspiration (no pun intended).

What keeps growing on me are the many uses of wikis. I like the collaborative aspect the most and would like to explore more uses with creative writing. A lot my friends and I come up with great stories ideas but never flush them out. Maybe if I can get a group of local writers together I can come up with some strategies to produce some interesting new story collaborations. The ability to add pictures as well might pull in some of my graphic artist/drawing friends. I like the idea of writing a stories via Twitter or other networking sites, but to be able to work on a specific project with friends is more appealing to me. I will most definitely try to introduce wikis and blogs into my classroom. Who knows what kind of creations/monsters/Frankensteins can be created.

I recently saw a clip about a guy named Gary Vaynerchuk. This guy started out as just a regular guy working for his folks at their local wine store. He wanted to get more involved with the business and help grow the name. He launched winelibrary.com and then built a video show on the web and also started twittering and blogging. From there he started speaking about tech at conferences. By going down this road, he now has a 1 million dollar book deal! Talk about doing something you love for a living. This guy saw the web as a tool to help his family business, but ended up as being a million dollar businessman and successful author. It’s time to seriously time to stop dreaming about ideas and actually get something out there.

It’s hard to concentrate right now. My mind if focused on my paper and I will have a lot to say in my next post on Blogs for teaching English. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Just who is digital Jay Smith? If you Google my name, there are thousands of Jay Smith’s out there. I never realized how important a digital persona would be.

I have always had multiple email accounts: one for friends, one for school/work and one for purchases. And now I have a Nazareth email account. The time all adds up when checking email a couple of times a day. It is tough to keep up with responses. Figuring out what’s important and what’s not is important, but not getting back to friends becomes an issue.

Knowing that it is important to have a digital presence, I have renamed my blog and have started a second blog with my alter persona. I have to start building up the JaySmith942 image as a professional educator. This blog is a perfect format and since I have already gotten my feet wet with the class assignments and start thinking of developing my own forum. I would like to keep discussing about technology and education, but maybe more on the subject of English Language Arts. There are some great resources out there on ELA, such as the Blake Archive and the Federal Resources for Educational Excellence.Reading some of the articles by Will Richardson is giving me a little more insight on the power of blogging. It was great experience talking with Kathy Cassidy in class. It was cool to see how see is using blogging and the web to stimulate her students. Seeing the students work was the sinker for me and having that ability is great for review or portfolio generation.

I started a Twitter account. Actually, I started two Twitter accounts…one for Jay and the other for alter me. I haven’t had any time to really play around with it, but the format seems rather simple. I haven’t had time to check either account since I created them…which is about a week ago. If I have time over the weekend I am going to check out the links on the class webpage and see if I can find some people in my field that are writing some decent material. For my Alter Ego, I have found a couple of authors that I read on there and have signed up to follow them. I really got to check out my accounts.

On that note….time to check out my many many online adventures. This is the real Jay Smith signing out. Cheers!

I have to say that the website Delicious is……well…delicious. My cynical pessimistic outlook wanted to write it off right away, but after playing with it in class, I can see how I am going to be using this a lot. I am constantly finding new stuff and sharing it with my friends and this will make it even easier to do that.

Twitter…I still don’t have a opinion on this yet. I want to ignore it. I want it to go away. I don’t want another thing to connect me to the matrix.  Too much time spent in the computer makes Jay a dull boy.  That being said, I was very impressed with the results we got in class. Having an instant reply from someone in South Africa blew my mind! My interests are global and the chance to connect with people that I wouldn’t normally get the chance to is very appealing to me. But once again, I can feel the viscous fluid surrounding me in my pod as the matrix tries to pull me back in.  This all being said, I think I am going to sign up this weekend and give it a shot. Maybe there are some local groups that I can connect and start participating with. The international aspect is appealing, but what I really want is more connection to the people that are around me and have a direct effect on my community.

Blogs…I hate to admit it, but I am really starting to like the idea of blogging. I am still not sure if I will continue blogging once class is over, but there are some blogs out there that aren’t that bad. The one blog I am reflecting on for class has tons of information for starting English teachers and the personal experiences of the author. It great to read that kind of thing, but it is not really what I want to be writing. I will have a better understanding once I get into the meat of my research paper and experiment with different kinds of posts.

In the end, it all comes down to finding a balance. Right now I feel like I am tettering on the edge waving my arms to keep from falling over.  I will find a center in me.