Do U Stumble?

Has anyone heard of Stumble Upon? Great site - one of the fastest growing on the web - it is a new way to search. The way it works is you create a free account and then run through a quick checklist of things you are interested in (like Movies, Education, Science, Technology, Humor, etc.). When you are finished, it puts a little Stumble Upon button on your Internet Browser. When you click it, it takes you to various sites within your selected interested, based on the "Stumbling Patterns" of other users with similar interests. On each site you go to, there is a Thumbs Up & a Thumbs Down next to the Stumble Button... you click one or the other to say if you like the site. Then, based on your continued stumblings, it continues to take you to new sites based on the updated data you continue to submit via the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down. I have found Countless education, math, science, and technology sites from using SU. The website is www.stumbleupon.com and I HIGHLY recommend giving it a try.

The Case For Students Who Can Problem Solve

As I am typing this, I am watching my laptop computer compile bits and pieces of a movie I have made that I have really struggled with. I am pretty tech-savvy, and I had/am having a very hard time with this MM program.

However, as I keep troubleshooting and trying different approaches to see what exactly was wrong, I started to think that maybe we should really, really start immersing our students with technology and have them work through all of the struggles and problems that arise for no apparent reason. Have them reverse engineer the situation and see what might have led to each problem. Have them assist teachers with the tech support on a building level. Have them research blogs, msg boards, archived newsgroups, and the general Web to see if other users have encountered this problem and, if so, what solutions they have come up with.

All of these tools will be INVALUABLE to each student as they grow up in this century. I teach 4th grade and I really think we need to start looking nationally at how much time we spend on the 3 R's compared to tech. Are the 3 R's still valid... still viable? Yes! However, in some schools 1/2 of the day is devoted to reading. I'm all for having good, strong readers, but there is more in life and I know quite a few adults who aren't the best readers, but they make a lot of money as higher end tech support for Fortune 500 companies.

Just Thinking Out Loud......

Leo Laporte - The Tech Guy & a TWIT

Well, as much as I use technology, I have never viewed an official podcast. When I take a class like this, I am always of the opinion that if I can walk away learning a new thing or two, I will be happy. Having said that, in the short time I have been in this course, I've have been exposed to many different technologies that will change the way I teach and that I learn.

Back to podcasts..... I guess I always thought, with no real reason why, that podcasts were more like music videos, tv show clips, and movie previews. I had no idea the depth of content that was in there. Way back when I first got digital TV, there was a channel I watched all of the time called Tech TV. The entire channel disappeared 4-5 years ago and I have always missed it. However, one of their main 'stars', Leo Laporte, has his own podcast. Leo was well known for shows such as "The Screen Savers" and "Call For Help". On both of these shows, he would help people figure out how to use current technology, but he would also review new products and give the viewer his opinion on them. So, needless to say, I'm pretty happy to see that I can catch him again. He also hosts another podcast called TWIT (This Week in Technology) that he hosts with a couple other folks.

Thanks, Ann!

My Favorite Teachertube Video

Here is a link to my favorite Teachertube.com Video. I actually liked quite a few of them and they have given me several great ideas that I plan to use in my classroom. This one is a collection of quotes set to the 'famous?' ELO music. Many of the quotes could be used as a journal prompt and some would be great for staff inservice. If I can figure out how to properly embed the video, I plan to go back and edit this post. In the meantime, here is the link:

My Favorite Teachertube Video:

So, What have I learned? Well, for starters, I need to work on saying the my "p" and "t" sounds into the microphone. They come across pretty harsh. I also, without any doubts in my mind, hate to hear my recorded voice. All in all, though - this was a fun experience. I've used PS3 before, but it has been awhile. I also really enjoyed the site that Ann provided with all the free music. Very, very cool. There is a site that some of you might want to check out that has free use pictures. It is http://www.pics4learning.com and I use it in school all of the time.

And, as I have sat here for what is going on 20 minutes now, I've learned that it takes the Blogger site a very long time to process a 5 Meg file. Hopefully no one is waiting until 11:59 to upload theirs.

Did You Know? Did You Want to Know?

For those of you who haven't seen it, there is a new version of the now infamous "Did You Know" video that has made its way around the Internet this past year. It contains many interesting, sometimes startling, facts about the world our students and children are growing up in. It really made me think about how I was (and wasn't) using technology in my our classroom and ways I could improve. I have a link to the youtube video on the right side of my blog.

My First Blog, My First Post

My name is Garrett and I am this is the first PSC course I have taken. I am very excited about it. I love to use technology in my classroom whenever I can. I have taught 4th grade for 13 years and absolutely love it. I haven't used the three programs in this course much at all and I am looking forward for the chance to develop some creative lessons with them. Due to some red tape, I am just logging into Blackboard, etc. tonight for the first time. Hopefully I am not too far behind.