Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

When I watched the Randy Pausch lecture I was very inspired. Here is a man about to die in 3-6 months and is able to talk about death. I don't think that I could be that courageous. I believe that it takes a person like Professor Randy Pausch to show the world that death doesn't always have a negative connotation. His presentation was extremely moving. One thing that he said in the presentation that I really thought was motivational was when he said when someone stops critizing you then that means that they have given up on you. I found so much truth in that statement. So many people go through life just wondering around thinking what they are doing is right. I love for people to point out my faults because I learned a long time ago that it makes you stronger and a better person.

Randy Pausch goes through the presentation explaining his childhood dreams. Things that he experienced in his life inspired him to become the person that he was. He explains that he had a great childhood filled with wonderful memories. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a PHd. He says that when he graduated he was turned down from many jobs that he applied for. But is explains that brick walls are put up to prove to yourself that you can go through them or around them to achieve your goals. Paush worked on virtual reality things for Walt Disney and various other entities. Just listening to all the things that he accomplished in his lifetime were just phenomenal. He worked on VR projects with Walt Disney's "Aladdin". He had to brief the secretary of defense on the VR project. He tells how becoming a professor allowed him to work on projects with Walt Disney and fulfil his childhood dreams. That was so great for me to listen to how things came full circle for him. From his first trip to Walt Disney gave him a guide in his future.

Also he was extremely inspirational to other people as well. He created a course that allowed people to embrace their childhood dreams. In the course he allowed the students to create what ever they wanted. He pushed his students to become better each and everytime they entered his class. He inspired all of his students they seemed to be so involved in learning everything he had to give. Randy Pausch is just really a great person because he loved to help people. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of other people so that they could achieve their dreams.


He has a great love for his family. He shows that they are the people who marked him to be a great person. They allowed him to embrace everything that he wanted to do. From watching the presentation they made a really wonderful person. Randy Pausch has guided the future of many of his students lives. How many people in this world can you truly say have inspired someone to become a better person. The whole presentation was really great. It wasn't long and boring it was really up beat the whole time. He made me laugh and I didn't think about the disease that threatened his existence. It really gave me some insight to Randy Pausch as a person. And from what I saw he was. He inspired many and he definitely left a mark on many lives. Looking at Randy Pausch in his presentation he really inspired me to become a better person when obstacles are put in the way. It showed me that God puts people like Randy Pausch in the world to bring knowledge and wisdom to so many others that may not have a role model in their lives. Randy Pausch is truly one of the greatest people who lived in this world. I hope I can leave a legacy like he did. He marked a generation with all of his accomplishments.

Check out Randy Pausch's presentation, here is the web address:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Fischbowl Best of 2007 "180 days" April

I found this post that Karl Fisch wrote to be very interesting. I had never really gave much thought to how the 180 days of school were actually spent each year. The powerpoint that was made really showed me all the avenues of what is expected of students during the school year. There are alot of things expected out of school children. And a 180 days can seem like a long time when students do nothing but school work day in and day out.

There is alot of planning by the teachers and the staff members to make sure that a day will run by smoothly. It is very important for teachers and students to be on task to make the day seem a little shorter. Teachers have to pack so much material into those 180 days that may seem overwhelming to the students.

Also all the test that are given to students during the year is very surprising to me when I look at it. It seems very necessary but does that take away from much needed class time for learning new ideas? I don't know!! It has been along time for me since I was in a classroom where we had to constantly take a test for something.

Today, it seems that students are overwhelmed by all of the material that they have to go over. But it is necessary for their educational progress. Also, to take some of these test a half a day of a whole day is devoted primarily to test taking. That seems a little outrageous to me. And most students don't even know why they need the test material that is given to them. The question that comes to my mind is are the test really revelant to a student's progress? It was really interesting to find out that classes are shortened in these 180 days of school that could have been used for instruction. On average 60 out of 180 days are actually wasted. Can you believe that!! So as a future educator I hope that all the days that my students are there in class we will have full instruction.

Check out this post and the powerpoints: http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/04/180-days.html

The first podcast that I listened to was "Watchers and Listeners- How do we respond?" The students are analyzing John Strange's thesis on Cultural Revolution. It has been 13 years seen the article was written by John Strange. It is very interesting to know that 13 years ago things that he talks about in his article are becoming none existent like he stated.

Technology is so interesting because things are rapidly changing daily. They talk about the explosion of technology and how you need more memory to house all of the things that people need. And most people are turning to movies instead of reading. The world is becoming very technical in all aspects. The article really enlightened me on the fact that most people are turning to more technological things. That seems to be the modern way.

The second podcast that I listened to was a discussion about using youtube for educational purposes. I thought this discussion was really great because youtube is a great tool to use in the classroom. Youtube has different uses and is easy and useful for most people. Youtube is a key website for math tutorials, foreign language, paper writing and etc.

Youtube is a great way to help students review subject material if they may miss a class. Also youtube offers ways to install software to your computer if you are having difficulty. Youtube is a great educational tool. If feel if I chose to use youtube in my classroom it would be great for me and the students. So youtube will definitely be apart of my classroom activities.

If you want to check out any of the other podcasts you can go to this web address:
http://www.edm310fall08podcasts.blogspot.com/

Fisch Bowl 2007 Best Blog of September

Karl Fisch in is his blog of Semptember basically says that all teachers and staff members who are not computer literate should be embarrased. Fisch believes that all educators should have some sort of computer skills and capability. He highlights that technology has been around for a long time and it isn't going anywhere. He believes that those people who don't have any skills should learn some and fast. He believes strongly that technology and computers should be a way of life for everyone.

Karl Fisch goes on to say that those principals and staff members should be held accountable for those faculty members that are illiterate with the use of computers. I agree with what he is saying because old school educators have to be aware of the times we are living in. Because computer technology can make students become hands on with course material as they go along. I am planning on getting my masters in administration and I would love to design a simple program that anyone could follow to make class time for the students and teachers more interactive and fun.

He doesn't hold anything back for those people who don't have the computer skills that are much needed in this world. He believes that all those old ways of doing things should be thrown out the door to bring in new and exciting ideas and technology. He goes on to say that any school inspector that is technologically illiterate should find alternate employment. LOL!! That was really harsh if I should say so myself. But it is very true. I alot of people are scared of computers. As if the computer is going to come on magically and tell them that they are doing something wrong. I will tell anyone to "come into the light my son or daughter and don't be afraid" LOL!!! Just a little joke.

His argument in this post had a lot of merit to it. Because all the things that he was saying were very true. There are alot of people in the education world who do not know how to use a computer doing very simple task. He is basically saying come on people jump on the techo train and lets get with it. I really enjoyed reading this blog entry. It was very intriguing to read how much he has "NO" sympathy for people who are technologically illiterate. I not saying that I know everything about computers but I am always eager to learn new things and test out new gadgets that come out. Check out this post you got to read it and here's the web address:http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-it-okay-to-be-technologically.html

Podcasts

The first podcast that I listened to was the SmartBoard Lessons Podcast. The basis of the podcast was to allow teachers to communicate with the community and their students parents. This is such a great idea because it allows for teachers to log on to the internet and talk with other teachers. It allows for them to solve problems that occur in their classroom and may need a little help with situations in their own classrooms. In the podcast that make references to the Feltron Report and Draytum Report which is an idea of data management. These sorts of data collectors can be very helpful in the classroom. These such reports can be used to track students on their perform levels including books they've read, and also test taking material. This is a good way to track student data in the classroom. Also to use the data collectors as a way to get students involved in how well their performance is tracked in the classroom. And also students can become involved with the Feltron Report by making their own understanding of the data. And create their own conclusions about the reports. These are certainly great ways for students to be interactive in the classroom.


When I went to the KidCast website I thought it was really great. This is a website designed especially for kids. It allows for kids to post their own podcast. It allows for kids to talk about anything they want to. The website is open to all parents, guardians, and teachers. The website allows for kids to work own their podcasts and seems to be a very safe website for children. I wish when I was young that I was allowed the opportunities that the youth today have. I think this website is great because it allows for kids to have a message in the adult world. It gives all young children the opportunity to have a voice. I would encourage everyone to check this website out. Here's the web address: http://www.kidcast.com/podcast/index.htm#


The ConnectLearning Podcast talked about the technological world in the eyes of college and high school students,and some adults. He asks them how they have intergrated technology into their daily lives. David Warlich talks about how technology plays a key role in everyone's lives. He asks the high school students how technology plays a key role in the their lives. And they some them how they use their pda's in route of communication with their friends and family. And also learns they are interactive with other people in their classroom with the use of the blackboard. Also students explain how they are able to obtain their homework assignments online and are also interactive with their classmates. Technology has also established a piece of mind of many users. Because it cuts out the everyday hassle of trying to gather information from different sources when the information is right inside your own home. I feel that technology is a great tool that has created a lot of ways to communicate with people around and those who aren't.

The EdTechtalk with Thomas Friedman is really great. It alerts people to the fact that the internet world is used like a tracking device. He explains in his lecture that things you put on the internet are usually their forever. He wants to make the audience aware that some employers are now going on the internet to check and see the things that you leave on the internet. And that people should be careful about what pictures and information they leave on the web. He gives the fact that there will be a billion people every 13 years that will populate the world . He also explains that the 21st century will have to deal with economic development of global warming and biodiversity lose. Thomas Friedman really lectures on things that are factual. I found the podcast to be very educating on things that are happening right now in the world today.

When I listened to the MacBreak Weekly they were talking about the situation dealing with the updates concering apple technology. They talk about the uses and performance of the mac products and all the updates that come with them. Also they tell about the decline in the mac desktop revenue. They also state the laptops are top sellers and can perform better than any other people. They go on to discuss the how apple software seems to be better than all other technology. Being like totally honest the cost of an apple product is extremely expensive but it is definitely worth it to invest in any of their products. I own an ipod and I am currently saving to buy a mac laptop. I have heard great things about it.




In the podcast This Week in Photography it really focuses on camera technique, tecnology, and news. This podcast makes you aware of of how high resolution cameras work and the cost of a quality camera. They point out the features of the Nixon camera and the full video capacity. They really talk about all the different uses of the Nixon and Canon phones. This podcast was really great and made me really think about cameras in different ways that I hadn't thought about before. This podcast gave me some great ideas on what to look for when purchasing a camera. I am looking to invest in a good digital camera that will keep up with the changing technological innovations.

International Schools

I found a international school in Jarkata, Indonesia. The class is taught by a fifth grade teacher Mrs. Jane. It is a class of 5th grade students in Sinarmas World Academy. Mrs. Jane allows each one of here students to create their own blogs. She seems to be a great teacher because she allows her students to become involved in the activities in the class. And those are great qualities of a very effective teacher.

It is very interesting that children in the 5th grade are blogging. I didn't know anything about a "blog" until I entered college. Now that makes me feel really bad. Why didn't I ever hear about a blog? I was so behind the modern times. I fell so ashamed. LOL!!!!Mrs. Jane shows the pictures of her students "Billy carts" on her blog site. This is really a great blog it shows a slide show of the students and the school it is very interactive.














I also find another school named the Outram Primary School which is near Dunedin in the South Island of New Zealand. The class has 13 girls and 9 boys. The teacher makes posts about the daily activities that take place in the classroom. The students are praised for their achievements in and out of the class room. The teacher really makes her classroom seem really interesting. The students seem very happy to be involved in all of the classroom activities. She also has links to websites that the students can explore and get different ideas from.

She really has some great ideas about getting students involved and interactive in the classroom. She provides the students with a calender so that they can keep up with different events and activities that will happen in the class.

If you have any questions for the teacher you can email her at: taniab@outram.school.nz. Check out her class blog.

United States Schools

I found a elementary school in Goochland County, Virginia. The website gives parents and students updates on upcoming events, school assignments, and a calender to find out important dates and times. The Goochland County school encourages the parents to comment on things that may concern them and also their children. I really found it very neat how they had each class in the school with their own particular blog for their classroom.

It was really organized and well structured. This is an idea that I will incorporate in my classroom to encourage my parents and students to stay on top of the course material. One teachers class that I really found very interesting was Ms. B's Busy Bees 5th grade class blog. It was really organized and gave students a common sense way to find their assignments. It is designed to give students and parents an opportunity to know all the calender events coming up in the class.

I found another school in Noel, Missouri, Mr. C's 5th grade Class Blog. In this picture the students are watching Barack Obama's inauguration on television during class.















Also on Mr. C's class blog he allows his students to create their own blogs on the website. Students are able to write about anything they want. They are able to comment on a wide spectrum of things from holidays to school bullying. Mr. C encourages anyone to comment on his blog. So feel free to comment. Check out Mr. C's class blog.