EDM 310 Blog Assignmnent #3

Video Podcast : One year old with iPhone :

I may be alone with my reaction, but a baby operating the iPhone is not impressive to me. The brainpower in doing what he has done is not much when you dissect it. What he is doing is a simple repetitive operation, which is no different than knowing how to turn on a computer. I love that my kids are excited about technology and know how to use certain aspects of what’s out there. I’m just not that interested in the aspect that only allows them to experience what a computer programmer has provided, with one right or wrong answer.

I see parents give their cell phone or iPod to their kids to keep them busy. It goes against my personal philosophy that I have used with my two children whom are 8 and 4 years old. To “keep them busy” I provide them with chances to learn by their own unlimited exploration. I’m a proponent of toys and activities that don’t box them in to a correct answer, certainly not those with binary results. Some of our favorites are paper, pencil, crayons, markers, stickers, yarn, and basic art supplies. We’ve now ventured into staplers, hole punches, protractors, rulers, and other tools. Elizabeth and Olivia can create a wardrobe for their animals and Barbies out of those things. They create cities, play school, invent new pieces to their playroom to carry things, such as elevators and ziplines. They write, illustrate and construct their own books. They write letters to each other and make things for people. Give them a stack of towels or some blankets and the dining room turns into a city in Egypt and their bedroom is Chicago. My point is that when they play, their options are endless and are driven by them.

Now don’t get me wrong. My 8 year old LOVES gadgets. And she loves computer time. The spy tank with remote camera and control has been a big hit this Christmas. She has wanted a Nintendo DS for two years now and, well, I broke down and there it was Christmas morning. Reluctantly though. The technology is a part of life. There is no question about that. My preference is to use it to enhance their creativity options, exposure to the world, and to expose them to tools that they will be using down the road.

My 8 year old is very excited about EDM 310. She loves to Skype (something I’ve been meaning to do, but made the time this semester), enjoyed working with me on my presentation due this week (she really wanted to add a wild background to the presentation, but I finally convinced her my professor was against it!), and is looking forward to making a family blog. These to me are the technology opportunities for creativity and unlimited ideas, which I am 100% behind.

“They are First Graders, Are You Ready?”

I was impressed with the first grader who demonstrated accessing their class website. What a great exercise for her to have to organize and order events, to verbalize them, and then to build confidence in presenting. She did a great job. I can see the benefits. I’m ready to bring it to my classroom.

“Little Kids… Big Potential”

I am so happy to have seen this podcast. Many times I heard the following : work together, I decide, my choice, learn, look up, ask questions, plan with my buddy, etc. The students are getting so much from the experiences with laptops, Skype, blogs, etc. I really liked what the one student said about blogs. He liked to log onto the class website at home to see what one of his friends had posted.

I wonder if future grade levels for these students will provide these tools and techniques to continue this aspect of their education.

Reviewing Podcasts to Become Familiar with Different Styles

“Smartboard Lessons :Timmy’s DimDim.com”

I was looking forward to listening to the information to be presented in the four and a half minutes or so that was allotted. The format was very casual, as if he was talking to himself in his car. As a matter of fact he was I his car. It gave me an idea that podcasts may be a great “on-the-run” way to capture thoughts that I may have after having time to think about a lesson or project. I could record them for the class, post them online after school on our class blog to be used in discussion on the next class day. I didn’t like the format of this podcast as the author included too much discussion about his lunch and coffee.

“Kidcast”
The introduction of the podcast included vocals and music. The man’s voice was desirable hear. The content of the podcast was pertinent to the well –focused topic. The speaker didn’t include personal information. This was more like a lecture rather than a personal conversation.

“ConnectLearning” episode 96
The format was that of a commentator and interviewer. It was clearly presented. Any interviews that were spliced into the podcast were of great sound quality. This was a very formalized conversation with clear points.

“EdTalk” episode 62
The style of this podcast was a relaxed, conversational style. The ladies voices were nasal and not audibly appealing. I would have preferred a very factual interview, but much personal commentary not pertinent to the topic was included.

“This Week in Photography” episode 125
This format was much like that of EdTalk, although the voices were appealing and clear with a little more fact. The format was conversational.

“APT Music Voyager” episode 14
This was a video podcast about the interview of a musical group. I liked the notes on the bottom of the screen during the video. The sound was great for both the music and interviews. I liked the video for this sort of topic.

The following three Podcasts were found on Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 Podcast Blog, found on his personal Website.

“Anthonyagain”
Well done fellow future teachers. The format was a question and answer audio podcast. I didn’t feel the need for video here. The interview was well conducted and clearly spoken.

“John et al” – Well done fellow future teachers! This was a three person contribution to convey technology in high school and college sports. I liked the video aspect of this one. If I were to do a video, I don’t know if I could be as relaxed. The challenge with video that I can see is having a good setting and candid motions and interaction.

“AshleyMayRachel”
This was a great, very entertaining podcast. What was the software program used to format the presentation? I really loved the animation. The video and audio were quite great!


Points to Consider when Making My Podcast:

In looking at these seven or so podcasts, I have seen some things I prefer and others I don’t. I think my least favorite podcast was the one about Smart Boards. I would have loved to hear more about the topic, but the man spent so much time talking about coffee, ordering lunch at a drive through, and then other non-related things. My style as a listener is to be more interested in a podcast that is well organized, stays on task, and is as short as possible. So well presented facts would be most appealing to me. I also enjoyed the podcasts that included a short introduction that summarized the podcast succinctly.

I enjoyed the ConnectLearning and “AshleyMayRachel” podcasts the most. I felt my time listening was well spent. The interview and discussion was relaxed, but organized and I never lost track of the conversations.