What?
This week we didn't have class because we covered everything the week before. I met with my team, Kristina and Matt to work on or vidcast and also worked on finding videos for the Video assignment. There are two assignments due this week (on the 15th). We will be doing our podcast/vidcast and also finding an educational video to post on our UEN site.
So What?
I enjoyed taking a look at the educational videos that are available through Youtube and Teachertube. There a many good videos as well as videos that I didn't care much for. How can this help me as a teacher? I will post one educational video on to my UEN page so that I can use it in my lesson plans. Once the video is downloaded and saved onto my page, I have access to it for as long as I want. Videos may be taken off and I wouldn't be able to access them anymore if I didn't download them. We have been shown how to convert files so that we can use them on other sites like UEN. One of these programs is Zamzar which is a free online file conversion site. My students will also have access to the videos that I choose to post on my classroom site and it will work the same way.
My colleagues and I will be able to share videos that we use for our lessons through this site. Some of our best lesson plans can come from the colleagues that we work with and by collaborating with each other. Having this technology, I will be able to access information that may otherwise disappear. I like it!
Now What?
What does this technology mean to my future students? There are hundreds of great educational videos that I have access to which will help me teach the core curriculum. Many children are visual learners so seeing a video that also explains what I am teaching can only help. In my search for a video to add to my UEN page, I found many videos that teach an idea or lesson through music or movement that I may not have ever thought of.
Having the ability to download and convert these videos is going to make my job as a teacher easier. I believe that teaching through different learning styles is very important and this will help me to do that. I know that I learn better by seeing something step by step or visually seeing it rather than just through lecture. I plan to use videos to help me get through to students of all learning styles. Plus, it's nice to have a change from the ordinary lecture and spice it up with something that will draw the students attention.
The videos that I find may also give me new ideas on how to teach a subject in a way that I hadn't thought of. We are blessed to have so many amazing people to learn from and get ideas from. I think that by watching and learning from the videos that I find and by adding them to my UEN page, I will become a better teacher with more creative ideas to help my students succeed.
Video Reflection
The video was short but I liked it. I feel a bit like the parents that the high school students were talking about. They said that the parents often have to go to their children to get help with the computer or with their cell phones. Okay, I'm not that bad but I am still learning to use much of the technology around us. The new technology that is made available to the general public amazes me! I still have a plain old cell phone, it's not an iPhone or a blackberry but it works fine for me right now but who knows if it will in the near future. Things are changing so quickly.
The students talked about having all of the media you need accessible to you at all times. Many phones already do that and I am guessing that a good portion of the population has laptops now days. The media that they mentioned are things like having access to your photos, email, the internet, social networks, etc. As teachers we had better be prepared for the technology that is coming our way. We need to know how to access the information (media) that the young people have access to. Yikes, I feel really old! At 35, I'm feeling like a grandma! I'd better get learning quickly! Luckily this class is helping with that.
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