Media and Its influence on...everyone!

So Christmas is just around the corner...And you defiantly would know it if you have been watching television. They are bombarding our tubes with tons of commercials for electronics, clothes, gadgets, toys, the Dog Snuggie and anything else imaginable. Lately I have been noticing these commercials and how influential they could be on adults and kids alike. One particular company I have noticed that really is promoting their products this year is Gap. Their commericals bother me, and I think it is becuase of the message they are conveying to people...I know lots of commercials are like this, but for some reason these Gap commericals are really getting under my skin this year...Here are the two that I am having issues with...Let me know what your opinion is on these commercials.


2,4,6,8 tis the time to liberate...I don't get it..



This one is for kids...I think this one bothers me the most...

photo blog for November 19th

Photo of an interactive 3-D map made for a second grade social studies unit on African countries. Our country was Zambia..

Photo of me holding my tribal mask made to resemble the masks of the Bembe Tribe in Zambia

Using technology to teach Social Studies

I have been thinking about this topic due to my enrollment in a methods of social studies class. As I have been going through the class I have been learning a couple new ways to integrate social studies with technology, and I have some other great ideas that I have learned along the way..

One thing that I have learned recently is that many websites that are social studies related are very interactive for students. I guess I had a misconception that these sites would be mostly information text and that's about it, but I was wrong. There are some really awesome sites out there that will really intrigue students...Some good ones I have worked with recently include a underground railroad virtual tour and also a Ellis Island Virtual tour.


Another good way to learn about teaching geography can come from working with Google Earth. It is a fun, interactive way to get students working with technology and learning about other areas of the world.

Lisa B. talks about integrating technology into a math classroom, which is also great when looking for ways to use technology in your curriculum..

Esther Wojcicki also talks about using technology in the classroom, and how you can get your school on board.

Technology (or lack there of) in area classrooms

During the week of October 19th-23rd, I went out into a Waterloo school for a week for my level three field experience. I was in a fifth grade classroom in a school that is located in a middle-upper class part of Waterloo, Iowa. I was excited to see what kind of technology was being used in the classroom there, and I was unfortunately unpleasantly surprised.. The fifth grade students only used computers for one thing, which was a typing software program that taught them how to correctly use their fingers for typing. The teacher used power points in the classroom as well, but it was used for students to see notes and copy what was written on the power point into their notebooks. After seeing this, I really wanted to work with the students using some kind of technology. I asked the teacher if I could create a webquest on learning about the newspaper. She didn't really like the idea due to the fact that she would have to continue using the webquest while I was not there, so she didn't use my idea. I felt that she was uncomfortable using technology with students and that is why she didn't want to try the webquest. I think that there are many teachers out there that feel the same way as this particular teacher does, and I think that this needs to be addressed and changed.

Other bloggers tend to agree with what I am talking about..The Evolution of Technology in Schools

Oct. 29th blog..

I came across this video while browsing edutopia.org and it reminded me of the classroom that I was put in for my level three field experience a couple weeks ago. The kids in the classroom that I was in did interpretive dances to model different types of cells. The students thrived when they were asked to do this task and they seemed to really learn a lot about the specific cells they were assigned.



Here is another blog about this type of learning in the classroom..integrating dance, music, and art.

This article actually reminded me of something that one of the leaders of Iowa Island mentioned while we were learning about second life last week.

Solving Real World Problems in a Virtual World

Week of Oct 15th blog post

I thought this was interesting and very true...

Reasons to Contribute to Creative Commons on Flickr

Virtual Worlds

Virtual worlds are a semi-new concept to me, but I have gradually learning about these programs. The virtual world that I am most familiar with is Second Life world. From some of the articles I have read, Second Life is becoming more and more popular with companies and organizations that want to have a spot on the web where people can come together. In addition, it is a place for people to show what they offer or what they are about. It is a good way for people to meet together in one place and be able to discuss what they want. It is convenient and easy.
In the classroom, Second Life could be used in many different ways in the classroom. One way to use it could be to collaborate and communicate with another school in another part of the world. All students would need is internet access and a Second Life avatar. This article about teachers transforming classrooms talks about some other ways how Second Life could also be used.

I didn't realize how many different virtual worlds were out there these days. I unfortunately don't know much about any of them, I did find an article that talks about many different virtual worlds and what they offer (virtual world hangouts).

I am planning on learning more about virtual worlds and how they can be used in my future classroom...To be continued..

Photo: pathfinderlinden

My Top Ten List

Here is my top ten list for things I have learned about technology this semester:


10. PLN's
9. How to build a ning
8. Twitter
7. Classroom 2.0 social network
6. Social Bookmarking and how much you can really do with it!
5. That the world is flat
4. Webspiration
3. Blog Seaching
2.Newsmap

and the number one thing I have learned so far this semester...


1. That there is so much about technology that I do not know!

Photo: 7son75

Building Skills and Student Discovery of Technology

I was reading the blog The 21st Century School House and came across a post about using different tools in technology in literacy programs. This person in particular is a high school school teacher and had been teaching about 21st century journalism. He used a number of tools to get students researching and understanding more about the world around them. The point that I really liked that he made was that students don't realize that there is a realm of information out there other than their social networking sites. I think that this is a great thing to teach students, even at a younger age. Many students may not realize the resources they are able to tap into, and as a future elementary school teacher, I plan on having students discover these many resources. I think that giving students the knowledge and understanding of setting up PLN's, looking at blogs, and using wikis to communicate is vital information and will help students highly succeed for years to come.

DJ Bloomie gives some really great example of what I mean when I talk about endless resources. Being able to access multiple libraries and many other types of information is just one way to show students that they are able to access any information that they need to know.

Seems like every week I am learning something new about how to organize information, and how to seek out information, which is making my life a lot easier, and I can't wait to share my knowledge with my future students.

Global Oppurtunities in Schools

When I think about the topic of global opportunities that could be used in the classroom, the first think I think of is cultural learning. With the technology that we poses today, it is possible to connect with other schools across the country and around the world. I think that this would advance students thinking. Rather than reading cultural information out of a book, or watching video, connecting to an actual culture would engage students and give them a unforgettable experience.





pic from www.flickr.com

I also think about global technology in terms of people being connect with each other, and that information is at anyone's fingertips. Students
can look up any kind of information and find an abundance of ideas and
facts about a particular topic. This shows how student learning is changed today due to technology. Even when I was in high school, we had the internet and it was able to give you information about certain topics, but today it is a totally different world of information..Its gigantic! Today students don't go to the encyclopedia to find out about a topic, they go online..and I don't blame them one bit. I love our technology and the way that it keeps us all connected globally.

My Social Networking Habits..

Social networking is pretty important to me. I love using Facebook because I am able to be connected to different friends and family that are scattered all around the world. From reading other blogs I see that many of my classmates agree with me (DJ Bloomie). I love being able to go to the Facebook homepage and read peoples status updates..It allows me to see how peoples days are going and see what my friends are up to. I also like Facebook because I am able to share pictures with others, and vise versa, which is much easier than emailing and then downloading on to the computer. pic from www.flickr.com

When myspace started, I also used that social networking site, but nowadays I feel as though it is obsolete. I used myspace for the same purposes as facebook, except I used it more to listen to music on myspace because thousands of famous and emerging artists have pages along with a couple songs to sample. I have since then been too busy to really mess with that anymore and so I hardly ever use myspace. In fact, I plan on deleting my account on myspace in the next couple days.


I love social networking because it keeps me up to date with my friends and family that I don't always see or talk to. Whenever I am at a computer I check my page, and even when I'm between classes I can access it from my phone and check it. It is defiantly my most visited website..

While reading some other blogs, I found this.. Social Networking..A help or harm that I thought was interesting because it brings up questions about being behind a computer to communicate and also about what we did before we had these social networks. It is a fairly interesting piece.

Blogging in Education

One of my favorite ways that blogging is being used in education is when teacher create blogs that students and parents alike can go read about what is going on in the class. As a future teacher, I plan on using this type of blog so parents can come to it everyday and see what students will be doing in class today. Also I will post homework assignments, permission slips, parent reminders, etc. so they will be readily available to students and parents.




Picture from www.flickr.com