My goals for the Tech4Educators class is to learn about the wide selection of free technology available on the web. Also, I am looking forward to learning different ways to incorporate this technology. I hope that there is lots of time to work on and share ideas for using some of the technology that we learn about.
I am not really nervous about taking a tech class as I know that everyone taking the course has varying levels of proficiency with technology. It's all about asking questions and learning!
This is not my first time taking an online course. I have taken two other classes in a totally online environment. So, I am familiar with working online and the online classroom. However, this does not mean that I like taking online classes. If this course were totally online, I would not be taking it. I am a "brick and mortar" learner.
I have grown up with technology. I can remember being 8 or 9 and getting our first computer, and the hours of shopping at dozens of stores while my parents learned about the various types, speeds, etc, of the computers. (It ran DOS 3.1!) Technology has also been part of my formal elementary, middle, high school, and college education. However, the majority of the current technology that I use, and continue to add to my use, has shown and taught to me be my peers; from cell phones, AIM, power point, attaching an email, Audacity, webcams, facebook, making phone calls via yahoo messenger, blogs, and so much more.
I do not read blogs often, nor do I read the news often. I have tried blogging in the past, but never stay with it. We'll see how this one works out!
Nice to meet you, Zach.
ReplyDeleteI am a Computer Teacher, looking to add free technology ideas to me teaching arsenal.
I, too. have never blogged before, so we'll learn it together.
Lynn
So glad we're in this together!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information on Avatar! As I watched the movie, I kept trying to figure out how the facial expressions could look so human like, but the bodies obviously animated! Wow, it took 14 years to fulfill his vision; I would say he was definitely before his time to be able to create the idea in his mind without any models. So that's how Cameron did it . . . cameras attached to caps transmitting facial movement to computers!
ReplyDeleteI did check out the marcprensky website you cited. In wanting to be open minded in spite of some of his ideas I questioned, I found the video interviews to really help in better understanding his central thesis. The partnership he mentions where students do what they do best and teachers do what they do best is a great starting point for me and one which implies improved education for everyone where both teachers and students are working together to become creative in how they are learning and how they are sharing what they are learning. I like his point, "Before we can take advantage of the technology, we have to change the pedagogy." I have great hopes that our course can help us on the road to this mind set! I am getting some exciting ideas of possible partnership technology learning incorporating Prensky's ideas, but there is a long way to go to see any of them in reality! (. . . but then again, maybe students could help me get there?!)