Podcasting

I learned quite a bit on podcasting for this week's lesson.  I never thought of video on demand, digital video recorders, and other instant media forums to be considered "podcasts."  I just seen youtube as a video website and an MP3 Player was just a new modern music player with the option to download movies, books, and music.  I now realize all these new-fangled things with different names are all commonly under one idea...podcast.  The paraphrased definition of podcasting is to record either media, voice, music, etc. and display it through the use of various media objects using the Internet, a computer, and a recording device.  Television shows can be watched when convenient.  Music, lectures, books, and videos can be heard through an ipod whenever demanded.  With podcasting, it allows us to have more ways to accomplish things at a convenient time in our busy lives.  I am an All-Level Special Education major. So, if I were to use podcasting with secondary level students I would probably implement it as a podcast of my lectures for MP3 Players or computers as a second option for after school homework.  For my younger grades, I could use podcasting  to show videos to watch on computer during an appropriate class lesson when it calls for it.  I think as soon as I have the opportunity to implement podcasting in the classroom, I will discover more ideas to using it.
Podcast is similar to the other Web 2.0 tools we have used so far because both have to have access to the Internet and have to a form of technology to expedite them.  However,  podcasts cover a wide range of technology and Web 2.0 is more created and stabilized through computer technology only.  I have witnessed Voicethreads, Wiki, and other Web 2.0 tools to be mainly used in education, and business environments; but I have also noticed podcasting to be part of a bigger part of daily lives for a much bigger audience.  I think increasing the work on combining the use of podcasting with web 2.0 would not only benefit the world of technology, but a world full of digital natives and learners as well.
I personally own an Ipod and I use it mostly for music; even though I can use it for much more.
I could use it in my classroom in a few ways.  I could allow those who aren't digitally priveleged at home to use it.  I can also use it as a sample tool in explaining and demonstrating how podcasting can work though an MP3 player.  I can use it as a reward incentive for those who have earned it.  Computer time is a big hit for positive reinforcement, so I feel an MP3 player could be also.  (I would of course have to delete all the music and add only school approved material on the player for the students.)  These are just a few of the many ways the MP3 player can be used.  As far as the advantages of using online tools, I think they are wonderful when it comes to sharing moments with others when they cannot be present such as those in the military or family/friends in another area.  However, there is such thing as too much technology. They can cause a separation in reality when it comes to the communication of other people.  I had to add a no cell phone rule at the dinner table because everyone was either trying to text, watch youtube, or play games on their phone.  I also notice the thing for dating nowadays is for students to exchange their numbers and communicate through texting on everything.  Technology can either allow the opportunity to make things more personal (such as Skype) or it can be overused all cause the ability for things to become less personal.  There is a fine line between the two and it's up to use to divert the difference.

Web 2.0

I found the web 2.0 tools that we learned this week in class to be very interesting.  I now know the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, amongst other things.  I never even knew that there was a Web 2.0.  I just thought it was the internet.  I also never noticed that the interenet was actually "changing."  I just though the  people in the world were becomming more tech savvy.  The first thing that hit me was, "  Facebook is a combination of Web 2.0."  I just started using a website called pinterest.com and it is a form of social bookmarking.  I had no idea until this lesson.  I hadn't even heard of some of these tools until now.  I guess I took for granted the things I see everyday though technology.  I checked out one of the websites given to see how voice thread can be used in education and I thought it was awesome!  It was the one about the women of the world and it was neat how they had the kids read the history of each one of the women represented.  I think this would be a great thing to do with  reading curriculum.  You could have kids create their own active reading story book by using the voice thread.  It is educational, entertaining, creative, and fun for the students and the classroom audience.  I am glad I have the privledge to learn all these great new things, and I can't wait to get the opportunity to try  them in my classroom.  I am finally crawling out of the cave of techno-illiteracy and walking into the world of digital natives!

Copyrights, Fair Use, Cyberbullying, and Netiquette

     I found this assignment to be very informative.  I found myself calling my teacher friends and letting them know about some of the public websites shared with us for their personal information....Perfectly legal I assure you thanks to my new found information!  I discovered all the petty small-time inaccuracies that could lead to lawsuits if you as an educator, or any individual, are not careful.  I have never heard of Bebo until today.  I also never though about cyberbullying going on past chatrooms or texting, but I found out that it is pretty common on social webistes such as Facebook and Myspace.  I learned nifty websites to use with my future students that helps with netiquette, copyright laws, and cyber safety.  I learned the difference between fair use and copywright laws, and that just because something has a permissive copywright doesn't mean that you can use it freely as you wish.  I also learned that just because it gives permission for public use also doesn't mean that it's open game to use as you please.  I am very thankful for this useful information.
     I feel glad that I am now aware of all the laws and things going on inside the web nowadays.  However,  I am also nervous about all the tid-bit descrepancies on copyrights and fair use that I am afraid of voilating the laws if I don't walk a fine line of observancy.  The first thing I tought when I started reading about all the laws was, "Man, I know so many teachers that I had growing up that could have been sued.  I am sure that they had no idea that they were breaking the law, but instead merely thought that they were just doing their job at educating us through media."  As for the netiquette, I wish that this was discovered and implemented a long time ago for all people.  It is a very good lesson for individuals to have, especially students.  As for the cyberbullying, I think it's incrediably sad!  Kids have always bullied throughout the years but its never been so out of hand that so many kids are taking their lives!  As a kid I was bullied and it was never pleasant, I can't even fatham what lengths these bullies are going to in order to push kids over the edge.  Stomp out bullying indeed!  As for the internet safety, it's a wonderful lesson!  When my child is old enough to start using the computer, internet safety and netiquette are the first things I am going to implement for them.  I am really thankful for this assignment.

Mapping Information Activity

Before the mapping information activity,  I would search websites by whatever "looked" good or legit.  This assignment took me a long time to accomplish because I am not computer-literate past the basics.  However, I was very thankful that I was asked to do it because I know it will be extremely helpful for me and others as well.  I used to always use google most of the time for my search engine because it was the most popular and helpful when it it came to researching something and I always picked what looked more simple in the URL first.  I also would go through sites and use what would seem the most informative on what I was looking for.  I also thought that all the mumbo-jumbo that was in the URL address was just computer language for transmitting the webiste.  I didn't know that it could mean anything particular to regular individuals surfing the everyday net.
After the mapping information activity,  I realized that there is a lot to be learned by the URL site.   I also now have some cool resources to use when I need to validate a website.  I decided to look up "Feline reactions to bearded men."   I am still not sure if the webiste is valid, but I do know that it is not a good source for research due to the fact it was created for strictly humor.  I was pretty convinced it was legit until I got down to searching the author, and found that the site had been "slightly moved" as verdict for the search engine Excite.com.  I also realized towards the end of my search that it was stated "used for humor purposes," and the title showed that it was created to make people laugh.  Besides, the actual name of the website says it all, "Improbabel.com."  The assignment was long and detailed, but it was kind of fun too, and very necessary as well.
In conclusion,  this assignment and new learned skills will be very helpful in my classroom.  It will help me to locate legit and proper websites for my students and their assignments/research.  It will also benefit me as well when I am searching for useful information and doing homework for my classes.  I now know that the URL is not just computer lingo,  but instead a lot can deferred from the meaning.  I also know what to look for in search engines.  I found that to be the most interesting part of the project.  It kind of inspires me to go back and disect some of the regular webistes that I use, or have used in the past just to see how they play out on the validity factor.  I will take my newly gained knowledge and share it with my future students as well. 

ETEC and Me

My name is Stephanie Sundown Bronson.  I always get the question "Where your parent's hippies?" My answer, "No, my dad was Cherokee." Hence the middle name Sundown.  I find the responses amusing.  I think my middle name is probably the only original thing about me.  I consider myself pretty plain.  My wardrobe most of the time is a shirt, jeans, and flip-flops.  I keep my hair in a pony tail and the face au-nature'l.  Although, there are times I do gussy up a bit.  I look like a totally different person when that happens.  I am an All-Level Special Education major, and will graduate spring of 2012.  I currently live in Sulphur Springs, and I have been there almost half my life.  I am originally from Grand Prairie, Texas.  However, I was born in Georgia but moved to Texas when I was very young.  I am 28 years old and have a husband and three year old daughter.  I do not work because my daughter was born with a Midline Defect and I stayed  home to care for her.  However, she had her last surgery this past summer and is now attending day care for the first time.  This is a very bittersweet moment for me.  I think that pretty much sums up the basics about me.
My vision of technology in the classroom is not much different than what we a currently using in younger classrooms today, just maybe a little more utilized than what I have observed.  I have witnessed the use of Interactive White Boards, and I have seen something called an ELMO (Not sure, but I think it is the version of a modern projector.)  Cellular phones are of major use nowadays, especially since they have became so SMART (pun intended.)  Therefore, I would like to use more poll casts for students because I think it would help increase their participation, and add fun to the lesson.  I would like to also incorporate the use of Assisted Technology and integrate it where both students with and without disabilities can successfully learn in an environment, while increasing their full potential, and feel more unified as a group instead of singled out do to a disability.  I would also like to incorporate electronic read-alouds more instead of regular books.  I would like to incorporate lessons using things such as Blabberize and Voki to do some of the speaking for me to keep the kids interested, and it gives me the ability to utilize my time by creating the freedom to do several things at once instead of just lecturing in front of a class.  These are just a few ideas that I can think of that would be helpful for my future digital learners.
My goals for ETEC 424 are simple...learn all that I need to learn to be officiant in my classroom and my school district.  I have seen Interactive Whiteboards in action, but not to their full potential.  I also have not seen the ELMO in use either.  I have no idea how to do some of the things mentioned in the syllabus such as building a website and PDF file, so I want to learn that as well.  I just now learned to create my own blog so I can cross that off my list.  I am excited about learneing all I can in Web 2.0 too.  I want to be able to successfully teach a lesson using technology as proficiently as possible since technology is the present and future for us all. I want to go from being a digital learner to a digital native.