Article Response

I try to manage my time between using my computer and schoolwork. Although, I must admit that sometimes it does feel hard to get off Facebook and do homework just like Vishal. However, I don't think that my time online has a particularly negative relationship with my grades. On occasional procrastinating causes me to hand assignments in a day or two late, but not the inability to stop using my computer.
I don't believe that technology to amplifies my personality. I suppose it does let me express my self, by shooting a photograph and digitally manipulating it into a work of art.
The author did a really good job in describing the ways how technology may affect teenagers. However, there was no mention of the fact that the students are also just plain lazy. The teens that let texting and YouTube steer them away from performing as good as they can at school, may already have bad work habits. Coupled with numerous distractions that technology may offer, poor work habits will inevitably result in poor grades.

Blog Post # 10

1) Learing new pieces of software and teaching video production and editing techniques are the topics I would find myself most competent at. I love learning new things and I plan on pursuing film production as a career and I have quite a bit of experience with various editing suites.

2) Ratings:

1. Creativity- 9
2. Responsibility- 7~8
3. Web Design- 4
4. Developing Action Plans- 7
5. Teaching Other People- 8
6. Meeting Deadlines -8

I think I'm fairly well versed in the creative department, as long as it does not involve building websites. I  sometimes procrastinate, however, if there is a large portion of my mark at stake, I tend to get things done in a timely manner. I might not be the greatest leader, but if faced with a task to lead I will definitely strive to do my best, and I will produce acceptable results at the very least .

3) I would be fairly comfortable with leading a group, however, I don't think that I should be a number one candidate for this. I'm not particularly interested in doing this.

4) I would be more comfortable working with a partner, although, I do not completely dismiss the possibility of working with a team.

5) I would be the most comfortable if I got a chance to work with a media subject. English and Business are fine as well, however, I don't want anything to do with Geography, History and Biology. Media is my first choice because I've had a chance to work with a number of different forms of media, and because I will be able to pick up new media software very quickly.

IDC Blog Post Number 9

I think classes that make use of smartboards are the perfect starting point for implementing this solution. A teacher can demonstrate the dropbox software and the usage procedure to the students. Students will be able to access all of the class worksheets and handouts from the comfort of their homes. As we obtain more netbooks these classes should be the first to implement them as not only tools for note taking but also as a method of digitally distributing class materials. Students will not only be able to access notes, but also share notes and participate in class using the netbooks. This is only one of the possible uses of netbooks, however, if we do want to adopt them, using the computers for this purpose will be equivalent to taking that first baby steps towards a technology based learning environment.

Blog Post Number 8

Idea: all teachers should upload their notes on the Internet to make them more easily accessible to students.

Subject Area: all subjects.

Details: Teachers should use either a personal website or Dropbox to distribute necessary notes. With the availability of netbooks we can reduce the use of paper, while increasing the availability of learning materials for students, thus enhancing the learning experience.
Technology Needed: website creation tools and/or Dropbox.
Pros

• Faster access to notes
• Saves paper- good for environment
• Makes materials more easily available before tests
• Enhances learning

 Cons

• May take a few months to implement
• Might be an issue for teachers who are not comfortable with technology

What Needs to Happen to Make the Idea Work:

1. Dropbox should be fully set up and tested
2. Workshops for teachers should take place
3. IDC students should fix any issues that may arise

My Email

Email me the info for your program at n0strum@live.com

IDC Blog Post # 6

The Future Shop contest entry requires ideas from our entire class. Everybody should contribute their ideas for both the video and the written statement. I'm not exactly sure what we should do in particular and that's exactly why I propose that we have the opinions of everybody else heard, since one person's opinion may inspire others.

IDC Blog Post # 5

I think that our school is more than compitent to win the staples contest. Our SWITCH initiative is an example to other schools, and the fact that they were able to raise enough money to install solar panels is a very strong argument for the essay. Consulting Mr. Carpenter and switch members would be an advantage as well.

Educational Value of Naxos Music Library

This resource makes thousands of vintage/classical songs available for teachers as an aid in their presentations. This would especially be useful in history and English classes, to give engaging and media rich presentations. The site features a very convenient search system, as well as a number of categories. The titles are alphabetically organized by the artist’s name making finding music a breeze. This is a streaming website, so an Internet connection is required for use.

IDC Blog Entry Number Four

1. In Depth Software Development
2. Web Tools 2.0
3. Netbook Cart Team

Question 1

I chose to put software development to the number one spot because I saw that I get to use video editing software and get to teach it to people. This sounds great because I've worked a few different video editing suites before and I'll be more than happy to learn a new program or become more competent with software that I have used previously.

I put Web Tools as my second option because it seems interesting to me and because I'll get to use something new and recommend it to somebody else. This seems like a pretty good assignment to work on overall.

Lastly, I put Netbook Cart Team on number three, because I'm really not the kind of guy who would want to create "official procedure" type of stuff. I don't think I'd be interested in that and I've also worked with the netbooks for a while and I feel that I need a detour from that.

Question 2

 

Like I've said, I feel that I'm more than competent to use video creation software or to get familiar with different types of it. I also feel that there is a creative side to this, which I always enjoy. Oh and I really loved taking media arts, so I'd be really happy to help improve the course for others.

Question 3

I don't exactly think I'm suited for the netbook team because I don't want to create procedures, because I'm not particularly organized in general. Also, I'm not particularly thrilled to work on the netbooks again because I've spent enough time with them already. I feel that I need something with a slight creative edge to it, rather than just following on-screen prompts.

IDC Blog Entry Number Three

My idea is simple, use the netbooks for two purposes, doing things in old ways a.k.a. handing stuff in digitally and also use them for old things in new ways. This already answers the criteria of Dabbling, as we already have the netbooks, and sort of know what could be done with them. Handing material in or out digitally is going to speed up the classroom environment without taking a toll on the quality of the education. However, the key is using the netbooks for doing old things in new ways. Just as the author put it, there could be material that uses interactive simulation, extensive use of animation, visual guides, etc., all readily available to the student through the use of a netbook computer. From the extensive use of the netbooks new ideas for education are only bound to arise. Students will give feedback on the netbooks, educators will get to try new methods of teaching, all leading up to slowly but surely revolutionizing the education system and bringing it up to needs of the 21st century and beyond. Technology is constantly evolving, and education should follow along.

IDC Blog Entry Number Two

So far this course isn't too bad. I mean it's a little hard to figure out what exactly we're being evaluated on and what criteria the evaluations are based on. A good improvement for the course would be more structure in terms of the things that are expected from us. In general this course is pretty good. Not the kind of class you'd be catching up on your missed sleep at.

IDC Post Number Uno- Self Evaluation

Completion of task(s) and/or presentation of research: 4
I give myself this mark because I have installed all of the required updates and software onto two netbooks. I chose not to work on many netbooks at one time because I thought that I'd rather focus on one at a time and be sure that I've completed everything carefully rather than trying to keep track of many netbooks at the same time.

Cooperative participation in group: 4
While this project was individual, I still managed to help the group whenever the occasional question or concern would arise. Therefore, I think that I deserve the mark of 4.

Creative and Critical Thinking: 4
Although the group was focused solely on setting up the netbook computers, I still provided suggestions in terms of what antivirus software to use. There were suggestions to use multiple programs, however, I provided a suggestion to use AVG Free, which answered the needs completely. My advice was backed by research and it was adopted by the research group.

Initiative: 3
I gave myself a mark of 3 because I took a bit too long with the first netbook, simply because I was getting used to the new Windows 7 interface (I'm an XP user). I think I got off track for about 5 minutes because when I downloaded Google Earth and I played around with it a little bit.