Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream




Richard Miller discusses how technology has changed the writing process and how the Internet has allowed us to communicate globally. Of course, these are changes that we all should have noticed by now, especially my fellow EDM 310 classmates. I'm not sure who Miller intended to aim this video presentation to. I find it very hard to believe that there are people now who are against writing and researching online. I'm sure we still have a few people who prefer the good old Dewey Decimal System, but even they have to admit that the Internet is so much easier. Not only can you find ANY category you are searching for, you can also find numerous sources on one topic. That type of research would take many hours (and even more cups of coffee) in a library.

Writing with multimedia is sort of a necessity now. Every English class I've taken at South that required me to write papers has required to me to write with multimedia. Instead of turning in a 5 page essay, we had to go online and post our papers to the teacher's site. We also had to submit our papers to a source that analyzed it for plagiarism. There was no way to avoid it! And my students will definitely know how to write using multimedia. I intend to teach 12th graders. Hopefully, by the time they've reached my class they'll know how to write with multimedia. If not, then that will have to be an addition to my syllabus. There's no way I can let those students leave my classroom for college without that knowledge.

The Chipper Series

First let me admit that I did not watch this video at the beginning of the semester. Now that this is off my chest, I can continue.
Chipper is hilarious! I'm starting to wonder if a student has tried to use this technique before! For all EDM 310 students out there who can see the future, please report back to the present. I believe you when you say your work is completed in December. I really do. Unfortunately, technology has not caught up with you yet, so Professor Strange needs to see a blog post in October! Nice try Chipper! Someone (not me because I am a horrible actress) should make another video with nothing but ridiculous excuses for not completing their work. I'd love to hear what people can come up with!

P.S.-Please turn in your work on time. It's honestly not easy when you do everything last minute. I've been there. And I still don't understand why we have an entire week to turn in work and I still manage to procrastinate. My goal is to break this habit before December. Until I've managed to stop being a procrastinator, I will use Chipper's excuse for any work not posted by it's due date.

EDM 310 For Dummies

I did watch this video at the beginning of the semester. It taught me to ask questions as soon as possible when there is something I do not understand. I have found myself very frustrated with EDM 310 at times, like with the Timetoast embed code. But all you have to do is ask for assistance and someone will help.
This video has made me think about the many different approaches I can take with our "Teach Something" project that is coming up. I'll probably create a video tutorial about a program I had the most trouble with at the beginning of the semester. Maybe this will help a future EDM 310 student, whether they are newbies or repeat offenders.

Why Smartboards Are A Dumb Initiative and Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards

Both posts describe Smartboards as an "expensive administrative cop-out" and "useless". Michael Staton and Bill Ferriter believe Smartboards are a waste of money because they do not make education easier, more fun, or less time consuming. Staton even states that there are other ways, such as projectors, that can be used in the classroom that are just as effective as Smartboards, but less expensive.
I found a Blog that completely disagrees with Staton and Ferriter, however, his blog does not comment on the expense of the Smartboard. The blog is called Getting SMARTER With Smartboards. It supports the use of Smartboards in classrooms by providing interesting tips and resources for teachers who do enjoy using a Smartboard in their classrooms.