Bye Bye

I'm offically closed. Thank You and have a great summer everybody!!!

Things I Learned

One main thing i learned this semester is how to use spreadsheet. This is a very useful operation; or A ubiquitous microsoft program in another words. You can use spreadsheet just about anywhere. Another useful tool was learning to write using html code. It was a little bit time consuming at first. But I got the hang of it. All the other task I already had a good grasp on. Overall I would consider it an enjoyable class.

Middle School Diaries

This website is pretty cool. It is in sense a database of blogger around the U.S. who are in the middle grades. These are always tough times for students and this can be very helpful for the students to talk like this. It basically can help the students either vent, or maybe try and tell somebody about something there are thinking about. Any student in middle school and make an entry. Here is a link to the website.

Blogging around the world

Blogging in can be a rather ubiquitous thing. So it wouldn't be out of the question to find examples of international schools utilizing this. One school i found was ITeachNets International Education Webzine. This is school designed to meet the needs of someone that can stay stationary all the time. They offer a really good program and make it easy to enroll in this program. This is a rather attractive program for someone who is looking for more.

Here is another program that is a little different.The E-learning Blog. This a blog started by a techer at school on Bangladesh to help improve curricula. With the help of people around the world we can modify our programs and teaching styles to better the kids.

Mardi Gras!!

I totally forgot this entry! I know it has been a while but oh well. What did i do during Mardi Gras?? Well, i worked the whole damn time! I didn't go to one single parade. I jus didn't feel like going. I went a pretty good bit the year before, but not this year. It is not as appealing as it used to be. Plus, you can get into some trouble down there if you're not careful. I'll might go next year or maybe not. I like making money jus as much as spending it!

My website

My website has been a "work in progress", for a while. I'm still not sure if it is done. It is about all the places i would like to travel. Most of these places are in Europe. There are a bunch of places i would like to go before i die. Maybe one day i can travel to these places. It just blows my mind to think of how big the world is.
My Website

Ipods in Instruction

I have been an Ipod owner for some time. I listen to it quite extensively. I use it a work and when i run. Most people don't realize the educational value they hold. Many universities record their lectures and post them. This is pretty cool. These are are called podcast. I listen to podcasts probably more than music. You can find various podcast on different subjects. There weekly shows as well as college lectures.
One of my favorite podcast that airs weekly is The Skeptics Guide to the Universe. This is a science based podcast. A lot of the topics they talk about i have encountered in my curricula at South Alabama. Another one i am fond of is Berkley's(college) podcast. They have various one on different subjects. Here is a website that explains it a little better and tells you how you could go about posting your own podcast. Here

Experience Blogging

This was my first time blogging. I enjoyed it initially,then it become a little hassle. Overall i enjoyed it. I got so weighted down that i totally forgot about it and i'm having to catch up. I wouldn't say it is a negative thing. I can see its relevance in a classroom. There are many things you can do with blogging. The only negative thing i could see is being too time consuming.
I am P.E. major and i am having a hard time seeing the relevance in blogging and P.E., i suppose there might be some purpose. As a elementary educator i don't see it being very helpful. Maybe helpful in high school. It is hard enough to teach P.E. to young kids, much less teach them blogging. Maybe in the future it can play more of a role, but at this time i really don't see it anytime soon.

Spreadsheets in our classrooms

Spreadsheets can be very useful in classroom. There are several ways to integrate it into your classroom. First of all one easy way to utilize this program is to demonstrate information. For example, you could display class test scores on a bar chart, or even class attendance. Where ever you have information, chances are you could display this in a chart.
Another thing that could be done is using it in P.E. You could display various task and the length each student took to complete this task. By using your information, you could project it into a bar chart or maybe a line chart. This would give you an idea of where improvement is needed and could be seen in a relatively quick manor. Here is a link to some info on the subject.
Here

Seymour Papert

Papert has been quoted as one of the most intelligent mathematicians in the terms of teaching the subject. He has many accomplishments. His has played a big role in the development of A.I. At MIT he made advances in this field and assisted in progressing the knowledge we still use today.
Currently he is working with idea of bridging the technological gap between many students and their parents. His latest book and speeches are on this subject. This is a very important subject in education. If the parents fall behind how are they expected to help their kids. I have never heard of him before this assignment. I have enjoyed reading about him. He has played a big role in education and continues to do so.

Seymour Papert

Thats a Fallacy

I'm not much of a student of philosophy but a little never hurt. With this in mind, there are certain standpoints or points that people use when arguing a particular subject or perhaps defending it. Now this is definitely part of arguing defending your point but you must do it in a logical manor. That brings up the meat and potatoes of this blog. A logical fallacy is something that a person uses to argue or convince their point of view. If maybe your lost or I'm not explaining it good an example would the fallacy called, 'The Straw man". This is basically when someone brings up weaker example of ones point so he/she can get an edge on the argument. That's a logical fallacy. Another popular fallacy would be an Ad Hominid attack. A classic example of this would be, "Well you're just too closed-minded to understand the point. Meaning, attacking the person instead of the topic at hand. There are many more fallacy than these. They can make everyday conversation a little more interesting. They might give you a little edge if you get in an argument with someone. If you would like to know more cause my rambling wasn't clear go to Wickipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Give me a break!!

I was flipping through the channels and a the one of the religious channels caught my eye. It was a program on the Noah's Ark and how it was scientifically probable that this really happen. What astounded me was that a so called scientist made the claim that Grand Canyon was cut in a single year by the great flood. That is redicilious. In fact, it took around 40 million years and was cut by the Colorado River. You can actually view the different sediment layers and trace back the years. Do people actually believe that the great flood caused this happen? Are some pepople so niave? Give me a break.

Religion in Science Class

This has always been a touchy subject in school, but an important one. I am a firm believer in science. I have always been intrigued by it. I was raised in a church as a younger child but it left me asking questions and wondering if other peeople asked the same questions. Relying on faith isn't enough. The idea of Intelligent Design has been in the spotlight recently. This basically is just the idea that an Intelligent designer set everything in motion. Some people want to teach this along side with evolution and the big bang theory in science class. I think that is absurd. I'm not totally againist the idea of intelligent design, it just doesn't have a place in a science classroom. Science is something that can be proven and replicated by other scientist infinite amount of times. There is nothing wrong with ID, just keep it in religion class not science. Recenty this topic came up in court, Dover VS. Pennsylvania, and the proponents of incorporating this into the classroom was rejected. This will be only the beginning of an ongoing battle.

The Saints came marching in!

I was rather pleased to see the saints win the other night. I was out of town but I made sure I made time to watch the game. I think it would fabulous if the saints won the Superbowl. Go Saints!!

Creating a link

This is a link to the class blog.
Tuesday
Thursday 9:30 blog

First time blogging

I am new at the whole blogging scene. I think this can be very useful in discussing different issues and gaining insight on these issues. I look forward to the future.