Blog Post #8

1. This is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2 by Richard Miller
In Dr. Richard Miller’s presentation he talks about the convenience of the internet and the positive impact multimedia has on our teaching and learning experience. Dr. Miller starts his presentation by explaining his passion for books and how growing up he had been surrounded by them. He explains that during his time period, in order to do any sort of research you had to spend endless amounts of time in the library, collecting all your information through books, newspapers, and magazines. He then explains how in today’s society convenience is key. Thanks to our ever evolving technology we have the option to put together a research paper without ever stepping into a library or even leaving the comfort of our homes.



With the technology we have today not only are we capable of putting together our work in a timely manner but we are able to bring it to life. Multimedia is an innovating way we can add videos, images, and sounds along with our text to make it entertaining for our audience. Another great aspect of the internet is how it easily allows us to share our work with others around the world and it never gets lost. Dr. Miller stresses the importance of teaching our students to learn and to teach others around the world and even to collaborate with one another.

The question was asked “Will I be prepared to write with multimedia?” I have to say yes. Yes, I will be prepared and my students will be prepared as well. I fully intend to encourage my students to write using multimedia so they will find excitement in their work. Like Dr. Miller says, technology is changing the way we learn, teach, and communicate. We are living in a society where technology will continue to advance. With our continuing advancement I look forward to teaching my students what the internet has to offer.

2. Carly Pugh’s Blog Post #12
I really enjoyed Carly’s post. I definitely agree with what was said in her post “great teachers teach by examples”. The idea of coming up with a YouTube play list of what was important to you as a teacher was very inspiring. Not only was the idea of the playlist great but the thought of creating it for your field of study was very impressive as well. I know that I will definitely put her idea into action for my own class.

She definitely understood what Dr. Miller was talking about. She was able to take full advantage of what the internet had to offer and used multimedia perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the video “Six Questions for Every Day”. Not only do I intend to portray those questions for my classroom but also in life.

3. "EDM310 for Dummies" "Chipper Series"
I really enjoyed the two short films. Right off the bat I could totally relate with the two ladies on EDM310 for Dummies. In the beginning of this class I did feel overwhelmed and at times confused on why I was even taking this class. As the semester progressed it was obvious to see that regardless of what your field of study might be the need to be knowledgeable on our ever changing technology is very important.

The Chipper Series was a very entertaining film and the message was very clear. It’s obvious that Chipper is searching for a way to achieve her goals by putting forth little effort. Even with her outlandish ideas Dr. Strange is never negative but offering her advice and staying optimistic about her ideas. It’s not till Chipper comes crashing down that she realizes that in order to be successful you cannot always try to look for a short cuts. Chipper learns that to achieve her goals she will have to be responsible and realistic about the path that she chooses.

I know from personal experience that sometimes students can get lost or are just not interested in what is being taught in class. As a social science major I know in my future I may be going over things in class that my students might find boring. To get my students excited I think I would take my students and reenact events from our history, not only would it be a great teaching method, but a great way to get the students to learn outside of the classroom.

4. Learn to Change, Change to Learn-
I have to say that I fully agree with this video. We cannot look at technology as a distraction for our students. In today’s society everything revolves around the internet and social networking. If these are the tools we need to incorporate into our class rooms to get the students excited about learning then why not change. I can personally say that I did not learn much in high school. Everything was so boring and there was nothing really exciting about learning.

In today’s society we have to fully understand the use of technology. Those who don’t will be at a disadvantage. As future educators we have to be aware of ways to keep our students interested and excited about learning. If incorporating social networks is the way then we should allow it in the classroom. Allowing schools to take full advantage of these programs and technology can give students a chance to learn about what’s going on around the world. This type of teaching encourages our students to become more creative and take more responsibilities.