Blog Post #8

This Is How We Dream

I can honestly say, after watching Dr. Richard E. Miller's "This is How We Dream" video, that although I am familiar with writing with multimedia, I am not fully prepared to write with multimedia in the advanced way that Miller discusses. His ideas and plans are very in-depth and amazing, but it would take a great amount of time and skill to master. Miller discusses how we should write in such a way that not only do we include text in our writing, but we add sound and video to compose a document. He encourages us to share our work on the internet for everyone to see and to pull different resources, such as videos and sounds, from numerous websites and use them as tools to enhance our compositions. Writing has changed over many years, and it is no longer just putting words onto paper. It is about interacting with what we are writing about, and showing our words, rather than just telling. Miller talks about how writing was once just a solitary activity, but now we have different online tools that can help us to collaborate with others.

Teaching this new method of composing in the classroom would definitely be a challenge at first, especially for elementary students. For so many years, students have been traditionally taught through books, but now technology has become more and more popular in the classroom and books are no longer the only (and most effective) way of teaching material. I do think it is a good idea to expose students to this new way of multimedia writing because at an early age, it can expose them to the necessary uses of technology and how helpful multimedia can be in helping students to learn and compose.

Composing with multimedia, in my opinion, is so much more interactive and appealing to students rather than just reading words on a page. I believe that if you asked any student if they'd rather read about a certain period in history in their textbook or watch a movie about it, most would choose to watch the movie. This is because most students are visual and would gain more knowledge by watching material. It would be such an amazing thing to see students composing different types of work using prints and moving images and to see how they develop and grow by using these tools. I believe it would open up a whole new world for them. As long as the teacher is well equipped to teach this sort of writing and is enthused about it, the possibilities are endless.

Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh

First I just want to say what a great and enthusiastic writer Carly is! When I was reading her post, I couldn't help but imagine that I was sitting right there with her listening to her talk. I think Carly's idea was so cool, and could be very motivating for future teachers in order to get them to start thinking about what are there goals and philosophies as a teacher? I know that as a student studying to become a teacher, I get so wrapped up in my classwork and classes, that I forget to sit back and think of what it will be like when I ACTUALLY become a teacher. What will be my purpose? What will I expect from my students? How will I go above and beyond in order to impact the lives of my students? These are the MOST important questions that should be asked, and we should start looking for the answers now. And I believed Carly hit the nail on the head with her blog post.

Carly came pretty close with meeting the requirements that Miller talks about in his "This is How We Dream" video. She discussed many topics without just her thoughts, but she shared videos that showed the ideas of others. Carly invited us into her world of thinking, and not only expressed how she felt about certain topics, but she SHOWED us also. I especially liked the video that she added at the end that asked the six questions. This really inspired me to ask myself these questions in my daily life, and if the answer was "no" to any of them, I should strive harder. Well done Carly!

The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies

Both The Chipper Series and EDM 310 for Dummies were such cute and funny videos that gave a little insight into what EDM 310 was all about. The most important messages from the video was that although EDM 310 can be a bit overwhelming at first, there is always a way to find help if you only look and ask for it. And idea for a video that I would like to participate in would be one that was a specific tutorial on how to use a tool that we use on a daily basis in EDM 310, such as Google Docs or Blogger. Although there are probably already thousands of tutorials out there, I think a tutorial from an EDM 310 student would give a fresh take on how to use these tools and would be very helpful to students.

Learn to Change, Change to Learn

"Learn to Change, Change to Learn" discussed many different topics about the way students learn. The people in this video talked about how students no longer learn in the traditional way, and how they should now be learning skills that will be necessary in their future. It is not just about knowing facts, but also being able to use the tools necessary to find information. Students should have access to many resources such as different laboratories so that they can have hands on experience with different subjects that they are learning about. Students should be able to interpret information as well as networking and being able to develop their own personal learning environments. Students should be able to freely use their creativity and individuality in the classroom.

I agree so much with this video. Most students no longer learn in the traditional way. They are so involved in technology and use it on an everyday basis, that this is the way that they've begun to learn. One comment on the video that I read asked where were the student opinions? I thought this comment was very valid. Hearing these thoughts from the mouths of the students themselves would be so much more effective, instead of hearing teachers talk about what students think. So speaking as a student, I completely agree and I think it is absolutely necessary for the classrooms to evolve from the traditional methods to methods that would be more effective for students' learning and preparing them for the future.