Week+4-+Feb+1st

Class Reflection
 * I'm still not sure about my own opinion on **cell phones** in the classroom. I think teaching responsible use is the right answer. Banning them completely will result in anger and sneaking them behind my back while full use would result in chaos. Teaching students when it is okay to use their cell phones and when it is not is the key.
 * I have never worked with **Windows Movie Maker** before.
 * My first opinion is that this is a great technology that I would definitely use in my classroom. I had fun exploring effects and I especially loved the credits at the end.
 * If students were proficient in this software, there could be some incredible presentations coming out of high schools today.
 * I had a lot of trouble uploading my video on the wiki but I was proud to be able to problem solve and upload my first **Youtube video** to embed it here.
 * Here is my video that I made with Steve. Steve made the song using music software that is suppose to be a ringtone.

media type="youtube" key="i9uNA6UUSA8" height="344" width="425"

Multimedia Link media type="youtube" key="6ILQrUrEWe8" height="340" width="560"

I thought it was fitting to add a video to today's class reflection. It has been said before but I will be say it again, technology is on the rise and we must go with the flow rather then fight against it. This is another reminder of how much technology has taken over our world and influences our culture.

Reading Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky, retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Reflection on Reading
 * Many things in life are **cyclical**. Styles and trends come and go and then come back. The digital age however, has never come before and is probably here to stay. It is neither a style nor trend but more of a **revolution**.
 * I wonder if in the future generations Digital Immigrants could be **extinct** in North American culture. I think it is certainly possible but it may take another generation or two.
 * I do not find Prensky's advice extremely helpful because it seems like he does not know **how to approach teaching** Digital Natives. Is it that teacher's should teach the same subject with different resources (computers, games etc)? Or should we teach all new subjects? In my mind, it is a bit of both.
 * I like the example of geography. It is amazing what children know about Pokemon and it's true, they could know those things about geography if it was presented well. **Video games** is a good example of how we could radically change teaching students.
 * What I dislike about this idea of Digital Native idea is that is disregards the **kinesthetic** way of learning. We may be in a digital age but people are still human with need for activity. Learning by looking at a screen all day just seems depressing. I think this would resonate with many children as well. Our three hour technology class is seemingly too long for me already and that's only one day a week.

Technology Corner



The iPad is here!! I have never heard of this technology before but I think it is fantastic! I could definitely see myself use it in my daily life and in the classroom. This could revolutionize the way teachers operate in the classroom. I wonder if hand writing will even become a lost art with this portable and available technology. As soon as the price goes down, I'm sure we will see these pop up in classrooms everywhere.