Final Reflection

What were your favorite 2 assignments in this class and why?

• I really enjoyed creating the digital story, because it was something I created, and it was relevant to my field of study and my interests. It took me forever to research the monuments and find enough pictures of each, and then to record the history of the monuments and match up the recording with the correct picture. I really don't know how much time I spent on that assignment, but it was probably more than I spent on all the other assignments combined. I had a lot of fun creating it and would definitely love to use something like this in my future classrooms.
• My other favorite assignment would have to be this blog. I had fun coming here and posting my thoughts about random subjects. I hope to have the time to continue with this blog after my medt class is over.

What are the top 3 technology tools you hope to use in your future classroom/position? (doesn't matter if they were addressed in this class; may include hardware or software)

• I would like to have a class wikispace.
• I would like to have my students create digital stories.
• I would also like to have my students create podcasts.

What piece of technology would you like to get better at, and what are the steps you can take to improve your skills?

• I would like to get better at podcasting. I think that I could use podcasting in my future classes and I would like to know what I am doing before I try to make my students do podcasts.

DHMO. What is it really?

This week our MEDT 3401 class has been looking at a site about DHMO (Dihydrogen Monoxide), and there are a few questions that we are supposed to answer about it. But first I have something to say about it. IT'S JUST WATER PEOPLE!!! It amazes me how many people think that DHMO is really some unknown dangerous toxin. This is the kind of website that should remind us not to place our faith in something we read on the Internet. Not everything you read online is true. Information can be easy to manipulate and even if it is partly true it may not be entirely true. Now, on to the questions about the website.

1. Who wrote or produced the information?
-The website is produced by the United States Environmental Assessment Center, and a guy named Tom Way.

2. What authority or special knowledge does the author have? If the site is credited to an organization, what do you know about that organization?
-The author seems to have a lot of research to back up his claims about DHMO. He talks about surveys and research, but he never cites them in such a way that you can go straight to the research and find out what it really says. The cite is credited to the Environmental Assessment Center. I cannot find any information about the Environmental Assessment Center. I listened to an interview will the author of the site and he said that everything on the website about the dangers of DHMO are true, he just neglected to mention the common name of DHMO on his website. If you go through the site, and remember that he is just talking about water then yeah, most of what you read is true. You can die from accidental inhalation of water, prolonged exposure to solid DHMO, which is ice, can cause severe tissue damage. DHMO is a major component of acid rain, it is a major component of just plain rain too, and gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns. When you talk about these being dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide it sounds really bad, but if you remember that DHMO is water these dangers suddenly don't sound as threatening because they are things that we all encounter everyday.

3. What bias or slant do you detect in the source? What does it say that indicates a bias?
-The site talks about a cover up. It says that the government and the press is trying to hide the dangers of DHMO and that we should support a ban on DHMO. I think the author is bias against the government and the press. and the general population. He is trying to make the government and the press look bad through the false idea of a cover up. In the process of that, he is making the general population look bad because we can't see what he's doing and because we support a ban on water. The athour is also showing us how easily information can be manipulated to make it look scarier, and more dangerous, and that we will fall for it every time if are not well informed.

4. Should DHMO be banned? Why or why not? -No it should not be banned. Why? Because we need it to survive. It makes up roughly 2/3 of the human body.

Sorry 'bout the ranting and raving guys, guess this turned out to be a soap box issue for me. :)

Educational Podcasts

Radio WillowWeb: Podcast about volcanoes



There are a group of young boys who put together a podcast about volcanoes. They treated it as a radio show with multiple parts including jokes, poetry and important information about volcanoes. The boys seemed to have fun sharing their knowledge and creating a radio show. It was very interesting to listen to, especially the parts that the boys created on their own, like the poetry and jokes. The boys really had to do a lot of research about volcanoes and they really learned a lot about the inner workings of the volcanoes.



ColleyCast: Podcast about space.

This podcast started out with music and several did you know questions. It was a very catchy way to start the podcast. The students then talked about galaxies, constellations and all other space things. I really enjoyed this podcast. The students knew a lot about the subjects that they had researched. The students spoke with halting voices and instead of that being a nuisance it actually made the podcast seem more realistic.


I think this would be hard to incorporate into a class, but I think it would be very beneficial to use. If we had computers and recording equipment at the school it would be easier than if the students had to do it on their own time. As a French teacher I think it would be a great way for my student to practice their spoken French. It would also be a great way to test their pronunciation. You could have them interview one another in French, or simply read a story or book in French, this could test their pronunciation (speaking) and reading of the French language. You could have students listen to one another's podcasts and this would be a great listening activity for the students. I would love to be able to implement this kind of technology in my French classes.

Digital Videos

Digital Video Response:

A Journey Through the Rain Forest and Home

What are some educational applications of this form of communication? Do you think this is something that could be used in your future teaching situation? How?



In class we watched two digital videos, one about the rain forest and one about what home really is. The movie about the rain forest was made by a group of young students who had studied the rain forest. It was a great way for the students to show off what they had learned. They were able to share their knowledge and their artwork with one another and anyone else who would watch the digital story. It was a great way to assess what the students had really learned. They were able to have fun with learning and fun with demonstrating their knowledge.

The other video was about the perception of home. The beginning of the video showed what we here in America perceive as home. As the video progressed it began to show a soldier's perception of home. The video showed that their are a few common thing that make a home, no matter where you are in the world, things such as family and friends. Digital videos are a great way to present ones views.

I do think that I will be able to use this type of technology in my class. I will be able to use this means of communication in my class. Through digital videos I would be able to show my students what I wish them to learn in a new way. I would be able to reach the students in a variety of ways, for the students who need a variety of ways to learn. They would also be able to use digital videos to show me what they learned, and we would be able to use them to show the outside world what we were doing in our class. I would love to have the chance to use this type of communication in my classroom.

A Conversation with Martin Scorsese: The Importance of Visual Literacy

In this short video Scorsese talks about the imortance of visual literacy in film making and how important film making can be to life. He talks about the ability to direct people's attention to a certain detail, or event with visual ques in a film. Scorsese says that it is important for people to know"how ideas and emotions are expressed through visual form." He also talks about the power of images and how to use them to portray an idea: "images are very powerful... we have to begin to teach younger people how to use them"

I agree with what Scorsese says about the power of images and their importance in the world. As a teacher it is important to teach students about visual literacy. It is important to teach them how to use images, and how to understand their use so that they do not find themselves manipulated by their use. As a teacher it is important to teach students anything they will need to survive in life after school, even if the things they need to know, such as visual literacy, are not on the curriculum.

Here are some questions from my MEDT 3401 class about my perceptions of technology and my responses to each question.

1. Who are you and what are you going to teach/do as a result of the degree you're currently seeking?

• My name is AnnMarie. I am a senior at the University of West Georgia. I am working on a degree in French with a certification to teach. I would like to teach High School but I am also open to the idea of being a French Prof in a university somewhere.

2. Why are you taking this class and how do you feel about that?

• I am taking this class because it is required but also because I believe technology can be very helpful to a teacher in a classroom. I hope that by taking this class I will be able to effectively integrate technology into my classroom.

3. What do teachers/others need to know about supporting learning with technology and why do they need to know it?

• They need to know that technology can be very helpful for teachers. Even though the thought of incorporating technology in the classroom can be terrifying, teachers should look beyond that and see the benefits that they could provide for their students if they know more about technology.

4. What do you hope to get out of this class?

• I hope to gain a better understanding of the technology that could help me be the best teacher that I possibly can be.

5. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to using technology?

• My strength would be that I can usually figure things out when I try, and my weaknesses would be that sometimes I am to worried I might mess something up to try and figure things out.

6. Anything else you'd like to add?

• Nope...I'm good.