Randy Paush's "Last Lecture"

Randy Paush's "Last Lecture" brought out many valuable points about teaching and learning. He talked not only about his childhood dreams, but how to enable the childhood dreams of others. Throughout his lecture he emphasized "head fakes". A "head fake" is having fun while learning. An example of "head fake" was through "Alice". He also applied this through his teaching, by allowing students to work as a team with the freedom to express themselves. This was evident when the program became so successful that it drew interest of other college departments. As educators it is important to allow students to explore that freedom in order to achieved a successful "head fake".

Randy shared many of his life stories and what he learning from them. My favorite being the brick wall. One may think that a brick wall will stop you however, he viewed the brick wall as allowing us to prove how bad we want it that is our dedication. He believes, if you want something bad enough you just keep trying no matter the obstacle. This determination needs to be taught to our children of today. So many times children just give up, it is important that we as educators teach children to try, try, try again. As Randy said it is important to be good at something, it's what makes you valuable.

In the lecture he points out what is needed to be successful. The first being dedication, the brick wall concept. The second being "Don't Bail", that is don't give up. Thirdly, get feedback and listen to it. Don't just say okay, do something about it, also don't complain and work hard. The most important being show gratitude, always think of others and others will think of you.

In conclusion, Randy unveiled the biggest "head fake" of all. He displayed his gratitude to his wife, by having 500 people sing happy birthday to her, while also informing us that the lecture was not just any other lecture. This lecture was for his children, because he may not be around to tell them the things they need to know. That was the biggest "head fake" of all. He once again made learning FUN!

Fischbowl - "Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?"

Fisch, relays a bold statement in this blog. The statement being that, "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." He definitely makes a point. Just how important is technology? According to Fisch just as important as reading and writing. He then asks the reader, "Your thoughts?"

I must say that I agree with Fisch. For a teacher to be technologically illiterate in today's society is definitely the same as the teacher thirty years ago not knowing how to read and right. How are the minds of the future ever to advance without the proper knowledge and advancement of technology? In a nutshell, they won't. It's the same as if someone still used stones to start a fire rather than matches. It is through advancement that the world is what it is today and for someone to hinder that is an educational crime.

Fischbowl - "Did you know?"

Wow, this presentation is great. I must say that I did not know! I was impressed that the presentation used graphics, however they were not overwhelming. It seemed to keep the watcher interested. The presentation explained the importance of technology not only in the U.S., but around the world. It is scary to comprehend such technological advancements, but realistically it's closer than one may think. As educators we must understand that the future of educating children will rely on these technological advancements. It is our job to familiarize ourselves with these advancements in order to better prepare the future minds of the world.

International School Blogs

The first international school blog that I found is located in Bangkok, Thailand. This blog offers information to both parents and students, while also offering other links. A survey had been taken about how the parents feel their children are being educated and the results posted to the blog. It was interesting to see the parents opinions. The blog is maintained by the head of the school, Bill Gerritz. In the picture, Bill is to the left.
To view this blog CLICK HERE.



The second international school blog is located in Tsukuba, Japan. This blog also offers information for both parents and students. It displays happenings in the school, a school calender and up coming events. I found this blog interesting because it took some research on my behalf. I was unaware of what country Tsukuba was located in, but now I know.
The picture is of students in a special music lesson. They are learning to play the spoons.
To view this blog CLICK HERE.

Cool High School Blog

This is a really cool blog. It is a high school in Pittsburgh, PA. It has information about everything concerning the school. It looks like it is maintained on a daily basis. All I can say about this one is..... check it out!CLICK HERE

Elementary School Blog

I have found an elementary school in Oregon that utilities blogs. The name of the school is Antonia Crater Elementary School. The blog is being used by teachers to post pictures of activities, while also including a monthly newsletter and calender. This blog is very informative and would be helpful to parents on keeping up with what is going on in the school. The picture is of a kindergarten class on the 100th day of school celebration. To visit the blog CLICK HERE

ACCESS

ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, & Students Statewide. This allows students of rural low-income schools to take additional courses via the Internet in order to receive a more advanced education and diploma. This vision of ACCESS is to provide high quality instruction to students through distant learning. The State of Alabama has provided the technology to these schools, which allow the students to have access to the technology required. It offers a blended learning setting with both web-based and videoconferencing. Through this technology students have the opportunity to take more advanced course electives, which therefore prepare them for higher education. It also allows students the ability to review a lesson that they might not completely understand the first time. The review allows them to understand the content of the lesson more clearly.

ACCESS is a great way for students to expand their knowledge. This allows them to not only take advantage of more course electives, but also familiarize themselves with the use of the computer and web technology. Students learn to have more responsibility, since progress is solely at their fingertips. They have a sense of control.

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)

ALEX is a resource that is provided to teachers, parents and students through the Alabama Department of Education. ALEX is designed to index and share many types of educational materials. The materials include lesson plans, professional developement, links to grant oppuritunities and professional organizations. Teachers can also post and share their own lesson plans. The design benefits teachers by being a one-stop resource center.
ALEX can be very useful to teachers by allowing them access to many resources. For one website to offer lesson plans, professional developement and links to grant and professional organizations can be helpful. This allows the teacher to focus more on the student.