My EDM 310 Blog Assignments are Now Complete

I have learned a lot in this class. I started this class with the basic skills to run a computer. Most of the things I learned in this class were how to find programs to do what I needed to do. I had always wanted to make a website but I just didn't know how to go about doing it; now I know.

I really didn't care for Google Docs. I don't like having to rely on the internet to work on my school stuff. My internet could be down, Google could be down and there are a number of reasons in the programing of the Docs that I didn't care for. I did like Google's website builder, but this could be because it is the only one I have ever used. My main complaint about the webiste project was that Google was very slow. I had a large website and Google took way to much time in closing the current page and going back to the main website manager site. Otherwise the website was my best project and I put a lot of time into it. My least favorite thing we did in this class was the weekly Blog posts. I found them to be a huge waste of time.

I never had to use the instructional videos but they seemed like a good idea. Dr.Strange had the idea that he would just burn CDs for his next class and have question classes where no actual lecturing goes on. I see pros and cons for that idea. Pro, the students have a back up for when the need help. Con, students wouldn't come to class and at the end of the semester all the slacker students would come to class and expect to have everything taught to them.

Wikipedia

At first Wikipedia looks really great. Lots of information quick and free, so why wouldn't I use it when doing real research? Well after you look around you see places where you can change the information posted. So that could be potentially probablamatic. I really like the way Wikipedia is set up. I often do use it. But only for basic knowledge about a subject and if I want to know more I look for a more reliable website.

I think Wikipedia could be really great. Like I said before the website is set up really well and could be very useful if it were not so unreliable. I think Wikipedia should change the way anybody can add their own two cents to a subject. If they were to make the website protected to where only Wikipedia creators could add stuff I think they would have the ability to do great things!

Week 13 - iTunes University - Stanford Podcast

This blog presents me with the same problem as the previous blog assignment store. I am unable to download iTunes to my computer. These assignments open me eyes to problems that my future students may encounter with the assignements I assign them. I don't think that I can require a student to do an assignment that requires them to download something to their computer, unless it was a part of the class or instructional tool that the state says I have to teach or use. I will not expect my elementary students to disobey their parents. Some parents don't even want their children using the internet, much less downloading things to their computer. These are my thoughts, children have been able to learn for hundreds of years without computers, and while I do think there are many good educational tools, students don't have to use every aspect available on the internet in a school setting.

Week 12 - iTunes University

This blog presented a problem for me. The computer I use is not mine. My parents own it and let me use it. My dad doesn't like any kind of Apple product and refuses to let me download iTunes to his computer. We already have a music program and I didn't want the Apple program to enterfear with the program previously purchased.

Dr.Strange said I needed to post a blog about problems I experienced with this blog post. I think like all programs there are pros and cons. But after thinking about whether or not I would use iTunes, I really don't think I would, not in my classroom where students have the full use of the iTunes store. I think that using this in an elementary classroom could really open up a door for a lawsuit. I can see it now, "Elementary teacher accused of letting her students watch sexually explicit music videos, Parents are suing". Even if I used this program for the educational side of it, kids will abuse it, and I would still get in trouble. However, if I could download an educational video and put it directly on the student's computer, where the student wouldn't have to visit the iTunes site, I would consider that.