What to do with Social Media

Social media covers a wide expanse of internet use. In its most basic form, it can be defined as anything that allows individuals to socialize with one another using media as a form of communication. Social media is extremely popular and is gaining force throughout the United States.
I believe that social media can be used in the classroom. It will engage students, most of whom will be familiar with using the internet as a means of education. I would use it to supplement my lessons and to provide a place where more sharing of information and learning can take place. I feel that some things are appropriate for classroom use, like the sites above. I would refrain from using Facebook, since it is too much of a distraction and may interfere with the appropriate student/teacher relationship. I would personally like to seperate my personal life from my work as a teacher. I would hesitate to accept a student as a "friend" who can access all types of information. Also, I believe that it can be too easy for a teacher or a student to pursue a relationship that may be inappropratie.

A Review: The Confidence of Math Teachers and their Students

http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2010/01/27/girls-inheriting-math-anxiety-from-female-teachers/
This article taken from the Chronicle is a short summary and commentary on a recent development in math education. The article states that female elementary school teachers can transmit their math anxiety to their female students. This research seems to indicate that stereotypes regarding math and gender are still in force today.
I chose this article because it was relevant to teaching. I will be an elementary teacher, hopefully in the 3rd-6th grade range. This article reminded me the importance of expressing confidence and fostering an atmosphere of positive learning. On a personal level, it called my own math anxiety to attention. I reflected that perhaps my anxiety is based on a stereotype and what I can do to enhance my confidence in my math skills.

Reviewing Online Resources

With the vast amount of information to be found on the web, it is important to to be able to define what is a "good" resource, versus a "bad" or "un-trustworthy." A "good" resource, I would argue, is one that contains truth about a subject, that is not misleading, and without an overt amount of bias. There are some ways to ensure that the information you are receiving is reliable. For instance, a good resource will likely have citations or refer to sources, thereby validating the information and confirming facts. Also, any website that presents the information in a professional manner would most likely be more reliable than a non-professional, typo-filled site. Once you have found a reliable source, you can use this information for your educational needs. 
http://www.diigo.com/user/rosered14/TEAC?type=all
These are a selection of good resources related to teaching, discipline, learning, education, etc. I found them at http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm. With these quality resources, teachers can have greater confidence when they teach or collaborate with others.

Using New Technology in the World of Education

I am really excited about the opportunities that technology is bringing to the education field. For instance, wikis can be used to create a forum where teachers can communicate ideas with each other and edit one each others'  work. Wiki sites can also be used for parents and students, so that events or field trips can be a collaborative planning opportunity. Prezis are also an innovative way to get students involved. Prezis show a big picture, can have videos directly added, and are an exciting new way to present ideas. Diigo.com, or other similar sites, is a wonderful way for learners to collect information on the Internet. The use of Diigo allows the person to save articles, to make notes, or highlight important text. As a future teacher, I can see how this will be useful for finding articles, projects, or other teaching ideas and saving them for later. RSS feeds also have the potential for being useful. With this, time is saved from going directly from site to site, and teachers will be able to interact and keep up to date with the latest from other teachers, parents, students, or any other person who has a blog.
I recommend everyone, including but not limited to teachers, to discover the new opportunities that technology has offered to the world. In many ways there is "something for everyone!"

Movie Presentations - how to improve for the future

Apple’s iMovie is an amazing tool. By using this program, simple videos can be created into a very professional presentation. I personally enjoyed the experience and I hope to use the program for other projects in the future.

In reflecting on my video, I felt there were several improvements that could have been made. Firstly, afterwards, I discovered that my audio was very choppy and harsh. In order to make the video, I had to completely mute the recorded noise and I relied entirely on music to provide background. Next time, I would try to make the audio more clear and reduce background noise. My own narration should be clearer as well. Also, I noticed that my video was sometimes “bouncy” as I recorded while I was walking. This created a video that was very unstable and even creating a “motion sickness” feeling when watched. Next time, I would either find a camera that would handle the movement better or plan to keep the camera in a mostly fixed position through filming.

In the future, I would love to explore various step-by-step videos, such as how to solve quadratic equations, dissect a frog, write a research paper, etc. These are instructional videos that many students could use and there are so many resources on campus that could be utilized, such as experts in the field and labs.