Feb 21, 2001

iTunes University

I cannot believe how cool iTunes University is! It has so much information to offer. I think that it is amazing how teachers and students can post so many different learning materials, and share their knowledge with the world. Anything and everything that you could possibly think of is on iTunes University. What I think was the most amazing about this learning tool is that it is user friendly to all people. I love how it has VoiceOver for those who are visually impaired, and how for students that have physical or motor skill needs, iTunes allows those students to be involved in a classroom environment, yet they can learn at their own pace! I think that that is an amazing thing!

While I was busy playing around on iTunes U, I went to what is on iTunes U, and found a list of subjects that you can click on with a complete array of different colleges offering learning tips, and educational information. I went to a video on bridging the gap between students home and leisurely life and their educational life. This video talked about how bringing in activities that students enjoy doing outside of the classroom as learning tool inside of the classroom. I've always believed that if you can make learning a game, something more then just a lecture time, and yes I'll use the cliche, teach "out side of the box," then they will learn, and remember, instead of memorizing and forgetting. In this particular video, students were allowed to engage in playing guitar hero. Now, after watching several videos, I'm not sure how they feel that playing guitar hero is an educational idea, but I do agree with the teachers that spoke that it would create better class unity, and encouragement amongst the students.

Another are that I went to was test stress reduction, which as a student, and a future teacher, I thought might be a good area to explore. One of the short video casts that I watched was on how to help Navy Seals pass their training, and actually become a Seal. This video said that they were taught four different brain or stress control techniques. Those techniques were goal settings, mental rehearsal, self talk, and arousal control. The gentleman speaking on this topic, said that these are four skills that he teaches and has been teaching for years to help students prepare for test taking. I think the thing I enjoyed most about this cast, was that it teaches you to focus on what you can do, and not on what you cannot do. I think that this is a valuable lesson that teachers need to instill in their students. It will help so much with self confidence, and that is something that students lack so much of in todays world.

Over all iTunes U is something that I will be using a lot when I start teaching, and will use now to further my education. I think that it is an amazing tool that everyone should know about.



Alice Christie

Throughout my blogging experience I was a little worried about internet safety, but it really started to concern me when we started Comments for Kids. I wondered, if a semi-technology intelligent persons, such as myself, can access these children, what about all the technology savvy weirdos that are out there to wanting to harm children doing. Student blogs and podcasts have got to be a bad mans or woman's dream, and the thought of that makes me sick to my stomach. When I visited Alice Christie's site there was an entire presentation on internet safety, and because of my concerns, I decided to educate myself on how these precious children are being protected. To my surprise when I started this presentation, it was more about facts oh children using the internet, how they are using it, the percentage of children usage as a particular age, and what teens are using the internet for and how it makes their lives easier. By about the twenty fifth slide, I finally got to internet safety, and the number one way is internet monitoring software, and parental supervision. It amazed me the statistics shown on parents not discussing internet safety with their children, some not knowing what their children were doing on the internet period. As a future teacher, the safety of my students is my number one priority, and I hope that I can help parents know and learn what they can do to help protect their children on the internet but using NetSmartz and other tool such as this. The information and the presentations that are on this site are so valuable that I wish every student, parent, teacher, and all others could take fifteen minutes of their day and educate themselves on internet safety. This site is filled with outstanding information, and is a site I plan on visiting on a regular basis to continue to educate myself.