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Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

I enjoyed listening to Randy Pausch's lecture. It was very long, but interesting. It amazed me at how he can talk about the fact that he does not know how long he has left to live, and be calm about it. He does not seem to let his diagnosis get him down. I can tell that Randy enjoys his job and his life. Randy is definitely a man who practices what he preaches. His lectures reflect on his life experiences.

The lecture focused on how to lead your life. His first point was on childhood dreams. Everyone has these dreams when we were young and the world seemed to be in the palm of our hands. When I was young I wanted nothing else than to be in the Olympics. I was very passionate about it. When anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I replied," I'm going to be in the Olympics." The neat thing about his childhood dreams was that he actually fulfilled most of them. The dream of playing in the NFL was the one that he did not fulfill, but it got him where he is today. Football taught him fundamentals and experience for life.

His next point was about enabling childhood dreams of others. Throughout his life he has had a lot of positive effects on people. He started a class that allowed students to be creative while learning. Randy used video game technology to teach students different things. The class taught students about computer programming. When the students graduated they had companies that were ready to hire them straight out of college. By starting the program he helped open doors in students' lives.

His last point was on lessons learned. He talked of people who have helped him get where he is today. In order for someone to be successful, they need someone to encourage them. Everyone has potential in life to do great things. Living life is truly a learning experience. I have realized that not everything in life is fair. We all have to deal with experiences that we don't want to face. However, they make us stronger as a person. He also talked on being loyal and doing the right thing. That part of the lecture was very true. Finding the good and people and being honest is the best way to live your life. I really believe it will make you a happier person. The lecture was very enlightening. It made me appreciate my life. No one really knows how long they have to live, so we should live everyday to the fullest.

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher

Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher

I enjoyed reading Karl's post. I like the way he spoke his mind on the way he felt. Technology is a major part of life in the society we live in. I understand that it is important to be technology literate, for the benefit of yourself and your students. The generations to come will use technology even more than we do. If we don't know how to teach it to them, then they will be behind. I never really thought of the assumption that not being technologically literate in society would be the same as not being able to read in the old days. At this point one can make it not being technologically literate, but it is getting harder as the world becomes technology dependent.

I am not great at all with computers, however I feel the more I am on them the more I pick up. I use to be scared I was going to mess the computer up when I got on it, not sure of what I was doing. I realize now that the computer is something you have to explore and try out to understand it. I do have an open mind about computers because I realize that being technologically literate will soon become a must. I would never expect my students to learn a task that I didn't understand. In conclusion, it really is important to understand the basics of technology and to have a passion to learn new things.

A Vision of Students Today

A Vision of Students Today


The video was not at all what I expected, however it did keep my interest. I expected to have a student leading us around the school and talking to us. There was absolutely no talking. Further along in the video it did show a classroom full of students. I thought the way the video was made was creative. I liked the way the movie showed all the statistics given by different students on notebook paper. They were statistics I would have never thought of. I thought the video was enlightening.

The video really does not capture my college experience. All of my teachers knew my name in classes at Faulkner. I figured when I got to South I did not expect any of the teachers would know my name. I am surprised that most of them do. I thank God that I recieved scholarships to attend college, so I don't have to worry about being in debt. When I graduate I will be a physical education teacher, and that job has been around for quite a while. I can relate to buying a text book and never really using it. We all have to deal with problems that we do not create. To show the difference between their school and mine. Being able to compare and contrast a day at both of the schools would be neat.

What I've Learned This Year

Mr.McClung:What I've Learned


Mr. McClung's essay was very true. Going into your first year of teaching you want everything to go perfect. However, life is no where near perfect. Mr. McClung seems to be a good teacher who really cares about the students. He learns from his mistakes which allows him to grow as a teacher. I agree with him the most on communicating with the student. Listening to the student allows the student to know that you care. Students are more likely to respect and listen to your authority when you show them that you care.

In the essay Mr. McClung talked about several points to be aware of as a teacher. The lessons should be centered around the student. They are the reason we are teaching. Student comprehension is important because if the student does not comprehend it, then the lesson was useless. When your lesson does not go the way you plan, have an open mind and set the goals you want the students to learn. If a student does not fulfill the expectations you set, don't let it get to you. As long as the student is trying their best, that is all that really matters. Technology is an important part of society, so learning how to use it will only help us. Learning is an important part of school for the student and the teacher.

Technological Literate Teacher

I thought the former EDM 310 class did a nice job on their videocast. I like the videocast better than the podcast because you can see the discussion. To make the videocast better one needs to have the audience from the beginning. I had a difficult time staying with the speakers. I could not stay focused on the discussion. One thing that would make it better would be to have a more interesting subject. If something interests you, you more than likely not going to fast-forward it. The group, at certain times, seemed like they were just reading monotoned straight from their paper. That also loses the viewers' interest. These are a few areas I would try to improve on.

During their videocast they kept the conversation going. I didn't notice an awkward moment during the whole video. They knew their facts and were familiar with the subject. They explained how technology is important to a teacher. Watching their videocast gave me an idea about how I am to go about presenting mine.


Practical Principals

In viewing the practical principals I thought it was neat how two principals created the podcast. They show the viewers how to use the podcast. It is important to learn the podcast because they will probably become more widely used in education. The discussion was very interesting, which kept the audience in tune. They stayed with the subject and kept the focus on them.

It is good for teachers to be literate with the podcast. Technology can be an awesome tool in the classroom if the teacher knows how to use it. The podcast can bring in different culture to the class. Since schools are becoming more diverse the podcasts are one way to aide in their learning.