Week #5

This week in class we learned about youtube, zamzar, teacher tube and explored the national geographic website. I really enjoyed a lot of the activities that were on the national geographic website. Especially the site for kids. I think that it is a great tool that can help me connect kids to technology. I know my cousins who are in the Kindergarten love to play on the internet, and allowing them to play on this site will not only help them learn, but it will allow them to have fun.

Teachertube and Youtube were sites that I was familiar with before our class. I had used them in other activities and I love the resources that they are. The only problem with youtube is that anyone can post anything and sometimes those videos aren't good for kids to watch. Teachertube solves that problem, but it also doesn't have half as many videos. Zamzar comes into play to solve this problem. It allows me to save my videos onto my computer and then show them without using the internet. I really enjoyed learning how to use Zamzar and I think it will be very useful when I am a teacher because I will not only be able to keep the videos that I find for future use, but I will also be able to show them to my students without the dangers of the internet. :) I will also be able to share the videos with colleges and parents through my classroom website and emails.

This week's video was really short, but also way cool. I especially liked the part where they talked about what they think the future of technology will be like. When I think about it I am blown away by how fast technology is evolving. The fist Ipod came out only a few years ago, and now with the Itouch and Iphone they are more like mini computers. I thought the idea of credit cards becoming obsolete was a really good idea, one I had never even considered before. It amazes me what people can come up with, and the kid that suggested fingerprinting could be the one to actually develop it. It is also crazy to think that when I am a parent my kids, and students will grow up in this constantly changing technological world. It definitely shows the importance of using it in the classroom. Traditional classroom activities are changing, and technology should be a huge part of that change.