Food inc.

Though I've seen this movie before watching it a second time really allowed me to pick up on more of the facts and information that I missed the first time because I was aw-struck the whole time. Being able to be aware of the trends our food is going is wildly important because it is our future students that are being most affected by these food changes. Students are experiencing puberty at increasingly younger ages because of all the growth hormones in the food they are eating, they are facing increased diabetes and obesity issues as they eat more processed and fatty food because they are cheaper. Eating healthy is hard and expensive but it makes such a difference. While in undergrad I ate as healthy as I could living on campus, limited fried foods, no soda mostly tea water and juice, fruit and salad as normal staples in my meals. And to be honest I thought it was great and I was proud of it, but as soon as I graduated I maintained my eating habits with a slight shift of less meat,dairy, and more raw foods but I lost weight and felt more energetic and healthier. This was because I was bake to prepare and buy my own foods and it made the world of difference.

One thing many younger grades are doing when it comes to your snack day, students are required to bring in something off of a prescribed list of "healthy" class snacks. Though they are not all "healthy" they are far better than the sugary fruit snacks or cookies. As teacher we should be actively educating our students about making healthy life choices not just with food but with all the actions we take in our lives.

iMovie

Playing with imovie was very fun and interesting; I've used photo story before which is similar to imovie but not nearly as fancy, but they are related. I would say photo story is the easy/lazy mans imovie for an extent. The flexibility and options available through imovie are endless, I can see using this program as a realistic teaching or presenting skill in all grade levels and with how computer savvy students are today I can see introducing the program to them in the later elementary grades and allowing them to explore the program for assignments. I've said in the past that young children today are loosing their creativity and ability to play with abstract toys for long periods of time. A program like imovie has the potential of recreating creativity for students, I think we need to make a shift from paper pencil imagination to computer imagination. Something that our students are more innately hard wired for. They could polish their movie making skills also while honing in their presentation and diction skills. Giving students the chance to explore a program teaches students more than you could ever imagine, when you give them enough to play around they will start to click on buttons and l figure out parts of the program that if you tried to teach them would take much longer.imovie is the direction that we as educators need to be traveling in. On top of it all it is super fun to play with.

Well done PBS

Watching the last part of the movie in class was interesting. Having the chance to listen to everyone else's opinions and ideas about the content made for some great discussion. In general I don't think enough classrooms have open share discussions like the ones we have on a regular enough basis. I think if classes were to have more open discussions based on the topics that are currently begin taught it would create a classroom with more interest and even potentially more respect.It may even help break down some of the walls people put up around themselves and others, with less walls students may start to see the similarities in one another instead of the differences. With that the hope would be that everyone would be more informed and bullying would happen less because there is an understood level of respect for one another. Additionally the teachers in classrooms that have more open discussion will have a better idea of where their students are coming from what they are interested in maybe even where their academic interests lay. Being informed beyond the student's names and where they sit it the classroom are an important part of an educators job, a part that we as teachers have less time to focus because of outside constraints. Though this last bit may have seamed dramatically off topic it is where my mind wandered to after the conclusion of the PBS special we watched.

Gotta love PBS

This investigation took a rather unexpected turn at the end with the suicides and eating disorders. But the points that were stressed there helped knock home some of the key ideas that were introduced early on. At the start I was not surprised with what the educators had to say about technology, and how it needs to be used regularly and that students are more educated about technology than the teachers. When you really sit down and look around you'll see that we are throughly in the throngs of a paradigm shift; we've moved past consumers of physical products to consumers of services and internet based goods. Teens are literally putting themselves on display online, something that I have never done to the extent that my peers have. I would call myself a little more classic and modest in some respects and am continually surprised about what people are willing putting on the internet for all to see. The refreshing thing is that though young teens though sharing some more elicit things are very ware of the dangers and how to avoid them. However with the internet they are even more accessible than before they can be tormented from afar with great ease. As a future educator there will be a continued need for teachers to be aware and teach students how to manage cyber bullying.

more and more garage band

Well planning with garage band again and more fully exploring all the features of the program, from personalizing ringtones, adjusting some of the classics or learning to play the piano or guitar. Looking at all these learn to options reminds me of one of my placements in undergrad where I was able to utilize Rosetta Stone to introduce Spanish to a kindergarten class. Initially I thought it was a tad early to be teaching a new language, but truth be told it is actually the perfect time to learn a new language because students' brains are already use to and wired to absorb and learn new language. The same goes for instruments and computers, the world of computers is very much a unique language with lots of conjugations and special rules for the use of certain words in specific situations. In today's world young children are being exposed to more an more diverse technologies, from their phones to their toys and their computers. Children are entering school with a very larger computer vocabulary and are far more computer literate than we were at the same age. So whenever possible I think it is crucial that we as teachers use new and varied resources to keep our students interested motivated and excited about the content they are learning.

I'm listening

The remainder of the presentations were just as good as the other half, but I must say that garage band stole the show. I swear if I had that program on my computer that I would be playing with it all the time. I am such a techno geek that I would just sit and explore every possible option until I understood the whole thing. However I barely have time to sit and read a book so thats not going to happen anytime soon. In reality I can see this happening over and over again as new fun programs and gadgets come out; and the truth of the matter is that my future students will most likely know these programs better. When I hit that point I am going to have to take it in stride and let my students teach me about something that I don't know. Much like I am sure I have taught many of my teachers little things about technology. The next generation, in fact the ones are due to start school shortly, they will be more technologically rich from having growing up in an environment where technology is everywhere from phones to microwaves. I just want to say that I remember phones that didn't need electricity to run, ones that didn't have push buttons or light-up screens. While on today's side of things there are some kids might not even have a home phone. I grew at the birth of the internet, students know are fully computer literate and savy beyond what I was at their age.

Wow, wow, I digress. The truth of the matter is Garage band=awesome tons of fun, and I can see numerous options and uses for it in a classroom. End of story, done.

I never knew 15min was so long...

Though we were unable to finish all of the presentations because in the world of new media 15 minutes can last a rather long time, I really enjoyed all the dialoguing we were bale to do after the presntation had finished. I think it really gave us all a chance to get to knwo one abother better and more fully understand the place we have all come from. The topics everyone chose truly spoke to each of as individuals and think that is an important fact that many educators soon forget when they allow students to choose a topic at will. I really like the fact that you could tell everyone was really passionate about the topic they were presenting on because we all were able to talk at lengths about the intricacies and the possible classroom application to no end.

I was really amazed at hoe much I had forgotten when it came to calculators and was wowed at all the different options there were when it came to smart boards. Along with the fall backs of bot, over reliance of technology can hinder us in the short run of things. However integrating technology into our classrooms while still utilizing traditional methods allows to use technology but not fall victim to it when for some reason it is not cooperating.

Music notes...

Well well well, to say that this class was informative would be a great understatement. I'd like to think of myself as fairly computer savvy and considering that I've had my own computer since I was five helps me think that I may be right. But all the different compression rates of music just sent me for a ride. That was just an area that I was not oblivious to but wildly inept at. Now that I have been exposed to it all it is painfully easy for me to understand. In essence it is much like live action photography or digital compression of videos. Where you may not get every single millisecond of detail but as the viewer you wouldn't be the wiser. In many cases if there are two frames are identical they may condense that section into one image, or if there are multiple frames but the majority of the frame remains unchanged then those bits of information instead of being repeated over and over again will just be re-used.

The same concept applies to music that is begin compressed and to my amazement you can barely hear a difference for a large amount of the different compression rates. Knowing all this information has allowed me think about how I will utilize this information in a classroom. For many instances there is no need to have super high bit rate of sound especially if it is a class project that is being listened to on line or something else along those lines.

Rip and burn part two

The second half of this rather lengthy lecture was far more interesting to me than the previous half. I think the reasoning for this was because the material in the second half was more relevant to me and my life. Not to say that the great beta-max controversy didn't have an affect on my life or the shape of the future i currently find myself in; because it did and still does have an affect on how easily I can receive and transmit information and media. For example had things not turned out the way they did then there would be a very good chance that not only would i not have the opportunity to blog but i highly doubt i would enrolled in a new media in the classroom course.

The shift from CD's to a more internet centered media spectrum has literally re-written the way the music is distributed and listened to. I think the really exciting thing as that I was alive and actively part of this transition. I clearly remember the first days of napster and ipods when they were a rare occurrence. And now everybody and their 5 year old cousin has an ipod and the skills to buy music and put them on their media device, which most likely is some sort of ipod.

The truth of the matter that media is becoming more and more a part of our culture and classroom; and maybe instead of just blindly using technology we can enlighten our students to be more aware and consciousness of where all this technology came from and how it is now available to us. I feel that more and more today students don't know the background of what they doing/learning and so-on. People along with students have no idea what has happened or transpired in order for things to occur presently

Rip and Burn

This seemingly boring lecture at start soon became very interesting, not because of the content that was be spoken about; but because of the possible ramifications that could have happened if what passed had not. I couldn't imagine a path that lead to a world that was technologically stifled. I suppose it wouldn't be much different than the dark ages where science and the pursuit of knowledge was frowned upon and even persecuted. As our entire culture got stuck in a six hundred year pause, our development drastically slowed. If what had happened during the Beta max controversy had not passed then I believe we would have been trapped in yet another pause of our cultural/scientific development.

A summary of my reactions? Crash Course

Well, well, the "crash course" was very interesting and definitely an eye opener. I felt that the movie made me want to go spend money because its value is decreasing along with save more so I will have a good base to live and grow from if there is some sort of collapse or extraordinary weakening of the economy. I felt overwhelmed and under whelmed at points, I learned more than I could have imagined.

When it comes to how I think this could affect my career in education I first look to what is going on now. As of right now i feel that students know too much about what is going on at a home and that their lives are far more scheduled than mine was. I fear that as the next twenty years begins to progress students will know more and more about the strains that are reaching their family both socially and financially. I think a larger portion of our students will be faced with issues that are far beyond their years and will need addition school and education on how to manage with this new "drama". Students are going to need practical knowledge about the world they live in. Thus when teaching relating what happened in the past to what is happening presently will be incredibly helpful. Making the content obtainable and reachable will be key to preparing tomorrow's generation for the very unsure future that is ahead of us.

Beyond that I think the school will become an even more grounding and centering place for a larger portion of the students. School will be a stabling force for a child who many only see their parents a few short rushed hours a day. I grew up in a generation where more and more families were two income to keep up with the raising costs of living, and I think as I start to teach that the students I encounter will be the generation where more and more students will be living with in a family where one if not both of their parents will have two jobs.

"The next 20 years isn't going to be anything like the last 20yrs"

First things first, let me just release for a moment before I get to the meat of it all. Chris Martenson makes it explicitly clear that the next 20 yrs will be nothing like the last 20 yrs, that most new points should occupy our highest attention, exponential formulas are increasingly hard for most of mainstream America to understand and that he'll get back to a lot of points that he initially brings up. Also it was defiantly a crash course, the amount of information was outstanding and even a little overwhelming at times. Sometimes I felt as is the way the information was being explained to me was in a fashion that was below my level of understanding while some parts were above. It was wildly interesting to watch but also immensely intense.

But enough about that down to what all this information means for our future. One thing that i found was interesting was that i was bale to watch the movie with my mother and hearing her opinion and reaction the same information was an enlightening experience. In my naivety I can understand the dire needs that are facing us and how the past is shaping our future, however at the same time I'm not feeling the same pressure and potential upset that these changes are causing. I haven't had to take care of myself on my own yet, I've been able to have protection from outside sources thus far. and haven't experienced extreme turmoil in my life fiscally. But my mother has she could look at those graphs and remember the little bumps and how dramatic they were and then to scan over to the right and see that huge hockey stick shape, and have a minor heart attack seeing that the bump we are in is the size of a mountain in comparison to the previous bumps. Seeing my mom's reactions strikes fear into me, because I see that rising line and know that all things that go up must come down and it scares me to know that that downturn is well within in my future.

Really when it comes down to it all, the issues that we are facing are not new in any way but the natural equalizer to the up turn/the solutions to have been unnaturally usurped by past governmental organizations. When we start to tweak the natural flow of things then we tend to get ourselves in trouble, e.g. high levels of hormones in our food causing early physical maturation, the only way we can get around this is to prepare for a potential melt down of cosmic proportions. Also the change that has to occur is so large that I'm not sure the undertaking can happen unless everyone assists. Nearly every facet of our social structure has to change how we react to money, how we use and harness energy, how we attempt to answer the constraints of our world, ... and I could continue to go on for some time.

When considering the possible implications professionally I can't even fathom what might come of these problems. The only things I can think of is that as a teacher I might be dealing with many more broken homes more students relying on the system to support them along with students who are far to aware of their families' financial constraints and issues that are facing their family as a whole. This is going to cause students to grow up at an alarming rate, even faster than they already are. They are going to have to deal with conflict and stress that is beyond their years and it is going to infiltrate their learning. So not only will they be getting bits of at home but they will be encountering it on the school front as well. At this point it is all speculation like Chris said he can't predict what is going to happen or how serious it will end up being, and neither can I. I can merely identify possible things that could occurs in our future.

Ipad/islate launch

Well, it all seams very interesting; the iPad or iSlate as it is being refereed to looks like a rather large iPhone with less apps and a few additional exciting features. Beyond the fact that I would be afraid of breaking the unit in half due to its size the over all presentation was very fascinating. Growing up in a PC house I have a slight bias however there are definitely facets to Mac's that tickle my fancy, and this new release is one of them (among many other eye catching items).

As far as implications go for our society I'm at a loss, as always there are people fervently on both sides of the fence and both have more than plausible arguments. The beauty is that you can essentially carry an entire library in less space than a traditionally paperback. You could load it up with all the materials you need for a research paper/project and instead of begin trapped in some gloomy library alone you could be in some funky coffee shop that inspires your creative spirit. On the other hand there is definitely something to be said for some good old fashion tree pulp and liquid soot.

To take a step on the realistic side of things, this item will for sure be making waves in the way we view and collect our information. With out a doubt it will take off in the field of newspapers and magazines. The idea of begin able to "go green" and paper free is going to be far too good of an excuse to get a new pretty toy. Just think of all the trendy business types that can now carry three papers around on their commute into work save pertinent articles and send them to whom every they please; and all without ever getting the gross newspaper "dirt" on their finger tips. I imagine that soon enough the days of copying newspapers on to silly putty will be stories of our youth much like walking up hill both ways to school in the snow with no jacket is today. In terms of books I think the mainstream use is going to be a much longer and almost arduous transition. I think there are going to be pockets where this new tool is going to flourish and blossom but that will only be in unison with parts of society that opt not for the new technology. I recently listened to a modern author reflect on the use of digital books and how a reader changes the way they read off a screen. How there is less reflection and thought. Also that typically that all the new digital texts are a fast paced stories the go, go, go with little pause for the beauty of the written word of vast ability to diversify language.

Using an item like this in schools could be an amazing resource that give students to move more freely through reading material along with at their own pace. Students at all levels will be given the flexibility to read think seemingly endless texts while they are on the go or waiting in line. The possibilities are truly endless for a resource like the iPad, at present I see myself as curious observer watching closely to see where this will take our society and school s technologically. Change is coming but how intense and wide spread I am unsure as of yet.

First Day

Today is the first day of my New Media in the Classroom class, and it is going very well so far