The Edible School Yard

The edible school yard is about Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkely California. These sixth grade students are planting, harvesting, and eating. The garden and the adjacent kitchen act as learning labs for social studies, math, science, and life. THe garden is the center of teaching but is only part of what also goes on in the classroom.

In my opinion, because this is a hands on type of learning and the students are doing it themselves they are learning and remembering what they are learning. These students are able to tell you what they are learning and give their own mini lessons.

These students are also using cooperative learning. Some of the students are stronger in math and some in the science part of it and when they work together they are able to make better sense of everything.

When the garen was started is was to provide healthier food in the cafeteria, it was said in that, "if they grow it, they want to eat it." These children are also learning things that children use to learn at home with their families. This home learning most times is not still taking place. The students are not only seeing but they are making it happen. I personally observed how much the studens love and appreciate many aspects of their schoolyard garden.

More on what works in education can be found at edutopia

From the Apple.com site I found this on iTunes U; “Learning no longer happens only at a desk. Students now expect constant access to information, no matter where they are. Which is exactly why more and more faculty are using iTunes U to distribute digital lessons to their students.”

Teachers are using iLife and iWork applications to create customized ed. Materials. For example, language lessons that students can listen to on the bus or at home. With the help of things like Podcast Producer and Wiki Server, IT professionals at schools can help produce and distribute all kinds of multimedia content on iTunes U or a class wiki.

Once your classroom presentations and lectures have been captured and published, students can download them from iTunes. Then they can transfer them to iPod or iPhone and take it all with them. Any place can be a place to learn. iTunesU

I think iTunes U could be a very useful educational tool. iPods are a big deal for most students and for them to be able to access their lessons on their iPods would also be very useful to them as well. As for teachers, having students download their lessons onto their iPods will cut down on repetition. If a student is absent on the day that a teachers went over a particular lesson, they can download it to their iPod and then there you go. I wish I would have had this type of availability when I was in high school.

A video on iTunes U can also be found at iTunesU.

iPods in instruction

Presently, an increasing number of professors at various universities and colleges are experimenting with making lectures and study materials available to students via iPods and other MP3 players. Some K-12 educators and schools have also started using the iPod to enhance their curriculum and to support learning objectives in content areas such as – mathematic, science, reading, foreign language, and
history among others.

Duke University was the 1st to provide iPods to all incoming freshmen.
About 75 percent of freshmen surveyed said they used the iPods for their academic work. Some of the most popular student uses included recording lectures, taking oral notes, and even using the devices to create electronic flash cards.
But at the same time, some of the students said that while the iPods have potential in the classroom, they are still underutilized. According to the survey both students and faculty said more specific ideas of iPod use in the classroom were needed. Some also complained of the inability to share files from iPod to iPod. This info was found and more info can be found at iPods as well as iPods

Alice Christie

How can Alice Christies site be useful in teaching? It can be very useful. She has many useful tools on her site. From How to topics to an Educational tech guide. I would say that any time I have a uestion about something to do with teachnology I could probably find the answer on this site which can be found at AliceChristie.

This site of Alice Christie has many publications. These publications are a sort of How to on different topics about teachnology and using it in the classrroom. There are topics such as "Teachnology to Enhance Literacy in Elementary School Teacher" and "It's Elementary! Using Electronic Portfolios with Young Students." There is a list of these type publications that can be read for help.

Alice Christie also had an Educational Tech guide along with a video that can be viewed at AliceChristie.
This tech guide has topics such as "Discovering Art in a Web 2.0 World," "Constructivism," "Digital Media and Photo," "Instant Messaging," and "Internet Safety."

This is a very educational video for teachers as well as parents and students on different topics in different subject areas. I would definitely recommend this site just as it was recommended to me

NPR Blog on Wiki

How and when (if ever) Wikipedia can be a trusted source of info? I think the podcast that we listened to in class Wednesday night addressed this. I also read the blog at NPRblogonWiki. This blog told of how many large companies have made changes to blogs that were in reference to them or contained info on them. Some of these companies were Walmart, Exxon Mobil, as well as Congress and the CIA. Anyone can make changes on wiki, even the average person.

The group from Wednesday night made a good point about wiki being a good starting point for research but should not be solely depended on. What is good about wiki is that you can check your sources that are listed and determine how reliable the information is. I know from my own experience that I have used wiki to look up basic things but never anything that I need in depth info about. Wiki is a good tool and should be used but only to a certain extent. A podcast on wiki can be found at wiki.