Wikipedia

I was aware that Wikipedia could not be trusted but never really thought about how companies could use this to better their rep on the web. But it makes perfect sense you can change how millions of people who research your company on the internet feel about you. Wikipedia could be a great source for a paper but you have to understand that the info you think is correct could have been altered by the people that you are researching. Look at the example the article gave you on Wal-Mart

From:


Wages at Wal-Mart are about 20% less than at other retail stores. Founder Sam Walton once argued that his company should be exempt from the minimum wage.

To:


The average wage at Wal-Mart is almost double the federal minimum wage (Wal-Mart). However, founder Sam Walton once argued that his company should be exempt from the minimum wage.



now think about it if you were researching Wal-Mart on how they compared to other retail stores in paying their employee's. The way they changed it would have you believe that they paid their employee's double what the others did but in fact they pay 20% less than the others. You also have to think about how much propaganda could be put on there by people who are trying to push their views on you. I mean a white supremacists could go on Martin Luther King's bio and change it so it makes him look like a person who hated white people which we know it isn't true but if you didn't know anything about him you could be led to believe that he was a horrible person.

You can use Wikipedia for research you just have to check the facts more. But think about this how do you know that the info in a printed encyclopedia is true were you there to witness them researching the facts. This is something that us as human beings have been dealing with since the dawn of time. It's just like the bible when the first bible was put together at the beginning of the roman catholic church the people who were putting it together knew to get it started that they had to make it so rich males liked it because if they didn't then it would never catch on. I know I'm going t catch hell for that but it's OK I can take it. I have used Wikipedia for papers before but I always had other sources just to check each other out. So yes I do think you can use it you just have to be more careful.

http://tinyurl.com/ybg7ckt

EDM 310 Videocast

In this video they did a good job I didn't see too many things I would change about it. One of the things I would do is try to conect to the audience more than they did. I think if you don't connect to your audience right away you will lose their intrest. This could be terrible if you lose the intrest of a student they might be great at a subject but if they lose intrest then you could lose them forever. I will say that all of them spoke very clearly and were very knowledgable in what they were talking about witch is always a good thing. I also didn't like the style of video cast they did it was pretty much just watching a discusion in a classroom it was full of information but was kind of dull.

I would do things a little different for example I would have everyone facing the camera, it helps connect with the audience. This also helps with being able to hear everyone clearly. I would also throw in some pictures or some video's to help explain what we were talking about I think this would help not to lose your audience and also to break up the discussion just make it more entertaining

Podcasts

I could see this being the next big thing in education especially on the college level but also on the lower levels. Schools can keep in touch with the children, the parents and the community. Us as educators have to stay up with technology to keep education interesting for the kids. This wouldn't be my favorite way to learn but it would be better than reading a book thats for sure some of the podcast were kind of drawn out and dry.

The first podcast I listened to was the SmartBoard Lessons Year End Ideas it was pretty good it was verry conversational because there were two hosts. They had a great idea on this one about how to use movies in math this is a great idea, It makes math more interesting to kids. One of the T.V. shows they used as and example was The Office this eppisode could be very usefull in teaching children what a surplus is and basic math. They were complex in this podcast but not too complex to the point where people couldn't understand what they were talking about.

The next podcast was KidCast Video Podcasting this podcast was informative on the art of podcasting and how it can be used in education. But it was kind of boring the guy that was the host was good. This one was not conversational it was one guy just talkin I really didn't enjoy this one but he had great information just not very good and drawing people in. If I didn't have to listen to it for this class I would have turned it off with in the first two minnutes of turning it on. I'm glad I had to listen to it because it was chocked full of great information. The using the I-Pod touch for education sounds like a great idea but the feasibility of it is kind of up in the air. Ipod Touch

The next one was ConnectLearning Episode 90 it was different than all the other ones it was at a connfrence and was a question and answer session. In my opinion it was all right not great but not bad. It was better that the last one in that it grabed you at the begining and held your attention instead of about boring you half to death. Useing Ipods in education is becoming a big thing i didn't even realize this but it makes perfect sense the Ipod is like having a radio, cd player, dvd player, and books all in the palm of your hand. It was interesting to see how some of the people in the podcast were using technology in education and what they were using. Iphone

Podcasting is like any other type of media if used right it can be very helpfull and entertaining. Most of these post were ok I didn't enjoy this that much but it was ok. If you were to use this type of thing in the classroom you would have to be carefull on what you used. Like I said before If you don't hook the listiner in the first few seconds then you might lose them, and if thats a student that could be bad. Podcast would be great for the high school students and maybe middle school I don't think podcasts would work in the lower grades because the don't have the attention span to use them properly hell I don't think i do.

Media Rich Post

Michael Jackson

CNN) -- The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday. Los Angeles' coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson's blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.
The affidavit outlines probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson.
The Associated Press is quoting a single law enforcement official, who says the L.A. County Coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office told CNN they had "no comment" on the report. An LAPD spokesman says the story did not come from their department.
The 32-page warrant said Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told a detective that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for six weeks. Murray said each night he gave Jackson 50 mg of propofol, also known as Diprivan, diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine via an intravenous drip.
Worried that Jackson may have been becoming addicted to the drug, the Houston cardiologist said he attempted to wean him from it, putting together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping Jackson sleep during the two nights prior to his death.
But on June 25, other drugs failed to do the job, as he recounted to detectives in an hour-by-hour account that was detailed by detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department:

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

This video was interesting the way the kids could interact across the world was awesome. I think this is the route education is heading in a hurry. This video shows just how important knowing the newest technology is. The kids on the video were doing things on the computer I wouldn't have dreamed of doing when I was in school. I believe that if i would have taken a class in high school like the one in the video it would have helped me out in the long run. I had a computer class but we learned how to make a power point, write a paper on word, make a spread sheet, the basic computer stuff. It amazed me how more advanced the kids in the video are compared to me at that age I didn't know what an avatar was until about a year ago.
I think Vicki Davis should be commended for the work she has done with these kids. It is very important for the students to learn how to do all of the things on the computer and other devices so they can function five years from now. I remember the first cell phone I got I was sixteen and it was this huge Nokia phone black and white screen no Internet I didn't even know what a text message was, now there is kids that are 10 years old with IPhone 10 years old I'm 23 and I can barely work one and these kids are doing it with ease. Think of going to every classroom rather if be math, science, history, or computer class and there is no pen and paper anymore just a computer on every desk. I think that is where education is headed very quickly too .

The Importance of Creativity

This video was amazing I really enjoyed it. I think that he is spot on with all of his ideas of how the education system kills creativity. Why can't dance, music, art, or drama be taught along with the other "main" subjects. This brings up a great argument on the whole school curriculum and how some students might be better suited for a diffarent cirriculum than others.
This video brings up some great thoughts on wether or not the cirriculum we've had since the begining of formal schooling is it fit for everyone. Should there be different options for students and parents have on what the cirriculum is for the students. I think that in high school esspecially the creativity one has is pushed to the side so you can foccus on the "important" subjects. I also agree with him on the story of Gillian Lynne on how she couldn't sit still and if she was a kid today they probably would have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Maybe some of the kids they say have ADD and ADHD are great dancers or pianist or actors.
I understand why the "importan" subjects are considered that but I think that society has changed enough that we need to change the way we learn. If we don't stop killing these kids creative nature we might lose the next Shakespere or the next Motzart. How depresing would that be if you found out that we destroyed a great composer before they even had a chance to show the world.