Paynter,+Kennedy


 * Journal #5: Reflection**

This two-week-mester has been a crazy one. We have been thrown into a vat of technology and asked to take something out of it. Surprisingly, though I was skeptical at first, I got a ton out of this class. I was fairly proficient with technology, but this class taught me how to use my abilities in the classroom. In the past, I thought that powerpoint and excel were basically the only ways to use technologies in the class, but that is not true at all. I have learned through this class how to give relevance to the content and how to present it (or have the kids present it) in an engaging way. I have gained confidence and knowledge in the integration of technology, and I think that those two together will be a formidable match in my classroom in the future.


 * DIGITAL STORY**
 * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgWNyoUEHgY**


 * Social Bookmarking Site:**
 * http://www.diigo.com/user/kpayn17**


 * Journal #4: Copyright**

I have always been paranoid about copyright issues. In tenth grade, I got in trouble for using infromation that I didn't correctly site, and since then, I have always been worried about it. I came in understanding that you cannot us ANY materials in ANY form without properly giving credit to the original. These laws are obviously importantina greedy world where everyone is trying to get ahead.

I didn't understand, however, that there are not universal rules to copyright, and different places look at it differently, I guess this is why there are specific patent courts in the US. I also didn't know that there are protections for teachers, which is somewhat comforting. I do know that I will use a lot of media in my classes. So, I need to be careful what I use so that I do not violate any of the guidelines set for teachers. I do think it's a bit ridiculous, though, that we have to worry about copyright issues because we are not selling anything, we are not getting any personal gain from them, it is for the growth of the students, and I think it's a bit absurd we are held back in trying to get through to them.


 * Journal #3: Synching Up With The Kid**

1) Because of my Iphone, I am always on the internet, constantly connecting with people in many different ways. First and foremost, I think everyone in this class (besides that one kid with the hat) is on Facebook. Honestly, I hardly ever use it because I think it's creepy and I will eventually be murdered by someone on that site. However, it's amazing how well and how quickly you can reconnect with a classmate or friend from your past. I think that years down the road it will be much more useful to me, but for now I tend to stay away to extend my non-stalking life. I also use wikipedia a lot, and I sometimes edit pages if I have something to add to the information or if something is incorrect. Eventually, I think wiki will be edited, and people will finally count it as a viable resource, because I think it's a great tool.

2) In my classroom, I think the things I will use most are animation sites. In physics, it's important for the students to SEE the physics, and it's not always easy for the teacher to show them effectively. There are many sites that you can pay a small fee for that give interative demonstrations that have adjustable variables and could be very, very effective in class. I think wikis are also great tools because I think it's engaging for the students. They get to put something into a source that anyone can see, and it gives them a sense of, "I did this," and I think that's a great hook in any class. I think sites like prezi are great too because students get tirted of using powerpoint all the time, and giving them a viable other option will increase there attention span and likeness of the topic.


 * Journal #2: Technology Integration Beliefs and Experiences**


 * In school growing up, technology was hardly ever used. When it was, it was a video or a slideshow. The only reason I enjoyed these periods was because they took up time and I didn't have to do any work or pay attention. This is not very effective, but is honestly a good time filler as a high-school teacher. Once HSAs are complete, there is still a tremendous amount of time the kids stay in school. This past year, Howard County had its students in school more than one full month after the HSAs. So, in this case, videos are great to fill time and be somewhat engaging and informative. **


 * One class, however, had a video project. Unfortunately, the project was also during this down time after state assessments, so the requirements were loose and weren't very content-heavy. However, it was an incredibly engaging project, as we got to create and present a media to the class. I think it's obvious that students are more engaged when technology is involved because it is what surrounds them and it's what is relevant to them. I can't wait to put as much relevant technology in the classroom as possible, because if you can fit technology around the required content, most of what you throw at the students will stick because you have the help of the technology. In other terms, the Zone of Proximal Development now has the opportunity to be filled, in this order, by their peers, technology, and me. This way, I can fill in all the holes that they still don't understand, but the rest of my job will be done for me, and will probably be retained more effectively. Movies and music will be a huge tool for me, and I will attempt to make it relevant in my classroom. My big idea for a final project in physics is a project based on 'myth-busting' scenes from movies. Should be fun an engaging, as well as packed with good content. Since I said BOOM and had the greatest dunking, I'll end this one on a sad note, with an utterly pathetic, self-worshipping, 3rd-person referring, arrogant, worthless primadonna... __boo-hoo__ **




 * Journal #1: Technobiography**

My family has always been current with technology. My dad is a professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and he has always been interested in the next big thing. So, we have always had plenty of gadgets to explore with. It started for us when my dad got Sega Genesis (awesome) for his birthday when my twin brother and I were about six or seven. We learned early to play videogames, and we got very good at figuring them out without the instructions. In the mid 90s, my dad bought our first Mac, so we got to explore computers at an early age as well. When the Internet came along, my dad encouraged us to use it, to get email addresses, and to have fun with it, but to always be safe and secure while using it. So, it would make sense that since we were introduced to the technology early, it would always be a part of our lives.

In college, I emceed for a club on campus, and I used PowerPoint and other music-cutting and video-cutting software to entertain the other students in the club. When I got out of college, I got an Iphone, and it is the most amazing tool I have ever had. It keeps me organized with Calendars, Mail, and Notes, and current with Twitter and score updates. It helps me on the road, while walking and trying to find my way through a new city, when I’m looking for an authentic Italian restaurant and then ice cream to follow, and even when I’m on the treadmill and my Grama calls about symptoms she is having and wants me to diagnose her. It also, as many of you guys have probably seen, helps me keep....focused....in class. I think that handheld Internet and organization devices are the future for our students, and we should teach to that, teach them to use the resources wisely, and society could become more responsible and organized. How to finish?? Technology is awesome, and I am always excited to learn more about it and how to use it in the classroom. **Boom**.



__** PERSONAL HOMEPAGE **__


 * 1. Why are you taking ISTC 301?**

I’m taking ISTC because it’s part of the one year MAT program.


 * 2. What are three important things you hope to learn while taking this course? **

I hope to learn how to use a wide variety of technology in engaging the students in the classroom. I already have a fairly good grasp on most technology, and I pick it up fairly quickly, but I don’t have a huge toolset to take into the classroom.

I’d also like to be able to teach students about good/bad habits with technology to keep them out of trouble.

It would also be interesting to learn ways to start class communities and modes of class communication online.


 * 3. In what ways do you think taking this course will help you in your other college coursework and future professional practice? **

I think that having a bunch of technological tools makes us as teachers relevant. The students we will be teaching are in an increasingly technological age. If we don’t engage them with what sparks their interest most, we won’t engage them as effectively as we can. Even before teaching the content, it is our job to engage the students in the classroom, and I think technology does that.


 * 4. Basic, interesting information about yourself. **

I am an identical twin, and my brother just recently got married and attends veterinary school at Iowa State.

I got married in October 2009 to my wife whom I was dating for the 7 years previously.

I was a neuro-physiology major in college, and planned on attended medical school until my junior year in which I switched my focus to physician’s assistant because of the bad direction the doctor professions going. Working as a PT and a sub, I figured out quickly that I wanted to teach rather than go into medicine. It makes sense, because I have always wanted to teach, but shied away because of the money. I learned quickly that was a bad choice.

I am a HUGE Redskins fan, and NFL fan in general. The offseason is rough.

I am very active, between the gym lifting weights, playing basketball, playing lacrosse, hiking, I love to be on the go.

I do not look like Kevin Bacon.

I’m going to Riviera Maya the day after this set of classes ends (can’t come quickly enough).


 * 5. A photo of yourself. **