Discoveries within ITunes

I am a mac girl. I have always owned a mac computer and I will most likely always own a mac. That means that I am very familliar with the majority of I- applications (ITunes, IPhoto, etc.) because those are the only programs I have ever really used. That being said, I am still fascinated when I discover something new while using a mac application.

I knew about the ITunes Store and have purchased songs, movies, television shows, and games from it. However, I have never truly understood the use of podcasts. I have limited knowledge on this subject because I do not have much experience with podcasts. I have only listened to 2, maybe 3 podcasts in my entire life and I most certainly have never recorded one. During tonight's class I realized that there is a whole new world of media that I can continue to discover and utilize. While in class I searched several topics in the podcast area and I was surprised that each time there were results that matched my search criteria! Environment, Rachel Maddow, Keith Olberman, kindergarten... these subjects all had multiple podcast results!!

I still am a little confused about the topic of podcasts and there are many questions I have (like how to get the entire podcast to download instead of just one track!) but you can't rush technological understanding. Now that I know how to find podcasts that I am interested in I will continue to explore this media option.

Finale of "Rip, Mix, and Burn"

I have often wondered how the government and other agencies plan to monitor how individuals use technology. I know that it is illegal to download copyrighted media without paying for it but I have only heard of a few court cases that dealt with individuals and pirated music. When the video began to discuss the Fritz Chip everything became a little more clear to me.

The idea behind the Fritz Chip is noble, but it is certainly unrealistic. To require all media devices made in the US to be built with such a security feature is confusing because it raises some questions. What exactly is a media device? Could media devices be leveled so that not all devices would need a Fritz Chip? Would foreign media devices be required to have such a chip in them? If not, then how will the domestic companies be able to compete with the imported products? I am glad that the Fritz Chip did not pass legislation because it seems to me that it would have created chaos in the media production world!

In the future I believe that this country will develop more innovative ways to combat illegal media usage (i.e.: piracy). There are many avenues that have not yet been explored in this area and the solution is still out there. Then again the world continues to develop new ways of getting songs, movies, etc. illegally. The gap between technological enforcement and illegal downloads does not seem to be getting any smaller but there are certainly new ideas headed our way.

Rip, Mix, and Burn Response

Although we only watched a portion of the video lecture I found it to be very interesting. I do not know many of the details about all of the legal stuff involved in the use of media so this information will certainly prove to be helpful for me. Learning about what happened in the media world before I was born is fascinating! I thought that the legal battles began when Napster came out!! Clearly, I am not very well educated about the background of media use.

Sandra Day O'Conner is even more awesome in my mind because she saved the fast-forward button! That was the single coolest piece of information I learned in the first part of the video.

Being a future teacher I plan on incorporating the use of movies and music into my lessons. Have you ever seen School House Rock??? I still remember the Preamble to the U. S. constitution because of the song ("We the people, in order to form a more perfect union...")! And I cannot forget the numerous books that, once the class finished reading, we watched the movie versions of. Having the media to reinforce the book was what made some stories more memorable to me (for example "The Cay" in sixth grade). I had absolutely no idea that a teacher could get in trouble for showing their class a movie because of copyright laws. That is the most shocking bit of information I gained from watching the first half of the video. I enjoyed this lecture and I am excited to see the remainder in our next class.

"Crash Course" Response

The material presented by Chris Martenson is not enlightening. While at SUNY Cortland I decided to minor in economics so this dvd did not consist of any new information to me. While watching this documentary I felt as though I were sitting through all of my economics courses once again.

The information explained throughout "Crash Course" was well explained, but rather conflicting at times. Having minored in economics I was disappointed at Chris Martenson's lack of resources. He explained the terms and "current" economic situation okay, but he could have made himself sound more professional had he used common economic theories to help support his arguments. I must admit that I do not remember all of the economists or theories that I studied but I do know that Chris Martenson was not the first person to develop these thoughts. I'm not saying that he has taken someone else's work and is trying to pass it off as his own, I do not believe he did that at all. What I am saying is that it would have benefited the legitimacy of this documentary had Chris Martenson connected his theories to more findings of other economists and researchers.

It is evident that America is in the midst of a time of economic turmoil. There is no escaping the feeling of recession because it has affected everyone and every place in our country. The fact that Chris Martenson dedicated a decent amount of time explaining debt and the effects of debt on our economy is embarrassing. Clearly Americans are in such financial trouble because of the amount of saving vs. spending. America has a history of spending; we are not a country that saves money very well. Debt is something that is difficult for Americans to understand because it is so easy to charge purchases onto a credit card or find a loan to buy a car or pay for college. It is in our culture to have the newest and coolest products, regardless (for the most part) of cost. Self liquidating debt and non self liquidating debt makes no difference because the lack of money will not stop someone from buying/paying for something they "need".

There are many serious problems when it comes to the economy in America. I do not believe that Chris Martenson's "Crash Course" documentary will make much of a difference. For someone who does not have a background in economics this is an easy to follow explanation and an almost too simple solution to our problem. However, the only real material that I got out of this dvd was that I should not feel so glum about the tens of thousands of student loans that I need to repay. Student loans are considered to be self liquidating debts, which means they will provide the opportunity to pay themselves back. In all honesty it will take me well over a decade to pay back all of my student loans. I am going to be a teacher, not an engineer. I will have a very rewarding job (once I secure one) with a salary that is a fraction of my debts. But that's okay, because the ridiculous amount of money that I am borrowing to pay for my education will eventually be paid off by the future job I can expect to find because of the degrees I hold. "Eventually" being the key word.

Reaction to Apple iPad announcement

To be honest I am still slightly confused about how this contraption is going to work, but it does seem to have the potential to transform classrooms and schools.

The aesthetics of this product are very well thought out; it looks lovely to me. However, not everything is about looks. I cannot say for sure whether I approve or disapprove of this tablet because I have yet to use one, I am withholding judgment until then.

Although I do not have an opinion about the use of this product, I do believe that it might revolutionize schools and classrooms. Having the technology of this sort, where books and other print is available at your fingertips, can allow for lessons to be more engaging. Students can look up newspaper articles and other resources more easily in the classroom. This can enable a teacher to incorporate current events into the curriculum, which is something I feel all individuals should be informed about. I'm sure that other individuals will be able to think of more uses for an iPad within a classroom and that will only add to the potential of this becoming an educational tool.

There are many possible ideas that sound fantastic. However, I cannot help but wonder how will this all work out? How can a school safely incorporate such technology into their classrooms? How will the schools monitor the applications and functions of these iPads? Will they block certain websites like they do on library computers? Is that even a possibility on an iPad?

On paper the use on an iPad to enrich classroom learning sounds great, but it does not sound as feasible in reality. There are so many school districts that are facing tough budget cutes and multiple states are announcing cutes to education funds. In the current economic situation, how will schools be able to afford Apple iPads when they are starting at $499 each (http://www.apple.com/ipad/)?

Don't get me wrong; I am completely open to the idea of using an iPad in my future classroom. I just want to make sure that I have thoroughly researched this product and have developed a way to appropriately utilize the iPad so as to enhance the curriculum rather than take over the curriculum. I do not doubt that this product will begin to make its way into classrooms across America in the near future because this is a remarkable tool that schools can take advantage of. However, I am still skeptical as to the true opportunity that the Apple iPad presents to myself as an educator.

First Class

In tonight's class we created a gmail account. My account is awolber22
From there we started to construct a site and a blog.

I have already made one google site. That was for a previous class. I also have a wikispace, but that is not very well developed.