EDUC 422

2006-11-21T01:33:00.000-08:00

Levin, H (2003). Making History Come to Life Learning & Leading with Technology, Vol 31 Number 3

Actually interviewing someone and making a video of the conversation to share on the internet is and interesting assignment for students. Rather than just reading their textbook, they get to hear an individual’s personal story which makes it more real. Then, by putting the edited interview on the internet, they allow others to watch the videos and spread the stories. When I become a teacher, I could think of a couple different ways to use this method. For example, if the students are doing a unit on World War II, they could interview people who lived through this event. The students would get the point of view of the person telling their story and learn about the ways the war affected the country. Another event I could have students focus on would be the Civil Rights Movement. They could interview people who lived during that time and learn about the inequality that was occurring.

2006-11-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Digital Storytelling in the Language Arts Classroom. Bull, G. & Kajder, S. (2004). Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4

Everyone has the ability to create a story and the use of digital technologies is a powerful method one can use to depict their story in the form of a movie. There are seven important elements in digital storytelling which I will find handy while creating my story. The first four deal with the writing and planning of the movie. During these stages of the process, a script is written and a storyboard is designed. The first element is point of view. This allows me to express my own personal feelings, values, opinions, or experiences. Including the second element, a dramatic question, is necessary for my story because the dramatic question draws the audience in and keeps their interest. I plan on making sure my dramatic question is understandable and apparent. Also, I would like for there to be a surprise factor at the conclusion of the dramatic question. Emotional content is another important part of making an effective digital story. Evoking emotion provides opportunity for the audience to relate to the movie which lures them in and keeps them entertained. The final element involved in the writing and planning of the movie is called economy. This means that I have limits and I have to have the discipline to only use what is essential to the story. I must take into consideration the amount of time I have to communicate the message of my movie as well as avoid using too many effects that are not crucial. Pacing is a part of the digital storytelling process that goes hand in hand with the economy element. It is important that the story flows at an appropriate rhythm. Therefore, if you have a two minute time limit for your movie, you cannot cram a long story into this amount of time by narrating at a rapid speed. It will make it difficult for the audience to follow the story. On the contrary, if the narrator speaks in a slow, monotonous tone, they may lose their audience to boredom. Your own voice is the sixth significant element in digital storytelling. This adds a personal touch to your story. Music is the final element I will use in my story. The soundtrack supplies a tone to a movie and if properly applied, it enhances the events in the movie.

2006-11-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

Digital Video Goes to School by H. Hoffenberg and M. Handler (2001).

Digital video is a new teaching tool that students are naturally embracing because they are surrounded by visual media in their daily lives.
1. Students are developing new skills by creating digital videos. Not only do they learn the technical skills of making the video and editing it, they discover the connection between the message they want to portray and the images they are showing to the viewers. With this higher-level thinking skill, students can learn to manipulate the images to make a more effective statement and leave out unnecessary information. By creating digital videos, students also practice their visual literacy skills or ability to interpret and criticize images.
2. Video newscasts, documentaries, infomercials, and video clips for a web page or multimedia presentation are all good uses of video formats for a culminating activity of a project-based learning experience.
3. There are several curriculum characteristics video can capture wonderfully. They include: emotion, heritage or culture, memorable experiences, change over time, a process, a phenomenon in nature and a process slowed to view frame by frame to properly understand it.
4. First, students should choose a subject they are familiar with taking into consideration the purpose of the video and the audience they are presenting the video to. Next students must spend time planning and take into account the different shots necessary and use of audio during specific moments to best convey the message of the film. Storyboarding is a good way to accomplish this task. After the organization process is finished, the students may begin filming. After the filming is done, students will move on to editing their film.

Reference
Hoffenberg, H., & Handler, M. (2001). Digital Video Goes to School. Learning & Leading with Technology, 29(2), 10-15.

2006-10-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

In Search of Appropriate Usage Guidelines
Volume 29, Issue 2, Page 50 by Mary McNabb. Journal date: 2001.

There are questions about the developmentally appropriate uses of technology. Unfortunately, since people are uncertain of this issue, many are choosing to demonize technology schemes being proposed for schools. Students need to be prepared with technology skills for the future. Technology is becoming increasingly involved in the production and distribution of almost every American good and service. Our society continues to advance and ones abilities with technology will become more and more necessary for future careers.
One issue being posed is that when a child uses the computer, it takes away from social interactions with their family and friends as well as prevents them from partaking in physical activities. If a child spends too much time on the computer, they may become less developed in social and interpersonal skills and lack of exercise could lead up to obesity. A second issue I noticed in the article is that there is content available on the internet, television and games which is inappropriate for children. The violence, sexual misconduct and excessive commercialization could have negative effects and long-term effects on the child.
The solution to the first problem is limit the amount of time the child is exposed to mass media (which includes television, movies, internet, video and computer games, music, books, newspapers, and magazines) to about one to two hours a day. The solution to the second problem is to use strategies to prevent exposure to the harmful content. An example would be to put up blocks on the television and computer.
An important policy to know as a teacher is the Children’s Internet Protection Act. This act implements and enforces technology protection measures to block harmful material on the internet from minors at school libraries. Filtering software has not always prevented harmful material from reaching minors so many libraries have decided to create their own library websites or educational programs. This information is important for me to know as a future teacher so that I do not deny my students of technology use because I am worried that they may run into unsafe content. Now I know that chances are that the library at the school I will work at will have implemented measures to ensure that the students do not encounter this type of content.

2006-10-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

Find the Best Software: Using Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligences to Select and Use Software by W. McKenzie, W. Published in 2003. Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 30, Issue 8, Page 54

The software market has been creating and selling increasingly large numbers of software for several uses over the years. Teachers and parents must sift through different educational software being produced. Educators have the important responsibility of determining whether or not a software program is effective fo0r their students.

1. Analyzing the instructional function of the software and assessing the strengths or deficits is a start to selecting software for the classroom. Categorizing software using this method isn’t sufficient however because it does not take into account the learner. Software can also address different intelligences or higher levels of thinking. Context is another significant factor when considering what software to use.
2. After reading this article, I believe that thinking about the different ways students learn as well as the time you use the software is important. Every student in the classroom will respond better to a certain way of learning and everyone is gifted in certain areas more than others. This is where Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences come in. Forcing all students to use only a certain method of learning or expressing themselves seems unfair. It is the job of the teacher to make sure that their students are able to grasp a concept and accommodate them. The context that the software is used is also necessary because if you use a program that teaches math while you are focusing on spelling, the math program is not going to help the student improve their spelling. This brings up another point, the software is supposed to be part of the lesson. The teacher cannot depend on the software alone to educate the students. Other activities should be provided to not only reinforce the concept but use the other intelligences that were not addressed in the software too.
3. Software can be categorized by the instruction methods they use. This is only a broad description of the software program. All of the methods can also be matched to particular multiple intelligences. These are discovered by looking at the processes the programs take the students through in order to accomplish activities.
4. The website I found states that the traditional idea of intelligence is too limited. We tend to focus on linguistic and logical mathematical intelligence and assume that any other intelligence does not make you gifted. It is important for teachers to reinforce the different intelligences and use a variety of ways to present their lesson plans. This website is a great resource and provides informative links to books, videos, articles, and other websites. The link is http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm.

2006-10-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

Treasure hunts for better reading. Learning and Leading with Technology, Vol 33 No 3.
Richards, P., & Royer, R. (2005, November).

The treasure hunt is a different model from WebQuest for integrating the use of the internet into the classroom. WebQuests involve using the internet to solve problems and develop projects while treasure hunts ask one question per internet resource and end with one big question. The guidelines for creating treasure hunts were not clear and often times teachers created ineffective treasure hunts.
The new model design for internet treasure hunts has four main sections. “Understanding the Statement” is the name of the first section and this statement is a guide for what the students are expected to understand after the completion of the treasure hunt. This statement also helps guide the teacher when writing the questions for each internet resource. The “Introduction” is the second section. This part is supposed to get the students excited about the treasure hunt and motivate them to finish it. The students should also gain direction on how to complete the treasure hunt in this section. The “Questions” portion of the treasure hunt should include questions that address the “Understanding Statement”. The teacher must develop questions that require students to read passages and identify, interpret, and analyze information. There are four different types of questions which is part of the Question/Answer/Relationship (QAR) Method. The final section is called “Putting it All Together”. This final task allows the students to apply what they know and prove that they comprehend the “Understanding Statement”.
As I mentioned before, there are four levels of questioning. The four levels of questioning are “Right There”, “Putting it Together”, “Author and Me” and “On My Own”. In the “Right There” level of questioning, the answer is found in a single sentence. An example of this type of question would be “Where was Dr. Martin Luther King born?”. The “Putting it Together” level of questioning requires finding the answer among several sentences in the text. “What are some of the ways you can help with conservation of the earth?” would be an example of this type of question. “Author and Me” means that in addition to the text, the student must include their own background knowledge to answer the question. If a teacher were to pose a question such as “After reading the different sides of this debate, which side do you agree with and why?”, you are using the “Author and Me” method. “On My Own” has the students use their background knowledge to answer the question. This could include developing opinions, drawing conclusions, making generalizations, and devising solutions. An example of this type of question would be “What do you predict will happen if we do not begin conservation efforts for our planet?”.
The Web Quest page I found on the internet is called “QuestGarden”. This webpage gives news about Web Quests and there is a forum where people can give their opinions or post ideas. You can search the website for Web Quests and you can even submit your own. There is also a tutorial which helps you create your own Web Quest.

References
Dodge, Bernie. (2006). QuestGarden. Retrieved October 4, 2006, from http://webquest.org/.
Richards, P. & Royer, R. (2005). Treasure Hunts for Better Reading, 33(3), 29-31.

2006-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Visualize, Visualize, Visualize: Designing Projects for Higher-Order Thinking
By Pearl Chen and Dianne McGrath

One of the suggestions presented by the authors which I feel I could use in the future is the idea of providing a challenge for your students but making it fun and interesting for them (Chen & McGrath, 2001, p. 55). They gain a sense of accomplishment which can become a motivating factor for them in the future. I also like the idea of group work and having discussions (Chen & McGrath, 2001, p. 57). When people work collaboratively and share their thoughts, everyone in the group learns from each other. If one student doesn’t quite understand something in the group, chances are that another member of the group will be able to help them. With discussions, students will be able to gain confidence to speak their minds as well as see other people’s point of views. The idea of technology being an important tool in Project-based learning is something I agree with and I think is beneficial (Chen & Mcgrath, 2001, p. 55). Technology is a great resource with tons of information and sites with educational programs or videos. If I were to apply these suggestions in creating a lesson plan, I would come up with a challenging project for the students and put them into groups. The groups would use computers to research and help them prepare for presentations. After the presentations, the whole class would discuss the different topics presented and possibly debate.
Project-based learning is a different method of learning that many students are responding positively to (Chen & McGrath, 2001, p. 54). It appears that many students are able to repeat what the teacher has told them or what they have just read but they have difficulty later when asked to apply the knowledge. PBL moves away from lessons where teachers just feed the information to their students. Instead, teachers design appropriately challenging projects for their students and allow them to collaborate and try to figure it out for themselves while the teacher assists in their learning. These projects systematically relate to each other resulting in a growth in knowledge (Chen & McGrath, 2001, p. 54).
To perform higher-order thinking is to map the thinking processes and pull information from different areas in your brain that you have learned over time and use it to come up with a solution (Chen & McGrath, 2001, p. 55 ). An example of using higher-order thinking would be when you have students write a script for a play using famous historical figures. They are using their artistic side as well as drawing on concepts that they have learned in literature and history to complete this assignment.
The two articles I found on the internet both support project-based learning. The first one is provided by the Buck Institute for Education (2002) and delves into the past and talks about how times have changed since then. Students need to be prepared with “knowledge and skills” to survive in our competitive world. The article explains how effective PBL can be and gives several reasons why. For example the project becomes the center of the lesson rather than just a side assignment to what they are learning. This article also lists the benefits of PBL which includes learning skills in problem solving and it is able to help students with different learning styles (Buck Institute for Education, 2002). The second article I found on PBL is titled “Why do Project Based Learning?”. The article defines PBL, mentions the many opportunities, and then lists the parts of PBL. One of the opportunities I like is that students are able to pursue their own interests and discover answers to their own questions (Mehl, 2001).

References
Buck Institute for Education. (2002). Introduction to Project Based Learning. Retrieved
September 7, 2006, from http://www.bie.org/pbl/pblhandbook/intro.php.
Chen, P., & McGrath, D. (2004). Visualize, Visualize, Visualize: Designing Projects for
Higher-Order Thinking. International Society for Technology in Education, 32(4), 54-57.
Mehl, Joel. (2001). Why do Project-Based Learning?. Retrieved September 6, 2006, from
http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/WhyPBL.html.

2006-09-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

Point/Counterpoint: Are Wikis Worth the Time? By Dean Shareski and Carol Ann K. Winkler.
To help decide which side I agree with in this debate, I took Wikipedia for a trial run by researching three topics: a topic I am knowledgeable about, a topic of interest I know little about, and a topic I could imagine teaching someday.
The Giant Panda is a topic I am knowledgeable about because I have written reports on this endangered species a few times in elementary school and middle school. It also happens to be my favorite animal and I had a postcard by my computer with a panda on it so when I was trying to think about a topic I could look up on Wikipedia, pandas sounded like a good idea. The article in Wikipedia on the Giant Panda has extensive information. It starts off with general information and branches out. I found information about how pandas were considered extraordinary creatures, how they became a target for poachers, a list of the pandas in zoos, and what is being done for their conservation. Something I thought was interesting in the article is someone chose to write about pandas in popular culture. I don’t think it has ever crossed my mind how often pandas are used as symbols for companies, cartoon characters, or used as part of a storyline in a movie.
A topic I am interested in and that I would like to learn more about is American Sign Language (ASL). I found out that some people in the EDUC 422 class have studied this language from the introductions we posted in the discussion board. I think it is amazing when people are able to learn and communicate in another language. The article in Wikipedia gave a quick definition of ASL, listed the areas ASL is used, and the history. There is also information about teaching sign language to babies and primates.
Art is a subject that I could see myself teaching to a class of elementary school students. Links to certain school subjects are at the top of the opening page for the website so I clicked on the link at the top of the page and read up on how “art” is defined on Wikipedia. The article is well written and provides information that I would not have come up with if I were to explain what “art” is to my future class. The article not only includes a definition of what “art” is it also gives some information about the history and the many different types of art.
I am going to have to agree that Wikipedia is useful. Since this is an encyclopedia created by the public, some precautions should be taken. Wikipedia does not hide that it is created by the public. It posts that fact on the website. Therefore, people who decide to use this as a source should be aware that there may be mistakes. Like any sources you use, it is important to try to double check the information especially if it is from the internet. There were a few things I noticed on Wikipedia that I found helpful. There are many hyperlinks, practically on very single line of the article, in case further explanation is needed for a particular word. I like this because it makes it easy to clarify something you are uncertain about. Links for related topics are placed at the end of the article. I find this beneficial because it could lead to something more specific that I could use or it could spark an interest in something else. I like that references were listed at the bottom of the page because it gives the article more credibility. I also like the pictures and videos put on the side of the article because if you are curious about what something may look like or if you don’t quite understand the description given, visual aides can help clarify. Visual aides always make an article more enjoyable too. The impression I got from Wikipedia is that it is a good starting point for research. I don’t think it is necessary to disregard this as a source completely.

2006-09-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog
Hello! I am a Liberal Studies major at CalState San Marcos and one of my classes (EDUC 422) requires that we post blogs. This class teaches how I will be able to use technology in the classroom when I become a teacher. I have heard of blogs before but this is the first time I have ever posted blogs. I don't enjoy journaling which is why blogs never appealed to me but it doesn't hurt to try something new. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my page.