Copyright

Ted Talk Youtube and Copyright
In this video, I learned that Youtube checks for copyrights from every single video that is uploaded. That means, that in one day, one-hundred years of video is looked through. Furthermore, in one minutes, twenty hours of video is checked! I also learned that each copyrighted video is more complicated than it seems because one video can have multiple owners and copyrights from each company.

I agree that most video owners benefit greatly when their video is reused. However, if this is the case, then I feel as though I do not agree with copyrights. Many copyrights are loose so their videos can be used and benefit larger corporations. If it benefits so much as to many owners letting copyrights go, why do they exist?

Digital Storytelling

"Digital stories need to be used to strengthen students' critical thinking, report writing, and media literacy skills."
Digital storytelling supports learning in school because it allows students to think critically to design a story that not only incorporates education but their own opinions. It promotes healthy growth in student developments. It also allows students to form opinions and think critically about what they are researching. The digital storytelling professor from the reading said that he believed the focus should be the story, and not the digital media. I believe that one of the strongest element of digital storytelling is the media used. Many children tell stories all day long; stories of their families, pets, etc. However, teaching a child to put that story into pictures and digital stories is a real treasure. The reading stated that the purpose of digital storytelling was for the "students to develop the power of their own voices." Digital storytelling allows students to not only voice their opinions, but share their opinions and skills with the worldwide web.

Take this school, for example, in Kentucky. These students offer their opinions on multiple subjects via digital storytelling! I would definitely use this approach in my future classroom for all kinds of topics.This is a fantastic way to judge students' grasp on subjects and gain their opinions for everything.

WebQuest

Click the image above to view our WebQuest!

Our WebQuest can be considered a real WebQuest through the use of essential internet resources, open-ended questions, and individual expertise.

"Activities that point students only to encyclopedic briefs, textbook digests, or worse—word searches and coloring books—do not take advantage of Internet resources that are interactive, media-rich, contemporary, contextualized, or of varied perspectives."

 It perfects the use of essential internet resources by requiring that students research all information. Students are also encouraged to use multiple sources, both digital and traditional print if it can be found, to ensure the validity of their stories. They are also using Voki, which is an interactive website designed around avatar worlds. The interactive part allows the students to create an avatar to tell their news stories. This engages the students further to let them be creative while learning. Each researched event will have a different take on the event, but the students are looking to see that the facts should remain the same, regardless of varied opinion.

"Open-ended questions activate students’ prior knowledge and create a personal curiosity that inspires investigation and brings about a more robust understanding of the material."

In our evaluation section, the students are asked to fill out a google form containing four open-ended questions about the sixties, their connection with the book The Outsiders before and after their research, and the comparison between modern age and the times back then. This allows the students to actually know the material they are studying; not  just glance over it or guess with multiple choice questions. It also will hopefully encourage them to pay attention to their research and want to gain a better understanding of life in the sixties. 

"A preliminary stage, which we call Background for Everyone, helps all students gain a common foundation of knowledge in the general subject before developing expertise from one perspective."

Last, our WebQuest works brilliantly to perfect the use of individual expertise. Each student begins the same amount of knowledge. They are all asked to read S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. They are then asked to watch a short video review and answer questions. After they are broken into groups, each students is asked to research one section. There are four altogether: the sixties, The Outsiders, sixties entertainment, and sixties sports. Each student will become extremely familiar with their section and the stories they decide to work with. After they check facts and know their stories, they create a Voki of the information they have learned. The stories are real-life situations and each student (the different groups, at least two students in the class will have the same topic) will have a different opinion on how or why the event began. 

WebQuest Rubric

Webquest - 60's News

WebQuest Site - Click Here

Overall Aesthetics 

• Overall Visual Appeal - 4pt : There are several graphics which all contribute to the theme of the WebQuest. It is not too cluttered, and it is easy to read. 
• Navigation & Flow - 4pt: It gives every person in the group clear directions on what each of them needs to accomplish. 
• Mechanical Aspects - 1pt: There are just a few broken links, but everything else looks good.

Introduction

• Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction - 2pt. The introduction is intriguing and draws the students in. 
• Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction - 2pt. The students have read the book, "The Outsider" and now they are going to learn a little bit more about the time period it was written in.

Task

• Connection of Task to Standards - 1pt : The standards are not referenced in the WebQuest but the assignment can be related to some standards.
• Cognitive Level of Task- 6pt. The students have to put themselves in the time period of the 1960's and find several sources for their news broadcast where they will take a stand about an issue.

Process

• Clarity of Process - 4pt. The instructions are clearly stated for each member of the group. It is very easy to follow. 
• Scaffolding of Process - 6pt - This assignment takes organizational skills as well as different levels of strategy. 
• Richness of Process- 2pt. Each student in the group takes on a different role in their broadcast with different perspectives.

Resources 

• Relevance & Quantity of Resources - 4pt. The sources for this assignment are basically The Outsider's book and accesses to the internet to research the 1960's. Students have the access they need to complete the assignment.
• Quality of Resources- 2pt. I gave this one 2pt because there are several links but just a couple of them do not work. The links that do work give carry sufficient information for the assignment.

Evaluation

• Clarity of Evaluation Criteria- 4pt. There is a clear rubric for evaluation that describes what students must do in order to successfully complete the Webquest.
  

Final Score: 42 points

Collaborative Learning in the Digital Age

Storybird
Standard 3b:
Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
 The storybirds were a great collaborative tool. The younger class not only got to use their imagination to create their own story, but also witness older students wanting to collaborate, hear their ideas, and create alongside them. This allowed the students to view (for the most part) correct spelling and grammar from the older students, that is some form of learning. The students were able to begin their own story, so they created a scenario (sometimes bizarre) to share with their peer. One thing that I saw while reading student stories that really caught my eye was the use of morality that made it into stories. They wrote of eavesdropping, being kind to friends, accepting one another as they are, and one even wrote of manners and kindness (such as saying please and thank you). I felt very confident in the students' writing that they would be successful.

 "Learning is sometimes defined as a process of growing in the ability to participate in the culture of their community. With this definition, it seems that collaboration and learning to collaborate is (or should be) an essential activity for schools."
The modern age workforce is all teamwork. From office to labor, very few jobs require that you work individually. Some business jobs even work over email, phone calls, video chats, etc and rarely in the office. The ability to work alongside a team is essential in our new world. Schools today fail at preparing students for collaborative jobs because almost all work is done individually and the project that do require groups, are often unfair. One or two students get stuck with doing the work while the others take credit. As i mentioned previously, many jobs are travel-based and require video chats.

"Technology can add flexibility of time and space as students collaborate with anyone at any time and place."
Because many businesses have become so universal, it is difficult for everyone to meet at one time and place. This is where using video chat tools such as facetime, skype, tango, etc. becomes a necessary skill to have in life. It is very difficult for most people to pick up and learn a technological skill in a short period of time and most employers will not allow step-ins or assistants to help with such tasks, which is why it is essential to start children early and prepare them for a digital world.

Develop 21st Century Skills - WebQuest Worksheet

Your Role

___Efficiency Expert

___Affiliator

__X_Altitudinist

___Technophile

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
*Grow School Greens	-Allows children to work together and be creative in designing a garden -After internet research, children will get the chance to tend to their gardens and keep track of statistics of their plants	-Uses a lot of straight internet research in the beginning
Where is My Hero?	Allows students to look into the lives of others	-All internet research, the students are not actively engaged in learning concrete material, just characteristics
*Underground Railroad	Encourages children to take on another role to learn about history -not just factual learning. It also encourages students to be creative in dress, presentation, etc.	-sentiment to child
Ice Cream	-Children work creatively to come up with their own ice cream flavor  -forced to work cooperatively	-There is not much emphasis on the lesson plan or thinking critically  - Students are most likely too excited about ice cream and don't retain information
Ancient Egypt	Using technology other than internet research	-using factual information with little room for creative minds other than artistically.

Individual:

My favorite WebQuest was the Underground Railroad. I liked it because it encouraged children to not only learn but use their imagination to act their part as well. It is one thing to learn of another's part in life but to be encouraged to be that person for a day makes their hardships much more clear. The Underground Railroad activity does not just provide children with factual information. 

My least favorite was the Ice Cream because I feel it did not really have a learning base. The students for the most part are expected to just follow instructions that the teacher feeds. They do get to act creative choosing an ice cream flavor and they also need to learn to work cooperatively with others in their group. My biggest concern with this lesson plan (and I would expect it to happen) is that the children would become overly-excited for the ice cream that they really would not retain the information they should have.

Group:

Favorite - Grow School Greens: The group decided that this was best because it incorporated a little bit of everything. Group work, individual work, technology, and measurements and statistics the children would take themselves.

Worst - Ice Cream: The group decided that there was little lesson basis and it would not hold attention of kids in the learning area. 

Designing Digital Age Learning Activities

Lesson Plan: Erosion

CSO:

SC.O.5.2.21

compare and explain the different rates of weathering, erosion and deposition on various materials.

Objective:
Identify and explain the process of erosion and it's impact on the environment.

Students will create a multimedia project in google that demonstrates their understanding and skills in science and information and communication technologies.

Prezi Presentation


ISTE-NETS T
Standard 2a:
Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Do you remember learning about Erosion in school? The dry textbook with worn, outdated pictures. While science is usually very interesting, once you get into erosion, there is really no fun projects to aid teachers in interesting discussions. Now there is a new way to teach young children the importance of this issue without boring them! With this lesson plan, the students will use a combination of digital media to outline the process of erosion. They will use an internet source or book source to research what erosion is, how it happens, and what could possibly be done to stop it. After completing their research, each student (or pair) will choose images that they feel best represent their research. They will use google forms as pre-writing to outline a presentation in either Prezi or Microsoft Powerpoint. Google forms is a great tool when students need to layout ideas beforehand. Google forms are also great for quizzes and other classroom aids. It has become a widely loved app for students and teachers in the 21st century.
As you can see, google applications are a fantastic way to get students involved in their work. They can be creative in their learning environment while gaining important 21st century media skills and apps they can use throughout their school career. They can even teach their instructors!

Scratch

Here is my first attempt! I could stay busy for hours! It is no wonder why students love it so much.

Scratch

"The Scratch website offers an alternate model for how children might use the Web as a platform for learning, enabling them to create and share personally meaningful projects, not simply access information."
 - MIT, creators of Scratch

ISTE_NETS-T Standard 1a:
promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

Scratch is built to give kids an alternative way to learn and have fun. As an advocate for fun classrooms, I think it is a phenomenal tool for kids to use. It incorporates web use, game design, and learning to fit a twenty-first century education as well as prepare students for web skills needed in further classrooms. Technology is quickly becoming the future of education, as seen in the world around us. Many children just do not learn through lecture and reading textbooks anymore. This is where Scratch comes in. It allows teachers or students to make a project to go hand in hand with a lesson. It gives the students something they can enjoy working on at home and enjoy learning that feels like play.

One really important thing about Scratch is that it allows room for mistakes. Students can create their own game, in any which way they please. I think this is one of the top skills for a student to be introduced to. The ability to first invent and then design a game with the goal of learning and fun in mind is a difficult task for adults, let alone students. Scratch allows students to gain this skill of critical thinking to become an effective teacher and learner. It allows for them to see how learning takes place and use their imagination to put learning and play together.

SC.O.3.1.7

use scientific instruments, technology, and everyday materials to investigate the natural world.

For example, this gravity simulator is a great tool when explaining the effects of gravity on an object! In this case, the simulator takes modern technology and allows children to see what happens when gravity is inserted into an equation or the atmosphere. It is fun, it is engaging, and it is perfect for a first-glance understanding of what gravity is and does.

My View- Video Games

These videos caused me to have more faith in the learning capabilities of video games. I was that person that saw no use for games but violence and large amounts of wasted money.
The third video caused me to look at games from a new level. Salen claimed that children enjoy games because they know without a doubt that they can succeed. After hearing that, I contemplated on my own that that particular theory holds true. I am not a big gaming fan and to be honest, have hardly ever picked up a controller, but I do enjoy word games on my phone and such. I, too, feel comfortable knowing there is a solution that can be found.
I also believe in the claim in video two that games increase learning and problem-solving. Most people I know that are the best problem solvers, are also the biggest gamers. They also are fantastic multi-taskers as opposed to myself, that can barely walk and breathe. After watching the first video, that definitely became clear to me! I feel like I have a better view of how video games can work effectively in the student's favor.

Using Games in the Classroom
Santeri Koivisto and Joel Levin worked to produce MinecraftEdu, a play on the popular video game Minecraft. The new version allows for tailoring to curriculum for teachers. It is used for math, science, and computer science especially.

Effects of Video Games

Your Brain on Video Games

Argument:
In reasonable doses and at a reasonable age, action-packed games have positive effects on many aspects of behavior.

Claims:
1. vision - Gamers' vision ( 5-15 hours of gaming per week) are usually significantly better because they are better trained to see details in a cluttered view and more clearly see different shades of grey.

2. attention and distraction - Gamers have better attention spans and can more easily concentrate on a task. They can also more efficiently track multiple objects at one time, such as when driving.

3. multitasking - Gamers are better multi-taskers. Multimedia tasking shows poor multitasking ability.

Are Video Games Making Your Kid Smarter? 

Argument: Children involved in video games are actually smarter. The games encourage: seek novelty, challenge yourself, think creatively, do things the hard way, and network.

Claims:
1. Children that play games actually have to multi-task, usually with five or more items, which improves their ability to retain multiple bits of information.

2. Gaming promotes learning. Those that are involved in learning tasks, not just momentarily, are shown to have more grey matter in their brain linked to vision, senses, etc.

3. Games are wired to produce pleasure. Children are reinforced positively to keep learning and strive to finish the games' tasks.

Big Thinkers: Learning with Games 
According to Salen, video games support the following learning experiences and skills needed in the 21st century:

• collaboration

• team building

• problem solving in a complex space

• exploring identities

• forgiving environments to fail in or take risks       

Games and good teachers have similar characteristics of challenge and instruction. When designing games, students have often put the other side first, contemplating who will be on the other end playing their game and how he or she could make it most effective. Most children that play games have a sense of empowerment because they know that the games were created for them to succeed and beat. Many children feel as though classroom curriculum is to trick them and make them fail. 

Learning Styles and MI Theory

Learning Styles Don't Exist

The Three Claims That They Do Not Exist:
1. We are provoked to learn through meaning, not strictly visually, auditory, or kinesthetic.
While remembering words, we remember the meaning we attach to the word, not the word itself.

2. They predict that a visual learner will ALWAYS learn better visually and do better.
While learning a map, everyone needs to learn the shapes of those countries, not just the visual learners.

3. It is not always more than a coincidence that a student learns a certain piece of information better through any style. Sometimes it is good analogy and sometimes they just needed something to make it click in their minds.

The Reason They Seem To Be Correct:
1. The theory is widely accepted.

2. Some people do seem to learn better through image, sound, or motion.

3. If you already believe the theory, then you are most likely to interpret all ambiguous coincidences to go along with the theory.

The Multiple Intelligence Theory

Three Ways Schools Fail To Meet Learning Needs Of Children:
1.  Many teachers only teach logically, but there are multiple other ways children can learn and be taught that would cause the information to stick into the child's mind. 

2. Children get a superficial knowledge of multiple subjects that cover an array of information that they usually forget before they leave high school.

3. Assessment is very difficult and not student-centered. The students have no idea what they are supposed to be learning  and when they aren't learning it correctly. After assessments, nobody allows room for correction or overlooking, they simply just to the next important topic. 

Similarities and Differences:
Both theories assert that children learn through a variety of different means. The learning styles assert children learn either visually, auditory, or kinesthetically. The multiple intelligence theories assert children can learn through a variety of means: social, spatial, logically, socially, and much more. Both theories agree in that children are not being taught correctly in school. They also agree that children with specific learning habits need more attention in their own style, but neither realize the struggle that would cause a daily classroom. 



 

Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles - Picasso Head

I have social, or interpersonal, intelligence. Here I have portrayed the middle female speaking and listening to a group.

Interpersonal intelligence is also known as "people smart;" we are the social butterflies, so to speak. Blogs, chats, social networks, video conferencing, and interactive websites work very well when teaching those with interpersonal intelligence. Technology can be used to help me learn through video. I enjoy learning through documentaries. Hands-on interactive websites are also very useful tools. They provide games and instruction to teach. You can find an example of how I would prefer to use technology in the classroom at the end of this blog.



Learning Styles
Learning styles are often described as the way in which someone learns. There are three forms: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. I agree that not all children learn in the same way. I do not agree, however, that one must plan an entire lesson around learning styles. It is crucial, as an instructor, to get information across to students, but when an instructor must plan to accommodate one lesson to three different types of learners with three different activities, it becomes less productive and somewhat confusing. One of the leading arguments against learning styles claim that most students are unaware of the way in which they learn. (Clark,  2012) I wholeheartedly do no agree. One of the glorious things about learning styles is that they stem from student preferences; every student that has ever sat through a boring lecture, knows how they would rather be learning at that moment. Knowing how you would rather learn is important, but it does not stop you from learning in other ways. (Glenn, 2009) It may be that you just have not gotten a firm grip on the subject matter and need a little more help, but it is possible to understand.
Instead of trying to plan one lesson plan around three different learners, I believe it is more effective to allow the students to have a voice in how they will learn major lessons. I think learning styles also depend on subject matter. English is a subject that is usually understood through auditory learning. Science, on the other hand, is a much better candidate for visual or kinesthetic learning. By allowing the students to have a say in how they will learn their lessons, I believe it would make learning more effective.
Technology is a great tool for kinesthetic learners, especially in science- related concepts.

Worldwide Telescope
WWT is an interactive website that allows students to look into the Earth or anywhere out in space, create constellations, and have a great time. It is great for science lessons. It takes a small amount of work to get up and running and works great with a smart board!

Virtual Zoo
Websites such as the San Diego Zoo provide live video feed of some animal enclosures. It makes for the perfect in-class field trip while studying animals or even just a fun activity for a free day. Many other zoos are beginning to adopt live feed cameras as well.

Using Chat Resources:

Some educators have been using social media/chat applications to bring classrooms together. This is also a great way for interpersonal students to learn, by learning together hundreds of miles away!


References:
Clark, D. (2012, March 06). Learning styles and preferences. Retrieved from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html

Glenn, D. (2009, December 15). Matching teaching style to learning style may not help students. The Chronicle. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to-/49497/

Media Literacy Lesson Plan

You can find the media literacy lesson plan here.

ISTE-NETS Standard:

VI. SOCIAL, ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND HUMAN ISSUES
Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and
human issues surrounding the use of technology in
PK–12 schools and apply that understanding in
practice. Teachers:
  
B. apply technology resources to enable and
empower learners with diverse backgrounds,
characteristics, and abilities.
C. identify and use technology resources that affirm
diversity.


The above lesson plan uses PBS's popular show, Arthur, to show children the world of stereotyping in media. Through careful consideration, children will actively listen and examine the gender stereotypes portrayed during picture day in Arthur. After the movie, the children would be engaged in a guided discussion about stereotypes in media. For the next part, children will bring in magazines and each will choose one man or woman of any background. From there, they will work in groups to set stereotypes from the media to each. 

How It Compares to Standards
The students will be using two sources of media (televison, magazines) to develop an understanding of stereotypes (gender, race, disabilities, etc.) From this work, children will become aware of different people and gain an understanding of the diversities in the world and media. 

Education Magazine

“The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.“

Leadership Abilities

     I believe this photo shows stronger leadership abilities on Obama's part. The caption stated that during this time he was being briefed on the BP oil spill in Mississippi. This photo, as opposed to the last photo, shows Obama fully engaged in discussion whereas the first photo portrayed a mere daydreaming Obama. My first impression of the first photo was that he did seem saddened by the incident. This photo, however, shows him fully aware as if he is explaining this grand plan to Admiral Allen. The first photo also showed what seemed to be a flourishing green background with a book/table? That is well and all, but I am sure that after an oil spill, the infected area will not be lush. This photo portrays photos from the incident in the background, which looks much more professional and allows for an emotional response from the viewers. 

Observations:

    Obama's hands are in motion along with his shoulders dropped and he is currently speaking while the other listens. This leads me to believe the photo was spontaneous and not posed. As the reader, we cannot tell where exactly Obama is looking; he seems to be looking off of the page. This leads me to wonder who is in the foreground. The two men are spaced fairly close together, but they do not seem to be too close for comfort. There are two people seen: Obama and Admiral Allen. Admiral Allen is an older male, possibly early 50s. He is in his coast guard uniform, which gives him the look of credibility on the topic and looks extremely professional. Obama, however, is not dressed to impress. He is in a button up shirt, loosely done with his sleeves rolled up. The camera angle is straight forward, so I am getting the feeling they are in a controlled environment, such as a news room. I believe the message portrays Obama as being a leader in this situation. The flag in the background plays to nationality, which is strong during times of crisis. 

Questions:

      Why is Obama dressed down? Does that show that the photo really was at a spontaneous moment? 
       Where are both men looking off to? 
       What audience does this news subscribe to? What audience subscribes to this news? 

Caption:

     I think the current caption really makes me feel Obama's sense of leadership. Had it been something like "Obama sits with Coast Guard Admiral to discuss oil spill in Mississippi," it would throw off the initial observation that he is discussing a plan of action. I would feel as if he was more discussing the issue flat with no plan of action. 

Can you hear me now? (ThinkAloud)

The following link will take you directly to the entire list of standards:

ISTE NET S

I have chosen one.

 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments 
     a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to        promote student learning and creativity

             The ThinkAloud made me incorporate many digital media components that I was unfamiliar with (Jing, Slide Share, Google Docs, etc.) into one project. To start, researching the big question: should teachers/staff be armed in school? Many children do not think twice about what is big on the news, like myself included. This project allowed me to take things I enjoy (computer) to learn about what is going on in the world around me, the question of teachers being armed. It also helped to contribute to learning reading strategies. I used the strategies to break down the argument of the story and help to read the article faster, but with more control and understanding. Jing allowed me to be creative in helping others follow my trail as I read the article. I could use colorful highlights, arrows, boxes, and text to literally show readers my thought process. I feel like this project has incorporated everything perfectly to show me a whole new way to learn for myself and show others how learn. 

Tuesday 2/5/13 / Bias

Number One:

Pro-Arming

Number Two:

Anti-arming:

Nancy Flanagan could be said to show bias in her opinion: No, we should not arm school custodians. However, she also says that we should not arm teachers either. Why? Because neither are strictly qualified to handle weapons as police officers. To me, she shows minimum bias in saying that nobody should be armed because they are not trained. But of course, that does not mean that some are not trained. Some ex-officers do become teachers and some teachers are from a military background. Who is to say that they are not qualified to handle a gun? She is very opinionated in favor of careers: she believes a teacher should teach and an officer should protect. She is not vulgar in her opinion or downgrading other views. She does specify alternate ways to solve the violence issues (such as "talking" down the gunman" ) but she does not give any alternate reasoning as to why arming teachers may be helpful. She sticks solely to her view. She completely omits that there could be other viewpoints and also how truly effective these alternate solutions are. Flanagan feels that the majority of staff do think first in protecting students, but arming gun amateurs is not the way to go about true protection.

One thing that did surprise me being as her argument was one against arming for non-qualifications is that she did not bring up putting armed officers in the school. Many people with similar opinions feel this is the best solution.

Wikipedia Worksheet

I decided to "random" my article, being as I just learned that was an option. I received an article on "optical pumping" also referred to as "laser pumping."

Worksheet

Three Users:
User:DanielSlaughter is Australian, a home-brewer, and is most likely an alcoholic. He had no written information but his pictures explains the first three items as well as he gets all of his information from google and likes to eat chili. He is not reliable.

User:Justin545 is not American, but some form of Asian. He has an intermediate level of English and has no credibility for this topic established. He is also not considered reliable.

User:Srleffler is very reliable in my opinion. He has a written bio and has established credibility for this topic. He is a physicist specializing in lasers and optics. He loves wikipedia and thinks it is the best thing since the library. He also is the one that debated with both above and edits the page regularly. He has increased my feeling of reliability on this page.

Wikipedia Quiz

What Wiki can teach us about the new media literacies.

This article is full of grammatical errors and some facts do not match up to the video on Wikipedia. 

1. What are the new media literacies?
          a) the skills needed to understand today's media
          b) cultural qualifications and social skills needed for today's media
          c) the communication skills needed for networking

2. In what way do Wiki critics believe Wikipedia is misleading to students?
          a) by calling itself an "encyclopedia"
          b) by its extensive amount of  well-written information
          c) by its availability of multiple languages

3. According to the article, which student is most likely to look critically at information drawn from                Wikipedia?
          a) a student that only has access to technology in school or libraries
          b) a student that only has home access to technology
          c) a student with extensive access to technology: home, school, etc.

Comic with Partner

Comic

Perhaps one day...

WOW!

Online schooling: a concept I truly never thought to consider. I had always seen the commercials of online colleges and heard of online classes in both high school and college, but I honestly never even thought that K-12 would become an option in cyber world.I think this is magnificent just for those students who truly do struggle with attending school. I have known many kids who struggled with anxiety, bullying, and sheer discomfort in the school system so frequently they felt it easier to drop out and the majority are still yet to return. As revolutionary as this is, I am surprised I had never heard about it which leads me to believe maybe a lot of children and parents haven't either. I do have some concerns:

      In many instances, internet is not a truly reliable source and though most places do have it, some do not. I have witnessed how easy it is to get behind and it seems nearly impossible to catch up each time. 

      What about the social aspect of schooling? If a child has anxiety or some other issue, it is likely they will never put themselves out there willingly to make a few friends. A child with no peers is very disappointing and could possibly be the start of a whole new world of issues.  

English language video / articles

    As I watched the video, I did as it said to quickly jot down what came to mind with the two sentences and was I surprised! Not only were the ideas similar, they were identical to their interpretation, down to the drinks. I know one of the purposes of language is to help interpret the world around us, but I had never noticed just how much. 

    I was also taken by the dates corresponding to each quote I read on the article. I was not expecting such early dates. After examining the dates and what I read, it gave me a new thought that maybe language is meant to revolutionize with the times: It is a trademark of each passing generation. This thought intrigued me as well as changed my feelings toward the "technological destruction" of the English language. It is up to teachers to teach and students to learn the true machanics of the language (sentences, grammar, etc.) However, the changes each generation brings for short-hand does not effect that as a whole. It makes planning and note taking much faster, and in some instances, you could say helps a student succeed.

Are Digital Media Changing Language?

                      In a study of college students' text messaging, my colleague Rich Ling and I found a few more lexical shortenings; yet the grand total of clear abbreviations was only 47 out of 1,473 words.

 

I completely agree with this statement as well am surprised by it. However, although I am surprised, I know few people who frequently abbreviate in text messages, including myself. The majority of friends that I text prefer to spell out words and include few abbreviations. 

 

 

Because of this, I do not believe social media and text messaging has caused students to struggle constructing a sentence. I do, however, worry about future generations. While older generations have no trouble, most of us have not grown up on mobile phones and text messaging like younger generations are currently. Only time will truly tell.  

 

    

Poll

Please take a few minutes and respond to this short poll! 

 

Do you commute to campus? If yes, how long is your drive?

 

text 99116 + your response  to # 22333

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and...

 

The Future of Work

                       I believe the future of  work is technology-based. 

I found many of the points in this video intriguing. 

The first, twenty years ago there was no internet. I was born twenty years ago and as I sat quietly and compared my childhood to those that I see now, I am almost deeply disturbed. I did not own a cell phone until I was thirteen and even then, it was a tracfone. Now, kids of five years old run around sporting their Iphones, Ipads, Tablets, etc. I grew up country: playing outside, swinging, using my imagination and my family for entertainment. The children I met recently at a daycare would not play outside. They simply wanted their games and devices. 

The second was that of the mobile phone industry not existing twenty years ago. Phones have grown so close to the heart in recent years. A mother can keep track of her children, a child can have limitless access to their parents while away from home, and I can speak with anyone at anytime. I use my android in class to keep track of slideshows every day. I keep my class schedule in line, my homework in hand, and any piece of information I could want to know at hand. I could not imagine being without my android, even though it is only just under a year old. 

Third, I found the facts about the ReCaptchas very interesting. I would have never imagined they were compiled from scanned books a computer could not read (although I don't feel so bad that I struggle with them as well.) That is the type of information I enjoy learning: the kind that you never thought of or researched, you just happen upon it one day. 

 This is a typical modern classroom. I did not see a smart board until I was almost a senior in high school. I attended a Private Catholic high school with no funding. There was one computer lab that doubled as the junior/senior religion room. The majority of classrooms contained a computer that did not function correctly. It wasn't until I reached college that I began learning the ins and outs of new technology. I have always had technology at home but never was interested until I had to start taking online classes, applying for college online, and all the other things my professors have taught me to use. Each day I am taught something new that will open more doors in my future.



 
 

 

I am from a small town in West Virginia, located between Shinnston and Mannington. I am currently majoring in Elementary Education and hope to teach anywhere from second to fourth grade. In my spare time, I adore traveling and ending up in new places. I hope to use my passion to spread a love for learning. I believe each child learns in his or her own way and in order to achieve the ultimate goal of learning, you must engage every student. In order to do this, I plan to allow my students to help plan activities and create lessons dedicated to learning. In my classroom, I intend to bring back the age of children wanting to interactively learn alongside their peers while having fun.


I believe an effective learning environment entails working individually and separately on a number of tasks. One of my favorite sites is here, where the world of learning is complete with worksheets and projects for a variety of subjects.

I feel that the best way to teach children is through motivating them to dream, believe in themselves, and never back down from what they truly believe. I want my students to learn how to learn for the rest of their lives and teach others to learn openly as well.