Friday, November 6, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Harris_Sharon_2009101_Week 2 Media Literacy Discussion Board 2
Historically, literacy dealt with being able to reading with understanding and fluency, writing letters while progressing to words and the sentences using correct syntax, and write a composition to sway the reader to compare, contrast, debate and so much more (Barish, 2002).
That is no longer the case in today’s society, original literacy has now also come to include manipulating media. Students must now be able to learn to use computers, apply software applications, and strategically show mastery of concept mandated by state standards for the appropriate grade level. Technology is continuously changing and always on the move; therefore, educators must help children to become proficient in the area of technology to be able to advance in the future employment market. Students need to be taught concepts regarding media technology and be given the tools to show understanding of the concepts in the real world such as designing and/or updating: web pages, blogs, and the ability to search as they research online for information for projects that are assigned by educators. Teachers much have access to resources while helping children (Media For Advanced Technology in Education-University of Oregon, 2007).
Most students today spend a vast amount of time using technology on a daily basis and are becoming more cognicent of technology because they are using ipod, advanced cell phones with the ability to surf the web and a great deal more; therefore, educators must teach and entice those same children to stretch beyond their comfort zone with technology to get ready. This is to facilitate an easier transition into a highly technological field of employment and society in the future. Students are offered programs to utilize other concepts in their education such as brainstorming programs to apply what they are learning on higher order level of thinking (SlideShare, 2009).
Students must be taught hat they be active in their own learning and to participate in their own learn; whereby, allowing students to take possession of and responsibility for their own learn (Wesch, 2009).
Considering the quote above, what exactly does it mean to be literate in today’s society? How are we, as educators, going to ensure the students we are sending out into the world have an understanding of the messages they are receiving as well as what messages are being sent to others as they create new media and communicate with the world around them?
Sources
Center for Advanced Technology in Education-University of Oregon (2007) Media
Literacy Inline Project. Received on October 24, 2009 from
http://interact.uoregon.edu/medialit/mlr/home/
SlideShare. (2009) Media Literacy Video Brainstorm. Received on October 24, 2009
from http://www.clideshare.net/Sylct/media-Literacy-video-brainstorm
Wesch, Prof. (2009) Participatory Media Literacy: Why it Matters. Received on
October 25, 2009 from http://mediatedcultures.net/ksidigg/?p=192
Monday, October 26, 2009
http://specialeducationandtechnologymedia.blogspot.com/2009/10/harrissharon2009101-week-2c_research_iGoogle
iGoogle is an excellent site for tracking and organizing projects, links, blogs and so much more. As an educator, I would use it in the classroom and collaboration with other educators and parents. The website could be set so that it is possible to have lesson plans, accept the students assignments for grading, professional development, resources, and so much more.
As a Web 2.0 Tool there are so many aspects that teachers can utilize that have yet to be discovered; however, it is obvious that they students can input information that is relevant to what they have actually learned.
As a teacher, students would be assigned a series of group projects as concepts are taught and produce videos, Podcasts, Garage Band and other media. This will help the students to learn on their individual levels and still produce work that they are proud of will while taking responsibility and ownership to a higher level. It will also show the educators that concepts are being mastered in such a manner that the students are using higher levels of thinking and organizing their thoughts as the work is formulated. This process starts at the beginning of the assignment and must research and develop a project that not only demonstrates knowledge of the concept taught but also completing the project for an audience that has never been exposed to their proposals with the idea of helping other to accept or think through what they experiencing. Forcing the audience to accept or reject the proposal and hopefully have a clear understanding of why and how it was accepted or rejected.
The teacher will set up a site that will not only show the work of the students but other important resources and the ability to respond and critique the work of their peers. For this reason if no other, is a very important and monumental reason to use iGoogle, a Web 2.0 Tool.
Harris_Sharon_2009101 Week 2B_Research Blogging About Web 2.0 Tools_TeamWork Live (2nd attempt)
TeamWork Live is a Web 2.0 Tool that is not free; however, it seems to be a high quality site that is web-based and is a tool for collaboration and project management that is an excellent tool to utilize in the educational environment.
As an educator, I can use this site to extend the teaching of the use of web pages year two of web pages design year and also to keep intact with parents regarding their children’s progress and other possible concerns. As a teaching tool, Teamwork Live is one of the best places to track milestones, tasks, and events using activity logs. This site allows for and helps individuals to work together and stay on track. It helps with time management and keeps productivity on track by allowing administrative or lead person to project formally at timeline.
National Academic Standards and technology objectives will be utilized to build lesson plans throughout the school year. The students will be given a login and password. They will be given the opportunity to build their own website that the teacher will have the opportunity to monitor closely. Assignments, homework, individual and group projects will assigned and completed; whereby, as they are finished they will be uploaded in to one specific location on and graded then recorded.
The students should show mastery of the website portion for which they are responsible as they work through each individual assignment and be able to show understanding as they manipulate what they have learned. The utilization of TeamWork Live will give the students the ability to take control of their own learning and be held accountable of their own grades.
TeamWork Live should prove to be a valuable asset as teachers strive to teach students the necessary concepts that they will need in the adult world for time management, collaboration, and to complete projects much like they would need to be completed in the adult world.
Source
Team Work Live TM. (2009) TeamWork: Live-Easy and Effective Project Collaboration. Retrieved on October 26, 2009 from http://www.teamworklive.com/TeamWork.htm
Harris_Sharon_2009101 Week 2A_Research Blogging About Web 2.0 Tools_Comfy Page (2nd attempt)
Comfy Page is a user-friendly web tool that makes it very easy to build a website. The fact that it is easy to sign up, free, and easy to manipulate would be perfect to teach children the basics of setting up their own web page for homework and tutorials or build a project for school or set up a location to discuss things that are important to “kids”.
I would build a lesson plans so that students would have the opportunity to think about what career that they might be interested in for their future. This would last over the course of several months in which I would us a smart board in a computer lab to walk the students through setting up their own website for their futuristic careers.
A small troubleshoot manual will be developed prior to the lessons so that the students could have something to use in case there are problems and to have available necessary terminology and definitions. If not, the teacher should know how to respond to the student regarding issues that may arise and if not use the technical support offered through Comfy Page.
This is a great start to help students determine whether or not they like web building and if they do then the teacher could help them to research more about it and talk to the academic or planning counselor to find the resources in the community.
I believe that Comfy Page is an excellent Web 2.0 Tool that will help students as they work toward setting goals for future careers with parent involvement and approval.
As an educator, it is my job to guide students toward achieving a productive and positive experience in the workforce. The use of the Comfy Page Web 2.0 Tool will embolden them to research their careers and possibly use it in as part or all of a portfolio to show how the decision was made and researched to decide on a particular career for their own futures.
Source
ComfyPage.COM. (2006-2008) ComfyPage Site. Retrieved on October 26, 2009 from http://comfypage.com/index.php?content_id=36
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Harris_Sharon_2009101 BP2_Anti-Teaching (2nd attempt)
Not all students of today are able to learn in the typical way of listening, memorizing, and regurgitating the concepts that are required in the current educational system teaching methodology; therefore a new and different way of teaching needs to be formulated and put in onto practice so that children can learn as soon as possible as this a become a pandemic in the education as we know it today.
The idea of virtual learning could be the answer to the problem with enough forethought and insight. In regards to the way students’ brains learn and retain data will be the piece of the puzzle that will be necessary to determine whether or not the virtual world classroom can be the ultimate saving grace for students and their learning capabilities.
In the Personal Learning Environment or PLE, students’ ability to learn may be affected and effected due noise levels, lighting in the area for which they are studying; however the main stay of the whole scenario is the fact that the PLE gives the children the right and ability to take ownership of their learning by using the information and research to get to the bottom of a concept. The students are able to utilize tools that were unavailable 10 years ago such as the Web 2.0 Tools.
Web 2.0 Tools allow students easy access to information that in many cases cannot be found in an encyclopedia or other paper format and if a child has difficulty reading fluently there are many programs that may be purchased to help the child by reading the material aloud to them.
I believe that blogs, web tools, and virtual worlds such as second life and others like it will be a great influence over the learning of the majority of children and maybe in the future there will be holographic lectures with access to even more reliable technology in the educational systems.
© Sharon Lee Harris
Sources
Educause Learning Initiative. (2009) Personal Learning Environments. Retrieved on October 4, 2009 from http://www.educause.edu.eli
Meerts, J. (2003, OCtober 20). Course Management Systems (CMS). Retrieved from Educause Websites http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC03602.pdf
Solomon, Gwen & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools. Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Wesch, Michael. (2009) Anti-Teaching: Confronting the Crisis of Significance.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)