Week 14 FINALLY

In the design process of technology there is a stage where the customer or client gives the specifications to the engineers.  These are called design specifications. Imagine yourself in the classroom and give me the design specifications for your ultimate hardware and ultimate software.  This can be done as two paragraphs or as two lists. Define what it should be able to do to be a perfect tool.

Software

• privacy/protections features
• good picture resolution
• some sort of application store
• good organization tools
• some sort of document/word processor
• video/camera and playback
• book reader
• good speakers
• voice activation and bluetooth
• wifi

Hardware

• touchscreen
• easy on the eye backlighting
• big enough screen to watch videos but small enough to put in a purse or pocket
• accessible toggle and sound buttons
• a button that when you push it some febreeze comes out

reflection for week 11

When creating a digital story, I think it is important to have an audio element to go along with the story. Audio can include narration, music, sound effects or a little of each. Pictures do a great job of telling a story but by having images only, it is up to the audience to determine meaning. When narratives are added then it makes the meaning of the story universal for all audience members. Music can have a huge impact on how the story makes you feel. For example, in a scary movie, if the music is intense then it makes you anxious of what is going to happen next. Audio, adds lots of dimension to a story. 

reflection 9

Tholander, Michael, and Karin Aronsson. "Doing Subteaching In School Group Work: Positionings, Resistance And Participation Frameworks." Language & Education: An International Journal 17.3 (2003): 208-234. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

This article basically talks about how it is good for students to act like the teacher sometimes, called subteaching. When students can teach what they have learned to their classmates then material is most likely going to be easier to remember in the future. The article also mentions that in these subteaching times, the students will teach in groups or by themselves. A few problems arise when doing these activities such as other students resisting to do what they are told. They feel like the peer "teacher" is not in charge of them so they refuse to participate. This type of group could also be considered collaborative learning because the students had to work together in order to complete their tasks and get full credit.

 This idea of subteaching is not very practical. I imagine myself trying to impliment this in a jr high classroom and everything going wrong. There are so many different types of personalities in a classroom and it doesn't seem practical. The shy students wouldn't want to boss everybody around and the controlling, attention needy students would use this to their advantage way too much. Those types of things happen in regular group work settings as well but if everyone is responsible for finishing their own part then things seem to go over smoothly.

Reflection 8

I found a good article on WebQuests in the health classroom. This article talks the importance of inquiry bases learning so that students get different types of instruction. WebQuests are designed for students to search for information on the internet. Not only is it important to have students gather the information but they need to find material that they can actually use.

I noticed that the objectives for this particular WebQuest on carbohydrates are very detailed. When students are participating in the activity they will know exactly what they are expected to learn. Words such as examine, demonstrate and analyze are used which offers a higher order of thinking to take place.

The link for the actual WebQuest was not available but I can tell that every opponent of the design of a WebQuest is there and in great detail. The introduction states the initial problem and get the students excited to do the activity. The task-page clearly states what the students will have to produce in the end. They will need to take a position on the carbohydrate diet and create a presentation on their findings. The process page has six complete steps that guide the students through the actual web based section and relates them to the health objectives. There is a certain task that needs to be completed in each step before moving on to the next. The evaluation page contains the grading and assessment rubrics so the students know what is acceptable for the grade they want to receive. The conclusion page wraps up the whole assignment and has the students write a reflection of the process.


Here is the link to the actual EBSCO article.
Works Cited
Donovan, Owen M. "The Carbohydrate Quandary: Achieving Health Literacy Through an Interdisciplinary WebQuest." Journal of School Health 75.9 (2005): 359-362. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

Reflection 7 i think

I watched a YouTube video on how to make collages in Picasa 3. I have never been able to figure it out so this was a lot of help. I really like the feature that allows you to choose the color of the background. You can make the color match the scheme by choosing a color that is already being used in one of the pictures. I am definitely going to be making more collages now!

After viewing Lynell Burmark's website, I learned that she is very educated in the visual literacy field. She points out that not only is is imperative that students can read literature today but they also need to be able to read images. Visual images are another language and they can be very effective in a classroom because they speak many meanings. Lynell does lots of presentations on a variety of subjects and she would be a good person to have come to a college seminar.

reflection 6

After reading the article, Teaching With Images, i understand the importance of using images in the classroom. It is very effective to have an interesting picture that relates to the subject. It gives a visual element to the lesson so students will be able to remember the content years down the road.

I am a health teacher and there are many activities that i can use to incorporate images in the classroom. When talking about eating disorders, I could share some photos of people with eating disorders. Pictures tell a lot about a person and anorexia pictures are really eye opening.

Another activity would be to bring in pictures of smoking and the effects it has on the body and the brain. Everyone has a body so it would be really easy to relate to and a subject to teach against. Using pictures in the classroom would fall under the analyzing category of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Reflection 5

I think it is so important to be safe online. On the net safe website it mentioned that once we put something online, we can't ever get it back.  That happened to me one time when I put something stupid on my space. I only thought my friends could see it and I realized that my friends were showing their friends and their mom and it eventually got back to my mom. A little act like that with out thinking got me in big trouble and it couldn't be taken back. Also, it is very critical to be safe about putting personal information online. Anyone could get their identity stolen if they aren't careful so we need to always be extra cautious.

My personal policy of internet safety is pretty strict. I feel that students younger than high school age should not be allowed to be on a social network site. They are not mature enough to be able to handle it and adolescents are very mean. I worked at a middle school and some girls hacked into another girls profile and started spreading mean rumors. It made the girl who was a victim want to commit suicide and the other girls got in major trouble. The internet is not just a big game and people do stupid things that they don't think twice about. Pretty much I have a no tolerance cyber bullying outlook. 

I am not sure what trends are happening on the internet. I think the internet in general is a huge trend. Now days who doesn't have a smart phone with internet access 24/7? People are addicted to the internet and it is really annoying. I don't have a smart phone but most of my friends do. Call me old fashioned but when I get together to hang out with my friends I want them to pay attention to me not to their phone. When my husband and I go on dates we leave our phones home so we don't get bothered with texts or calls. When teens go on dates now its normal to be on their phone even if it is with their date. For me as an educator, when students are in class they are there to learn not to surf the web. Don't get me wrong, technology is great in the classroom but only when it's teacher approved and as class activities.