The bad news first - always. Who wants to leave the semester on a sour note? There just isn't enough time in one semester to sufficiently cover all the technology we could face in our careers as educators. It is also a sad fact that today, we don't find technology in every school and even when we do, it seems underutilized. I know that this is an evolving issue and that with time will come greater inclusion of existing and new technologies into the field of education at all levels.
The best part about the class was all the technology we were able to study. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to use a variety of the Web 2.0 tools and other cool tools we covered in class and those soon to be. I hope I'll be on the forefront of educators using technology in innovative ways as teaching and learning tools. I can't wait to use some of what I already know next fall during my student teaching semester!
Have a great summer!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Teaching Style Comparison
Movie Teacher Style Comparison
I chose to watch Stand and Deliver and To Sir, With Love in my comparison of the teaching styles of two movie teachers. Both movies portray teachers that work with underprivileged student populations. Stand and Deliver is based on the true story of East Los Angeles teacher, Jaime Escalante. To Sir, With Love stars Sidney Poitier as Mr. Thackeray, an engineer-turned-teacher working in a lower class London high school.
Although both Escalante and Thackeray both deal with underprivileged students who socially sit outside the mainstream of society’s concerns, I feel the similarities end there. Escalante comes to his student population as a part of their own culture. Thackeray is from British Guiana and comes to his class in London via the United States. Thackeray’s teaching style is very authoritarian. He tells his students in one class, “I teach you truths, my truths.” He throws his textbooks in the garbage can and decides that what will serve his students best is to learn about life, about how to be an adult. He teaches them about cooking, takes them to the museum, and talks to them about what it is to be a real man. I wondered what he’d say to the girls about being a real woman. In his classroom, his voice is the only one that is correct.
Escalante’s teaching style is much more egalitarian. Although he does hold himself up as an authority figure, his attitude toward his students is as a guide and mentor. He does just the opposite of Thackeray; he gets out the heavy-duty math books! He feels that for students to succeed in life they must know more than just how to live. Most of his students are already more mature and carry more responsibility that they should. What he feels they need from him is a chance to get an education and more than a dead-end job. Escalante does not hold himself up as the highest authority; he puts his subject matter and his teaching before his own authority. He’s a strong enough figure that in one scene, he chastises his students for getting the wrong answer when he, himself is the one who is wrong.
Of the two teachers, I think that Escalante’s teaching style is the better one. Of course, I say this because Thackeray’s experience is purely fictional and it would be unheard of in today’s society for a teacher of seniors in high school to throw out the books in order to teach students how to make a salad. Escalante’s style and dedication are an inspiration and show how a teacher’s attitude toward the importance of learning and education can positively affect his or her students.
I chose to watch Stand and Deliver and To Sir, With Love in my comparison of the teaching styles of two movie teachers. Both movies portray teachers that work with underprivileged student populations. Stand and Deliver is based on the true story of East Los Angeles teacher, Jaime Escalante. To Sir, With Love stars Sidney Poitier as Mr. Thackeray, an engineer-turned-teacher working in a lower class London high school.
Although both Escalante and Thackeray both deal with underprivileged students who socially sit outside the mainstream of society’s concerns, I feel the similarities end there. Escalante comes to his student population as a part of their own culture. Thackeray is from British Guiana and comes to his class in London via the United States. Thackeray’s teaching style is very authoritarian. He tells his students in one class, “I teach you truths, my truths.” He throws his textbooks in the garbage can and decides that what will serve his students best is to learn about life, about how to be an adult. He teaches them about cooking, takes them to the museum, and talks to them about what it is to be a real man. I wondered what he’d say to the girls about being a real woman. In his classroom, his voice is the only one that is correct.
Escalante’s teaching style is much more egalitarian. Although he does hold himself up as an authority figure, his attitude toward his students is as a guide and mentor. He does just the opposite of Thackeray; he gets out the heavy-duty math books! He feels that for students to succeed in life they must know more than just how to live. Most of his students are already more mature and carry more responsibility that they should. What he feels they need from him is a chance to get an education and more than a dead-end job. Escalante does not hold himself up as the highest authority; he puts his subject matter and his teaching before his own authority. He’s a strong enough figure that in one scene, he chastises his students for getting the wrong answer when he, himself is the one who is wrong.
Of the two teachers, I think that Escalante’s teaching style is the better one. Of course, I say this because Thackeray’s experience is purely fictional and it would be unheard of in today’s society for a teacher of seniors in high school to throw out the books in order to teach students how to make a salad. Escalante’s style and dedication are an inspiration and show how a teacher’s attitude toward the importance of learning and education can positively affect his or her students.
Does Technology Change the Way We Teach?
People nowadays think of technology as electronic, computerized and web-based - but it hasn't always been defined in this way. Once upon a time, pencils and pens were new technology. Now those things seem to have always been around. But just as the electronic age is changing the way we do things, all new technology forces change in the areas of lives of the people it touches.
Considering that technology changes the way we live, it has and will continue to change the way we teach. The bigger questions should involve how it will change the way we teach. There are so many different aspects of technology that teachers and students use on a regular basis. There are also aspects of technology that have yet to be incorporated into our daily pedagogical practices. I hope to be a part of a new way of teaching that incorporates technology and utilizes it to its fullest potential to provide the highest level of academic success for our students.
Considering that technology changes the way we live, it has and will continue to change the way we teach. The bigger questions should involve how it will change the way we teach. There are so many different aspects of technology that teachers and students use on a regular basis. There are also aspects of technology that have yet to be incorporated into our daily pedagogical practices. I hope to be a part of a new way of teaching that incorporates technology and utilizes it to its fullest potential to provide the highest level of academic success for our students.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Web 2.0 Tools
There are so many cool web 2.0 tools out there. It was hard to pick just one that I wanted to take a better look at, but in the end, I worried that the tool became more important than the lesson - or that it lacked the sufficient rigor needed for high school classes. Early on, when our class looked at web 2.0, we covered the big names, Twitter, YouTube, etc. It was then that I thought of a lesson using YouTube. I liked that the tool itself is only the vehicle and that its use is something that is hip and cool for today's students. My lesson focuses on using a text, more specifically one that is meant to be presented dramatically - a play or poem - Shakespeare immediately comes to mind. As a student, I found it difficult to get into just reading Shakespeare's works. It simply wasn't enough to get a strong hold of the material. My idea is to have students, alone or in groups, work to bring to life a scene, character or a plot summary of a Shakespearean work in video and post it to YouTube. I even tried it out myself and enlisted the help of my children and a few of their friends to create a very brief overview of Romeo and Juliet.
Originally I thought that I could use a lesson like this with the reading comprehension strategies GLI but as I went through the exercise myself, I found that issues of comprehension were in the background and I was more concerned with characterization and presentation. There was another GLI regarding those goals that made better sense, and this lesson gives the coverage of this material more life than simply reading it.
For those of you who think, "I'll never get permission to use YouTube with my students," there is a viable alternative - TeacherTube. It may be less popular and lesser known that YouTube, but it is very similar web 2.0 tool dedicated strictly to videos that have some kind of academic pursuit and it would easily calm the worst YouTube critics.
Here's a link to the video I made for this project. Enjoy!
Romeo & Juliet - Slightly Abridged
Originally I thought that I could use a lesson like this with the reading comprehension strategies GLI but as I went through the exercise myself, I found that issues of comprehension were in the background and I was more concerned with characterization and presentation. There was another GLI regarding those goals that made better sense, and this lesson gives the coverage of this material more life than simply reading it.
For those of you who think, "I'll never get permission to use YouTube with my students," there is a viable alternative - TeacherTube. It may be less popular and lesser known that YouTube, but it is very similar web 2.0 tool dedicated strictly to videos that have some kind of academic pursuit and it would easily calm the worst YouTube critics.
Here's a link to the video I made for this project. Enjoy!
Romeo & Juliet - Slightly Abridged
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Value in Learning from Fiction
Of course there is value in learning from fiction! How else can one visit unreachable places, experience the events of the distant and not-too-distant past, get to know a variety of personalities, all while learning about the universal themes of humanity?
Fiction provides a window into a larger world - one that we might never experience without the aid of a good book. Dipping into this larger world allow us to walk in the shoes of a million different characters and gives us a larger perspective about ourselves, our lives, the people we know, and the world outside our own personal experience.
I can't imagine a world without fiction. Human beings used it since before anyone can remember so that we can convey to each other how to live our lives, respond to our environment and deal with the knowable and the unknown.
Fiction provides a window into a larger world - one that we might never experience without the aid of a good book. Dipping into this larger world allow us to walk in the shoes of a million different characters and gives us a larger perspective about ourselves, our lives, the people we know, and the world outside our own personal experience.
I can't imagine a world without fiction. Human beings used it since before anyone can remember so that we can convey to each other how to live our lives, respond to our environment and deal with the knowable and the unknown.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Video Critique
Watching oneself on video can be excruciating. For me, personally, I don’t feel as if the image on the screen is the real me. The person I go through the day with sounds much different and, of course, I don’t have to watch myself move around, walk, talk, and interact. Seeing myself on screen was an interesting exercise.
Overall, in watching my video clip, I liked that my voice was modulated and not too fast. It had a good pacing and was easy to follow, allowing for time in between important concepts for emphasis. I did not, to my relief, use a lot of ‘ums’ or ‘ahs’ or likewise pausing-for-the-next-thought phrasing. I was to the point and precise most of the time. I also felt that I was adequately able to convey the point of the subject matter I was discussing and able to use the accompanying video to illustrate my points properly and with good timing.
Those positive impressions aside, there were some things I did not like about watching myself in front of a classroom of people. The camera’s distance to me was considerable enough so that I could not see my facial expressions, but my overall body language was a bit dull. I did not move around a whole lot except to start and stop the video or use the appropriate technology. While I gave my lesson, I stood very close to the podium and didn’t move around because I was afraid to get in the way of the projection of the video I was playing behind me. I did use my hands a bit but my movements were small and did not attract much attention. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not considering that my purpose was that my audience would watch the video while I spoke and not watch me wave my hands around to jump about the room. Nonetheless, I felt I could have been more animated; I seemed stiff and uncomfortable due to my lack of movement.
Among the footage I edited out of my video, I found myself looking at my notes too often and seeming to read directly from them. I much more enjoy presentations in which the presenter speaks off the cuff. In most cases, it conveys that they know the material well enough not to have to have their notes directly in front of them. So I felt that it was necessary to edit out the portions of the video in which I spoke while I looked at my printed notes.
From a technological standpoint, I love the way the video turned out. I was able to cut out the portions of the video that I found to be less than desirable. And, I was able to add a portion of the “Amazing Optical Illusions” video I found on YouTube.com directly over my video so that it was clearly displayed while I continued to speak in the background. As a finishing touch I added a title to the beginning of the video to introduce the subject matter of my presentation. The end result seems very professional to me and I’m happy with the way it looks.
Overall, in watching my video clip, I liked that my voice was modulated and not too fast. It had a good pacing and was easy to follow, allowing for time in between important concepts for emphasis. I did not, to my relief, use a lot of ‘ums’ or ‘ahs’ or likewise pausing-for-the-next-thought phrasing. I was to the point and precise most of the time. I also felt that I was adequately able to convey the point of the subject matter I was discussing and able to use the accompanying video to illustrate my points properly and with good timing.
Those positive impressions aside, there were some things I did not like about watching myself in front of a classroom of people. The camera’s distance to me was considerable enough so that I could not see my facial expressions, but my overall body language was a bit dull. I did not move around a whole lot except to start and stop the video or use the appropriate technology. While I gave my lesson, I stood very close to the podium and didn’t move around because I was afraid to get in the way of the projection of the video I was playing behind me. I did use my hands a bit but my movements were small and did not attract much attention. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not considering that my purpose was that my audience would watch the video while I spoke and not watch me wave my hands around to jump about the room. Nonetheless, I felt I could have been more animated; I seemed stiff and uncomfortable due to my lack of movement.
Among the footage I edited out of my video, I found myself looking at my notes too often and seeming to read directly from them. I much more enjoy presentations in which the presenter speaks off the cuff. In most cases, it conveys that they know the material well enough not to have to have their notes directly in front of them. So I felt that it was necessary to edit out the portions of the video in which I spoke while I looked at my printed notes.
From a technological standpoint, I love the way the video turned out. I was able to cut out the portions of the video that I found to be less than desirable. And, I was able to add a portion of the “Amazing Optical Illusions” video I found on YouTube.com directly over my video so that it was clearly displayed while I continued to speak in the background. As a finishing touch I added a title to the beginning of the video to introduce the subject matter of my presentation. The end result seems very professional to me and I’m happy with the way it looks.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Critiquing Yourself
It's such a meta type of activity - critiquing oneself. Initially, I approached this with hesitation, hating the sound of my voice and seeing myself move around on video. In my mind's eye, I don't look or sound like that at all. To edit my video, I had to separate my feelings about seeing and hearing myself from my editing goals. In the end, I pared it down pretty effectively and found myself feeling alright about the final product. I hope it never becomes a common practice to have teachers watch video of themselves teaching for means of critiquing their skills.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Video Editing
Let's GO! I'm so ready to learn how to do this, although I think I've got a pretty good idea of the basics of video editing. Knowing the specifics will help me both in Tech and Topics and with a lesson plan I'm working on for 411. Excellent timing!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
How I incorporated technology into my classroom...
For this specific lesson regarding the application of literary criticism and theory as reading comprehension strategies, I chose to use a visual representation video I found on YouTube.com. Since literary criticism may seem to be a rather esoteric and philosophical concept for students, I thought a visual might help them grasp the overarching issue.
The video I selected shows how a filter can be imposed on an object/piece of art and as a result change what we, the viewer, can see. Literary criticism works in similar fashion, giving readers of a text the ability to apply a filter that may change or give added dimension to the work as a way of enhancing the reader’s understanding of a text. As in the video, it may not always be obvious at the outset how literary criticism will enhance the reader’s understanding but going through the process provides students with the chance to stretch intellectually and view the text through a different lens and, hopefully, as a result they can move through the interpretation of literature in new and different ways into seeing that these techniques can also help them to view their world in similar ways.
I chose to use YouTube because it is such a well-known internet presence. I thought incorporating it into a lesson would help connect with students while it allows them to see an authentic educational application of YouTube aside from its entertainment value.
Here's a link to the video. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvvcRdwNhGM
The video I selected shows how a filter can be imposed on an object/piece of art and as a result change what we, the viewer, can see. Literary criticism works in similar fashion, giving readers of a text the ability to apply a filter that may change or give added dimension to the work as a way of enhancing the reader’s understanding of a text. As in the video, it may not always be obvious at the outset how literary criticism will enhance the reader’s understanding but going through the process provides students with the chance to stretch intellectually and view the text through a different lens and, hopefully, as a result they can move through the interpretation of literature in new and different ways into seeing that these techniques can also help them to view their world in similar ways.
I chose to use YouTube because it is such a well-known internet presence. I thought incorporating it into a lesson would help connect with students while it allows them to see an authentic educational application of YouTube aside from its entertainment value.
Here's a link to the video. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvvcRdwNhGM
Thursday, February 24, 2011
HTML
I'll have to admit I have zero experience with HTML language. When I build a website, I use a visual basic program so that I can avoid using HTML. However, I'd be interested in learning about any potential uses for HTML that can benefit me in teaching in my content area.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Creative Commons
An English garden is such a beautiful site! As a gardener, this is the standard that I aspire to reach. I love the way one plant blends into the next and that there's more garden than lawn! Each year, my garden beds change just a bit, giving me something new to experience each season. The photo with this post is courtesy of Creative Commons and Rodney Burton. What a great way to share information!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Legal Concerns
Lately my concerns about teaching center around dealing two very different topics: IEPs and the rapidly changing state of the educational systems in our state and country.
Specifically, I worry about how a general education teacher has the ability to effectively teach to his/her general ed students while keeping in mind all the issues of those students who have IEPs. Since these are legal documents, the educational goals outlined in them MUST be followed or legal ramifications may follow. I also wonder how IEP compliance effects the educational goals of non-IEP students. I think that my main fear is that I won't be able to effectively teach to both groups of students at the same time.
On the issue of our state and federal education systems, I am very concerned about the changing standards/laws regarding teacher compensation, achievement/experience and tenure. It seems hard enough to understand the myriad conditions that currently exist throughout our country, but trying to understand the implications of the things that are being proposed such as merit pay and state bills that limit unions is difficult for me.
Specifically, I worry about how a general education teacher has the ability to effectively teach to his/her general ed students while keeping in mind all the issues of those students who have IEPs. Since these are legal documents, the educational goals outlined in them MUST be followed or legal ramifications may follow. I also wonder how IEP compliance effects the educational goals of non-IEP students. I think that my main fear is that I won't be able to effectively teach to both groups of students at the same time.
On the issue of our state and federal education systems, I am very concerned about the changing standards/laws regarding teacher compensation, achievement/experience and tenure. It seems hard enough to understand the myriad conditions that currently exist throughout our country, but trying to understand the implications of the things that are being proposed such as merit pay and state bills that limit unions is difficult for me.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Court Case Review
Citation: Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969)
Topic: constitutional rights of students in U.S. public schools
Issue: The issue involves the question of whether or not the school’s disciplinary actions violated students’ First Amendment rights.
Facts: In December 1965, Mary Beth Tinker (13), her brother John (15) and their friend Christopher Eckhardt (16) wore black armbands to their schools (respectively, their middle and high schools) in protest of the Vietnam War in an effort to support the Christmas Truce called for by Senator Robert F. Kennedy. School officials adopted a policy against armbands. The students chose to violate the policy and were suspended until early January 1966. The ICLU and eventually the ACLU approached the children’s families and eventually the case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Findings: The Court reached a 7-2 majority in favor of the students. Justice Abe Fortas wrote in the majority opinion that students and teachers cannot be expected to “shed their constitutional rights to freedom or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
Rationale: Justice Fortas and the judges of the majority based their opinion on the statement above and the Fifth Circuit Court’s Burnside v Byars decision which states that public school officials may not prohibit students’ expression unless it “materially and substantially interferes” with the educational requirements and/or environment of the school. Justice Fortas also noted that the school acted to avoid the controversy involved in an unpopular political statement but felt that to do so successfully, a school and its officials must have a goal higher than simply wanting to avoid controversy of unpopular statements and the behavior must interfere with the operation of the school. Since the Tinkers and Eckhardt did not cause a disruption, their right to expression was upheld as constitutionally protected speech/expression.
Implications: The implications of the case have resulted in the ‘Tinker Test,’ which uses the case’s material disruption doctrine as a test against student expression or speech. Interestingly though, at least three subsequent First Amendment cases that have cited Tinker have favored school authorities even if they did not violate the material disruption doctrine. These three cases are briefly:
o Bethel School District No 403 v Fraser (1986): Public school officials suspended a student for giving a speech laced with sexual innuendo at an assembly. The Court ruled in favor of the school due to its fundamental function of inculcating values in students.
o Hazelwood School District x Kuhlmeier (1998): Public school authorities censored two articles in the student newspaper - one concerning teen pregnancy and another the effects of divorce on children. The Court ruled in favor of the school due to its legitimate pedagogical concerns in relation to school-sponsored student expression.
o Morse v Frederick (2007): Public school authorities suspended a student for displaying a banner at an extracurricular event that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." The Court ruled in the school's favor determining there is no First Amendment protection for pro-drug student expression.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Steven M., and Howard J. Bultinck. "From Black Armbands to Bong Hits for Jesus: The 40th Anniversary of Tinker." Phi Delta Kappan 90.10 (2009): 737. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Pike, Kenneth R. "Locating the Mislaid Gate: Revitalizing Tinker by Repairing Judicial Overgeneralizations of Technologically Enabled Student Speech." Brigham Young University Law Review 2008.3 (2008): 971. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Trager, Duffy B. "New Tricks for Old Dogs: The Tinker Standard Applied to Cyber-Bullying." Journal of Law & Education 38.3 (2009): 553-561. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Zirkel, Perry A. "The Rocket's Red Glare: The Largely Errant and Deflected Flight of Tinker." Journal of Law & Education 38.4 (2009): 593-602. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Raskin, Jamin B. "Student Speech The Enduring Greatness of Tinker." Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities 35.3 (2008): 24. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Topic: constitutional rights of students in U.S. public schools
Issue: The issue involves the question of whether or not the school’s disciplinary actions violated students’ First Amendment rights.
Facts: In December 1965, Mary Beth Tinker (13), her brother John (15) and their friend Christopher Eckhardt (16) wore black armbands to their schools (respectively, their middle and high schools) in protest of the Vietnam War in an effort to support the Christmas Truce called for by Senator Robert F. Kennedy. School officials adopted a policy against armbands. The students chose to violate the policy and were suspended until early January 1966. The ICLU and eventually the ACLU approached the children’s families and eventually the case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Findings: The Court reached a 7-2 majority in favor of the students. Justice Abe Fortas wrote in the majority opinion that students and teachers cannot be expected to “shed their constitutional rights to freedom or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
Rationale: Justice Fortas and the judges of the majority based their opinion on the statement above and the Fifth Circuit Court’s Burnside v Byars decision which states that public school officials may not prohibit students’ expression unless it “materially and substantially interferes” with the educational requirements and/or environment of the school. Justice Fortas also noted that the school acted to avoid the controversy involved in an unpopular political statement but felt that to do so successfully, a school and its officials must have a goal higher than simply wanting to avoid controversy of unpopular statements and the behavior must interfere with the operation of the school. Since the Tinkers and Eckhardt did not cause a disruption, their right to expression was upheld as constitutionally protected speech/expression.
Implications: The implications of the case have resulted in the ‘Tinker Test,’ which uses the case’s material disruption doctrine as a test against student expression or speech. Interestingly though, at least three subsequent First Amendment cases that have cited Tinker have favored school authorities even if they did not violate the material disruption doctrine. These three cases are briefly:
o Bethel School District No 403 v Fraser (1986): Public school officials suspended a student for giving a speech laced with sexual innuendo at an assembly. The Court ruled in favor of the school due to its fundamental function of inculcating values in students.
o Hazelwood School District x Kuhlmeier (1998): Public school authorities censored two articles in the student newspaper - one concerning teen pregnancy and another the effects of divorce on children. The Court ruled in favor of the school due to its legitimate pedagogical concerns in relation to school-sponsored student expression.
o Morse v Frederick (2007): Public school authorities suspended a student for displaying a banner at an extracurricular event that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." The Court ruled in the school's favor determining there is no First Amendment protection for pro-drug student expression.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Steven M., and Howard J. Bultinck. "From Black Armbands to Bong Hits for Jesus: The 40th Anniversary of Tinker." Phi Delta Kappan 90.10 (2009): 737. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Pike, Kenneth R. "Locating the Mislaid Gate: Revitalizing Tinker by Repairing Judicial Overgeneralizations of Technologically Enabled Student Speech." Brigham Young University Law Review 2008.3 (2008): 971. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Trager, Duffy B. "New Tricks for Old Dogs: The Tinker Standard Applied to Cyber-Bullying." Journal of Law & Education 38.3 (2009): 553-561. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Zirkel, Perry A. "The Rocket's Red Glare: The Largely Errant and Deflected Flight of Tinker." Journal of Law & Education 38.4 (2009): 593-602. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Raskin, Jamin B. "Student Speech The Enduring Greatness of Tinker." Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities 35.3 (2008): 24. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
What Makes a Good Presentation?
Overall, I feel a good presentation must, first and foremost, inform its audience. A successful presentation may also entertain while it informs. Hopefully, too, this entertaining conveyance of information also holds the audience's attention. That being said, I think that the actual mechanics of accomplishing these very subjective things will depend on the presenter, the subject matter and the audience. Just as with our writing, we must keep in mind our voice, our subject matter and our intended audience when we make a presentation.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Journal Article Review
Using the Internet to Study Literature
In their article “A recommendation for a new Internet-based environment for studying literature,” Erdogan Kartal and Arda Arikan examined the effects of technology on the practice of studying and teaching literature. These researchers determined that the Internet provides its users with many advantages, such as the ability to utilize audio, text and visual content while it also allows for the user to uniquely adapt their virtual environment to fit their individual preferences. Written in very recently in 2010, Kartal and Arikan propose a new avenue for the study of literature using Internet technology. The article also discuss the current connections between literature and the Internet and those issues that both students and educators must keep in mind when participating in Internet-based studies of literature.
In examining the current state of the connections between literature and the Internet, the article looks at the pros and cons of literature on the Internet in comparison to traditionally printed literature. While traditionally printed documents are very stable (both in terms of content and consistency), easily project their authority and open the possibility of long term reflection – digital documents offer flexibility, interactivity and, most of all, speed. Yet while digital documents have their pros, we must keep in mind that there are drawbacks. Readers are often presented with grammar and spelling errors because documents are rarely professionally edited. Additionally, the stability of digital documents becomes problematic when we think in terms of the difficulties of consistent document archiving and web hosting services. Even with these pitfalls, digital technology offers things the printed text does not – the ability for the user to interact with the writer/text and a huge array of multi-media experiences (images, sound and text).
The authors state that using Internet tools allows students to become actively involved in their own learning processes as they navigate the many ways to obtain information and construct knowledge in evaluating the information they find. A number of digital technologies work as educational tools for studying literature – web pages, wikis, blogs, podcasts, search engines, video-sharing sites, forums, web-based software, among many more. And in using these new systems in education, a new definition of literacy must be imaged. This new literacy should include the ability to understand technological tools and access information resources. It should also consider an understanding of the social situation and production of information while critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of both digital technology and digital information. Finally it should allow for a practical ability to produce and publish digital text and media and to continue to adapt to the new innovations as technology moves forward. Students in this new Internet learning environment must be able to use the Internet comfortably, have the confidence to share thoughts and ideas about literature with others digitally. They should also be aware of both the benefits and disadvantages to moving literature to the Internet and of utilizing the Internet to improve the learning process itself.
I enjoyed getting a better understanding of the issues that we are currently facing in using the Internet in my content area. I agree that if students are aware of the pros and the cons of moving literature classes into the digital realm, they can also be aware of how these new technologies impact their learning experiences – positively and negatively – thereby becoming activity participants in the learning process.
Kartal, Erdogan and Arda Arikan. “A Recommendation for a New Internet-Based Environment for Studying Literature,” US-China Education Review July 2010, Vol 7, No. 7, p93-99: 7pp. Web. Jan 20, 2011.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Welcome to my first blog post!
Here at the beginning of 2011, I'm working on completing my M.Ed. at Xavier University. My concentration is in Integrated Language Arts and I'll soon be licensed to teach grades 7 to 12. I look forward to working in a technology rich teaching environment and hope to do my student teaching semester with a technology savvy cooperative teacher.
I hope you'll enjoy my adventures in education technology!
Thanks,
Mrs. Palmer
Here at the beginning of 2011, I'm working on completing my M.Ed. at Xavier University. My concentration is in Integrated Language Arts and I'll soon be licensed to teach grades 7 to 12. I look forward to working in a technology rich teaching environment and hope to do my student teaching semester with a technology savvy cooperative teacher.
I hope you'll enjoy my adventures in education technology!
Thanks,
Mrs. Palmer
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