Making History Come to Life

Assignment Eight

Levin, H. (2003). Making history come alive. Learning and Leading with technology, 31(3), 22-27

After reading this article it is hard not to realize the power of using video with students. Describe a way you could use video in a similar way with your own K-12 students.

I would use videos in my lesson plan by having students do a family history video.  Students would interview family and friends about their heritage. Location footage of the hospital, first house, at school, and have students do videos at their favorite hang outs.  Video would be a great final assignment after their Life Story and Timelines. I would let my students use the Kideos.com for video research. Kideos.com provides a safe online YouTube videos that are teacher and parent approved. I think, students would enjoy making their own mini movies and having a movie presentation day where the class reviews everyone's home movies. It is a great way for students to learn about each other and have fun learning at the same time.

To view Kideo's website, visit: www.Kideos.com

Digital Video Goes to School

Assignment Seven

Hoffenberg, H., & Handler, M. (2001). Digital video goes to school. Learning and Leading with technology, 29(2), 10-15.

What skills are students developing in the process of making a video?

In the process of creating a video, students are practicing many skills, including: 

• the technical skills involved in making and editing a videos
  
• visual literacy skills
  
• the higher-level thinking skills of analyzing and synthesizing the information they want to present as they come up with a point or focus for their work and as they decide what details to include in their videos
  

What type of video formats fit well as a culminating activity?

Formats for a video as the final reporting of a project—whether a project-based learning experience or a traditional research project—include:

• video newscasts
  
• documentaries
  
• infomercials
  
• video clips for a Web page or multimedia Presentation
  

What types curriculum characteristics make sense for video?

Video is a natural fit when you want to capture:

• emotion
  
• heritage or culture (the story and the storyteller)
  
• memorable experiences
  
• change over time
  
• a process
  
• a phenomenon in nature
  
• a process slowed to view frame by frame to better understand it
  

Briefly describe the guidelines for video use.

Teachers are now responsible for helping students learn and use the guidelines for communicating with audiences using what we know about the rules and guidelines for visual communication tools. To start your video project, choose a subject with which you are familiar. Consider the audience and purpose and spend time planning and storyboarding. These steps are critical to the movie’s ultimate success or failure. Thinking about the kind of shots required to best convey the videographers’ message should be done beforehand as well. Throughout the planning, students must consider the relationship between visual communication and the content as they organize their work. Once they have completed planning, they can begin to shoot the movie using the camcorder. Once they’ve finished shooting, they can begin the editing process.

Teachers can have students could use Kideos.com for brainstorming ideas for video ideas. Students can also submit their videos for Kideo's video posting and provide extra credit if their video is selected.

Find the Best Software

Assignment Six

McKenzie, W. (2003). Find the best software: Using bloom's taxonomy and multiple intelligences to select and use software. Learning and Leading with technology, 30(8), 54-58.

• What considerations need to be made on selecting software for the classroom?

When selecting software for the classroom, you should consider how it will best fit the class / students. Such as: 

Tutorial: offering content, concepts, and skills with the opportunity for their application.

Guided Practice: application of specific skills with support, interaction, and feedback

Independent Practice: use of specific skills to reach an identified goal.

Assessment: evaluation of student mastery of specified skills and concepts through appropriate tasks.

Heuristic: learning activities that require problem-solving skills and provide for more than one strategy to successfully complete the tasks.

Productivity: used for writing, composing, organizing, sorting, calculating, drawing, painting, and publishing.

Simulation: providing a vicarious experience for the students through electronic means.

• Describe what you feel is most important to consider after reading this article.

I feel the most important thing to consider when selecting software is to make sure it is user friendly for the students. Teachers who use software and learning methods should make sure it is user friendly so students do not get frustrated.  Software lesson programs like Jumpstart.com are a great tutor resource for students and it is very user friendly.  I also found websites like BBCtyping.com is a great tool for teaching first grade and up how to type on a computer. Both softwares are safe, kid-friendly, and easy to use for beginners.

• How might software address multiple intelligences?

Software might address multiple intelligences like Visual/Spatial: with software programs that create charts, graphs, maps, tables, illustrations, art, puzzles, costumes, and many other materials.  The visual/spatial intelligence allows students to picture ideas and solutions to problems in their minds before they are able to verbalize them or put them into practice.  I found a math software game called My Mathematical Life that fifth graders and up enjoy. In My Mathematical Life, "Students discover the math involved in everyday living as they take a character from high school graduation to retirement, advising on important health, education, career, and financial decisions. Students apply math skills, create representational models, and develop critical thinking, strategic planning, and time management skills as they work to ensure their character’s happiness. Students select a character to guide through the ups and down of life. Working as an advisor, your students help the characters manage their resources to the fullest to achieve their personal goals" is explained on Sunburst.com.

• Find at least one site on the Internet that explains multiple intelligences and why they are important to consider.

The article, “Multiple Intelligences: A Theory for Everyone” explains the different types of intelligences, the importance of how to teach to the different learner types, and how to implement the lesson styles in the classroom.  It also provides the 8^th Intelligence!

Guignoon, Anne (1998). Multiple Intelligences: A Theory for Everyone. Retrieved from http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr054.shtml

The Database: America's Presidents

Assignment Five

Beth, H. (1998). The database: America's presidents. Learning and Leading with technology, 25(7), 6-11.

Write a summary of how you would use a database in your class.

            In a first grade class that I observed, the class was learning about Johnny Apple Seed. The teacher asked that all parents send their child’s favorite apple to school. The children created a data base of types of apples students brought to class, yellow, red, green, or mixed color apples. They created graphs and pie charts based on their database.  The teacher also created a database of how many big apples, medium size apples, and small apples. The children really enjoyed this project and they cut the apples up at snack time and taste-tested the different type of apples. I would use this apple database lesson plan in my classroom, because the students really enjoyed the lesson in graphs because it was hands on, visual, and a good tie into the Johnny Apple Seed history lesson. Plus, the apples are a nutritious snack!

Database projects are great for mini beginner science projects. Database projects require a lot supervision. The students should be allowed to work in groups and the teacher should walk around and visit each group to make sure they are entering the correct data or else the charts / graphs and conclusion will be wrong.

Digital Citizenship

Assignment Four

Ribble, M. S., Bailey, G. D., & Ross, T. W. (2004). Digital citizenship: Addressing appropriate technology behavior. Learning and Leading with technology, 32(1), 6-11.

Briefly describe and give examples of the nine general areas of Digital Citizenship.

Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure.

Example: When students see adults using technologies inappropriately, they can assume it is the norm. This leads to inappropriate technology behavior on the part of students.

Communication: electronic exchange of information.

Example: Cell phones, IM, and e-mail have changed the way technology users communicate. These forms of communication have created a new social structure of who, how, and when people interact.

Education: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.

Example: Encourage students to come up with new and alternative uses for the Internet and digital technologies (e.g., IM or online discussion boards).

Access: full electronic participation in society.

Example: Explore Web sites and materials to learn more about accessibility issues. Such as: The World Wide Web Consortium, SNOW, and the Special Needs and Technology page.

Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods.

Example: Teach students about the dangers of identity theft and how to protect themselves online.

Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

Example: Discuss with students the school’s codes of conduct as well as specific laws as they relate to illegal use of technology and the consequence / cost for the breaking those rules/ laws.

Rights: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.

Example: Provide students with information about appropriate and inappropriate use of technology in school.

Safety: physical well-being in a digital technology world.

Example: Make sure that rooms are well lit, and provide appropriately sized furniture for the technology use.

Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety

Example: Teach students to back up data and protect their equipment from damage.

Are there any that you would add?

No, the Nine Etiquette Rules listed above covers everything. I have suffered from a lot of pain in my shoulder and eye strain from sitting at the computer so long. A program that suggested that people to take a break from typing and suggest stretching exercises would be good for them. The program could avoid potential problems like neck pain, carpal tunnel, and eye strain.  

Scaffolding Math Learning with Spreadsheets

Assignment Three

Niess, M. (2005). Scaffolding math learning with spreadsheets. Leading and Learning with Technology, 32(5), 24-25 and 48.

Questions are an important tool to stimulate students’ higher level thinking skills. Create two questions that you might ask regarding this article. 

1. Explain the purpose of Scaffolding Instruction in the classroom?

The purpose of Scaffolding Instruction is to provide students, who have learning problems, a teacher supported transition from primarily seeing and hearing the teacher demonstrate & model a particular math concept/skill to performing the skill independently.

2.   Explain how does scaffolding help students who have learning disabilities?

Provides an effective way for students to gradually but thoroughly learn a math concept/skill, rather than being expected to automatically transfer what they see the teacher do to doing it independently. Learning characteristics such as memory problems, attention difficulties, and academic skill deficiencies make this expectation an unrealistic one.

Provides you the opportunity to evaluate student understanding during instruction, allowing you to remodel, provide corrective feedback, and emphasize particular elements of the concept/skill before students are expected to do it independently.

Students are more confident and more successful during independent practice because they more thoroughly understand the math concept/skill due to the scaffolding process. This situation also reduces student (and teacher!) frustration.

Source: http://fcit.usf.edu/mathvids/strategies/si.html

Don't Feed the Trolls

Assignment Two

Richardson, K. (2008). Don’t feed the trolls: Using blogs to teach civil discourse. Learning & Leading with Technology, 35(7), 12-15.

Find at least one more article that furthers the discussion on Blogs. Tell us where it can be located and describe what you found helpful about it.

I found a helpful article, “Beware the Troll”. I found it helpful because it is a practical guide that discusses what a troll is and how to deal with a troll.  The article defines to troll is a means to allure, to fish, to entice or to bait.  Internet trolls are people who fish for other people’s confidence and try to exploit it. “Beware the Troll” lists the four different types of trolls:

Playtime Trolls: an individual plays a simple, short game. Such trolls are relatively easy to spot because their attack or provocation is fairly blatant, and the persona is fairly two-dimensional.

Tactical Trolls: This is where the troller takes the game more seriously, creates a credible persona to gain confidence of others, and provokes strife in a subtle and invidious way.

Strategic Trolls: A very serious form of game, involving the production of an overall strategy that can take months or years to develop. It can also involve a number of people acting together in order to invade a list.

Domination Trolls: This is where the trollers' strategy extends to the creation and running of apparently bona-fide mailing lists.

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm

Don't Feed the Trolls - Classroom Rules

Assignment Two

Richardson, K. (2008). Don’t feed the trolls: Using blogs to teach civil discourse. Learning & Leading with Technology, 35(7), 12-15.

Briefly describe what you will use from this article for your own teaching practice     

In my classroom, I will teach the important values of civil discourse on the Internet. Students would be taught to be respectful when interacting with others while online. As a teacher, I would be sure to provide clear examples of acceptable and unacceptable behavior for online use. I think, for a class lesson students could create their own blog about "trolling" behavior. To enforce and remind students the importance of this, I will post the rules listed below in my classroom next to the Classroom Behavior Rules. 

Don’t Feed the Trolls Rules and Regulations

1.   Use “I” statements to make it clear that you are speaking for yourself.

2.   Don’t use name calling.

3.   Avoid labeling groups of people.

4.   Discuss ideas, not people.

5.   Don’t respond to provocations.

6.   Stay on topic.

7.   Be willing to really listen to points of view that are different from your own, recognizing that others are allowed to have opinions different from yours.

8.   Realize that what you say and what others think you said may be two different things. If there is misunderstanding, try to clarify your position.

 Troll Image Source: metropolitician.blogs.com

Visualize, Visualize, Visualize

Assignment One

Chen, P., & McGrath, D. (2004). Visualize, Visualize, Visualize: Designing projects for higher order thinking. Learning & Leading with Technology, 32(4), 54-57.

Based on your experiences, what are some ways in which you might apply ideas presented by the authors in this article

In a fourth grade class I observed, students were reading about the Titanic and their assignment was to write their life story and create timelines. First, students wrote their ideas in journals, just a quick write of events to include from birth to fourth grade.  Students brainstormed using bubble maps, much like the Inspiration 8 concept, to help organize their thoughts and create a well organized life story. Timeline posters are great visuals for students when they presented their life story to the class. The timeline posters were displayed in the classroom for students to review and see what they have in common with each other. The timeline posters were displayed for Back To School Night so the parents could see their child's artwork and what they felt was important milestones made it to their timeline. 

 

Inspiration Image Source: www.Inspiration.com

 What is project-based learning and how does it affect the classroom and the way you will teach?

“Project-based learning (PBL) provides a way of learning that seems to be particularly attractive to students who are struggling with conventional school assignments.” (Chen, P., & McGrath, D. (2004))  PBL affects the classroom and the way I would teach because at-risk students became active learners that are willing to engage in cognitively challenging tasks when a PBL opportunity is available. Students who have a hard time staying on task (aka: easily distracted type) do better in group activities because they are engaged with others to help them stay on task. Independent class work style learning can be a struggle, almost learning disability, and PBL provides a way for them to stay engaged in the class assignment / lesson. 

What is an example of higher-order thinking?

High-order thinking is after engaging students in hands-on learning projects, you increase the complexity of the projects to include specific cognitive and meta cognitive learning goals. An example of higher-order thinking would be a creating a model of the different layers of the earth’s surface. The three main layers are the core, the mantle and the crust. 

Locate at least two more articles or resources that either support project based learning or for double credit try to find an author who argues against project based learning. List these in APA format and summarize their key points.

In the article, “Motivating Project Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learner”, the authors discuss why project and problem based types of learning often meet with success, outline how to properly plan and implement such activities, observe potential problems that teachers may face when implementing such types of instruction, and indicate how technology can be integrated in such a way that student interest and motivation is maintained throughout the duration of the project.

Blumenfeld, Phyllis, Soloway, Elliot. Marx, R.A., et al. "Motivating Project Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learner." Educational Psychologist, v. 26, n.3-4, 369-398, 1991.

In the article, Project-Based Learning: Building Communities of Reflective Practitioners, the authors, Karen Ayas and Nick Zeniuk, discuss the potential learning capacity in project-based organizations from conclusions drawn from research and field experience. Ayas and Zeniuk propose project-based learning as a means to deal with the challenge of sustainable growth of learning capacity,

Ayas, Karen, Zeniuk, Nick, (200) Project-Based Learning: Building Communities of Reflective Practitioners. Management Learning, Vol. 32, No. 1, 61-76