Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Double Entry 7

Words Failed, Then Saved Me

"Repeating third grade at a new school, after having been asked to leave my old one for hitting kids who made fun of my perceived stupidity, I was placed in the “dummy class.” There were three of us, separated from our classmates at a table in the corner of the room. One day, the teacher, who seldom spoke to us since it was understood that most of what she taught was beyond the reach of our intelligence, placed books in our hands and whispered that we should sit there quietly “pretending to read.” The principal was coming."

This kind of hit hard for me because I was that kid.  It's sad that as much as we know about learning disorders, we're still not as educated or as open minded as we should be.  What's even sadder is that, that 'dummy class' I was in, wasn't because I had a learning disability.  When I moved to that town, my fifth grade class was the largest that that school had ever had, so they had to split us into three homerooms instead of two.  There was A class, B class, and C class.  A and B were the 'smart kids' and got to have regular classes, moving around the building.  C class had to have all our classes but three in our room, which looked like a dank, converted storage closet.

Learning Disabilities in Children

This site discribes a multitude of different learning disabilities.  Also this site has information on mental and emotional aspects of a students life, as well as many other problem areas for students.

Schultz, P. (2011, September 3). Words failed, then saved me. The new york times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html?_r=2

Kemp, G., Smith, M., & Segal, J. (2012, January). Learning disabilities in children. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Double Entry 6

This week we read "Teaching Media Literacy".

They both use critical thinking, and other similar skills, but reading online, offers challenges, such as making judgements about the validity of the information

"Although some countries (notably Canada, England, and Australia) have made progress in integrating media literacy into the school curriculum, schools in the United States generally have lagged behind (Hobbs & Frost, 2003)."

The reason this quote caught my eye was that, we as a nation often feel that students spend to much time using digital media, so we often don't allow our students to use these resources inside school.  We do this despite evidence and research, such as that shown in this article, that proves there is use and even need for it in the classroom.


David, J. L. (2009). Teaching media literacy . Educational leadership, 66(6), 84-86. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx

Reflection Voki

















I realised that I had an extra 'to' and removed it.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Reflection Revision

Really 0 Found 0 Removed.
Just 0 Found 0 Removed.
That 3 Found 2 Removed.

0 Passive sentences found.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Double Entry Journal 5

What is the difference between Media in Education vs Media Literacy Education?
Media Literacy is the ability to navigate and use different forms of media. Media in Education is the use of different media for the use of education, this could also include teacher Media Literacy.
 
What social bargain is at the heart of Fair use?
We give the creators of a work ownership of their works, while giving others the chance to use parts of these works without permission, or payment in certain circumstances.
 
Why is Fair Use more important today?
I’m not sure how to answer this question in my own words, but I think the section “Copyright: A Contentious Climate” (pg.5) answers this well.
 
“New norms of information sharing—file sharing, downloading, podcasting—are emerging at the very moment when copyright owners are attempting to capture new revenue streams from various sources, educators involved in media literacy feel uncertain in this new environment of heightened commodification. On the one hand, they sense that copyrighted material should be available for their activities and those of their learners, and that such availability has great social and cultural utility. But on the other, they are aware of the increased vigilance with which copyright owners are enforcing their rights. And their actual understanding of the subject is incomplete or even distorted. As a result, there is a climate of increased fear and confusion about copyright, which detracts from the quality of teaching. Lack of clarity reduces learning and limits the ability to use digital tools. Some educators close their classroom doors and hide what they fear is infringement; others hyper comply with imagined rules that are far stricter than the law requires, limiting the effectiveness of their teaching and their students’ learning."
Also, it’s more important because the prolonged copyright laws make it more difficult to attain permissions to use works.
 
What are the two key questions judges use to determine Fair Use? 
Did the use of the copy-righted material ‘transform’ the original purpose are intent of the original work?
Was the material taken appropriate in kind and amount, considering the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?
 
A teacher shows a movie of The Lion King and asks student to notice how the animals in the movie reflect racial stereotypes? Is this Fair Use? Why?
Yes, she isn’t making profit from showing the film. Also, the use of media for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research is protected under the fair use act.
 
Which principle relates most strongly to the digital story you created in class? Explain.
 Number four, this principle cover materials created by students, such as edited videos.
 
Are there limitations to the amount of pictures, length of music, or video that can be used in a multimedia project?
It doesn’t give specifics, but it cautions against the use of copyrighted materials as a by.
 
Do you need to request permission from the original creator in order to use copyrighted material in multimedia project for school related assignment?
Not necessarily, it may be a good idea, but if you give credit, you should be fine.
 
Should educators try to change the policies in their school if they are not in line with Fair Use doctrine?
Absolutely, every school should follow all laws, including the Fair Use doctrine.
 
What common myth about Fair Use surprised you the most?
Fair Use Could Get Me Sued, its not Fair Use that can get you sued, its what keeps you from keeping sued.
 
Does the digital story you created and uploaded to YouTube fall under Fair Use Guidelines? Explain
Yes, we used copyrighted Material, but we didn't profit from it, and we credited the owners of the work.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Double Entry Journal 4

I saved my quote as a picture file and embeded it here:




































I chose this quote, because it shows that his main concern is for the kids he is teaching, and how to allow them to best understand what he is teaching.  He understands that not everystudent understands techknowlogy.  He understands that some students aren't as open as other students.  He also understands that it's his job to help them become stronger in all their problem areas; helping them tell stories before telling digital stories, or helping them learn to walk before they run.

I also found it interesting the he went on to describe the story mapping process in similer terms to those we use in Theatre and Storytelling, when analysiing a script or story.

I found another website that is devoted to digital storytelling as their webstie says: "Digital Storyteller is being developed as an initiative within the Center for Technology & Teacher Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Center faculty members and graduate fellows identify and explore innovative digital technologies.
Digital Storyteller is a member of a family of web based tools that also includes PrimaryAccess (designed for history teaching). Both projects are intended to serve as catalysts in use of effective technology-based tools in the K-12 classroom. Our partners in these endeavors include public schools, local public television stations, the Virginia Center for Digital History, StageTools, and other non-profit and commercial organizations."

Ohler, J. (05/06). The world of digital storytelling. Educational leadership, 63(4), 44-47.

Digital storyteller. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.digitalstoryteller.org/aboutus.htm

Photostory

Here Is My Photostory!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Comic

Activity 9

What strategy is being employed?
Why does the strategy work?
In this experiment Inez Brown used test messaging, blog postings and email to help her students understand Richard III.
By using a technology that almost forces students to summarize, a practice which the article says great helps students retain information, she gave them a new way to learn that engaged them.  Texting and blogging was also something that the students were already familiar with making the transition to that medium much easier.  Also she was savy enough to make sure each group had a student with easy access to a cell phone.

Learning Style Questions

Do learning styles exist?
Are they useful for classroom instruction?
What is the best philosophy for using learning styles?
Learning styles do exist, and can be incredibly useful for some students once you find what their learning style, or styles, is.  The trick with learning styles is to realize that not every student may have a set learning style, or that no two students, even with the same learning style, may learn in the same way.  The best use of it is to maybe teach students about learning styles and allow them to find what they believe best suits their needs, helping them, but not pushing.  I liked the way the article said it best, "In other words, do not pigeonhole people as we are all capable of learning under almost any style, no matter what our preference is."
Clark, D. (2000, May 29). Learning styles & preferences. Retrieved from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Double Entry Journal 3

This Week We read Two Articles:
Are Digital Media Changing Language?
The Keypad Solution

There wasn't Anything that jumped out at me from the second article, but I did find two quotes from the first article that struck me.

"Diminished concern over spelling and punctuation. Spell-check, along with online search engines, may be convincing us that devoting energy to honing spelling skills is anachronistic. Even before you finish typing a word containing an error, spell-check often automatically corrects the word. Similarly, if you type a misspelled word (or phrase) into Google, chances are the search engine will land you pretty much at the same list of sites you would have reached had you been a finalist in the National Spelling Bee."

I really agree with this quote, and it reminded me of a poem I read once about the spell check problem.  Another problem with spell check, that she doesn't mention here is that, even if you type a word correctly, it may me a word that sounds the same, but means something entirely different.  Also if you type a word incorrectly, there are a lot of instances where spell check will change it to an entirely different word than the one you were intending.  Also, she overestimates the cockiness of google, the minute you type the wrong word in that engine they come back with a "didn't you mean ___."

"No longer do we say that Li Po "talks strangely"; rather, she is an "English language learner." Instead of criticizing Bill from Appalachia (who says "Him and me went home"), we note that Bill speaks another dialect of English."
This one bothered me a little.  In her effort to say that we are no longer racist, she was incredibly racist.  Li Po?  Did she right down as many stereotypical names as she could think of and throw a dart to choose which she'd use?  The same thing with Bill.  And as someone from Southern Appalachia, I'm personally insulted by the 'him and me went home' crack.  Granted I will admit, I happen to have a chip on my shoulders about where I come from, but I still think there are better ways she could have addressed that issue.

Here is a poem that shows all that can go wrong with your spell checking experience:  Ode to a Spell Checker

Baron, N. S. (2009). Are digital media changing language?. Educational leadership, 66(6), 42-46. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language¢.aspx


Shea, A. (2010, January 22). The keypad solution. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html
Ode to a spell checker.  Retrieved from