Seven-Power Lens Double Entry Journal

Quote: "Each of us may define thinking differently: as a balance of analytical, creative and practical abilities; as intellectual habits of mind like open- mindedness; or as mental processes specific to a discipline. However we define it, we must agree that today's students, our future citizens, should be able to marshal thinking skills to spot "eye witless news...a twinkle of the airwaves." (Bennett 2001)

Reaction:  I strongly agree with this entire quote. I also think this article is wonderful. Their are many different kinds of ways people think and also learn. I encourage kids and my future students to think creatively. I feel like if your students are able to think with their imagination they will be more interested in learning and actually wanting to learn. Thinking analytically is a very important way to learn as well. A lot of students and children learn in different ways and at different paces. You can also think of thinking as mental processes specific to a discipline. I feel like if their is discipline incorporated into learning and thinking,they will actually practice and try to learn the material. I do agree that students should be able to learn and think in both creative and analytical ways. Thinking skills are what all students should work on on a daily basis. Students being able to learn an grasp new information is a wonderful thing for a teacher to see and notice. To see a child learn makes me smile. 

Related Source:  

 

I think this video displays what it means to be literate in the 21st century today.  You have to be very knowledgeable with technologies and how to be able to incorporate them into your 21st century classroom. Cell phones, computers, txting to communicate through blogging, the new 21st century teaching. Retrieved from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn0_H-kvxkU

Resource: 

Abilock, Debbie.(2002, April 21) A Seven- Power Lens on 21st -Century Literacy. 30-35 . Web. September 28 2011. Retrieved from:

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/consult/articles/PowerLensSingle.pdf 

Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6DFAmexYq7vMTFmZjZhNWItZWY5Ni00NzdhLWIxYzItMmE4NmI0MGI5NzJl&hl=en&pli=1

Oil Spill : Obama

**I feel that picture one makes me feel more at ease. I feel like he is on the job with his men working for a cure. I do feel that he should apear to be more serious though, not smiling so big. I do feel that he is concerned and putting forth the effort. Photo 2 also shows his concern for the environement as well. I think both pictures are good images of Obama.

Saddam's Statue Topples

What do I know?
I know that this is Saddam's Statue located in Baghdad that fell April 9, 2003. Taking down the statue was encouraging to me.
The 12-metre tall Statue was one of Iraq's newest Sculptures erected in honor of Saddam Hussein's 65th birthday in April of 2002. In May of 2003 a group of Iraqi artists raised a new statue where Saddam used to stand. The Iraqi artists describe, "the new sculpture is seven metres (23 feet) high and shows a symbolic Iraqi family holding aloft a crescent moon and a sun."The event was initially broadcast as a spontaneous show of Iraqi joy at the overthrow of the Saddam regime. It was at first reported that Iraqi civilians where trying to pull down the statue and only later were they helped by American military. It was later revealed that rather than an Iraqi inspired event it was stage managed American plan from a psychological operations team.  Retrieved by: http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Fall_of_Saddam_Hussein's_Statue

How do I know it?

I know this information by watching the YouTube video and by looking for additional information on Google. I find that this topic is very interesting and interesting to me. Also, this was a huge issue in Baghdad that was taking very seriously.

How can I find out more?

A good way to find out more about Saddam's Statue is to Google it or use a search engine. Search Engines are a great way to get more knowledgable on a certain topic.

What is the point of view?

My point of view is that I was rather happy that the Statue had toppled down. It was a very encouraging moment for me. I feel that everyone else was rather relieved for the Statue to be taken down. I really liked when they placed the American Flag over Saddam's face.

Who is the creators audience?

I feel that the creators audience is Saddam's people. I also feel that the audience is the American people. It was encouraging for the American people when they took the statue down, This was a wonderful moment in history.

Why is this important?

This is a very important day in history that was a remarkable thing that had taken place. For the American people, when the Saddam Statue was taken down, and Saddam's face was covered with the American flag, this was an encouraging time for not just Americans but people all over the world. I feel like this was a  turning point for the people in the United States. April 9, 2003 will never be forgotten. This day will always be remembered and never forgotten.

Art Becomes the Next R- Double Entry Journal

Quote:"I am referring to the fact that the multimedia environment of the Web, as well as much of what we experience, through our computers requires our students to think and communicate as designers and artists.

Reaction:  I agree with this quote. I feel that everything students do in the classroom requires them to use their creativity and imagination. I feel that the internet requires students to think outside the box and to learn how to communicate with other classmates as well as teachers. The multimedia environment of the Web is so complex that it is almost impossible to not learn something each day you explore a new website or area. For our students to think and communicate they have to able to interact with their classmates. Students do not realize that as they are working on the Web or through a multimedia website or activity, they are also learning as well. When a student is having so much fun, they don't realize they are learning. Being able to explore a multimedia site will allow a student to learn and get more familiar with technology. Technology is the key to the future and is changing the world drastically everyday. Students need to stay more involved with using technology to be ready for the future. In the future I feel that every single job will revolve around technology and multimedia.

Related Source: 

I believe this video is a good way to show how we need to start using multimedia more in the 21st century. Media literacy is very important and that is addressed in this video. The video states that learning should be active and fun which i agree 100%. Media is all around us all the time. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpikhEiwmTs&feature=related

Resource: 
Ohler, J. (2005, March). ar the fourth r. Retrieved from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4383

Concept Map/Double Entry Journal

How does digital story telling support learning in schools?

 There are numerous ways that Digital Storytelling can be used in education. One of the

first decisions to be made when deciding to use this tool in the curriculum is whether an
instructor will create the Digital Stories or have their students do it. Some educators may
decide to create their own stories and show them to their students as a way to present new
material. An engaging, multimedia-rich Digital Story can serve as an anticipatory set or
hook to capture the attention of students and increasing their interest in exploring new
ideas. A number of researchers support the use of anticipatory sets at the beginning of a
lesson to help engage students in the learning process (Burmark, 2004; Ormrod, 2004)
and as a bridge between existing knowledge and new material (Ausbel, 1978). 

Digital Storytelling can also be a potent tool for students who are taught to create their
own stories. After viewing example digital stories created by their teachers or other story
developers, students may be given assignments in which they are first asked to research a
topic and then choose a particular point of view and, as described in the Seven Elements
of Digital Storytelling, a dramatic question. This type of activity can generate interest,
attention and motivation for the "digital generation" students in today’s classrooms.

Citation: http://digitalliteracyintheclassroom.pbworks.com/f/Educ-Uses-DS.pdf

A good activity for students would be to allow them to make a digital story. This would be a good way for them to communicate with each other.  

Digital story telling helps to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This is a standard from the ISTE NETS-T. The Digital story telling allows students to be able to do all of these aspects. 
Ohler, J. (2005, March). ar the fourth r. Retrieved from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4383

Multimedia Blog

Can students upload their multimedia project to YouTube?


Yes! Educators and students must credit sources, giving full bibliographic information when available.
Educators and students must display the copyright notice and copyright ownership information if this is shown in the original source.
Copyright information for images may be shown in a separate bibliographic section unless the presentation is being used for distance learning. In this case, the information must be incorporated within the image itself.


Do you need to request permission from the original creator in order to use copyrighted material in multimedia project for school related assignment?



Yes! You always need to get permission before you distribute or use any information. You need to get permission: When you intend to use the project for commercial or non-educational purposes.
When you intend to duplicate the project beyond the two copies allowed by the guidelines.
When you plan to distribute the project beyond the scope of the guidelines If you have any doubts about whether a use is fair use, it is always best to seek permission. A lot of students don't understand the copyright laws because they are very uneducated about them.
The fair use of copyrighted material in multimedia projects lasts for two years only. After two years, obtain permission before using the project again.


Are the limitations to the amount of pictures or length of music or video that can be used in a multimedia project?Uploading a video or multimedia project to youtube is rather easy and gives other classmates the opportunity to veiw their work. I have enjoyed uploading my multimedia video to Youtube as well. Yes! Music or lyrics & music video: Up to 10%, but in no event more than 30 seconds, of the music and lyrics from an individual musical work (or in the aggregate of extracts from an individual work), whether the musical work is embodied in copies, or audio or audiovisual works, may be reproduced or otherwise incorporated as a part of a multimedia project. You are able to use a certain amount of music in your videos.
Illustrations or photographs:
No more than five images from one artist or photographer.
No more than 10% or 15 images, whichever is less, from a collection.

The World of Digital Storytelling- Double entry blog

Quote: "Digital stories provide powerful media literacy learning opportunities because students are involved in the creation and analysis of the media in which they are immersed. When students do the hard work of marrying story and technology to express themselves to others, they can see more clearly the persuasive nature of the electronic culture in which they live. Digital stories need to be used to strengthen student's critical thinking, report writing, and media literacy skills. " (Jason Ohler 2005-2006)

Reaction:  I agree with this quote. I believe digital story telling is a great way for students to be creative. Making digital stories also provides students with literacy learning opportunities.  When students are able to analyze the material they are studying and break it down into a digital story, they are learning a lot. Making digital stories is a great way to allow students to express themselves to others and also see other sides of their classmates. When you are able to tell a story by using technology, this is just amazing. I fill like being able to write a paper would not be as beneficial as being able make a digital story. I feel like being able to narrate your digital story makes it more personal and more people will be able to develop an emotional reaction, rather than just reading a paper. I also believe using digital story telling is a great way to improve students critical thinking and media literacy skills. The more practice students have with working with media and other technical programs, the better their media literacy skills will be. Anytime you can improve a skill, " I say go for it!" I feel like using electronics are a fantastic way to allow the students to be creative and also is a great way and opportunity to express themselves.

Related source:

I like this video becuase it displays young students in the classroom using technology. I love seeing them using laptops. The students are communicating well with eachother and interacting well. This video portrays the 21st century classroom very well. I admire seeing the students using laptops in the classroom at such a young age. They also were creating digital stories. I think digital stories are a great way to learn about a specific subject. Also, I think digital story telling would be a great and creative way for students to interact with other classmates and get to know eachother better. Being able to do a digital story would be a nice break away from the regular research paper as well. I also was surprised that the students were able to browse on the internet so well. Technology is taking over.


Reference:  

Jason Ohler (2005, December/2006, Janurary) The World of Digital Storytelling. Retreived from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_w5LC1OwKs

My Digital Story

 

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

 -Dr. Suess

Digital Stories / Voting

Discuss the history of voting from a global, national and local context

 While the right to vote is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, this right is not fully enforced for millions of individuals around the world. Consistently disenfranchised groups include non-citizens, young people, minorities, those who commit crimes, the homeless, disabled persons, and many others who lack access to the vote for a variety of reasons including poverty, illiteracy, intimidation, or unfair election processes. An important force in combating disenfranchisement is the growth of organizations engaged in election monitoring. Around the world, governments struggle to meet the challenge of the Universal Declaration related to free and fair elections. Election monitoring groups, ranging from local or party monitors to United Nations teams, assist governments and local groups to hold free and fair elections by observing the process from the beginning (voter education, candidate campaigns, planning for the ballot) to the end vote count. By declaring an election ‘free and fair’ monitors can legitimize the outcome of that election. Conversely, by not doing so, legitimacy is withheld. The question of whether or not to grant legitimacy to election results is complicated by political considerations, as the results of declaring elections ‘not free nor fair’ can be serious. Riots and even civil war can break out. Retrieved from: (University of Minnesota Human Rights Center 2008)

Thanks to a movement led by differently-abled Americans and their supporters, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was passed. It provided for ballot and poll access for those with disabilities. Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and other laws continued. Retrieved from: (http://www.iwantmyvote.com/recount/history/)

Do you think a digital story like this one could substitute for a research paper? Why or Why not?

I believe a digital story can in fact substitute for a research paper. From watching the digital video I obtained a lot of important information as I would from reading a research paper. I was very interested while watching the video. If I was just reading a paper it would not be as interesting as watching the digital story. I believe if students had the opportunity to create a digital story compared to writing a research paper, they would have the opportunity to show their creativity. In a digital story you still have a lot of information and a great display of photos and important images that can not be displayed in a research paper. i learn the best visually, so I think substituting a digital story instead of writing a reach paper would be a good way to teach the students something else and to keep them interested. I think digital stories are interesting and beneficial.

Comic Strip

The Keypad Solution

Quote: 
There is a long and noble history of trying to change the English language’s notoriously illogical system of spelling.Whether texting conventions are supported by organized spelling reformists or not, can they possibly solve the difficulty of spelling our troublesome language? David Crystal, the author of “Txtng: The Gr8 Db8,” told me in an e-mail message that “there’s nothing in texting to suggest spelling reform,” noting that texting relies heavily on abbreviations, which he sees as creative stylings, not systematic improvements. He added that there is very little that is new about most of the abbreviations and lexical shortenings that make texting so maddening to so many. In fact, he said, with the exception of a few recent coinages like LOL, “virtually all the commonly used ones can be found in English a century ago.” For example, bn (been), btwn (between) and wd (would) can all be found in a 1942 dictionary of abbreviations.( Ammon Shea )

Reaction:  The way people spell and speak has been a problem for as long as I can remember. The English language is one of the most common spoken languages and one of the most difficult to learn. A lot of people have tried to change things and alter others in the English language and have miserably failed. Their failing attempts do not surprise me at all. Spelling reform is the attempt to change the spelling of English words to make it conform more closely to pronunciation. I agree that txting relies on abbreviations and is merely a creative style of communicating through the English language. The way the English language has suffered I believe does have a good bit to do with the way people all over the world have let txting control their lives, but I also believe the English language has suffered because people have not become more knowledgeable.  Txting might have cause people to hate what has become of the English language but I believe everyone communicates through txting and always will. Abbreviations will always be used and never stopped. Abbreviations are not the "bad guy". Also, almost all abbreviations we use now, were used a century ago. The English language is changing and so are we.

Reference Ammon Shea( 2010, January) The Keypad Solution. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html


Related Resource: This link is a great example of how the English language is changing. Abbreviations are no longer the thing of the past, they are the here and now. "LOL", "OMG","BRB" are all now in dictionaries which blows my mind. How does it make you feel?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/opinion/05tue4.html?ref=englishlanguage

My Blog-Learning Style Test

 What I've learned...


- From taking the learning style test, I have learned that I learn best through kinesthetics. When I am able to touch things or be able to use my hands to learn, I stay interested. Hands-on experiences are the best way for me to learn. I also am a visual learner. If I am able to see someone else doing what I need to learn, it is easy for me to visual to  succeed. I would say overall, I learn quite well visually. If I am told to learn something but I can not see the big picture, it becomes rather difficult. Visually and kinesthically are the easiest ways for me to learn. I do not learn as easily through reading and writing. Things become more difficult. I am mostly a visual learner.



What are some of the strategies you should employ as a learner? Do you feel this test is accurate?

I believe some of the best strategies you should employe as a learner is excellent note taking skills, focus, discipline,  time management, organization. Also you should employ the desire to do well. As a learner it is good to employ a lot of different skills. I feel that this test has been pretty accurate. I believe I do learn best through visual aid and kinesthics. My worst way to learn definitely is through reading and writing. I would rather learn hands-on or visually. If I'm staying involved in something and able to see or feel what I'm learning it is overall easier for me. To learn something and have to read a whole lot does not grasp my attention as well. Overall, I believe the Learning style test pretty accurately displays my best learning style.

 This is my beautiful PicassoHead! :))))

Blog Posting- Wordle & Poll Everywhere

Wordle- The Wordle is a text analysis tool. You are able to pick any group of words to create a wordle to display what  your most common word that describes you is, then the next less common word will be small, then the next word will be smaller, and so on. I believe this a a great way to make a display and visual aid of words that describe you or even your friends, or your favorite way to descibe what kind of teacher you would like to be. The Worlde allows you to be very creative and flexible. In this course we have used Wordle to display what words discribe what kind of teacher we want to be. This was a good way to see a visual on mabye some of the aspects of what kind of teacher we want to be. It also would be good for us to see these words an help us set goals to be that kind of teacher.

Poll Everywhere- This is an audience response system. Poll Everywhere is a great way to get students involved and gives them an opportunity to interact. Interaction is the number one key. You are able to create and poll, while  other students are able to give you feedback. The Poll Everywhere is a great way for students to get to know eachother and stay invloved. In this course we used Poll Everywhere to post a poll we made to try and learn a little more about our classmates. This was an enjoyable and creative assignment and over all I learned new things about my classmates. This was a great way to inspire student learning as well.

How might these promote learning in my future classroom? - I believe Wordle is a great way to keep the students involved and still allow them to be creative. You could use Wordle to help with spelling class or even to help teaching a poetry lesson. The Wordle is very flexible and can be also used to help the students make a Wordle to help get to know their classmates as well. The Poll Everywhere also would be a great way for students to create a poll and post it, allowing their fellow classmates to respond. This would be a great way for students to get to know their classmates and also stay involved and interact with each other. They both will be a great way to stay interested in the class.

My Reflection/ connection- The Wordle, Poll Everywhere, and the ISTE NETS-T, all promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. For a student to be able to be creative and lets there work reflect who there are, it is a good way for students to get to know each other.I think all three of these activities are great for learning as well. They also engage students to be more involved and attentive in class and during activities.