Week Five

Visual Literacy...no clue!  I came into this lesson really with no idea as to what that meant and certainly no clue how it would apply to education.

I began by watching Scorsese's video and found it very thought-provoking.  I had never really considered that there is a 'literacy' attached with film or TV.  But as he began explaining how camera angles, types of cameras, lighting, etc.. affect the message trying to be conveyed, I began to understand that there is a literacy with visual arts.

Through further exploration of the required websites, I found several examples that really made an impact.  The first was a simple Portrait for Kids site.  This site had a famous portrait of George Washington but several key components of the portrait were missing.  Students are given a clue and then can use a magnifying glass to find a missing component.  Once the component is found, it becomes part of the portrait and further information is given that provides the significant relevance to that missing piece.  By the time the portrait is completely restored, you are left understanding that the artist didn't just paint George Washington, but every detail in the portrait had importance and the viewer could learn something about the time period just by studying the picture.

Another site that impacted my understanding of the importance of visual literacy was the PBS site.  One of the sub-sites had pictures of social context.  It was discussed that photographers often take pictures to try to change the social culture - such as impoverished children or child labor.  When I viewed these pictures, I realized just how much a single photo, with no word, truly did influence my thoughts on such an important issue.

In our class we have been viewing mind maps.  These are visual 'outlines' that use color and words to show relationships.  It became more evident how important 'seeing' something may be to the learning process or the analyzing and remembering process.  Both of these are within Bloom's pyramid and the visual component can aid in both of these categories.  We learned that students who had access to a mind map were able to recall in much greater detail information about a subject than those who had not.  One of my other explorations of a required site (Image Detective) had students take a picture and by analyzing the information within the photo, draw their own conclusions about it.  Also, seeing a picture, even if it is not helpful in providing an answer to a question, can leave a visual image of that particular material.

To end this discussion, I will say that I was really intrigued with Scorsese and how much he was influenced by film.  He recognized right away that the film was drawing him in - even without words - and would go back and rewatch films over and over to understand HOW they were drawing him in.  That curiosity made me critically evaluate my own (or lack of my own).  It has brought to the life the meaning, 'A picture is worth a 1000 words.'

In math, I use a lot of visuals - different color pens to denote different graphs, I move graphs around on the same coordinate plane, I use some animation to create a more interactive lesson.  However, I've never given true thought to what these visual images are doing.  With that in mind, I will now be more purposeful in what and how I show information.  Particularly, I think it would be great to show the famous mathematicians and pictures of the culture at that time.  I think by simply seeing these things, the students may have an image permanently etched in their minds that correlate with a specific theory we are learning.  For example, when studying polynomials, I can bring up Pascal's Triangle and show them Pascal.


 


or some of his work
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.

So...I will let you know how it all works out! 

Tech Ed 15a - http://prezi.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Prezi is a web-based presentation maker.  It works like Power Point but you do not have to have the program since it is web-based.  You can share your files with others online.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Students and teachers could use this to do presentations, much like Power Point but without the cost of the software.  Teachers could begin a presentation and save it and other could add to it.  Students could do presentation assignments without have to be together.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Yes.  I like the flexibility.  The cost is free if you’re willing to have all of your prezi’s public and don’t care about having the prezi logo on them.  However, it’s only $59/year for more space, the availability to be privately shared, and no logos.

 

Tech Ed 15b - http://www.spicynodes.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Spicy Nodes is a program that will integrate animated ‘nodes’ (similar to tabs) in your website.  When you go to the site, all of the main ‘tabs’ show up and their ‘sub tabs’ are floating so that you can easily see where you want to navigate.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	If a classroom is developing a website, this component would be useful because it turns ‘tabs’ into animated nodes – much like what a mind map looks like.  It makes it easier for the user to navigate a website.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Probably not.  It looks like the integration requires a pretty good knowledge of website design.  I do like the concept, but I think you would have to be pretty savvy with coding to put it to use on your website.

Tech Ed 16a - Edmodo

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Edmodo is like a social network for the classroom.  You can post assignments, create polls, add videos, add quizzes, create calendars.  Students can upload assignments and teachers can grade them online with comments.  Parents have access only through their student’s account.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This could be a very useful tool.  One of the private schools in Lexington uses it instead of the website that the school provides.  Each class is self-contained and the information is private.  Students can easily log in and see their assignment and grades.  Parents have access if their child wishes.  IT’s a great place to also collaborate within the class.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Definitely!  I have an account and have asked to be able to use it, but was not given permission because the school wants everyone on the same platform.  It’s a very useful, user-friendly site that would greatly benefit the students.

Tech Ed 16b – Math Dictionary for Kids

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This site lists ‘math terms’ alphabetically.  You can click on a letter and all of the  math terms of that letter appear.  Not only is the definition given, but interactive examples to demonstrate their meaning appear.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I like this – especially as a math teacher.  I noticed that not all of the math terms we use in high school are there, but there are certainly a lot of terms that we use.  This is a good link for me to add to my website for students to use as a resource and may help those who have a different learning style.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Definitely!  It’s easy to use and would be very simple to add a link to my own site and embed a link into presentations.

 

Tech Ed 17a – Glogster

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This site is free and seems similar to facebook in that you can ‘friends’.  I looks like there are different templates to use for different areas of your life – albums, favorite videos, comic strips, etc.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I think this could be used for a creativity project.  Students could create their own Glog for different subjects and they could be shared within  a classroom.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I don’t think so.  I’m not sure that its purpose is that educational and I’m not sure I think it’s better than some other sites out there.

 

Tech Ed 17b – Jing

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This free downloadable program captures screenshots and also allows you to record screen transactions (how to).  It automatically saves the jpeg or video clip and lets you share it via email, embedded code, or link.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This could be used in the classroom in many ways.  It allows students to easily capture pictures to use for presentations and allows teachers to easily create a ‘how to’ video to share with the class.  It’s free and it stays on the toolbar to make it convenient.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would definitely recommend.  I am going to download it myself once I get my new computer up and running.  I am always need to screen capture and get so tired of print screen, pasting into paint and saving as a jpeg.  This create the image immediately.

Tech Ed 18a – YouTube Education

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This link takes you to the YouTube site and directly to the education channel.  Here you can find specific educational videos by subject matter.  You have to ‘subscribe’ to search and upload, but you can look by subject matter (scrolling) if you don’t subscribe.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This is a convenient place to find video material for specific units and subjects.  In math, it provides tutorials as well as other mathematical information in video format.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend.  It’s a neatly compartmentalized place within YouTube to find pertinent information relating to your subject matter.

Tech Ed 18b – SchoolTube

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	SchoolTube lets you sign up and create your own ‘channel’.  Within your channel, you can upload videos on different subjects that then can be searched by other educators and used.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This would be a good place to allow students to create their own videos of class material and post it for others to use.  It is also a place a teacher could post videos for tutorial use.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I might recommend.  The videos are not as ‘professional’ as you find on YouTube, but they would be good for creativity in the classroom.

 

Tech Ed 18c – Teacher Tube

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	TeacherTube looked a lot like YouTube but it did not require a subscription for a channel.  Teachers can upload content that can then be used by other teachers or students.  You can search by subject and content.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This is similar to YouTube.  It’s a possible resource for getting additional help in an area.  The video I watch was grainy and hard to read – so I am not sure how professional and useful the videos may be.  However, the site does have possibilities.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I might recommend.  The videos are not as ‘professional’ as you find on YouTube, but they are another source of information.

Week Four

When I saw that this week’s lesson was on the use of Power Point, my initial reaction was, ‘That’s great!  I use Power Point and know the ins and outs.’  However, after reading both articles, my entire perspective about the use of PowerPoint has changed.  It was refreshing to read that PowerPoint can be overused and that if you DON’T use it, that may actually be a good thing.  I had never read or heard anything really negative about the software; I just knew it was used in almost every lecture setting (seminars, church, meetings) that I attend.  And yes, after reading the articles, I would agree that there is some great use of PowerPoint and there are others, including my own, that probably have been designed around the program itself so that it appears that we are technologically savvy.

In thinking about the best use of PowerPoint that I’ve witnessed, I have to go with the Dave Ramsey courses.  He knows his material so well, that little time is spend on the PowerPoint other than to introduce a point.  His visuals (and he uses many other things other than the PowerPoint) are quite effective.  What made me realize how ‘good’ his use of PowerPoint was is the fact that I don’t associate a PowerPoint presentation with his lectures.  He gives us a plethora of information, but when I truly reflect, he does this by lecture only using PowerPoint slides intermittently to start a discussion, show a pertinent video, or support his stance.

I use a SmartBoard in my class, which, when set up ahead of time for a presentation, is effectively using PowerPoint.  I have used several ‘pre-formed’ lessons and the students do enjoy them.  However, if I used them every day, instead of just using it dynamically (ie giving examples as they arise instead of having examples set up ahead of time), I believe the students would lose interest.

The last presentation I did was on polynomials and I gave it to my Algebra II class.  There were a couple of areas that I was really proud of how effective they worked with the class.  One was the matching component.  Students could interactively match the correct information by dragging and dropping answers into the correct box.  If the answer was correct, a big checkmark would appear.  The other area that I was proud of was when a student completed a problem, they could ‘erase’ an area and the correct answer would ‘appear’.  They loved the mystery of that.

If I were to do the same presentation, I would probably eliminate some of the slides.  They weren’t necessarily needed and it would have been more effective if I had left an empty space there for me to do some examples that the class was struggling with instead of assuming where they may need help.

The students love these presentations because they are interactive, colorful, and different than what we do on a day to day basis.  However, because they enjoy them because they break up the monotony of a typical math day, they would lose their effect if we did this daily.  I also don’t think that they are as effective as a ‘teaching’ tool as working problems on an ‘as needed’ basis.  They do, however, make a day of math more fun!

I also enjoyed getting on TED and chose to watch a segment by Angela Duckworth on GRIT.  I loved the video Angela Duckworth presented on GRIT.  As a teacher and a USA Swimming coach, it was so refreshing to hear what I have known and witnessed throughout my entire life – both as a swimmer and a teacher.

As a high school math teacher, I have both ‘gifted’ students and students who struggle in grasping the material.  However, much like Ms. Duckworth, what I observe over and over is that a student’s final grade in my class does not depend so much on their natural ability as much as it depends on their work ethic and their willingness to persevere.  This same idea is supported in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers in the chapter titled ‘Rice Patties and Math Tests.’  Similar to Ms. Duckworth’s assessment, Gladwell points out that those who score the highest on common standards testing are those who have been brought up in environments where perseverance and work ethic is expected.  This perseverance and work ethic would be what I also consider ‘grit.’

As a swim coach and former national level swimmer, this same trait is exhibited in athletics.  We have had swimmers on our team who are talented beyond measure, but never go beyond a regional level because they are complacent to be ‘above average’ and they do not put in any extra work to be great.  Some of our best athletes have been those who are not as naturally talented, but believe in hard work, and have gone on to be nationally ranked athletes.  Some call it tenacity, others call it hard work, but it all boils down to the same word, ‘grit.’

The struggle with this is exactly what Duckworth states at the end of the video.  How do we make kids ‘grittier?’  If we could bottle and sell grit, we’d all be millionaires.  As a coach and teacher, my biggest challenge is trying to instill that determination and willingness to go the extra mile to achieve more.  Unfortunately, our society has become one of mediocrity, so instilling these values, when they may not be preached at home, is going to be tough.  I hope that through Ms. Duckworth’s continued research, teachers are given some strategies outside of what we’re using now, that may help us develop grittier students which ultimately will give us more productive members of society.

With all of this stated, as a teacher, I am finding the more I learn, the more I realize what I DON’T know.  That’s scary!   I am learning there are so many resources out there but trying to discern the good from the bad can be formidable.  Like I preach to my students, you must perservere….and that I will do!

Tech Ed 11a - ComicLife

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This website changes photos into comic-like pictures.  You can create your own comic strip with their software.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This appears to be an awesome tool.  I didn’t download it because I am using an old laptop that doesn’t have much memory left – but when I get my other laptop fixed, I plan to download the free trial.  Students who may avoid writing, might be more motivated to write and be more creative in their writing.  It could be used for documents, flyers, in newsletters, etc..
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	If it works like it’s stated, I would definitely recommend.  It’s cost is only $19.95 and I think you could really get some creativity going with this.  It looks fun and I think students wouldn’t realize how much they were working because of the animated effects.

 

Tech Ed 11b - http://www.ispeech.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This website offers the availability of adding TTS to existing apps as well as downloadable apps that convert text to speech.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	The apps that are available look interesting.  There is an app that will convert web and word documents into speech which would be very useful for visually impaired students as well as those with any type of reading disability.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I might.  I don’t know the cost or how effective these apps work – but it would be worth looking into.

Tech Ed 12a - voicethread

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This website offers a service that teachers can use that will give students in their classroom a way to upload and share productions that include their own voiceover.  They can collaborate with other schools/students by voice recording as well.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	The website looks very interesting.  I could not find a ‘sample’ within their website, but by viewing their tutorial for educators, it looks like this would be interesting for students.  It also looks like it can develop creativity and higher levels of thinking.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I might.  The cost looks reasonable.  I don’t know how easy it is to use, but it would be well worth looking into if I had a class that collaboration would be helpful.

Tech Ed 12b - http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Partners

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This wiki is a place where educators can share their voicethread pages.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I liked this site.  It finally gave me a way to watch some of the voice threads.  The one I watched had a teacher from Canada explaining life on the farm.  It was for kindergartners.  I know young children from around the globe would enjoy this.  The voiceover made it more personable.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would.  It’s a great resource to maybe find some topic for your students as well as a resource if your classroom should decide to use voicethread.

 

Tech Ed 13a - storybird

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This app allows a teacher to give students access to storybird where they can use the beautiful illustrations available to create their own books.  Teachers can use them privately or publish.  The teacher can comment on them privately and has a gradebook attached.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	You could easily set up a means for students to write and create their own books with the illustrations already available.  They could use the illustrations to inspire them or find illustrations to go with their own thoughts.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would.  I think this looks like a great idea for a reading/writing classroom.

Tech Ed 13b - scribblar

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This program allows you to do online tutoring in real-time with voice and chat functions.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	You could use it to tutor a student when you are not with them.  You could use it to set up a lesson and have it played while you’re gone (substitute).
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I love this.  I am going to look into it because teaching math is difficult to explain over the phone.  If my students had this available to them, they could get my help when they’re at home if we both have access to the computer.

 

Tech Ed 14 - buncee

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This website allows you to create visual presentations.  It looks like it is similar to PowerPoint but with a more fun look and possibly more options.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This could be used by teacher and students alike.  Teachers could use it to make interactive lessons, lessons that could be assessed at home prior to learning the material at school, etc.  Students could use it to create their own presentations.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I think so.  I am interested in it enough to do a free trial of it.  I think it looks a little more ‘animated’ and fun – and might add a new pop to presentations.