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.