Sunday, January 31, 2010
Week 4 Media Project
Week 4 comment
Complaints, complaints, complaints! Sometimes all you hear are complaints. Complaints about the amount of work we have to do… Complaints about how little money we make… complaints about who left the clothes lying in the bathroom floor. So many complaints but surprisingly very few solutions. Wouldn’t it be nice if every complaint included a proposed solution? If everyone that complained had to devise a solution to their problem there would be way less complaining going on.
It’s easy to blame, criticize and gripe, but not so easy to create a solution to fix the problem. Less complaining and more solutions…that’s my motto!
I commented:
I completely understand how annoying it is when people complain with out having a different solution. Just the other day I was out with a few friends and we were trying to decide where to go for dinner when the girls turned down the guys suggestion for dinner. I while they we away I simply said "Since we shot down his idea we need to come up with a new idea." Simply complaining will not get anyone anywhere.
Week 4 Glogster
Here is my newsletter I set up using blogger:
Week 4 Reading Beign the Board
Monday, January 25, 2010
week 3 comment
This is how I feel, even though we still have a boatload of work to do.
I commented:
I can understand the feeling! Writing a thesis has been a huge fear of mine since I was younger. I never wanted to get a masters because I would have to write this huge long old paper and I am not good at writing. So this overwhelming task is now finished and for some reason I feel a but underwhelmed. I was expecting to feel super excited and wanting to celebrate but I turned it in and just want to be done with it, however, we still have these other major parts to do! AHH! It will be celebrating time when I have master's degree in my hands!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Week 3 Reading The Way Things Are
Friday, January 22, 2010
Week 3 Software updates
Interactive whiteboards are a great assets to education. Leading the market are Smart and Promethean but coming up quickly behind is Mimio. Our school choose to trade in our smartboards so that we could afford to get a mimio in every classroom, seeing how Mimios are less expensive. I love my Mimio and use it everyday, but when challenged about its greatness in comparison to Smart and Promethean I started thinking. The fact was brought up that the software that runs on the Mimio is not nearly as advanced in the educational frame of things. Mimio is starting to break into the education world where as Promethean and Smart have been there for a while. It was also brought up that Mimio software couldn't possibly be a good because it hasn't had an update in almost six months. So that brings up my question: Is a Mimio (which in every way but the software "better" than others) not the way to go because it simply doesn't have updates often and because the software doesn't have the bells and whistles that the other software programs have for educators? How often should a program require an update to be considered a good use of money. I know that on my iPhone I am always having to updat appliations and it gets frustrating when everytime I turn around I am having to update something new. At the same time though I don't want something that is going to go out of date because they lack the update.
Here are links to see and compare the two products for yourself.
Week 3- New Tools
Drop.io.comedmoodo.com
pbworks.com
storybird.com
todaysmeet.com
voicethread.com
edu.glogster.com
onetruemedia.com
voki.com
vocaroo.com
Keep in mind that I am an elementary school teacher but these programs will work for other grades. I simply remember and jot down the ones that I remember because I can use them in my classroom.
photo from photoxpress.com
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Week 2 Reading A Leader From Any Chair
I love thinking of a conductor as a great leader, because all a conductor does is conduct. A conductor allows others abilities and talents to be displayed. When thinking of conductors I started to think of electrical conductors. An electrical conductor simply allows the energy to move through it freely an puts it where it needs to be. As does a great leader!Photo from photoxpress.com
Week 2 Reading Being a Contribution
When I first was reading this chapter I was trying to decide what game I was playing. Was I playing the success-fail game or the contribution game. I came to the conclusion that I was playing my own game that seemed to be a combination of the two. I often think about the contribution I am making in the world and see the good, but more times than not I find my self comparing. I sit in meetings and look at all the more "successful" people around me. The people who have great paying jobs that people refer to as smart jobs. I am a very math and science oriented person and growing up everyone kept telling me that I should be an engineer but I always wanted to be a teacher. I even had a teacher in middle school go as far as to say I was too smart to be a teacher. So I always look at people with jobs that would challenge my intelligence more than teaching and think that they are more successful or that they are smarter than I. I quickly came to see the detriment in such thinking and started to look for the successes in my own career and not the careers of those around me. Now I know I need to take it one step further and not look at my successes but rather my contributions.Photo from: http://www.district196.org/District/CurriculumAssessment/Curr-Math/Images/TeacherAndStudent1.jpg
Monday, January 18, 2010
Week 2 comment
Throughout this last week, Twitter and other social networking sites have played an important role in spreading the word about helping the people in Haiti. As this poor country struggled in the aftermath of a gut-wrenching earthquake, word spread quickly about texting a number to easily donate $10 to the Red Cross.
I follow someone on Twitter who posts funny and crass quotes from his 76 year old father and I am also a “fan” of his on Facebook, because the streams of comments are also often entertaining. One day, he posted a status update to encourage people to donate and received hundreds of positive and negative comments. I was appalled to read that hundreds of people, strangers to me, feel that it is un-American to help the people of Haiti because we should only be helping people in America- what has Haiti ever done for us, they say.
What?
Is this the face of Patriotism?
Honestly, I don’t think I even would have known that these people exist if it wasn’t for Twitter and Facebook.
In this stream of comments, strangers fought back and forth about being good Americans, good Christians, good citizens of the world and it blew my mind how important it was to so many people to not help.
Maybe some people don’t help because they’re lazy. I understand that. But to not help because you feel you shouldn’t, because they don’t deserve it, because they wouldn’t help you? I don’t understand this thinking.
Helping creates joy in the helper.
I feel bad that these people are denying themselves a chance at feeling that joy, the joy of helping.
My Comment:
I am appalled at these kinds of people just like you. What is an American? Simply put it is a a citizen of the United States of America. A country that was founded on the principle of freedom and liberties not on being better than others and only caring about the people who live within the physical boundaries of our country. It is human nature to care and provide for those in need.
There are people all around us who are in need and we should not have to wait for a tragedy such as this to happen before we make a difference, but in tragic situation more help is needed! Thanks for bringing this up.
Week 1 Reading-Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility
When asked "How's it going?" I often find myself responding with "It goes! It's not stopping!" When I reflect on this response and this chapter in the book I am astonished by the amount of survival in my life. I find myself simply holding on for the ride of life. Always assessing where I am in a measurement world. Compared to where I want to be or where I used to be. Sometimes this refection provides great encouragement for what I am capable of doing and what I have accomplished, but really who am I fooling. Life is not meant to be lived by measurement, it is meant to be lived with a focus on what is possible!
As I was reading about how we shouldn't limit our possibilities by trying to reach a target I thought about my photography job last year. As a photographer we were always being told that we needed to do certain poses and make certain sells. I always got so frustrated when my manager would make me focus of the the amount of the sell rather than making sure the customer got exactly what they wanted. Little did they know, but I typically pushed those sells numbers out of my head and did actually focus on what was best for the customer and I typically either reached or exceeded what what expected of me. I let go of the measuring and did what I needed to do.
The same goes for education. Nothing bothers me more than being forced to teach to the test. When emphases is put more on test scores than achievement and learning I feel that education puts limits on what a child is capable of doing, what teachers are capable of teaching. Ensuring that good teachers have the chance to do what they do best without having to focus on making sure that their students achieve a specific score is invaluable.Photo fromhttp://www.youreducationmatters.com/images/taking%20test.jpg
Week 1 Comment
Do I give my students all A’s? …no.
Why? …because I don’t want my best students to feel like all their hard work is for nothing. I feel strongly that some of my students would take advantage of an automatic A and slack off.
But within the rubrics I design for each lesson, it is very easy to get an A if they complete the assignment. I try to make them aware of this, but perhaps I should try harder. Perhaps I should regard them all as my best students.
However, I am often frustrated that many of my students feel like they deserve an A, they tell me so, even when their work is average at best and they copy answers from other people. I worry that their parents and teachers who have caused them to feel like they deserve an A are being set up for massive disappointments once they hit the real world. The real world doesn’t care, does it?
Regardless.
My Comment:
The other day we were having a similar conversation in our staff lounge. Teachers were sharing the different bad grades that they received in school. I was a bit shocked to hear many of the low grades that my coworker received. The reality set in- they grades we receive do not form who we are and who we become. As a teacher I have always hated giving grades, but my students needed to know where they stood in relation to the required knowledge level for that grade. I have always tried to take my grades from assignments where students can see that they earned the grade. Work where students either get the problem right or they get it wrong but no gray area. Then came those subjects where grades are more subjective such as writing. Like you i simply created rubrics in which it was completely possible and at times seemed too easy to get an A. I was still surprised when many students still received grades that were unsatisfactory.
I could only dream that one day grades became a across the board meaning the same thing to every one. This, however, will never happen so I will keep on dreaming.
Week 1 Reading-It's All Invented
It is interesting that as I read this particular chapter I was amazed at how our brain really does think inside mental boxes, if you will. Many times it takes effort to think outside of the box to come up with a solution to the problem. My favorite example from the book was the 9 dot test where you have to connect the 9 dots with only using 4 lines.
I have been training myself to look outside of the box ever since I was younger. I loved problems like this one so much that in middle school I was part of a group called Math Counts and would do nothing but examine questions such as these and other math problems and then compete against other teams. While I was by no means the best person on the team it was always fun and challenging for me to look at a problem and have to dissect it and look at it from a different view. I am not sure if I have seen this particular "puzzle" before or not but I had it figured out in a few different ways in a matter of minutes.Saturday, January 16, 2010
Week 2 Wimba
Thanks to Heather for sharing her plans for her project and presentation, it helped to differentiate them and provide me with ideas of my own.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Content Proposal
Content Proposal
Home-School Communication
EMD-665 On Line Course Development
Education Media Design & Technology MS Program
Full Sail University
Prepared by:
Jessica Alvey
January 11, 2010
I. THESIS ABSTRACT
Communication is the foundation to any good relationship. In the classroom teachers have mastered the art of communicating what they expect with students. Students know what is expected in the classroom but communication seems to dissipate the second that the walls of a classroom are not forcing such communication. Parents often want to know what is going on in school but usually get the response of “Nothing”. Leaving the lines of communication between parents, teachers and students open continually allows for clearer understanding of assignments and expectations. New innovations in technology allow for all with access to the Internet to connect and collaborate. Teachers need to grasp the great benefits of communicating with students outside of the classroom using technology. Using websites and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter students have access to communication twenty-four hours a day. Immediate responses will not always occur but the lines of communication are open and flowing.
II. Introduction
Problem Addressed
Communication is the key to any success, especially in education. Teachers and parents are always looking for the most effective ways of communicating. In the 21st century there are tons of ways to communicate. From cell phones with internet to free wireless Internet everywhere, getting in touch with a person is always easy. Email, Facebook, Twitter all now provide instant communication with Smartphones. The skill of communicating with parents looks completely different, no longer are hand written notes the best way to keep parents informed. The Internet and Web 2.0 resources are more conducive to the instant communication world.
Due to the recent newness of instant communication many teachers, parents and even students are unsure about how to use this new technology for proper communication. No longer is the Internet just for social networking but also for providing information to the masses. This media project will illustrate about the do’s and don’ts of using Social Networking sites for communication between teachers, students and parents.
Target Audience
This project is designed for teachers, parents, and students above 6th grade. Many social networking sites provide more dangers than benefits for students under 6th grade.
Sharing the project
This media project will be shared through Udutu. A course will be created for parents, teachers and students that will instruct them on the does and don’t s when it comes to communication through Web 2.0. This course will be designed to be taken at the start of a school year before communication commences through Web 2.0.
III. Goals and Objectives
.
Instructional Goal
The subject of this media project is to provide basic knowledge of proper communication when working in a professional environment on the Internet. The target audience can be put into three groups: those who use social networking sites for social happenings; Those who haven’t ever used social networking sites; and those who use social networking for both social and professional endeavors. All of these groups need some level of instruction on how to properly communicate using Web 2.0.
The main outcome of this Udutu lesson is for parents, teachers and students to all be on the same page as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable communication.
Learning Domain
The learning domains of this project are two fold. First, the cognitive domain includes the learner as the knowledge of proper communication is gained. Second, the affective domain is impacted because the perception of Social Networking sites is not always the best. Some adults see social networking as a inappropriate for a school setting and many students feel that social networking is simply for social aspects.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to evaluate scenarios for proper communication.
Students will be able to create a social networking profile and group for school use.
Students will be able to assess the value of using social networking for home-school communication.
IV. Presentation
Instructional Approach
For this unit I am taking a multimedia approach. The lesson will be a combination of video, interactive scenarios and instructional text.
Call Miller and Schallenkamp (2007) suggest that the student has the power when it come to learning. If the student communicates with the teacher than they will be more likely to buy into the information that is being taught. Students often feel intimidated when they have to walk into a teachers office, stay after class to ask a question or even asking a question in class. The Internet provides a less intimidating situation for students to communicate with a teacher. Quick questions can be asked any time of the day and a response can be given at any time. However, the key to communication through Web 2.0 resources is that parents, teachers and students need to be diligent about checking to see if there is communication waiting.
When it comes to home-school communication Epstein (2002) tells the importance of making sure that teachers and parents are working together to provide the best education for their child. Students learn best when teacher and parents know what is going on in the other realms of the student’s life. A quick simple message back and forth provides this information.
While communication is key to success, setting up perimeters for such communication is essential. Teachers should not be required to sit by the computer day and night waiting for a question. Along the same lines teachers, students and parents need to know the privacy setting for the social network site that is being used. Timm and Duven (2008) explored the different social networking sites and the privacy notices that each holds.
Lesson Structure
The unit will begin by dividing the learners into groups of students, teacher and parents. Allowing for specific examples that apply to the different groups. The topics will be the same for every group but will be tailored just a bit to fit the audience. The lesson will begin with explaining the importance of communication and talk about proper ways to simply communicate with a professional. The learners will explore different scenarios and decide what the proper action to take would be.
The learners will continue from the learning about proper communication to learning netiquette and applying it to conversations with professionals.
The last stage of the unit will be creating a usable profile. This section will provide the learner with specific elements to have and not to have on a profile. Stressing the point that a personal social profile would not be sufficient for this purpose.
V. Evaluation
There will be on going formative assessment throughout the Udutu course. Scenarios will be introduced and solutions will be chosen. The learner will be given further instruction according to the response to the scenario.
There will also be a summative assessment at the end of the unit. Students will be require to get an 80 percent or higher to pass and be allowed to create a profile that will be used for home-school communication. The last question of the summative assessment is an agreement to use proper communication.
Just as technology and social networking sites are changing this Udutu course will change with times as well. As students, teachers and parents develop the knowledge, skills and attitude for successful communication through Web 2.0 resources the needs of the course will change.
Teachers will evaluate the course to insure that it has all the components that they feel are necessary.
have you conducted during the development process as well as after implementation?
Ongoing evaluation - Figure out what learners should get out of the media project you created, determine how you’ll know whether or not they were successful and then decide what should be the next step to improve the media project.
VI. References
Baumbach, D. (2009). Web 2.0 & YOU. Knowledge Quest, 37(4), 12-19. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Catt, S., Miller, D., & Schallenkamp, K. (2007, Spring). You are the key: Communicate for learning effectiveness. Education, 127(3), 369-377. Retrieved August 30, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Epstein, J.(2002). School, family and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students' academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13(1), 1-22. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
Jensen, D. (2006). Using newsletters to create home-school connections. Reading Teacher, 60(2), 186-190. doi:10.1598/RT.60.2.8.
Jeynes, W. (2005). Effects of Parental Involvement and Family Structure on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents. Marriage & Family Review, 37(3), 99-116. doi:10.1 300/J002v37n03𳄆.
Keller, B. (2008). Schools Seek to Channel Parent Involvement. Education Digest, 74(1), 11-15. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Rapleaf Study Reveals Gender and Age Data of Social Network Users. (2008, June 18). Rapleaf – Social Networking Data Append, Social Insight. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://www.rapleaf.com/business/press_release/age
Sheer, V., & Fung, T. (2007). Can email communication enhance professor-student relationship and student evaluation of professor?: Some empirical evidence. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 37(3), 289-306. doi:10.2190/EC.37.3.d.
Timm, D., & Duven, C. (2008, Winter2008). Privacy and social networking sites. New directions for student services, Retrieved May 30, 2009, doi:10.1002/ss.297
Watkins, T. (1997). Teacher communications, child achievement, and parent traits in parent involvement models. Journal of Educational Research, 91(1), 3. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
