psa.wmv

Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Article 1

Abilock, D. (November/December 2003). Seven power lens on 21^st century literacy. Noodletools.com. http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/newsmedia/PowerLensSingle.pdf

This article explains what critical thinking skills and media literacy are.  They break it down into 7 sections (Lens) focusing on the news media and how students can analyze it.

Article 2

Hobbs, R. Teaching media Literacy: Yo! Are you hip to this?. Center for Media Literacy.

http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/teaching-media-literacy-yo-are-you-hip

This article is about the importance of Media Literacy in the public school classrooms.

Article 3

Kellner, D. and Share, J. (2005, September).  Toward critical media literacy: Core concepts, debates,organizations, and policy. Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education. 26, (3): 369-386.

http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/2005_Kellner-Share_TowardsCriticalMediaLiteracy.pdf

This article discusses how the United States is behind in critical media skills compared to other countries.   In addition, it discusses different cultures and how media skills can be used to positively teach many things.

Article 4

 Semali, L. (2001, November). Defining new literacies in curricular practice. Reading Online, 5(4). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=semali1/index.html

This article defines new literacies and their place in the classroom and curriculum.

Article 5

Sauer, H., Robles-Pina, R. (Fall, 2003). Magazines: what adolescent girls are reading and the way they shape body image. AdvancingWomen.com.

http://www.advancingwomen.com/awl/winter2003/SAUERR~1.html

This final article that I have selected, discusses how media affects young girls and their body images.  I don’t know that I will use this information but I would like to incorporate it in some way.

If anybody has a suggestion on how I can start the music over part way through so that the video has music in it's entirety, I'd appreciate it.

Photo story

DE Journal 13

Question 1: Should media education have an explicit political and ideological agenda?

I don’t think that media education should have political or ideological agendas.  I think that media literacy is essential to students learning to think for themselves, to reflect and disseminate the media that they are subjected to.  I don’t think we have to “dirty up” everything we do with an agenda.  I understand that it can be a good way to get students to think about things in a different way and that it might be a good way to promote social change but I don’t think it has to have an explicit political or ideological agenda.  Once an agenda is set, we may lose the very things that are good about media literacy.

Question 2: Based on your reading to date in this course, would you teach critical media literacy in the classroom?  Why or why not?  You must reference three prior course readings to justify your answer to this questions.

 I would teach critical media literacy in the classroom.  It is important to me that students be able to decipher what they see and hear and be able to judge whether it’s good or bad, right or wrong, necessary or not.  Our students need to have the ability to analyze and evaluate.  They need to be able to “ask important questions”. (Abilock 2002) According to Kellner and Share K-12, students of the United States are not as advanced as other countries in media literacy education. (Kellner and Share 2005)  In some of the European countries, media literacy is required in grades 7 through 12. (Hobbs 1996) I think that would be a good requirement for our students.

Abilock, D. (2002, April 21). Visual literacy: News Media, Reading Meadia Photographs, http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/newsmedia/polphoto.pdf

Kellner, D., Share, J. (September 2005), Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education

Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 369_/386   

Hobbs, R. (1996). Teaching media literacy. In E. Dennis and E. Pease (Eds.), Children and the media. New Brunswick: Transaction Press (pp. 103-111).

DE Journal 13

Question 1: Should media education have an explicit political and ideological agenda?

I don’t think that media education should have political or ideological agendas.  I think that media literacy is essential to students learning to think for themselves, to reflect and disseminate the media that they are subjected to.  I don’t think we have to “dirty up” everything we do with an agenda.  I understand that it can be a good way to get students to think about things in a different way and that it might be a good way to promote social change but I don’t think it has to have an explicit political or ideological agenda.  Once an agenda is set, we may lose the very things that are good about media literacy.

Question 2: Based on your reading to date in this course, would you teach critical media literacy in the classroom?  Why or why not?  You must reference three prior course readings to justify your answer to this questions.

 I would teach critical media literacy in the classroom.  It is important to me that students be able to decipher what they see and hear and be able to judge whether it’s good or bad, right or wrong, necessary or not.  Our students need to have the ability to analyze and evaluate.  They need to be able to “ask important questions”. (Abilock 2002) According to Kellner and Share K-12, students of the United States are not as advanced as other countries in media literacy education. (Kellner and Share 2005)  In some of the European countries, media literacy is required in grades 7 through 12. (Hobbs 1996) I think that would be a good requirement for our students.

Abilock, D. (2002, April 21). Visual literacy: News Media, Reading Meadia Photographs, http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/newsmedia/polphoto.pdf

Kellner, D., Share, J. (September 2005), Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education

Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 369_/386   

Hobbs, R. (1996). Teaching media literacy. In E. Dennis and E. Pease (Eds.), Children and the media. New Brunswick: Transaction Press (pp. 103-111).

Story board

transcript of interview

I had hoped to post my interview so that everyone could see how animated and wonderful our friend Bill Fichtner is but the battery in the camera I was using only held a charge for a few minutes.

Bill is a published author, retired minister, father, husband and so much more.  He was born in 1927 and has lived through so much in his life.  What I talked to him about was mostly his childhood.  I wanted to see what it was like to live through the Great Depression, racism and poverty in Appalachia.  I haven't decided yet which way I want to take my digital story.

Bill answered questions about what his life was like growing up poor in Morgantown.  He had a wonderful friend, an older black woman, who he named his own daughter after when he grew up.  That relationship was almost unheard of at that time.

We talked a little about technology and at 84 years old, I was surprised to see a brand new satellite dish in his yard.  He didn't even have tv cable until last year.

Week 11 DE Journal

One explanation of adolescents’ lack of digital production, at least in American schools, is that while 66% of teachers reported employing digital media tools and 46% reported using digital resources in their teaching, this still means that students in one third of classrooms are not experiencing use of digital media tools and not using digital resources in about one half of classrooms (Project Tomorrow, 2010).

I think that this is an amazing fact.  We know that a lot of students don’t get the technology in the classroom but I didn’t realize the numbers were so bad.  I wonder if it is because of the lack of funding and the teachers don’t have the tools to work with or if they have the tools but either choose not to or don’t know how to.  I would imagine that older teachers that graduated a long time ago probably don’t have the technology knowledge that some of the younger ones might have.  I know that in the state of WV to renew your teaching license the WVDE is requiring teachers to have an Instructional Technology course as part of their renewal.  That hopefully will help some.

Project Tomorrow (2010). Speak Up 2009: Unleashing the future: educators “speak up” about the use of emerging technologies for learning. Irving, CA: Project Tomorrow. Retrieved October 16, 2010 from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup.

Core Standards Link

Common Core State Standards Initiative

Common core state standards initiative. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/

In the article, the author referred to the Common Core State Standards.  This is the information I found on these standards.

Week 10 DE Journal

In the area of technology literacy, students who create digital stories improve their skills
by using software that combines a variety of multimedia tools including working with
text, still images, audio, video and oftentimes, Web publishing. In the area of
technological literacy, Digital Storytelling can provide a meaningful reason for students
to learn to digitize media content by using scanners, digital still cameras, and video
cameras. In addition, as students create the narration and soundtrack for a story, they gain
skills in using microphones, digitizing audio and working with music and sound effects.

I can see how the creation of digital media stories would improve the skills of the students creating the stories.  I've been amazed at how the different projects we have worked on have enhanced my skills (which were sorely lacking).  The main problem I see with digital storytelling and web publishing, is the cost of the technology both hardware and software.  I'm sure lots of school systems have computers and software and microphones and recorders and all kinds of things but I know lots of school systems don't have the funding to support technology.  I did a search and found several websites where teachers could go to write or apply for grants.  Sometimes this is the only way to get some of the things that the teachers would like to have.  That also means extra work for them when they are already overworked.

Grants

Technology grant news/technology grant and resource news [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.technologygrantnews.com/grant-index-by-type/k-12-grants.html

This website shows some of the grants that are available for technology.  It does require a fee.

Interview

I will be interviewing Bill Fictner.  He's a family friend and one of my most favorite people in the whole world.  Bill is a retired minister, a husband, a father, an author, and a farmer.  I plan to interview him next Saturday.

Journal Entry Week 9

"For example, students learned that it takes courage to share their stories publicly; they risk judgment from others. But once they develop confidence and commitment to the storytelling process, students can generate many new insights related to media production as a vehicle for engagement with culture identity work through producing short videos and by remixing and repurposing existing media content to tell new stories."

It takes a lot of courage to produce a video about your own life.  What if your peers think your story is boring, uninformative, stupid, etc?  Does that mean they think your life is like that?  People don't want to come across as dull or stupid.  We want our peers to think that we are successful, smart, funny and to even be a little envious of us.  If you put your whole life out there for others to share, then you put yourself out for review.  If we can get past that part of it, then we might learn a lot about ourselves and our families that we didn't think about or know. 

Digital Storytelling

(Barrett, 2004)

This link shows multiple examples of digital stories and gives some instruction.

Barrett, H. C. (2004). Digital storytelling. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.com/digistory

Module 8

Module 8

My favorite story was Spring 2002 Lab.

Clay Life

I really like the way the teen was so open and honest about his life and his desires.  His talent with the clay animation was so amazing.  I am so glad that he was able to use that talent to overcome his shyness and awkwardness. 

I learned from the story that clay animation was not at all what I thought it was.  The student was so extremely talented and to watch the painstaking time with the modeling and the picture framing was really interesting.  I also learned about this particular young man.  How he has grown and overcome his shyness and that he is still scared but knows what he wants and plans to move forward to get it.

Digital storytelling can promote critical media literacy. As we watch these videos and decode them, students should be able to pick out the hidden agendas and the things that are missing from them.  They should be able to infer what isn’t there.  Students should be able to follow the digital story and pick out the important messages.

Week 8 D.E. Journal

"Some see media literacy as a citizenship survival skill, necessary to be a thoughtful consumer and an effective citizen in a superhighway-driven media age. Some see media literacy as a kind of protection for children against the dangers and evils engendered by the excesses of television, and they also see media literacy as an antidote to manipulation and propaganda."

I never thought about media literacy as a survival skill but it really is.  If we expect our children to be able to navigate around the hype and know what is real and what is not, then we have to teach these skills.  I have four nine year old nieces and nephews and they are all about what they see on television.  We warn them about the internet and how dangerous it can be but don't think as much about the evils of excess television.  They want to buy every new thing they see and they really pay attention to the hype around it and what it's supposed to do or not do.  Kids today are so smart we just need to train those inquiring minds to really think.

Kaiser Family Foundation

Roberts, D. F. (1999, November). Kids & media and the new millenium. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/1535-index.cfm

Double Entry Journal #7

1.      Why did the authors do this study?

The authors wanted to see if media literacy in the classroom improves the ability of the students to be able to think for themselves and to be able to identify the main idea. They wanted to prove that there were other ways to learn than just the standard “old” ways.

2.      How did the authors do the study?

The authors used a high school Junior English class.  They used different types of media and images and incorporated them into the class. They then did a comparison of that group of students compared to a group of students that did not have the critical media analysis teachings.

3.      What data/results emerged from the study?

The results were that the students that had the critical media instruction were better able to discern information, to identify the main ideas, identify the purpose and the point of view. They were also better able to notice missing information.

4.      What do the authors conclude from the data analysis?

The authors concluded that the incorporation of digital media literacy into the classroom can be as effective as traditional classroom teaching and may even do a better job with the breakdown of information.

5.      What is the significance of the study?

This study was important because it shows that the incorporation of media literacy into the classroom is just as effective as traditional teaching.  Teachers can feel more comfortable exploring other avenues of teaching.

6.      How do these findings influence your position on media literacy and school curriculum?

These aren’t things that I had really given any thought before taking these classes.  The study helped me see a little clearer that digital media literacy can be very effective in the classroom and why.

Week 7

Lesson 1, Activity 2 Video Clip Decoding
Student Worksheet
 NAME Diana Dunn                    DATE 10/6/2011
Read over the questions below before watching the short video clips. You may want to take notes
as you view the clips. You will then be given time to write your answers.
Title of Film: The Global Warning
1.) Who produced and who sponsored this message?
 Leonardo DiCaprio and Tree Media Group and Birken Studios
2.) Who is the target audience?
 The target audience is everyone.  The graphics appeal to the younger generation.
3.) What is its purpose?
 To make us aware of global warming and how bad it is for our environment.

4.) What messages does it give about global warming?
 That the effects of global warming are affecting our climate and causing terrible catastrophies in the world.
5.) What techniques does it use to communicate those messages?
 Words, Graphic images
6.) Are the messages accurate and credible? Why do you think that?
 Yes. Science has proven that global warming is real.
7.) What is left out of this message that might be important to know?

8.) Who might benefit from this message?
 I think the whole world could benefit from this message.
9.) Who might be harmed by this message?
 Those that profit from the sale of fuel.
. 2010 Project Look Sharp – Ithaca College – Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies

Lesson 1, Activity 2 Video Clip Decoding
Student Worksheet
 NAME Diana Dunn    DATE 10/6/11

Read over the questions below before watching the short video clips. You may want to take notes
as you view the clips. You will then be given time to write your answers.
Title of Film: The Climate of Fear
1.) Who produced and who sponsored this message?
 Glenn Beck - CNN News
2.) Who is the target audience?
 People that watch the Glen Beck show.  I can't imagine who would bother.
3.) What is its purpose?
 I felt that the purpose was to tell us that the fear associated with global warming was the sell factor for the media.
4.) What messages does it give about global warming?
 That it's just hype to sell story lines.
5.) What techniques does it use to communicate those messages?
 Images of reporters and movies about catastrophies.

6.) Are the messages accurate and credible? Why do you think that?
 I find anything Glen Beck is behind hard to believe.  The thought that global warming is about the hype really ticks me off.
7.) What is left out of this message that might be important to know?
 That global warming is real and we need to do something about it now.
8.) Who might benefit from this message?
 The media - they profit from the hype.
9.) Who might be harmed by this message?
 Scientists, people that work hard to solve global warming problems.
. 2010 Project Look Sharp – Ithaca College – Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies

Week 6 CSO Assignment

Lesson 1 Framing the Debate

Grade 6-8

Global Warming

CSO

SC.O.E.1.8

relate societal, cultural and economic issues to key scientific innovations.

SC.O.E.2.21

examine global change over time:

climatic trends,

global warming,

ozone depletion.

Can integrating media literacy into your classroom activities help prepare your students for taking the WestTest?

I do think that the integration of media literacy into classroom activities can help prepare students to take the WestTest.  A teacher can integrate critical thinking into most activities in the classroom.  When the teacher teaches a child to think they learn to evaluate and analyze.  This should give them the kind of skills they need for tests like the WestTest.

Week 6 DE Journal

Since NCLB was passed, teachers have had to adjust their curriculum to incorporate standardized test preparation into lessons (Ellis, 2007).


I understand why the government thinks that standardized tests are important.  I think tests are a big part of determining what a student knows and doesn't know.  That being said, I think that No Child Left Behind has left our children further and further behind.  If teachers must teach to insure their students pass the required standardized tests, then the teacher has to be leaving out so much information that they would really love to take the time to teach to their students.  Teachers go to school for four years and then they are required to continue their education so that they stay on top of things.  We consider them experts in their field.  If they are the experts, then why are politicians telling them how to do their jobs?



Ellis, C. R. (2007). No Child Left Behind – A Critical Analysis. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, Vol. 9, Numbers 1 & 2, pp. 221-233.







Does No Child Left Behind Work?

Hollowell, K. (n.d.). How does the know child left behind act work?. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4962584_child-left-behind-act-work.html

People Magazine Cover

Module 5

So, how do we explain this cultural phenomenon of a thin ideal? Stice's Dual Pathway Model (as cited in Thompson & Heinberg, 1999) proposed that the unhealthy messages in the media can lead to eating disordered behavior when those messages are reinforced by family and peers. 

I always thought that I would do the right thing by my daughters.  I worked hard, I love them more than life, I taught them to be good people, I tried to inspire them to be good students and to be nice to others.  As a young mother I battled my weight constantly.  I thought I had to be as thin as I was when I graduated from high school.  I focused on being thin a lot.  I watched what I ate all the time and I exercised and followed every crazy diet fad that came out.  My oldest daughter was naturally thin and could eat anything she wanted.  My youngest daughter was never thin and always carried a couple of extra pounds.  I thought she was absolutely beautiful the way she was with her little round face and her curly auburn hair.  As the years passed she grew to hate her body because she wasn't skinny like her sister or her friends.  I think that feeling came from watching me battle my weight all of those years.  I gave her the impression that every girl should be thin. She still doesn't feel like her body image is as it should be although she is not overweight and is very pretty.  I hope one day she'll be able to see herself as others do.

Teen girls and weight control

Unknown, (1999, November 14). Media may feed weight problems of teenage girls. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/1999-11-14/health/9911_14_girls.weight_1_weight-gain-young

Module 4 Magazine Work

The first magazine covers makes Arnold S. look angry and battle-worn.  He looks like he’s been fighting and he looks strong and somewhat scary.

The magazine is a body builder type magazine.  It covers exercise routines and how to get fit and muscular.

I think this magazine is intended for males age 17-35.

This magazine is all about body self-image.  I think this cover is saying that you need to be strong and muscular to have self-worth.  A healthy lifestyle is implied but is really omitted.

The second magazine cover is all about the gentleman.  Polished and professional, he looks happy and ready to be the next big politician.  He makes me feel a little squeamish.

The purpose of this magazine is to bring you up to date on all that’s going on in the world.  It looks like a high class magazine and everybody that’s anybody should be reading it.

I think the intended audience would be for young, hip, modern yuppie types, ages 25-40.

I think the lifestyles are upscale and educated.  Political point of view represented is that Arnold S. would be the next governor of California.

The cover of the fitness magazine doesn’t appeal to me because of the bloody facial wounds and the colors used.  The muscles do look good.  The other magazine appeals more to me.  The colors are nice and it isn’t so busy.

The muscle cover is too busy for my taste.  I like the simplistic style and the little classier look of the Esquire magazine.

The first cover tries to sell by advertising quick, simple ways to get really huge muscles and do it all while staying out of the gym and using a famous actor with a new movie to advertise. Esquire is trying to sell using the sexy woman on the front cover along with the famous actor turned politician in a very expensive suit. It also tries to appeal to the educated with a tagline about science.

The content in the muscle magazine is all about body building.  How big you can get and how quick you can do it.

The product its advertising is 20 inch arms and how to get them.

The lifestyle being promoted is tough and strong and that’s how you get things.

I think the demographics of the reader would be young males, ages 17-35, of every race and socioeconomic class.  Most young guys want those big guns.

The tough, scarred up actor, the colors used on the cover, the sun glasses; they all speak to young guys.

Arnold Schwarzennegger is the celebrity used to market this magazine.  He’s also a well-known body builder, Mr. Universe at one time.

Arnold is definitely promoting a stereotypical image.  The tough, cool guy with the big arms gets all the respect.

Commercial Deconstruction

GoDaddy Commercial on YouTube
This commerical is to advertise GoDaddy.com and was created by them.  GoDaddy is an internet domain and sells e-Business software.

I think the target audience for this commercial would most definitely be men of all ages and races.  The GoDaddy girl is very sexy and she bounces around with a tiny little tank top that has GoDaddy logos on it and the strap keeps coming off of the top. She's spilling out of the top and shaking her butt for the panel. 

The text of this commercial is from the GoDaddy girl and a panel of people (mostly men) in a broadcast censorship hearing and she's explaining to them why this commerical should be allowed to air during the SuperBowl.  The whole commercial text is about her wardrobe malfunction and how much she has to move around in the commercial.

The commercial is selling sexuality and if you have a website through GoDaddy it will be sexy and everyone will want to be a part of it.

The lifestyle that is presented shows the female as silly and stupid and only capable of bouncing and jiggling.  It's very sexist.  It also shows that some men can't control themselves - one needs oxygen after watching the woman and one had to go take care of a little problem he was having.

I don't see any values expressed in this commercial.  I think it's very lacking in values.

The persuasion tool in this commercial is the use of the womans body and sexuality.  They try to equate the website they are selling with sexy, beautiful women.

The negative messages presented in this commercial are that women are to be used for their bodies.  That we don't have to be smart or good at anything, just look good.  The positive message, which is certainly easy to overlook, is that there is some sensorship on ads that run on tv.  Some people may not think sensorship is a positive thing but I certainly do in this case.

This message empowers men and degrades women. The ad makes you think that men will think that if they pay for GoDaddy.com sites that they are going to have wonderful, sexy, things happening.  Some women (who are equally as cute and silly as the GoDaddy girl) may think this will work for them.  Sex usually sells and I'm sure these GoDaddy ads are not hurting this company.

The part of the story that isn't being told is that this girl is probably very smart and capable of doing most anything without the use of her boobs.  That censorship can be a good thing.  If you went to GoDaddy.com you would probably be convinced to use them without all the jiggling.

Week 3 Double Entry Journal

"We would resist, however, extreme claims that the era of the book and print
literacy are over."

We all love our Kindles and the various available versions of the electronic book, our IPADS, our laptops, etc. but there is still something to be said about wandering through a book store and browsing.  Although I wouldn't give my Kindle up, I still like the look of worn books on the bookshelf my Grandpa made.  I do think that book sales are probably way down but I don't see books ever going completely away.  Especially text books.  Unless K-12 schools are prepared to purchase some sort of electronic device and give students a code to purchase their texts with, books will be in the public schools for a long, long time.  Many of our students, especially in rural areas, struggle to purchase what they need for school now, let alone the expense of digital media. I know that it may be cheaper in the long run, but the initial cost would be huge along with problems like what do you do when a student loses their electronic book and doesn't have the money to replace it?

http://www.tuftsdaily.com/features/as-written-material-goes-digital-will-books-become-a-thing-of-the-past-1.2347602
(Schlom, 2010)

Schlom, D. (2010, September 29). As written material goes digital, will books become a thing of the past?. Retrieved from http://www.tuftsdaily.com/features/as-written-material-goes-digital-will-books-become-a-thing-of-the-past-1.2347602

Double Entry Journal 2

We know that 75 percent of American adolescents are online and 85 percent of all Internet users expect to find key news information online.  Yet “the adolescents of the nineties are more isolated and more unsupervised than other generations”.  Although this quote did not surprise me as far as the number of adolescents that are online and that internet users expect to find key news information online, I was really surprised that our young people are more isolated and unsupervised than other generation.  I get that we don’t have the traditional 1950’s kind of family anymore where Mom stayed home and took care of kids but to find that our kids are more isolated caught me off guard.  As a working Mom I pretty much knew where my kids were and what they were doing online.  With all of the well-advertised dangers that kids can get caught up in online, why are parents not supervising them even closer than they used to? 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Parents-Should-Monitor-Their-Children-Online&id=451651

Home

Home

This video is comprised of all of the important aspects of my life: home, family and friends.

Double Entry Journal 1

Quote: New communication technologies, he believes, can enable ordinary citizens to produce and disseminate oppositional content that could be used to assist in political struggles. 

A person would just need to look at what is going on in Libya and not too long ago, Egypt, to know that this quote is very true.  If the rebel forces had not had the communication technologies they would have been unable to disseminate their ideologies and rally their forces from all across their country and revolutionize against the terrorists that govern their countries.  If it had not been for the internet and social medias this kind of communication would have been impossible.

/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/22/rebel_hacker_leaves_message_for_gaddafi/  (Parnell, 2011)

Parnell, B. A. (2011). Rebel hackers seize libyan domain name registry. The Register, Retrieved from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/22/rebel_hacker_leaves_message_for_gaddafi/

Resist, I. (2004, March). Critical media literacy. Retrieved from http://www.iresist.org/media.html

The difference between critical media literacy and media literacy is that critical media literacy envision teachers as the educators of citizens embracing reflection and social action and the exposers of the "hidden curriculum".

Introduction

My name is Diana Dunn and I live with my husband and my little schnauzer Bridgette in Fairmont.  I work as the Director of Certification and Advising at Fairmont State.  I took a digital media class over the summer and became intrigued with many of the things that we learned to do.  I don't really have much of a background in computers and I learned a lot from the other class so I thought I'd give this one a try too.

Webquest

Webquest

webquest product

http://www.slideshare.net/dphillipsdunn/should-children-be-vaccinated

Double Entry Journal #10

"For instance, blogging can be an exercise in self-indulgence in which the reader and writer lose distance between the public and private by participating in “oversharing”.

That's the first thing I thought about when we had to create our blogs for this course. I wanted to make sure that as I answered the assignments but without posting anything that I thought was really private. I did not want to "overshare" or "thoughtcast". I think it's sad when you look at Facebook or a blog and it's full of someone's day to day experiences. Who cares if you just got up from a nap. Please, spare us!

"blogging transcends space and time in that bloggers and blog readers from around the world are able to share texts, comment on those texts and together build new texts."

This is what I think that blogging is intended for. It's amazing to me that I could post some idea on a blog and within seconds I could have a response from somewhere around the world.

"Specifically, information is plentiful on the Internet, but attention is scarce. He argues that since attention is scarce, the ability to gain attention is a form of power in that the person who has attracted attention can then lead people to perform or act in a certain way."

My initial reaction to this quote was that it was ridiculous. Just because someone is able to gain my attention on the internet, doesn't mean that I can be led to act in a certain way. I like to think that I'm a little smarter than that. That being said, I can see how some people would look at something on the web and think because it's there, it must be true. As with everything else in life, you have to use some common sense.

http://www.henshall.com/stuart/2002/11/05/are-blogs-really-useful/
http://www.43folders.com/2008/08/19/good-blogs

Double Entry Journal 9

"Education must shift from instruction, from imposing of stencils, to discovery--to probing and exploration and to the recognition of the language of forms."

This quote relates back to the Pink posting that we did too. Educators must change their ways of teaching and what they are teaching if students are going to be able to find jobs in the future. They will have to be more inventive and creative.

"The operative words in the prompt are the verbs: imagine, change, experience, create. This directive encourages students to see themselves as being in control of the content and format of the news they present."

I think this will be a whole new way of learning for students. In the past students were rarely in charge of what they learned or how much they learned. Not only will they need to be creative and inventive, they will need to learn to care about what they learn. If they get lazy they will get left behind.

"Vu's observations demonstrate her sensitivity to prevailing trends in mainstream reporting and awareness of the corporate pressures that affect media outlets in general.

This quote is especially true if you think about the 6:00 news. It's full of commercials and editorials. You know that if a company donates large sums of money to a news media, that media is certainly not going to report major "bad" things about that company. The news media needs the funding to pay the huge salaries and the travel that comes with being a news anchor or reporters.

http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/instructional-practices-media-literacy-education-and-their-impact-students-learning

http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/karlberg/444/readings/struggle.pdf

Dan Pink Journal Entry

I thought Dan Pink's videos were very interesting and somewhat entertaining. I think that he is saying that the world is no longer going to employ people to do simple mundane jobs. That sort of thing is being automated through the use of technology. Children are going to need to be taught to be creative, to see the big picture, to be inventive and empathetic. The world today has advanced to the point that the next generations will need to think outside the box in order to be successful. This means they will need to be taught the technology and the skills that use their creative side of the brain.

Webquest About Webquest

The Affiliator:

I think that The Problem with Landfills was a good webquest for team work. The group worked together to determine the best site for a landfill and the colors and pictures were great. I also liked The webquest about Ancient Egypt. It was a group project but it gave each individual a part that they were responsible for.
The webquest about John Wiles Booth was a really nice informative webquest but it was designed more for the individual which is not the role I chose. The same applys to the Poetry of War but I didn't like the webquest looks for that one. It was dull and hard to read.

Voki

Voki

Voki

Glogster

Glogster assignment

Photo Story Assignment

WebQuest findings

http://questgarden.com/128/15/1/110621113421/

I gave this WebQuest a score of 42 points.  The author did a nice job with the material and all of the key factors were in place.  I thought he could have done more with graphics and presentation but overall it was well done.  I was able to navigate the site very easily and there were no mechanical problems at all. The task was clearly connected to the standards and the project was very doable and engaging. The author asked that the students make a PowerPoint that showed their discoveries on the Vietnam War.

http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/20thcentury/articles/greenberets.aspx

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/vietnam/index.cfm

http://vietnam.vassar.edu/

Double Entry Post Week 5

What is significant is that kids are able to create and sustain new private

social worlds through the use of messaging and blogging, worlds that are separate from, yet overlapping with, institutions such as family and school. Emerging kids’ cultures encompass, and perhaps predict, new definitions of public and private space that sometimes transcend the boundaries that govern adult life – age and sex, institutional rules, national boundaries, and so forth.

The social world of kids completely baffles me.  When my girls were growing up, their social world was the telephone and I never had a weekend that I didn’t have at least two extra kids staying the night.  Their social world was more verbal and face to face.  Sometimes I think a lot of the problems that kids are having dealing with people is because they can’t relate to people face to face anymore.  Everything is done by text or email. Everything is kind of hidden from their families.

Games and gaming. Games are one of children’s earliest experiences with

technology, and may be shaping kids’ learning habits and technological fluencies; this is the subject of profound debate in the research literature.

I’m really a fan of the gaming industry.  The people that create these games are geniuses.  The creativity and the skill necessary to do this, wows me.  I don’t like that parents aren’t more selective in the types of games that they allow their children to play.  The really violent games should not be for kids but that’s the parent’s duty to control.  Kids are so quick to learn how to do these games and that is amazing.  I still can’t use the DVD player.

Kids economies determine the scale and scope of their social networks. Until

they are old enough to own a mobile phone, children use the Internet to develop

peer networks -- using lists, chat rooms, web based social software, and email --

because it is free. These communication strategies link kids to peers, but also to

parents; the term ‘mobile parenting’ is now used to describe parenting of young

children from afar by mobile phone. Teenagers are more likely to be provided

mobile phones by their parents for the purpose of coordination or safety, but in

fact use text messaging to build distinctive new private spaces and cultures.

When my oldest daughter turned 16, I purchased my first mobile phone.  Of course, at that time it was a bag phone that plugged into the cigarette lighter of the car and sat on the center console.  I wanted to make sure she could get in touch with me if she needed to and that I could reach her.  I would not have referred to it as mobile parenting but more of a parenting safety net.  Now that mobile phones are becoming much more affordable, I think most kids do have one and at much younger ages that what they used to.  It certainly has become a way for parents to keep track of their children.   

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20What%20Kids%20Learn%20Thats%20POSITIVE%20From%20Playing%20Video%20Games.pdf
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/otherparentingissues/i/kids_cellphones_2.htm

Reflections on Illuminated Text

I learned so much while working on the Illumniated Text assignment.  I had never worked with PowerPoint before, so that was a new experience.  Picking the poem was simple enough but then to find the art work to use, the music, and figuring out how to embed all of it, was quite a job.  The animation was even more interesting.  It was a great experience and I did enjoy it.

Double Entry Post - Textbook case

A Textbook Case of What is Wrong with Education was the least intellectually challenging for me.  Maybe it was because I thought the other two videos were excellent and enjoyed them.  All of these texts bring to light that we need to drastically change the current form of education.  As described in Bring on the Learning Revolution, we are teaching our children based on extremely old models.  With the digital world so prevalent, we need to look toward a new way of teaching.

Double Entry Journal Post Week 4

I loved the Revolution video.  The first idea that struck me was that we don't make use of our talents.  That lots of us don't know what are talents are or even if we have any.  I personally believe everyone has talent in some area but for most of my life I had no clue what mine was.  I think when we talk about talent we think of art, sports, music, etc.  Talent is so much more than that and we should help kids find their talent and it should be nurtured no matter what it is because it really is who we are.

The idea that there needs to be a revolution in education was a great idea.  Obviously what we are doing now is not working.  Students aren't learning what they need to be successful.  I've seen that by the number of students that come to college and have to take developmental skills classes.  Some of these students are graduating at the top of their class in high school.  How does that happen?  A digital classroom would certainly be innovative and revolutionary.  Students could learn from the smartest people in the world.

The other idea I liked was the commentary on our obsession with everybody needing to go to college.  Lots of people shouldn't go to college.  Some people come to college, waste their money, and flunk out.  Some come to college, make fantastic grades, graduate and figure out that they hate what they are doing.  Maybe they would have been happier mowing yards and planting flowers all day.  Every job is important and no matter what job someone chooses they should get to be happy in it.

Double Entry Post 4

ADHD is something that was never diagnosed when I was in school.  Now every other child is on some kind of medication.  My niece is very bright and outgoing and she is an only child.  When she started to school she talked too much (according to her teacher).  The teacher called her mother and told her that she needed to get the child to the doctor because she had to be ADHD.  She just couldn’t pay attention in class and she was disruptive.  The child made 100% on everything they gave her to do but she couldn’t remember to raise her hand and she talked out.  I don’t think it ever occurred to anybody that she was just happy to be in school and have other kids to talk to.  I think we need to step back from these ADHD diagnoses and medications.  Sometimes kids just have something they need to say.  If we were disruptive in school we got a spanking. We didn’t need medicine to know not to be disruptive again.  Now, I’m not in favor of spankings in school, but my point is there are other things than medication.  I think students would be more interested in a digital classroom and would be more intent on what they are doing.

I really like the idea of comparing education to an industrial setting.  It was so accurate and I'd never even given it a thought.  We run the kids through like an assembly line.  All of the children are the same age as they get started, whether they are ready or not, and pretty much the same age as they finish.  We aren't open to allowing them to do things in an unconventional manner.  I remember getting a math problem wrong in high school when I'd gotten the right answer.  I hadn't worked the problem out like the teacher wanted it done. 

The same thing goes for the divergent learning idea that was presented.  Can you imagine that we are actually starting out with little kids that are pretty much geniuses in divergent learning and within a matter of a few years we have dumbed them down.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could turn these kids loose and let them explore?  Maybe a digital classroom would be a great idea for them.

Global Warming Picture

Global Warming Post 2

Wikipedia allows for postings and editing’s from the general public.  All editors are susceptible to sanctions.  There are rules that have to be followed.  If an editor does not follow the rules they can be “punished” which can even result in blocking them.

The discussion on the consensus on warming and on causation tells me that there is some scientific documentation that we have caused, at least in part, global warming and that there is such a thing as global warming. 

I get the sense that Uncle Ed is resentful of the fact that he was pushed out of his Wikipedia “duties”.  He seems to be pretty negative about Wikipedia now that he is not so involved.  I would guess that Ed is a conservative.  It’s hard to get a feel from the conversations but he talks about women, blacks and racism, government aid programs and poverty.  When he talks about these things it’s not like “oh, I’m so anxious to get out there and help with the problems”.  It seems like he’s a little down on them.  He appears to believe in global warming but based on the discussion about the temperature increase or the cause, he wonders how much of the consensus is based on how much of the global warming humans are actually causing.

I think that Stephen Schulz is probably more liberal.  He opposes censorship, is a supporter of the theory of evolution, and I don’t really know why I think he’s liberal, but I feel like he is.  He’s certainly outspoken.  Schulz seems to believe that most of the warming is caused by greenhouse gases as he seems to believe what the scientists say based on his conversation.

I think Wikipedia can be very useful.  The material is looked at by many editors and yes, some of them can be wrong, but for the most part, I think it’s fairly reliable.  I don’t think that Wikipedia should replace textbooks.  Although most text books are probably not as reliable as we think they are, not all students have access to computers and internet at home.  I think Wikipedia could be integrated as a resource into classroom activities but I don’t think it should be the sole resource.

Global Warming Post 1

Wikipedia appears to take the position that global warming is an environmental issue caused by people.  Wikipedia indicates that global warming will cause catastrophic problems by the rise in temperature that will affect the melting of glaciers and sea ice.  In addition, it will cause extreme weather, the extinctions of some species and sea levels will rise.

Extreme weather                               

The Environmental Defense Fund attributes extreme weather to the warming of the atmosphere.  It claims that hurricanes are more likely, wild fires will occur due to the hot conditions.  Droughts, floods and heat waves will be more prevalent.

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1405

Life’s Little Mysteries is another website that studies these kinds of facts.  They think that probably the most likely explanation is the natural atmospheric variability; random chance.

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/wild-weather-connected-global-warming-la-nina-1775/

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1405

Environmental Defense Fund

6/13/2011                  

Google search

.org

I do feel that the domain type helps add to the page’s credibility.

The author is not identified but the organization is clearly identified.

The organization does have a reputation for credibility.

The organization does explain its purpose.

The organization does provide contact information.

I do think this organization is qualified to present the information found on its web page.

The purpose of the page is clearly stated.

The purpose is to find practical environmental solutions.

The page does not contain advertisements.

The audience for this page would be environmentalists.

The page was copyrighted in 2011 and has been well maintained.

The page is authenticated by experts.

The page gives links to favorable site reviews.

This source seems very reliable to me.

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/wild-weather-connected-global-warming-la-nina-1775/

Life’s Little Mysteries

6/13/2011

Google search

.com

I don’t feel that the domain lessons the page’s credibility.

The author of the page is identified.

The author is a staff writer.

The author links to many other sites that display evidence to support her theory.

The author does not display bias.

The author is the original creator.

The author provides contact information.

The author probably is no more qualified to provide this information than I am.

Informational page

The page does contain advertisements and they are distracting.

The intended audience appears to be the general public.

The article was dated May 13, 2011.

The page appears to be well maintained and current.

It doesn’t appear the content is peer reviewed.

After answering all of these questions, I don’t feel this page is as reliable as my first source.

Reflections on Illuminated Text

I really enjoyed the process of making an illuminated text.  I had never worked with PowerPoint so the whole process was new to me.  There were so many things that I didn't realize you could do to make it fun, like the animations and picking the music.  
It was a little overwhelming at first.  I didn't like working with the text boxes because I just couldn't get them to work right.
I think an illuminated text might be really useful in a math lesson, especially for younger students.  You could make illustrations fly in and out and make everything seem to come to life.

Double Entry Journal #3

In this new media age, the ability to negotiate and evaluate information online, to recognize manipulation and propaganda and to assimilate ethical values is becoming as basic to education as reading and writing.”

I had not really given much thought to this before I read this article.  People will need to be honing their “BS” radar skill that’s for sure.  We will have to be able to discern what is real and what is not sometimes just by reading it.  This should help students become more aware and hopefully more careful of the kinds of things they are reading on the internet.

Many educators express concern about young people’s increased reliance on Wikipedia as a resource for their homework assignments and research projects.

I guess maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I always look on Wikipedia to research things.  It never occurred to me that the information I was reading wasn’t necessarily accurate.  I think of Wikipedia as an encyclopedia.  But if you really want to think about it, who’s to say that an encyclopedia is any more correct that Wikipedia.

In doing so, students follow their curiosity, tap their knowledge, and draw connections between topics that might not seem intuitively linked.

This is a great quote. Even if Wikipedia has no other purpose, if it can encourage students to look further and continue to search a subject, then it serves a huge purpose and is a good educational tool.

http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=553883

Illuminated Text Revisions

I took all of the feedback I got from my classmates and made some revisions.  I darkened my text, added more art and did away with some of the sound effects.

Double Entry Journal #2

http://www.nytimes.com/

http://www.cisco.com

“In today’s world, a literate person must be able to read and create a range of paper-based and online texts (newspapers, pamphlets, websites, books, Kindle, and so on), participate in and create virtual settings”

“While some see such engagement as problematic, we, like Gee (2003), see these actions as redefining the world of literacy and our most basic understanding of what it means to be literate.”

“Literacy is not simply a separation of language systems that can be tested or skilled to death.”

The first quote cited above lists a sampling of different online texts that are available and widely used today.  More and more people are becoming dependent on the virtual literacy available whereas the world from the beginning of time has depended on print or drawings or something of this nature.  People have to be able to know how to find the information that they need and anymore that information is so easily accessible via the web or electronic communication.

The second quote talks about how some might see multimodal learning as problematic.  I think that the printed newspaper may have been considered a problem by some people way back when.  Anytime there is change, whether it is big or small, some people are going to be afraid of it.  That’s not to say there aren’t problems; you hear every day about somebody’s account being hacked but the benefits far outweigh the problems.

I think the final quote refers to the breakdown of language systems and our ability to be able to easily assess ones knowledge of them.  It will become more and more difficult to assess someone’s literacy when you can’t really test what they know.  Kindergartners use the web on a daily basis.  How do you assess something like that?