Above is our video for the Digital Film Project. Here is a list of the websites we used for the information in the video:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=anyways
http://grammartips.homestead.com/anyway.html
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/anyways.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/anyways.html
I hope you enjoy!
Voice Thread is a site where anybody can register and make videos using pictures and/or video clips. They can put their voice over the clips and discuss anything they want about them. A few topics that have been done are “Learning in the 21st Century”, “Rainforest”, “Myst Writing”, and “Pollution”. There are about 1,000 videos on there that Icould find, and I did not see one that was about an inappropriate topic.
This would be a great resource to use in a classroom, because it would give students the opportunity to experience doing a project that is fun and exciting while also informational. They have to do research on the topic they use to create the video on, they get to use technology by finding pictures/videos and putting their voice over them, and they get to interact with others by commenting on different projects.
According to CCSD 2009-2012 School Technology Plan: To prepare students for this world, we must embrace technology, not incrementally, as a novelty or a supplement to traditional education, but as the foundation for wholly different way of teaching and learning. Technology in the classroom has to change from an add-on to a central part of curriculum and instruction (3). Using VoiceThread is a stepping stone to completely integrating technology into the classroom. Instead of a typical reseach project on To Kill A Mockingbird, for example, students can find pictures and video clips referring to the book and speak their research and opinions over the clips. This will get students to do projects that are fun and current with the times, while still showing that they have researched and understand the material. Also, number 5 in the School Technology Plan is: “All Cobb students will have equitable access to technology tools and will be technology literate” (3). So students without access to a computer at home will still be able to participate in this project, and others like it.
The Technology Standards for grades 9-12 state that, “The student creates and enhances presentations and documents using appropriate elements and principles of design. (Examples might include repetition of a limited number of colors, fonts, or patterns, continuity of placement of elements, inclusion of images and sounds, etc.)” Doing a project on VoiceThread would fulfull this standard for technology. Students would be able to experiment with colors, placement of elements, and inclusion of images and sounds. They will learn how to do all of these things on a fun project, rather than just being shown how to do them in theory.
Another standard is, “The student uses technology tools to convey information and ideas, communicate, and collaborate at all levels from interpersonal to global.” This VoiceThread project would give students the opportunity to use technology to convey information and ideas, as well as to communicate with others while leaving comments on their projects. These comments can be typed or spoken.
There is a wiki site called Unmasking the Digital Truth that examines why technology should be allowed in the classroom. The site states that, “If a school administrator invokes CIPA as the reason for a website to be blocked, and that site does not fall into the category of being ‘obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors’ then their claim is not legitimate.” So using CIPA to ban VoiceThread would not be a valid reason since it is not obscene, child pornography, or harmful to minors. If students do come across any videos on there that are questionable they will be instructed to inform the teacher, and the problem will be dealt with from there. Students need to learn how to deal with coming across questionable information on the internet, and the classroom is a safe place for them to learn.
Unmasking the Digital Truth also points out that, “
Responsibility for providing meaningful learning tasks for students lies with teachers and administrators. Keeping students on task is not the job or role of the IT staff. Discipline issues and rules for online behavior should be handled the same as they are for non-online situations. Everyone should not be distrusted and punished with blanket policies which assume fault/wrongdoing.” There are going to be situations which arise whether students are doing their work on paper or online. There is no need to avoid doing online projects out of fear, since the situations that arise will all have to be handled the same. There should be no additional problems just becasue the students are working online, as long as they are monitored.
They also point out that: “Learning to act appropriately online is a lot like learning to swim or drive a car. Both are potentially dangerous activities, but they are also both important skills for young people to learn. We have to get in the pool and in the car with young people to help them learn to swim and drive. The same is true for online, digital citizenship.” Teachers and students alike need to learn how to do projects online. They might as well learn together in the classroom as opposed to by themselves. Doing a VoiceThread project would be a good way to introduce online activities, and could lead to students and teachers feeling more comfortable with technology.
The National Council of Teachers of English made a statement about 21st-Century Literacies. In this statement they said, “Twenty-first century readers and writers need to: Develop proficiency with the tools of technology. Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts.” This is yet another resource advocating using technology. We need to be current with the times in our classrooms and teach students how to use different technology resources that will help them now, and in their future jobs and experiences.
Mr. Tyson’s speech was really inspiring to me. What was more inspiring was the videos that these middle schoolers created. These students really wanted to change the world. They chose topics that it would be hard for high school students, and maybe even college students, to tackle. They created videos that used technology I’ve never even touched. I think it’s wonderful that these students were provided with opportunities to use their creativity and intelligence in a productive and inspiring manner. They worked so hard, not just to get an A, but so they world could see their videos.
I like how Tyson distinguished between School 1.0 and School 2.0. He said that 1.0 is the school we live in. The one that consists of rituals and rules and routines. 1.0 makes students take in information. School 2.0 engages students in activities. It allows them to give out the information they learn. I really like the idea of having students produce products that they can share with the world. Students can actually be excited about school and proud of the work they do. If I was presented with opportunities like this in middle school I would have put so much more effort forth.
I really like the Organ Donor video. It was so well done, and I can’t believe the students filmed just about every scene by themselves. They must have put so much time and effort into that project. I like how they said that they are talking about “grown-up” problems. Kids will be so much more motivated if they can do projects about “real problems” instead of being babied.
The other videos, the one about Genetically Modified Foods and Child Slave Labor, were phenomenal. They made points and presented facts better than some shows on TV do. I was thoroughly impressed. I also loved that he showed interviews with two of the students. I think it’s great that those students got to go on stage and present their thoughts about the projects.
The last video he showed made me cry. It was so touching, and so mature. We don’t give middle schoolers enough credit to be able to look outside themselves and see how much someone else has accomplished. I would not expect a 12 yr old to make a video showing how much a mentally ill child has accomplished. I hate to say it, but when I was in middle school most kids made fun of mentally ill children. I think if we, as teachers, give students opportunities to really show how much they know and what they can do that we will be pleasantly surprised.
There are a few web 2.0 sites I’ve looked at that could be used effectively in a classroom. These sites give students an opportunity to experience technology in a fun and interactive way. The first one is PicLits. I’ve never seen anything like this site before. I found it a lot of fun to play around with putting the words on the different pictures, and I think students would too. As a teacher, I could use this site to assist in teaching grammar, sentence structure, and sentence meaning. I could show them how to change a few words in a sentence to give it a different meaning, and how to use various words to describe images.
The second site is Scratch. I think Scratch is awesome! I think students would have so much fun watching these interactive videos, and making them. It would be a great opportunity to teach students about producing a video. I like how they aren’t just talking in front of a camera though, they are making a video that viewers can interact with. Making this video would help students with their story telling skills, and help them learn how to involve the audience in their projects. I think this would be a good tool to have outside of school as well. They can make videos for their friends to play with, and it gets them doing other things online besides myspace and facebook.
Another site I thought was really cool was Voki. I really like the idea of creating your own avatar and then playing with it in the Application Gallery. I think it’s a good idea for students to maybe take on the role of a different person using their avatar and do things like “create a virtual you” or have a “sidekick dance-off”. After doing that they could write out a story about what their character experienced. They could do a 1st person narrative piece, but they would have a fun, virtually created story to write about. I think that’s much better than simply assigning a homework assignment to write a narrative paper.
Chapter 6: The Social Web
I really like how Richardson describes the social Web. He writes, “The social Web says that we have many friends out there just waiting to be fund and connected to, and those friends have other friends (Friends of a friend or “FOAF”) who can just as easily connect with us and point us to new and interesting information or learning.” (85) The web provides so many ways to communicate with friends, and make friends with their friends. I must admit, I’ve never heard to term FOAF, but it’s an interesting way to describe the relationships.
I found the section on Twitter interesting. I’ve never used Twitter, and I’ve never even been to the site to check it out. I find the idea of it a little silly and invasive. I didn’t really see how it could be used in a productive manner. Richardson points out that: “What’s evolved, however, is something much more interesting. Following other educators on Twitter creates a ‘network at my fingertips’ phenomenon where people ask questions and get answers, link to great blog posts or resources, or share ideas for projects as they go through the day.” (36) Reading that makes me want to add Twitter as one of my social networking sites.
Chapter 8: Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming
This chapter explained these different online tools that can be used in a classroom so nicely. I’m not really familiar with Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, or Live Streaming. Richardson made these seemingly complex things very simple.
Richardson explains Podcasting as, “Basically the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple.” (110) He even gave a resource to help get started with Podcasting in the classroom. He wrote, “One way to get into the flow of education-related podcasting is to visit the Education Podcast Network, which lists nearly 1,000 different education-related shows.” (113) I think it would be great to introduce Podcasting to high school students. They need to be aware of different forms of communication. The resources provided in his book seem like they would make it fairly easy to teach students about Podcasting.
Screencasting is a step up from Podcasting that seems very interesting as well. Ricardson said, “Simply put, screencasting involves capturing what you or your students do on the computer with an audio narration to go with it.” (122) If I had a teacher introduce this in high school I would have been so excited to experiment with it. I think it’s great to show students different forms of technology.
The last thing discussed is Live Streaming, which is referred to as “Web TV for the classrooms”. Richardson describes Live Streaming: “In a nutshell, we’re talking about the ability of teachers and students to create their own TV shows online in just a few clicks.” (124) This one sounds the most interesting to me. It really doesn’t sound that complicated when it’s broken down. I think students, and teachers, would have so much fun implementing this in the classroom.
There are some very fascinating sites that could be extremely useful in a high school classroom. They offer different modes of teaching and learning that are highly interactive.
The glogster seems very interesting. I’m not sure I fully understand the concept, but it looks like people can go on there and create glogs about a subject of their choice that is very visual and potentially informative. This can be used in the classrooms for students to have a different exciting option for presenting work. The glogster edu gives teachers the option of teaching through glogs. It seems like a good way to vary teaching style.
Gabcast seems like an interesting mode of communication. It allows people to record audio to share with other. I suppose this can be used in the classoom, or as a supplement for students to look at for homework outside the classroom.
Wordle seems like a great way to get students to associate words together. It also allows them to experiment with different technology.
I like the Museum Box the best. I think that is a great way for students to present a project. They can include pictures, facts, and even word documents with their research. It is highly interactive and seems fun to create.
Time Rime seems really cool. I think students would really enjoy looking at a timeline made of pictures and captions as opposed to a powerpoint with tons of words and bland clipart on it. I think this would be a great way to teach students certain things. It wouldn’t work for everything, but it would definitely be fun to experiment with! It could also be used as a resource for students to create a project with. I see a lot of teachers make students draw out a timeline on posterboard, and making one on time rime would be much more interesting for them.
This article containing “An Overview & Orientation Guide To Media Literacy Education” was extremely interesting and informative. The points it makes about Media Literacy Education and the tools it provides are wonderful.
Elizabeth Thoman and Tessa Jolls say, “The convergence of media and technology in a global culture is changing the way we learn about the world and challenging the very foundations of education. No longer is it enough to be able to read the printed word; children, youth, and adults, too, need the ability to both critically interpret the powerful images of a multimedia culture and express themselves in multiple media forms.” (pg. 6) I think that really sums up the purpose of this article, and what it aims to achieve.
The article states that, “Today information about the world around us comes to us not only by words on a piece of paper but more and more through the powerful images and sounds of our multi-media culture.” Back in the old days, news and information just came on paper, today it is transferred through media. Students, and adults, need to learn how to obtain and interpret information through media.
The article also points out that, “What students need today is to learn how to find what they need to know when they need to know it, from the best sources available—and to have the higher order thinking skills to analyze and evaluate whether the information they find is useful for what they want to know.” (pg. 9) It is extremely important to point out that just because someone can access media, it doesn’t mean they can sort through it and analyze it. There is a lot of information out there that is not useful, and one has to be able to evaluate what is useful to them in different circumstances.
I also found it interesting that the article points out that, “Education is geared toward information storage.” (pg. 10) I hardly remember anything I learned in high school because the only way I was taught was to remember for the test. I still have trouble breaking that habit in college. It is so important to teach students early on to learn in other ways than just to store information.
The article lists essential questions for teachers:
“Am I trying to tell the students what the message is? Or am I giving students the skills to determine what they think the message(s) might be?
Have I let students know that I am open to accepting their interpretation, as long as it is well substantiated, or have I conveyed the message that my interpretation is the only correct view?
At the end of the lesson, are students likely to be more analytical? Or more cynical?
—with thanks to Faith Rogow, Ph.D.” (pg. 15)
I think these are great questions to ask yourself as a teacher. They get you thinking on the right track.
The writers of this article defined Media Literacy as: “Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education…provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate using messages in a variety of forms.…builds an understanding of the role of media in society, as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.” (pg. 22)
It is so important to know what media literacy is before trying to grasp it and teach it.
They describe their kit as, “Ambitious and forward thinking…comprehensive and well-organized…addresses education reform with creativity and relevance.” (pg 68) I think that is pretty right on. The way they address education is extremely relevant.
The way they see it, there are 10 Benefits of Media Literacy Education:
Meets the needs of students to be wise consumers of media, managers of information, responsible producers of their ideas using the powerful multimedia tools to actively participate in a global media culture.
Engages students…bringing the world of media into the classroom connects learning with “real life” and validates their media culture as a rich environment for learning.
Gives students and teachers alike a common approach to critical thinking that, when internalized, becomes second nature for life.
Provides an opportunity for integrating all subject areas and creating a common vocabulary that applies across all disciplines.
Helps meet state standards while, at the same time using fresh contemporary media content which students love.
Increases the ability and proficiency of students to communicate (express), disseminate and share their thoughts and ideas in a wide (and growing) range of print and electronic media forms, internationally.
Media literacy’s “inquiry process” transforms teaching and frees the teacher to learn along with students—becoming a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage.”
By focusing on process skills rather than content knowledge, students gain the ability to analyze any message in any media and thus are empowered for living all their lives in a media-saturated culture.
By using a replicable model for implementation, such as CML’s MediaLit Kit™ with its Five Key Questions, media literacy avoids becoming a “fad” and, instead, becomes sustainable over time because students are able to build a platform with a consistent framework that goes with them from school to school, grade to grade, teacher to teacher and class to class. With repetition and reinforcement over time, students are able to internalize a checklist of skills for effectively negotiating the global media culture in which they will live all of their lives.
Not only benefits individual students but benefits society by providing tools and methods that encourage respectful discourse that leads to mutual understanding and builds the citizenship skills needed to participate in and contribute to the public debate.
(pg. 77)
I think the Media Lit Kit they have designed would be so helpful in a classroom. It really gets teachers thinking in a modern state of mind, and it would be so helpful for students. I think these 10 Benefits of Media Literacy Education would really help students in school, and in real life.
If you want to read more about this topic, click here.
To view Danielle and Kristin’s Video Clip Assignment: “Back to the Future: A Comparison of Past Predictions and Future Technological Advances” Click Here.
|
![The Earth....273/365 [Explore] Frontpage](http://static.flickr.com/7185/6946499097_366f20e7bc_t.jpg "The Earth....273/365 [Explore] Frontpage")
