DEJ #10

Quote: 

"Success is based not only on what you know or how much you know, but on your ability to think and act creatively. In short, we are now living in the Creative Society.

Unfortunately, few of today’s classrooms focus on helping students develop as creative thinkers. Even students who perform well in school are often unprepared for the challenges that they encounter after graduation, in their work lives as well as their personal lives."

 Reflection:
I chose this quote because the idea behind it is something I agree with 100 percent.Students today are becoming less creative because they know that all they have to do is look in a book to get an answer, and if they put it off long enough, the teacher will do it for them. They aren't being challenged properly to find their own solutions. Students need more access to creative outputs in order to broaden their perceptions of the world and what they're learning.

Related Post:
Extra Credits: Gamifying Education
This is a video I saw about a year ago by the same group (Extra Credits) who did the video we saw in class. It takes the idea of games and applies it to the classroom, giving creative ways to get students learning outside of the classroom, along with encouraging them to do more while they work.

Citation:
Resnick, Mitchel. "Sowing." Learning & Leading with Technology. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 2007. Web. 1 Apr 2012.http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/Learning-Leading-final.pdf.

My scratch project.

I used the concepts of Glide, Animation, and Talking.

My magazine cover

Double Entry Journal #8 Wikipedia

a. What is Wikipedia?

An online encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone.

b. How would you answer the question posed in this piece “How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it?”?

I think that you should always be skeptical of what is on the web. However, I think Wikipedia is a great place to start when trying to research something, and if an article has credible sources, then I think you're fine with using it. However, if there are no sources, then I would check another site afterwards.

c. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation?


The people reading Wikipedia. They believe that if someone reads something that is false, if will be fixed .


d. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia?

He believed that experts should be the ones giving information. Not random people on the web.


e. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page?


People editing pages for their own gain(such as businesses editing their own page to make themselves look good) People changing facts on a page because they do not like the subject, or people editing pages, attempting to be funny.


f. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal?


That Wikipedia is quickly becoming a social norm for checking information. If people do not know something, they quickly jump on Wikipedia and look it up, allowing it to grow and become more popular.


g. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful?


Because it is easy to access. Anyone can find anything that they need on it. Also, the pages of Wikipedia are set up to be as helpful as possible. Each article has a table of contents under a summary of the subject. Not to mention anything searched on Google normally results in a Wikipedia article being within the top five results.


h. Why might Wikipedia’s creators not want to accept advertising?


Advertising may create bias. If they're advertising a product, that gets bashed on their site, that makes Wikipedia look bad, and may get them in trouble with the company that paid for advertisements.


i. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries?


It shows when private companies go onto their own page and edit things to make themselves look good, or cover up information they don't want the public to know.

My teaching philosophy.

Double Entry Journal #7 Teaching Media Literacy

The difference in media literacy skills and traditional literacy skills are vast. media literacy requires the reader to be more involved in the reading, whereas in a textbook, students have only but to read what's in front of them and turn the page.

U.S. students may learn something about evaluating sources in research paper assignments and learn to recognize propaganda in social studies, but that's often the extent of their media literacy instruction.

I agree completely with this quote. I know that when I was in high school, we barely learned how to evaluate sources. We learned much about propaganda, but I can only speak for my school, and I was in higher level classes. Students should have access to classes that teach them more about online tools and how to use the internet in general.

Related Source: 
 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/how-to-use-google-search-more-effectively/

According to studies done, 3 out of 4 students can't perform effective Google searches. Students aren't taught how to use Google to their advantage, and suffer because of it.

Citation:
Ritholtz, B. (2011, December 03). How to use google search more effectively [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/how-to-use-google-search-more-effectively/


David, Jane. "Educational Leadership." . ASCD, 003/2009. Web. 4 Mar 2012. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.asp&xgt;.

My photo story.

Media Literacy Deconsruction

People	Objects	Activities
Coast Guard Watchman Captain of ferry	Helicopter Sky Tower on ferry American Flag	Captain on the phone Coast guard looking out over waters
Coast Guard Watchman	Coast Guard flag Another flag	Coast guard looking out over waters
Gulf Shores, Ala., Mayor Robert Craft Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier	Barriers Trailer Ocean Crane Raft Sand	Walking Crane is running Raft is going on in the background
President Obama Alabama Gov. Bob Riley U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen Other members of the crew	Sky ferry	Walking

The Keypad Solution

 She predicts that the number of “textisms” will stop growing as people continue to develop more proficiency in using handheld devices and as the devices continue to grow more sophisticated than simple telephone touch pads. She adds that part of the appeal of texting shorthands is their novelty, and that that will fade.

Response:

 I agree completely with this quote and the point that Naomi Baron is trying to make. Personally, I dislike text talk completely. I hate reading because in my opinion, we are all intelligent humans with fully functioning brain capabilities. So, we should take advantage of that and use it to spell out words. That way others can actually know what we are trying to say. Textisms are lazy. Personally, I always get a phone with a full keyboard. I've never have a phone without one. That way I can easily write out all that I want to say with the ease of being on the computer. I feel that more a days, people using these textisms are middle school children trying to be cool. So, it really is just the novelty of it all, that will fade just like silly bandz did.

Citation:

Shea, A. (2010, January 22). The Keypad Solution. The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html

Related Resource:

Education Comix Class Activity.

Double Entry Journal # 2

Games like Guitar Hero 3 will help the auditory students to use the guitar as video games. The music teachers can use this kind of games to teach their students how to use the guitar.

In the article we read, I actually enjoyed most of their ideas, and agreed with most that I know others will not. For example, students learning more from video games than books. Personally, I find textbooks overly dull and would learn much more if it were a video game. However, the quote I put above is a gross misinterpretation of the game Guitar Hero 3. As well as any of the other musical games. This quote implies that music teachers can substitute this video game for a real guitar. However, the author has obviously never played this game before. The guitar you are given to play is basically a short electronic guitar shaped keyboard. It has five buttons on the neck that you push to make "different notes" on the game, and has a paddle to substitute for strings. In no way does this replace learning chords, notes, hand positions, and strumming styles that you must master to play a real guitar. However, the idea behind this statement was a good one. The idea that teachers can use games to pantomime a real activity can help learners try to understand basics of a task. But in no way should these games replace the real thing.ug


Reference:
Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Learning Styles. (2011, May 19). InWikiBooks.
Retrieved January 28, 2012, from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies/Learning_Styles

Related Resource:

The picture above shows that a video game's version of a task or activity will never take the place of the real thing.

(Kent, Tayler

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonview.asp?start=&search=news&catref=ktyn197&NC_Category=&ANDkeyword=&ORkeyword=&TITLEkeyword=&NEGATIVEkeyword)

My learning style

From the VARK test that we took in class, I have learned that I am mostly a Reading/Writing learner. This much I assumed for myself. But I also learned that I am also a secondary kinesthetic learner. I find this to be vary accurate. Here is a PicassoHead of myself, the Reading/Writing learner. :)

Technology itself is moving more and more away from reading and writing and is placing more emphasis on visuals, pictures, and digital interaction. Which is great, but that also puts a strain on learners like me. So trying to incorporate technology into a classroom filled with learners like me will be a little difficult. But here are some ideas.

First, an assigned online reading about what we are talking about in class could be given for homework, followed by a digital submission of a paragraph of how the reader felt about the article. Including reactions, what they liked or agreed with, and what they didn't like or disagreed with. This links to ISTE-NETS standard one of advancement of student learning through knowledge of content area.

Second, say a drama class was given a project to create their own one act show. The students must also incorporate certain theatrical techniques into their one-act. The students could be taken to the computer lab to do research on these techniques and how to best accomplish them. They could them use the computer to type up their script and print it out for use in class. Or, if the classroom is equipped with a smartboard, they could put the script up their and allow the others in their group to edit the script up on the board.This links to ISTE-NETS standard two and incorporating digital tools to promote student learning,

Finally, in an English class if students were writing a letter to their congressman about a a bill, students will want to make sure that the letter is perfect. So, in class if they are taken to the computer lab, they can type their letter and e-mail it to another student in the class for peer review. The students can edit or ask questions of the paper with a drawing tool(i.e. paint) and then e-mail it back to the original writer. They can they revise and e-mail the letter to their congressman. This process saves money, paper, and ink, by not having to print out excess paper as a solely digital process. This also relates to standard four, promoting model digital citizenship. Not only are the students getting involved and learning about government. But also are becoming environmentally friendly by using the technology around them to the fullest extent.

The type of teacher I want to be.

Results from poll.

Poll Everywhere

Answer my question at my PollEv!

Introductory Post

My name is Erika Johnson and I am a freshman at Fairmont State University. I am studying Secondary Education with a focus in Language and Literature, as well as Oral Communications and hope to teach High School English, Drama, Journalism, and Speech after I graduate. I believe that teaching should be about encouraging students and preparing them for their future. Not forcing them to take classes they don't want to take. Students should be allowed to take classes that are mentally stimulating and pertain to their interests. Teachers should not feed answers to students, but instead engage and encourage students to find them for themselves.