Photostory: When I am a Teacher...

Photobiography

Photobiography

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WebQuest

The two best WebQuests:

1. Where is My Hero?
This provides students an opportunity to explore values. They will
do research on heroes and form personal opinions. Students will also
interview others to get different viewpoints. They will define what a
hero is and present it in a creatively in a poster format.

2. Unraveling the Underground Railroad.
Student will work independently and in groups. Journaling will develop higher
level thinking skills by individual reflection. This project also requires students
to look at situations from another's viewpoint. Though this will take more than one class
period it can be broken down into subunits.

Worst Webquests
1. Ancient Egypt.
Not able to determine what age group this site is geared for.
Layout of site unappealing. Not organized well.

Your Impressions: Altitudinist

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grow School Greens	Problem solving: Students will learn to: State the problem. Identify the alternatives. Select an alternative. Recommend. Implement. Evaluate. Present and persuade. Document. Collaboration	Long term project, 15 weeks. If seedlings fail to grow in 10 – 12 weeks then project may take longer. Would deny students opportunities to explore other types of real world problems.
Where is My Hero?	Identifying personal views. Exploring views of others. Assessing information and weighing opinions. Expression of individual ideas. Learning to sift through information to find key points. Presenting ideas in a short and concise manner. Collaboration and integration of individual ideas with other viewpoints.  Creativity – make poster to present ideas	Will take more than one class period and will require the student to work on the assignment outside of class.
Underground Railroad	Students will need to conduct research. Understanding different viewpoints. Individual reflection. Group collaboration. Presenting information in a creative way that engages the audience. Rubric for grading Can be broken into subunits.	Time consuming. Will require more than one class period.
Ice Cream	Structured. Students will learn to: State the problem. Identify the alternatives. Select an alternative. Recommend. Implement. Evaluate. Present and persuade. Document. Collaboration	Might be better to complete worksheet as a group.
Ancient Egypt	Interesting topic  Individual work and group collaboration.	Wordy Not sure who audience is. Objectives not clearly defined.

Activity: Glass Giants

Double Journal Entry #12

Quote: “The society that has a great educational system becomes the prominent society because that's the way the human race survives... People seem to forget this fact, and often these are the same people who are running the society. They would rather spend money on the military than on the educational system, unaware that the military will bring them zippo.” (Lucas)

Reaction: No doubt, education levels the playing field and gives more people an opportunity to achieve more success. However, equal opportunity does not mean that there will be equal results and critics and zealots alike unfairly ostracize the educational system for not producing children equally alike. If children were equal in learning abilities, desires and interests, we could use a cookie cutter approach. But that isn’t reality and we have learned that with the shortfalls of the No Child Left Behind Act.
             Lucas does point out that we the way we communicate now has changed, and therefore the way we teach children to communicate must change. I don’t agree that throwing more money at education is the answer without serious reform, such as tying student performance to teaching effectiveness in a viable way. Flooding educational institutions with more revenue isn’t going to accomplish in a system if mediocrity continues to get protected. Alluding to military spending as the reason we don’t have more money to spend on education is not an answer either. American citizens have an open society and secular public education system because of our military personnel who defend our freedoms, and are willing to stand up for citizens anywhere in the world who want the same freedoms.
            Mr. Lucas’s work in digital technology and film is transferable to the military, space research, and other industries where simulations play an important role in research and job preparation. Let us not pit education spending against military spending; both are important. In fact, the military needs people who have highly developed critical thinking skills and leadership abilities. It provides excellent career opportunities that is perfectly suited to some students. If there is any lesson to be learned from this article, it is that we shouldn’t label or pigeon hole students, but instead expose them to a wide variety of learning experiences to help them find their passions and develop a purpose.

Daly, J. (2002, September 14). Life on the screen:Visual literacy in education. In Edutopia. Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy

Additional Resources:

The resource below is found on PBS LearningMedia (both links are provided). It features a video on how visual learning is integrated into lesson plans and delivered in a cyberlearning environment.

KQED, . (n.d.). What is cyberlearning?. In PBS Learning Media. Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/content/cyb11.pd.cyber.overview/

PBS LearningMedia, a next-generation digital media service, empowers PreK–16 educators to re-imagine classroom learning, transform teaching, and creatively engage students. It brings together the best of public media, produced specifically for educators, from PBS, WGBH, and over 55 public media partners. High-quality content tied to Common Core and national curriculum standards is freely available to all educators as a basic service. PBS LearningMedia, a next-generation digital media service, empowers PreK–16 educators to re-imagine classroom learning, transform teaching, and creatively engage students. It brings together the best of public media, produced specifically for educators, from PBS, WGBH, and over 55 public media partners. High-quality content tied to Common Core and national curriculum standards is freely available to all educators as a basic service.
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/

Double Journal Entry #11

Larry Magid makes some valid points in his article, "Social-networking ban for sex offenders: Bad call?" He wrote this in response to an Illinois law banning anyone listed as a sex offender from participating in social net-working sites. The legislation is an example of a well-intentioned law to protect children but will have little impact.  Magid cites sources that indicate that it is unlikely a predator will actually physically meet and harm a child as a result of conversing with them online. He suggests that many cases which involve intimacy are due to teenage girls actively seeking contact with young adult males. In such cases, the young adult males can be found guilty of being a sex offender regardless of whether any intimacy is consensual. Magid suggests that it may be unfair to ban someone under these circumstances from social-networking when the intent was not malicious. Other examples he gives that may be unfair include individuals labeled as sex offenders for silly acts like urinating in public and streakers. Being registered as a sex offender is harsh and carries with it the assumption that it must be for an aggregious act such as child molestation.

I understand the intent of the law, but Magid makes a very valid point that the law has far reaching consequences. The punishment does not necessarily fit the crime and perhaps the law should have been more explicit so that individuals convicted for lesser crimes (public urination, streaking, etc.) would not be banned from participating in social sites.

Wikipedia: Kantian Ethics

      This page appears to be a reliable source for Kantian Ethics. The names of Kant's parents were in red text, indicating that there were no active links to a page of each of his parent. However, it may be that there exists little informaiton on his parents.
      I checked the links for six of the resources listed. They appear to be legitimate and many of the sources are quoted from professional journals and experts from educational institutions to name a few. I am comfortable using information from this particular source [Wikipedia].

This article or section has multiple issues.	No
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.	No
The neutrality of this article is disputed.
The factual accuracy of this article is disputed.
This needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.
This may contain material not appropriate for an encyclopedia.	No
This article only describes one highly specialized aspect of its associated subject.	Yes
This article requires authentication or verification by an expert.
This article or section needs to be updated.
This article may not provide balanced geographical coverage on a region.
This is missing citations or needs footnotes.	Yes
This article does not cite any references or sources.	No

2. Read through the article and see if it meets the following requirements:

Is it written in a clear and organized way?	Yes
Is the tone neutral (not taking sides)?	Yes
Are all important facts referenced (you're told where they come from)?	Yes
Does the information provided seem complete or does it look like there are gaps (or just one side of the story)?	Slight gaps

Wikipedia: Friend Not Foe

I am cautious when using Wikipedia. It can be a good starting point for research if one is willing to do a little deconstructing of the Webpage visited. I scour the resource links and dig in to see if the sources and citations are legitimate. The article, " Wikipedia: Friend Not Foe" did not change my mind about using Wikipedia as I was aware of the pitfalls of using it (prior knowledge). I will likely suggest to students that they use Wikipedia as a source to get to other sources, and not quote Wikipedia but the original source.

About Wikipedia

a. What is Wikipedia? 

An online open source directory with a purpose of being a vast collection of human knowledge.
b. How would you answer the question posed in this piece “How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it?”

The reliability is questionable with non-experts able to cite opinions rather than facts.
c. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation? 

The creators place their trust in wiki users to put information through a vetting process. They trust that most contributors are genuine in wanting to provide accurate information.
d. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia? 

Philosophical differences about how the information in Wikipedia should be reviewed or monitored. (additional source used:
http://drjon.typepad.com/jon_cogburns_blog/2010/07/slate-interview-with-larry-sanger-cofounder-of-wikipedia.html).
e. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page? 

Text edits to a site that someone else authored; removing sections without an explanation; adding material without citations; making claims that are not supported by facts or links to experts; nonsense material.
f. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal? 

The Virginia Tech tragedy is an example of how people can collaborate to provide information. The entry continued to evolve as more information became available and facts were revealed.
g. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful? 

It engages people and allows them to contribute knowledge in real time. It is a forum for people who have a passion about a particular topic or about knowledge in general.
h. Why might Wikipedia’s creators not want to accept advertising? 

Advertising would influence the content. This is the same reason that newspapers publishers require that the editorial department operate autonomously from the advertsing department. The purpose is to provide information without bias.
i. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries?

It identifies who is behind edits so one can infer whether the edits are made with a bias or not.

Online Reading Strategies

Think aloud

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Double Journal Entry #10

Quote: "When I did finally learn to read, my teachers didn’t have much to do with it. I was 11, and even my school-appointed tutors had given up on me (Schultz)."

My Reaction: After reading about Schultz's sad experience in his early school years, I was reminded of something Dr. Pamela Kiefer would often tell the school board I served on: "We must approach education with commitment of all children have gifts and talents." The caveat to that is that some children may have gifts and talents to a greater degree and some less; regardless, educators must assist students in developing their unique gifts and talents to the fullest potential.

How might the learning environment been different for Mr. Schultz had that belief been instilled amongst the teaching professionals he encountered? I recall how one of my younger brothers struggled early on in elementary school with reading. The teacher pinched him, ridiculed him in front of the other students, and badly damaged his self-esteem. After meeting with school officials and much testing, it was recommended my brother see an optometrist. Lo and behold it was discovered that he had an uncommon eye stimatism. Glasses allowed him to function much better and he was moved to another classroom. However, the teasing and bullying from other students continued due to the teacher setting the tone that my brother was inferior and unworthy. To this day he struggles some with reading and writing; however, he is a highly skilled carpenter and has produced spectacular works that has impressed even architects. Little did that teacher know what a marvelous gift and talent my brother had in his hands and in his head.

As long as there exists the ability and desire to learn, a student can be educated. Professional educators must assist students toward maximizing ability; when desire is lacking, educators must strive to inspire the desire.

Schultz, Philip. "Words Failed, Then Saved Me." New York TImes 3 Sept. 2011, sundayreview ed. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://tinyurl.com/3rfx9zj>.

RESOURCES

What is Dyslexia?. Narr. Jane Emerson. 2011. You Tube, 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3yL1emzIpg>.

What is it like to have dyslexia? . 2008. You Tube. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwZLFTW4OGY>.

Website Evaluation

Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus


Who is the source of the information?

• Has someone taken responsibility for the content of this Web site?

Yes, address concerns to Lyle Zapato.

• Is information about the author or organization clearly stated?

It claims to be affiliated with Kelvinic University branch of the Wild Haggis Conservation Society.
Lyle Zapato appears as a legitimate book author on Amazon.com, Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie.

• Are there any links to in-depth information about the author or organization? A search of Lyle Zapato leads to numerous fictitious sites, including Zapato Productions Interdimensional, with the tag line “Serving the Paranoid Since 1997.”

There are many links leading to other conservation organizations, and Kelvinic University.

• Can you contact the company or author through a real world postal address or phone number?

No phone. May send e-mail to Lyle Zapato.

• Can you confirm that the company or author is a credible, authoritative source of information?

No. It is not a credible source. The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is fictitious. This site and that of Kelvinic University are hoaxes.

• Can you verify the authority of any of the site's content that is attributed to other sources?

No.

What are you getting?

• Is the information biased in any way?

Yes. It is fictitious and much of it ridiculous.

• Does the site rely on loaded language or broad, unsubstantiated statements?

Yes.

• Is emotion used as a means of persuasion?

Yes.

• Does the site offer more than one viewpoint?

No.

• Are there links to other or alternative viewpoints?

No.

• Does the site's information seem thorough and well organized?

Yes.

• Does the site clearly state the topics that it intends to address?

Yes.

• Does it follow through on the information it has promised?

Yes. You may download a free box pattern of a Trick-or-Treat box for the Tree Octopus.

• Does the information seem complete and consistent?

Yes.

• Is the information well written and easy to understand?

Yes.

• Does the Web site offer a list of further in-depth resources or links to such resources?

Yes,  but they are not credible.

• What's the copyright status of material found on the site?

No copyright.

When was the site created?

• Is a reference date provided to show when the material was put online, or when it was last updated?

Created 3-8-1998. Updated  10-20-2011.

• Do the links work?

No. The link for the Ethical Treatment of Pumpkins led to the Facebook Login page.

Where does the URL orignate from? A search on easywhois.com indicates that the registration for the Tree Ocotopus domain name has expired. However, Zapatopi.net is still live. (Another site created by Lyle Zapato)

Conclusion:

The site is colorful and well constructed. It claims to be affiliated with conservation groups that give it credibility at a first glance. It lists media tab, FAQ's, Sightings, and offers terminology that looks official. There is a tab for a promotion for tree octopus kit.
The site is created by an individual and not on behalf of any organization. Upon further reading, many of the claims are so ridiculous that one can infer that the tree octopus is a fabrication.
This is definitely not a site appropriate for elementary and middle school students as some of the links lead to sites whose content may not be suitable for students ten and under.

Double Journal Entry #9

Quote: "...teens, while socially active online, are not aware of the potential negative repercussions of sharing too much intimate detail of any kind, about themselves." - Laura Owens

Reaction:
Students should learn how to use online social networking in a responsible manner. They need to understand the different ways that information shared online could be used maliciously. For example, thieves use social networks to find out when families will away on vacation or out for an evening so that they can burglarize the home. Identity theft is becoming more rampant; social networks are a potential source for stealing pictures and personal information. We must also warn teens and small children about unsavory individuals who might scour social networks to find a victim. Students should not be made to feel frightened of online social networking, in fact, research shows that the benefits outweigh any drawbacks. It would be a service to students if teachers would find ways to integrate social networking into the curriculum.

Owens, L. (2009, April 23). Internet & Anti-Social Behavior Theory Unfounded: Facebook, MySpace, Online: Research Refutes Cyber Socializing Fears | Suite101.com. Psychology Suite 101. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://laura-owens.suite101.com/internet--anti-social-behavior-theory-unfounded-a111897 
Additional Resource

Here is a good source provided by an agency of the federal government regarding online safety tips:

Federal Trade Commission: Social Networking Sites: Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

Google Form

Answer my holiday questions.

Web 2.0 Tools

A great application to use in business education is JUX, a drag and drop-based Web creator. This tool would be useful to use in a marketing class that requires students to create a Web page to promote a product or service. Students could also be assigned to create Web pages for school events and student organizations. What might be fun is to have students create a Web page to promote a product using a Voki as a featured celebrity spokesperson. Before implementing the assignment, school policies would need to be researched regarding use of technology in the classroom. Students would need to follow proper procedures regarding use of copyright material. (I would prefer that all their work be orginal for this assignment to stimulate creativity.) Students would benefit from being given examples of what is appropriate and not appropriate. For example, promoting a new flavor of ice cream is appropriate; promoting weapons is not. As a safeguard, it should be a requirement that Web pages need to be approved by the teacher before going live on the Web. Other considerations would be the availability of computers, internet access, and any limitations on the school's digital capacity.

My Teaching Philosophy

Integrating technology into teaching practices is important because we need to prepare students to use technology in their jobs and personal lives. Technology can be used to teach students to collaborate on projects with students from other classrooms within a building or in other geographic regions. Students will learn to think critically when evaluating the credibility of information found on the Web. Another skill that students will gain is the ability to use digital sources for storing and organizing information.

VOKI Lesson Title: Using Voki's for business education.
Author: Kimberly Thompson
Brief Description: High school students learn the fundamentals of salesmanship using Voki's to give responses to common objections heard in the sales process.

Magazine Cover

Deconstructing Covers of Arnold

1. What do you see? How does he look?  

The fitness cover portrays a very muscular Arnold. He is in a casual T-shirt and is wearing sunglasses. His hair is brushed back and he is not smiling. He is at a slight side angle and though he is wearing sunglasses, he is not looking at the reader but past the reader. He looks determined and in control.

The Esquire cover pictures Arnold in a suit and tie. He is smiling and is looking and pointing at the reader. He looks happy, friendly and confident. The hair is stylish and has a slightly tousled look rather than slicked back like on the Muscle cover.

2.  How does he make you feel? 

The Arnold in the fitness cover does not look approachable. He looks serious, a little stand offish, and powerful. He looks like he would use brute force to get what he wants. His biceps and forearms is abnormally overdeveloped; this is a person who spends a lot of time in the gym. He doesn’t appear to be a person who has a sense of humor. He looks serious.

The Arnold on the Esquire magazine looks approachable. He is engaging the reader and appears to be looking and pointing directly at the audience. The suit gives the impression that this is a business person that uses brains and negotiation to get what he wants rather than brute force.

3. What do you think about this person now? How does he make you feel?

The recent news of his extra-marital affair, which produced a love child, makes me feel disappointed in him because I thought he was a good role model and had integrity.

4. How does he look?  How do those "looks: influence how you feel? 

Arnold looks the part of a businessman and politician on the Esquire cover. He looks more mysterious and serious on the Muscle cover. He looks to be more honest on the Muscle magazine because the smile looks too contrived on the Esquire cover.

5. What lifestyles, values, points of view are represented or omitted? 

Middle class people and fitness buffs likely identify with the Muscle cover. The Esquire cover would appeal more to professionals, people of culture and probably more educated.

6. What are the differences between the two covers? What techniques are used to attract your attention? Pay attention to body language, clothing, camera angle, lighting, color, eye contact ect.

The angle of Arnold’s body and the slight upward tilt of his head and the sunglasses exudes an air of
“You can’t touch this.” The red and orange background creates excitement, intensity, and boldness.
Red is a power color. Half his face is lit, and coupled with the sunglasses creates a sense that we cannot see all there is to Arnold. His arm is in a position ready to “block” someone from getting too close. The Esquire Magazine uses a blue background for sincerity. Arnold is facing toward the audience and is smiling. He is pointing his finger similar to Uncle Sam in the recruiting pictures, as if to say, “I want you” or “Have I got a deal for you!”  In retrospect, it is interesting that the magazine chose to put a beautiful model on an inset against Arnold. It subtly suggests that he is a ladies’ man. The white shirt is conservative and the tie is red with gray pinstripes. Red is a power color.  Arnold is looking right at the reader and his head is tilted slight down. He looks as though he is ready to negotiate a deal.

Double Journal Entry #7

QUOTE: “Researchers find that reading for understanding online requires the same skills as offline reading, including using prior knowledge and making predictions, plus a set of additional critical-thinking skills that reflect the open-ended, continually changing online context (David).”

REACTION: This peaks my curiosity about integrating the digital world into the print world of learning. I wondered if reading online was inferior in any way to reading print. I would like to delve deeper into research to understand online comprehension versus print comprehension. Though David indicates in her article that the same skill sets are required, it would seem that some students might respond better to one medium or the other depending on their learning style. I did find a good article written by Julie Coiro that explores reading comprehension and new literacies (see Related Topics below).  The first time I visited a rather large public library I was overwhelmed by the resources available. However, it pales now compared to the information available on the internet.  I have found it challenging to sift through pages of search engine results to try and identify credible and reliable sources.  I am of the opinion that it would make for a good class project to create a directory with a rating system of media sources. I imagine a rubric could be developed to serve as a guide for categorizing an rating sources that would be accepted into the directory.

David, Jane L. "Teaching Media Literacy." Educational Leadership 66.6 Mar. (2009): 84-86. Web. 9 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx>.

Related Topics

Reading Comprehension on the Internet: Expanding Our Understanding of Reading Comprehension to Encompass New Literacies

Coiro, Julie. “Reading comprehension on the Internet: Expanding our understanding of reading          comprehension to encompass new literacies” [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 56(6). Mar. (2003).  Web. 9 Oct. 2011. <http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/2-03_column/index.html>

Double Journal Entry #6

Quote: "By applying cross-disciplinary literacy skills and systematically using the “Seven Powers,” we can help students see their own power as future voters in our democratic society (Abilock)."

Response: People today are deluged with information from a variety of media sources. Thirty years ago it was easier to sort out the amateurs from the professionals; the media also held itself to a higher ethical standard of reporting. However, the news today is based more about subjectivity rather than objectivity. Operating under the premise, "He or she who spins news the fastest gets it out to the mostest" improves the odds that news heard first is accepted as truth. What is frightening about this is that voters make decisions at the polls based on information that they have. If voters do not discern well between truth, spin and fabrication, then the wrong lawmakers may be put in office. Therefore, it is critical that we teach students the ability to analyze outputs from the media so they can make the best decision based on good information. One of the goals of media literacy should be to foster citizenship by developing future saavy voters.

Abilock, D. (2003, November). A Seven-Power Lens on 21st-Century Literacy. MultiMedia Schools, 10(5), 30-35. Retrieved September 29, 2011

Related Article: Twitter Isn't Journalism

De Monte, Michael. Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg.com, Feb. 2011. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. <http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2011/02/twitter_isnt_journalism.html>.

Analyzing Images in Media

Photo 1

Photo in the New York Daily News: Tuesday June 15, 2010. Article Title:White House: Obama ready to seize claims process.

Caption: 

White House: Obama ready to seize claims process.

In the picture, President Obama appears confident, energetic, and is leading a group of people. He is in business casual as is the rest of the entourage. He is seen in this photo as engaged, and taking an interest in the oil spill. The photographer captured an image that is positive and inspiring.

Photo 2

This second photo dipicts the president in a somber mood. He looks as though he has had a lack of sleep, is unshaven, and is contemplating a question or information he has received. He again is in casual business attire and in an office setting. He may be speaking with reporters or meeting with advisors. He does not happy, engaged, or in control as he appeared in the photo above. This photo projects an air of uncertainty and is not positive.

Photo in the Washington Post Tuesday June 15, 2010

Article Title: Oil Spill: BP Gulf leak could stain President Obama like Iran Hostage crisis destroyed Jimmy Carter

Caption: President Barack Obama is briefed on the BP oil spill relief efforts in the Gulf