Blog Post 4

After having taken a look at some standards on the CPalms website, I chose the standard “Enduring Understanding 2” which applies to high school students taking a visual art course.  This requires students to be reflective both on their art and other’s art.  This is the link to the standard: http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewIdea/Preview/1318.Students could utilize numerous web-based resources, but the most beneficial would be their own personal digital art making accounts and blogs where they post progress photos of their work, create art in an artist community, write reflections, connect with their classmates, and research other artists. They could websites such as blogger or wordpress and art software such as Adobe Illustrator. This would fit under graphic software. I would have the students familiarize themselves with digital art and traditional art using both Adobe Illustrator and traditional media. I will then photograph and upload these pieces along with progress shots. Once uploaded to their blog, they will write reflectively regarding their art-making process and comment on their fellow classmates work to facilitate an art community.  

The Internet is endlessly useful for student research. The time when the Web isn’t beneficial to pupils is when the information is faulty or incorrectly stated. The Internet does provide wonderful resources such as academic journals, peer-reviewed articles, and large databases. Research must also be age-appropriate and meaningful in the curriculum. It’s not appropriate to give elementary students full access to internet databases because of content issues. In addition, using information from the Internet also brings in the issue of copyright and citing sources.

In my academic career, I have used Google predominantly to research. I really liked using Britannica Encyclopedia because it provided me with valuable and reliable information. I realized a source wasn’t reliable if I didn’t contain any sort of citation when stating statistics or facts. I was often told by teacher what is and isn’t a valid source, like the Wikipedia isn’t a valid source. I would also go with the aesthetics of the site, which is not a sign credibility, but if looks nicer people tend to trust it. The podcast describes a much more systematic way of evaluating sources using the acronym ABCDT. This method analyzes websites based off author, bias, content, design, technical elements. Stability is also important.

The web hunt gave a few new skills as I searched for the various items on the list. For example, I learned how to restrict what results would come up by placing a minus sign in my inquiry. In addition, I learned how to prioritize search items. For example, I would put terms that aren’t as important toward the end of my search. I didn’t really encounter any surprises.

Web Challenges:

·         Find painting by Van Gogh

·         Find article pertaining to the Vietnam war and have it be of the time period

Blog Post 3

         

     An infographic is a visual which presents information to the reader using elements such as symbolism, diagrams, charts, and text.  The infographic I am critiquing speaks on the education of girls in an international perspective. The title automatically tells the reader what they’re getting into and provides a clear purpose.  The aesthetics consist of bright eye-catching colors and appealing visuals. The infographic is set up in three categories, divided by color. The purple section discusses the consequences of not education women, the pink presents the benefits of educating women, and the orange displays the results of their current efforts. There are examples and statistics which work to provide evidence backing their claim.

     In the situation that I were a teacher, I would love to implement blogs and emails in the class curriculum. This would give students the opportunity to express their creativity and stay connected outside the classroom. In terms of digital citizenship, privacy and appropriate behavior online will be my main concerns. The best way to prevent any issues arising is working with parents and filtering what the students can access. I would try blog with students at the high school level  and would implement software which blocks off inappropriate websites and have parents and students sign an agreement regarding online use.     

     While working on the newsletter, I learned how to use different functions on Word and worked to make my document aesthetically pleasing. I liked that I was able to be creative and make the newsletter my own. Word did give me some problems and would often re-position items on the page when they didn’t need to be moved. I also learned how to change the color schemes and create items such as text boxes.  

     Here is the link to the infographic: http://www.educationforallblog.org/issues/girls-education/investing-in-girls-education-delivers-results-infographic

Blog Post 2

                As a student, I have used Microsoft Word for a variety of reasons. For example, I have utilized this software to write papers, write lab reports, create graphs, create tables, write stories, and write articles. Microsoft Words is very versatile and accessible, which is why it has remained a constant throughout my educational career. In terms of teachers, they often have often used Word to create handouts, worksheets, tests, and quizzes for students. My previous educators used Word for its functionality and ability to work as an effective word processor. When reading through the text, creation of quality instruction could be made using Word. Writing ideas, planning, and designing an effective way to teach can be easily recorded with Word and allows for future editing.

                In an educational setting, copy writing and fair use of materials has come up quite a bit. For example, when working on projects such as PowerPoints or research papers citing sources is necessary. I have used MLA and APA formatting to give credit to website, articles, and books which helped me further understand and explain my topic. In addition, I encrypted my AP art portfolio images so they could not be reused. Watermarks have also been useful with photography. As a teacher I will show my students how to protect their own creative work and original knowledge.  I will also serve as an example of how copyrighted information is to be treated and cited.   

                I did not have Twitter previously to needing one for my first semester of classes. I know now the mechanics of the site, understand its popularity, and have grown to appreciate how it facilitates community. For example, twitter has allowed for me to stayed tuned with my fellow classmates and explore new content related to educational technology. The use of hashtags also makes navigating the social media platform much easier and makes particular topics accessible. 

Twitter User Name

My twitter user name is @_briana15.

Blog Post 1

     Computers are a critical component to the education experience because we live in the technical age. The world is fast-paced with the communication that smart phones, tablets, and any device with internet connection can offer. Ideas and concepts are constantly developing and emerging with the aid of new innovations. For students to become successful post-graduation, there is a need for technological literacy. At the time when students leave school, being able to function in a tech dominated workforce is imperative to their future.  Teachers must integrate technology into curriculum in a meaningful and purposeful manner to truly reap the benefits. Standards regarding technology in classes help to enforce and encourage the preparation of students for the real world. I do agree that having teachers current and encouraged to implement creativity, critical thinking, and communication via technology is highly beneficial to the students and the future generations.
     I think within this particular class I will be using computers to create presentations, express ideas, create blog posts, communicate with fellow classmates and my instructor, along with making spreadsheets, and conducting research. The text mentions the use of digital tech and analog tools to facilitate learning and teaching, which is what I feel will be a ubiquitous occurrences in this course. I hope to apply my existing computer skills to different tasks, become more proficient with Microsoft Office programs, and explore the career of education, which will prepare me for success, but also give me the knowledge to prepare others.
     I agree with the term digital native, as it means the group of people who have known technology for their entire existence. Just become someone is considered a digital native doesn't mean they are the most proficient with digital tech. For example, my mom, a digital immigrant did not grow up using a computer, but is much more acquainted with them than me because she works in an administrative position where these skills are required. I am more familiar than perhaps my grandmother or some of my previous teachers who can get by using computers, but do not truly understand them. I use technology out of convenience and enjoyment while digital immigrants use because it is required of them to. Personally, I am an analog type of girl. I enjoy writing with pen and paper, listening to vinyl records, and using film cameras. So working with digital immigrants makes me feel at home and hasn't had a negative effect on my educational experience. There will be a difference in my future students because I didn't grow up using technology as frequently as today's children do. My little cousin had an iPad by elementary school and I didn't even get a basic cell phone until late middle school. The next generation of students is going to be very in touch with technology as it has been a part of their lives since birth. I liked to go outside, ride my bicycle, and plant gardens as a kid, but the future is going to have very different recreational interests, which will include social media and video games. Teachers will have to learn to relate to their students, as they    evolve.

Blog Post 0

     With technology being a constant element in our daily lives, my personal experiences come from a range of settings with varying objectives. In the classroom, I have utilized programs such as Word, Excel, Publisher, and PowerPoint. In my economics class, we created presentations on entrepreneurs using software in Microsoft Office. I have also familiarized myself with word processing and research in writing papers for literature or world history. Photoshop was an interesting experience as I learned to edit photos for my art portfolio. Beyond the educational setting, I enjoy blogging on Tumblr, which allows me to post music files along with photos and text posts. It allows me to express my ideas and my interests to community of people.

     As I enter my first class in college, I have high hopes and expectations in regards to the amount of knowledge I am here to acquire. I feel comfortable with technology, but I would like to become more experienced in Excel as that is the program I've worked with the least. In addition, I enjoy the fact that this particular curriculum is focused on education, which allows me to explore the ideas of a potential career path and become familiarized the impact technology has on youth. Within the semester, I am aiming to create connections with my fellow classmates and improve my level of proficiency with both computers and writing. 

     This morning I was given the opportunity to take a brief survey which analyzed my learning style through a series of questions. The results show I am an active listener which means I am more prone to working well in discussion- based environments. With the next characteristic, I am considered a very intuitive learner which provides insight into my dislike of repetition and strong attraction to discovery. This helps me realize how I could tailor my study habits in the coming semester. I am fairly balanced on the verbal and visual learning which tells me I can incorporate both styles of learning into my personal methods. I am leaning slightly toward sequential learning who often takes in information step by step, which helps me be self-reflective on how I process information.