I just wanted to apologize to those presenting their final projects tonight. I tried my darndest to log on from my mom’s computer, but I kept losing my connection. I caught a few glimpses at some stuff in between getting kicked out of Elluminate, but I’m pretty sure Alec said he was creating a wiki for us to post links to our projects, so I will check them out then! Hope everyone is enjoying their pizza!
Thoughts on Blogging
When I heard that we were going to be blogging for this course, I thought “Oh, great. I have to ramble about what I did everyday?” The only blogs I had encountered at that point were very personal ones, with entries like, “I slept in today. Then I went to the grocery store and they were all out of margarine. So I had to buy butter instead…” and so on. But now I realize that a blog is whatever you make of it. I’ve really enjoyed developing my blog as a professional portfolio, and I woud definitely like to continue using it. A blogfolio is so much easier to modify and update than a paper one, and it is easier to navigate than flipping through a binder.
I’ve also been intrigued by the possibility of using blogs in the classroom. I would definitely like to experiment with this. Blogging is more informal and personal than an essay assignment, but can still be used to assess students’ writing skills. Blogs are also a great tool for communication and collaboration. It would also be an opportunity to teach students to be responsible and respectful when they post something online.
I’ve faithfully read every blog by every student in this class, although I haven’t commented on every post. I wouldn’t want to pick a favorite, because everyone has shared great information and insights. However, I do want to acknowledge a few posts that stood out to me: Corinne’s first blog post, which inspired my final project; Sara’s entry on media representation, which was a well written, interesting read, and gave me so much to think about that I couldn’t bundle it all into a little comment; Kari’s post, which shared a great video from Ken Robinson; Sharlene’s post, with an awesome environmentalism video; Ryan’s entry about being a “Real Cool Teacher”, in which he hit the nail on the head as far as what makes a great teacher; Jenna’s post about Axe and Dove being owned by the same company, which made me quite mad; Jordan’s post on text messaging; Scott’s post on permaculture; and Ashley’s post which shared a great resource for new teachers. There are also many more posts which I enjoyed and commented on. I have learned so much, not just about technology and education, but various other topics that I might’ve never heard of otherwise (like permaculture). I also learned that Regina is getting an Applebee’s and maybe even an Olive Garden, woohoo!
All in all, I’ve really enjoyed all this blogging. It’s great to see how personalities come across in a blog, through the design, colors, writing style, and choice of topics. Even though I’m way out in the sticks taking this class, I feel like I’ve gotten to know the people in this class. I’ve also found many other great blogs from educators, who have great ideas for revolutionizing education. Blogging is just a tool, but it is leading to something much greater- change. And we all know that the education system could use some change!
Obesity Video
Finally, after much heartbreak and disaster, my tech task video is ready for its unveiling. I’ve learned to love and hate Windows Movie Maker, and it seems to feel the same way about me. I started this project on a different computer, but all of a sudden Movie Maker decided it didn’t want to publish my project into a video. After several hours of frustration and useless attempts at solving the problem, I gave in and switched to my other computer- which meant transfering all my files. No easy task, since I don’t have a disk burner in my other computer. So I uploaded everything in bits and pieces to blip.tv, then used a downloader add-on to put them back on my computer. So now I was set to try again. One new program that I used while making this was Frameshots. I used it to dissect a simple clip of Domokun dancing into 10 frames, then I took each frame into Paint and added dumbbells. So now, Domokun is lifting weights- I was really happy with the way it turned out. I hope everyone enjoys my little video; it follows with the theme of my final project, but it’s meant to be humorous. My sources were slightly obscure though, so I don’t know how many people will recognize them. Either way, I think it turned out okay, despite all the trouble Movie Maker gave me. So here it is!
Talent & Art
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines talent as: a special often creative or artistic aptitude, or: general intelligence or mental power. The internet is opening up new opportunities for expression, which require new types of skills. Therefore, the internet is allowing new talents to flourish. Whereas before, talent might be seen as the inborn ability to paint, sing, or dance, we must now include all types of digital creation. As we saw in class, Lasse Gjertsen is certainly musically talented, but not in a traditional way. Technology enabled him to create music, even though he could not play an instrument. There are so many possibilities with computers; basically if you can think it up, you can find the tool to help you bring it into reality! As educators, I think it is important that we teach students the skills they need in order to express their talents. As digital natives, they may feel more comfortable expressing themselves in these untraditional ways. Technology is bringing about new art forms, which we must acknowledge. There is certainly a lot of junk available on the internet, but we must reconsider what art is. Art is defined as the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects, and works so produced. Creating a video or website certainly requires skill and creativity, but the aesthetics of the end result are highly subjective. I‘d love to hear some opinions on this subject- what do you think art is?
One-to-one computer/student ratios
I found an interesting article today, about the use of one-to-one student/computer ratios in elementary schools. Although much of the article consists of detailed data and explanations of how statistics were calculated, it is still worth a read. A few questions arose as I was reading about this type of technology implementation. First of all, I wondered how realistic it was. In order to avoid discrimination based on wealth, these computers would have to be provided by the schools, with no increase in student fees. However, funding in all areas is an issue for schools, let alone in an area that may not significantly improve student achievement. But the conclusion that one-to-one laptop use did not improve student achievement is questionable. It is dependant on the definition of “student achievement” and the means by which improvement is measured. Standardized testing may not reflect the true changes brought by technology, such as improved media literacy or technology-related problem-solving skills. An appropriate control is impossible for this type of study, due to the individuality of students and teachers.
I also wondered what implications one-to-one computers would have for homework. Since students would have all of their data on a laptop which they could take home, there would be no excuse for not completing homework. Would this lead to increased expectations and unrealistic workloads? It is important to provide adequate class time, and some educators are beginning to steer away from homework altogether. Alfie Kohn has many interesting insights about homework, and I tend to agree that quality class time is more effective than large quantities of repetitive drill work at home. Kohn also points out that homework can detract from other important activities, such as family time, and is a significant source of stress. In implementing a one-to-one laptop system, teachers would need to be careful to maintain balance. Just because students are able to work on assignments at home, doesn’t mean they should be overloaded with extra work.
Technology is sparking many new ideas about learning. Although teachers may require further training in order to use technology effectively, once these skills are learned, many opportunities are opened for professional development. Computers are a valuable resource which teachers can use to stay up-to-date with emerging research and to interact with other educators. Technology will undoubtedly trigger revolutionary change in education, as it has already done in most other areas of society- it is only a matter of time, and we have the power to speed the process!
Updates!
Today I converted all my documents into PDF files and added them to the pages on the side. This blog is really turning into a portfolio now! However, I feel like my old-fashioned, papers-in-a-binder portfolio is being left in the dust. In EPS 100, it was stressed that bringing a portfolio into an interview is very important- should I be maintaining both portfolios, or somehow incorporating my online portfolio into the paper one? I won’t be job-searching for another 3 years, so maybe by then online portfolios will be the norm and I can come prepared with a URL. Any thoughts?
I also did some work on my final project, although much of what I’ve been doing is not yet apparent on the site. I’ve been researching, and I’ve found many good sources; however, I have yet to find any good local resources or examples of technology being used in physical education. If anyone knows of anything relevant, I’d love to hear about it. As always, I’d love any feedback on the site.
Self-esteem and the media
For as long as I can remember, I have taken sides against the media. I have written essays, made collages, done book reports, and gone off on random rants about how the media negatively affects self-esteem. In EPS 100, I argued that education needs to help students understand the media, which ties in with our discussions of media literacy. Exposing techniques such as airbrushing would allow students to realize that real beauty is not what they see on the magazine covers (or on TV, or the internet, or anywhere really). In theory, this would improve students’ self-esteem. But after watching this video about subliminal messages, which Alec posted on his blog a while back, I wonder if all this education is enough to stop the media’s influence. No matter where we go, we see images of “beautiful people”. We see ads telling us to lose weight, get whiter teeth, build obscenely large muscles, and wear the “coolest” clothes. Leanne and Rachelle ran into this problem- even a site intended to promote self-esteem and real beauty was not safe from these ads. (By the way, I hope you two were successful in getting the ads taken off). We are processing all of these messages, whether we realize it or not, and it is inevitably affecting the way we see ourselves. I think it is also important to remember that it is not only women who are affected in this way- men are also given unattainable standards by the media. So what do you think? What can we do to change the way the media affects our students (and ourselves)?
Stress!
Well, I haven’t been blogging as much as I’d like to be; I can really relate to Tam’s post about how time-consuming blogging is! I’ve been reading, thinking, and taking little notes of what I want to blog about, I just haven’t been following through with the actualy blogging! I’ve been putting together some ideas for my tech task video, but Windows Movie Maker decided that it didn’t feel like saving anything for me. I tried every possible solution I could find before I finally buckled and redid it on my other computer. Thank goodness I hadn’t gotten too much done before I tried to save it, but I still felt like I wasted way too much time on the whole ordeal. Other than that, I’ve been busy working and getting ready to move to Regina at the end of the month. I’ve really enjoyed distance learning, and I’m still nervous about moving, but I’m excited to get the full University experience next fall (including living off of Ichiban noodles)!
Media Literacy
After Monday’s class, I browsed through Alec’s Media Literacy Wiki, and now I have almost too much to think about. One of the main problems with the internet is also its main benefit: anyone can post anything. Sometimes it is impossible to separate fact from fiction, or in some cases, facts are taken completely out of context. An excellent example of this would be the DHMO website, which I thought was absolutely brilliant. This would be a great website to show to students to demonstrate how content on the internet is often misleading.
Although Think Before You Post reminds students that online photos or videos can be accessed by anyone and are almost impossible to retract, it does not acknowledge that others can post images/information without a person’s consent. It upset me to know the true story behind the Star Wars Kid video, because at one point I did think it was funny.
The old adage, “Don’t believe everything you see on TV” needs to be taken to a whole new level. The internet has so much potential for use in education, but it is being cluttered with so much misleading content. Students and teachers need to be critical of what they are viewing, and further research is often needed to give credibility or context to the content. Media- in all its forms- is an important influence, especially on young people, so it is important that we incorporate media literacy into education. Andy Carvin’s article offers many insights on how to incorporate media literacy into the curriculum- from the viewpoint of students. One student suggested that since critical thinking skills are already taught in other subjects such as literature and social studies, media literacy did not need to be added to the curriculum. Although I agree that these skills are fundamental to core subjects, I think that it is still important for teachers to create connections and opportunities for these skills to be used with regards to online content. The internet is a powerful force which must be acknowledged, so that students can learn to view it in a serious way instead of as an entertaining pastime.
