EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology Week 1 Web Conference

The week 1 conference for Teaching with Technology was heavily focused on two topics. These were the transition from Epic to Blackboard and the formation of groups for this course. As with all technology transitions this transition came with it's own set of problems. One major problem was the discussion board for this week was not working properly. The other problem is groups we have worked with in Epic were no longer in the same group in Blackboard. I had already set up to work with my previous group before I knew this. I am glad Professor Borel let us know it was acceptable to work in the group we already had again. I look forward to the next conferences as we begin this group work in the class.

EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics - Course Reflection

Week 1 was a great introduction to the course.  I had learned about the principles of design in a web design class many years ago but had forgotten how important these concepts are. The first assignment was a great way to learn about design basics; it allowed me to create whatever I wanted. In accessing my performance this week I was able to easily recall the C.R.A.P. design principles. I found that once this assignment was completed I could use the C.R.A.P. design principles fluently to create anything.Week 2 was a fairly easy week for me. I am familiar with making logos, so creating one for my assignment was a relatively simple task . I did find that I was more aware of my design due to  familiarization with the principles of design from week 1. This week I learned the importance of self branding and how I am already doing it. “You might be branding yourself without even knowing it. Just by using the same username on different websites you can start a brand.” (Utecht, 2009) This week’s readings increased my awareness  of the fact that branding should be taught at an early age to students because they are already branding themselves.Week 3 was my favorite week in the course. I had experience in making simple animated gif images but had never done anything of this magnitude with animation software. The assignment required that I download and familiarize myself with newer animation software. This was engaging to me because I love to learn new software. I ended up playing with the software for quite some time because of how fun it was. I think this newly acquired knowledge will be beneficial in the future because of its endless uses in the classroom. “You will find that animation is a useful tool for engaging students and illustrating difficult concepts. Animate to enliven your lessons and assignments, and have your students create their own animations.”  (Fablevision Inc., 2012) Week 4 was our group project website. I am very familiar with creating websites and designs. My previous knowledge of design assisted in simplifying this task. This was not a difficult project as it was using Google Sites which we previously used to create our personal wiki pages. I would have liked to use an alternate site for web design just to have a chance to familiarize ourselves with other options.  I also do not think this should have been a group project if the aim was to use design principles to create a site. The reason I think this is with the division of the project, some members were simply generating content for the site and this has little to do with applying what we previously learned.  I did learn through the group project, that teams can collaborate very well, respect one another and generate a product that each member can be proud of . Previous experiences had me jaded about group work but we came together and helped one another. This will help me in the future because I will be more willing to work with others. As an educator I would use websites to teach students basic web design. I would also use them as a digital portfolio for all work done in the classroom. “Assessment, showcasing best practice, and learner accountability constitute some of the more common ways in which ePortfolios can be used within an educational environment.” (Jafari & Kaufman, 2006) I think portfolios are becoming a very important medium in today’s society and because of this I think students should be taught to keep a record of their academic works. This becomes even more essential as Web 2.0 technologies are allowing more work to be created with a variety of online mediums.

 

 Resources:

Fablevision Inc. (2012). Animation-ish for the classroom. Retrieved from Fablevision: http://www.fablevision.com/animationish/LearningStandards.php

Jafari, A., & Kaufman, C. (2006). Handbook of Research on EPortfolios. Hershy: Idea Group Reference.

Utecht, J. (2009, May 1). When to start teaching self branding. Retrieved from The Thinking Stick: http://www.thethinkingstick.com/when-to-start-teaching-self-branding/

 

4 Design Principles in Ancient Books

The sacred text I viewed to distinguish the basic design principles is the Bible from Ethiopia. This Bible is amazingly colorful and beautiful and displays design principles throughout. An example of the principle of contrast is the contrasting colored text throughout the document. It alternates between red and black text. Page one also shows a great use of contrast by the large text at the top of the page. The principle of repetition is seen in this document by the use of repeating colors throughout the document. The colors green, blue, red and yellow are on every page. The principle of alignment is seen in this document with the two column text; the texts align beautifully on pages. Also there is alignment seen in the illustrations. On page twenty five the illustration text is equally spaced on both the left and right of the picture. Some of the examples of proximity on the page are seen with the text that is separated and placed up by the pictures at the top of some of the pages. Another example I noticed was the large graphic dividers separated the information on some of the pages making the text visually separate. Page twenty nine also displays some proximity by having text vertically on the page which works to visually separate it as well.  I was really surprised these design principles are shown in such ancient texts and they are a great example to learn from. The card of design from the intricate pantings to the way it was bound show the importance of this text.

EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics - Principles of Design

4 Design Principles on PhotoPeach

Principles of Design PDF

EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology Web Conference Reflections

Week 1 Web Conference – June 5, 2012 The first web conference was my first introduction to Digital Storytelling. This is something I had never heard of before and was a good quick introduction to the week’s assignment. After the explanation of the assignment I was looking forward to the assignment. I also think digital storytelling would be a great tool to use in the classroom. The conference was also a good clarification of what the assignments were. One of the other things I learned was there was no discussion posting for the readings this week. Dr. Abernathy also gave an insightful overview of the next few weeks’ assignments. She also went on to explain our collaborative assignment for weeks 3 through 5. This made me aware that I need to be finding a group for the future assignment. It was also explained we are required to find our own group for the project. It is to build leadership and have the class be student centered. Dr. Abernathy also let everyone know to go on the Course Materials section to look at her digital story to get an idea on this week’s assignment. Overall the first web conference clarified the first week’s work and the weeks ahead. Week 2 Web Conference – June 17, 2012 This was the web conference before week three. It was important for me to attend this meeting because I wanted some clarification on the upcoming group project. I was initially confused because I had viewed the videos from the previous assignments that were no longer applicable to the course. This conference cleared up what would be expected and this conference answered my questions on our project. Dr. Abernathy explained it would be a video in the style of a flipped classroom. This required me to learn read more articles and learn more about flipped classrooms. I also realized we would need to cover a core curriculum standard for this project and I would need to collaborate with my group to decide what topic to cover. The conference also discussed the week 2 assignments which I had already completed. I learned that there was not a discussion post for week 2 as well. Week 4 Web Conference – July 1, 2012 This web conference was one I needed to attend because I was unclear what parts of the group project had to be done on week 4 and 5. I realized that our group was ahead of the schedule on our project because of how quickly we had edited and re-edited our project during week 3. We had already turned in the final video for the week on one of the assignments. We learned on this conference that it would not be required until week 5. I did learn that it would not be held against us for working ahead. Also this conference cleared up the other assignments for the week and submission for TK20. Also, I learned there would not be discussion board postings for week 4 and 5. The internship was also discussed during this week and what is required. This was a good wrap up for the course and I learned a lot through the web conferences during this course.

EDLD 5363 Multimedia Video Technology - Digital Story

Personal Digital Story:

The first week assignment in this course was writing a personal digital story. This may seem like an easy project but I never find it easy writing about myself. I started the journey on this assignment at a total loss of what to write about. It was only after consulting with others did I find inspiration. Once I found out what story to tell the project was very fun. I had to figure out a way to tell a story about myself instead of focusing on letting pictures tell the story. I think digital story telling is an important tool for the classroom because multimedia is engaging to all students. This tool also requires a student to delve into research if used for a classroom project. The more I learn about technology in the classroom, the more excited I get about the future of our school system.

EDLD 5362 Week Five Assignment

Draft Action Research Plan

 

Goal:  What effect does the iPad program have on student engagement and overall student achievement of 6^th grade students at Earheart Middle School? 


 
1.    Are the teachers integrating iPad use into their curriculum?


 
2.    Are the students more engaged in their classes than other students?


 
3.    Do the students show improvement significant improvement since the program was implemented?

 

Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Observe classroom use of new iPads.	Blair Wilson	April/ May2012	None	Observation of classroom use. Blog reflections of observations.
Teacher surveys on how they are integrating the iPads into their curriculum and perceived results from classroom use.	Blair Wilson 6th Grade Teachers	May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflections of survey results, propose additional questions. Blog reflections of research progress.
Student surveys on how they are using the iPad in class for their schoolwork.	Blair Wilson Students	May 2012	Survey Monkey	Analyze data, reflections of survey results, Assess if additional questions are needed. Blog reflections of research progress.
Collect and analyze test results from both class and state wide exams on both before and after program was implemented.	Blair Wilson Teachers and Administration	May /September 2012	Exam scores	Analyze data, reflections of exam results. Assess if additional data is needed. Blog reflections of research progress.
Use my blog as a reflection tool for research progress.	Blair Wilson	April/ September 2012	My Blog http://blaircw.blogspot.com/	Post frequent reflections as I conduct my research.
Analyze results to determine if the new program is successful at improving student achievement. Share the results of the research.	Blair Wilson	August/ September 2012	Observation notes, teacher and student survey results, blog reflections, testing data	Analyze results of overall research. Assess if the research has led to further research areas that need to be assessed. Collect the information into a final presentation to be shared with others.

Week 2 Reflection

This week I learned more about possible action research projects. I learned that there are many aspects to research within a school.  A few of these were staff development, curriculum development, individual teachers or students, leadership skills, management, school performance, social justice, and community/ culture building. The biggest thing I learned during this week’s course was from the interviewed scholar practitioners. All of these individuals stressed the importance of action research in their jobs. They all also stressed the need to look to other people’s work for answers to any question that arises. This work can serve as a basis to solving a campus problem and save valuable time during research.  Something else I found interesting was the fact that many schools will not make any decisions without some data behind the change. This is where teachers need to use action research and be able to show proof behind anything they would like to try. This week I also worked more on trying to develop my action research plan for my internship. Although nothing is decided on between my site mentor and myself, I look forward to setting it up and hopefully doing work that the district will find useful.

How Educational Leaders Use Blogs

Blogs are an important tool for educational leaders. Blogs serve as an online journal and is a good tool for teachers reflect on things they learn. They are a good way to collect research that can be reassessed at any time. They are also a good way to collect research because they can be open to a wide blog community, allowing for feedback from larger groups.  Blogs are published instantly and are a good way to keep others up to date on information in real time. They can be used to share relevant information within a group of educators. Blogs also allow for multiple data forms to be displayed making them a very interactive tool for sharing information. Feedback is also easily collected through blogs because the format allows for others in the group to leave comments. One way my district uses blogs is to keep invested parties up to date with technology implementation. Blogs can also a good source for educational leaders to find information other educators have shared from their own experiences.

Action Research an Important Educational Tool

I have recently learned a lot about action research. When I first heard the term I was apprehensive about what it is because of the terrifying word “research”. I was afraid that it would entail sitting in a library or on my computer for hours on end reading educational publications to find a predetermined answer about something in the school system. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it is merely a tool used to examine and improve personal practices within a school. Action research starts by asking a question and then delving into finding the answer to that question. Once a question is proposed the researcher collects and assesses data on the subject. They then make changes to reflect what was learned during the assessment. Finally, it involves sharing the results with colleagues. Action research can involve any situation that arises within a school system from examining curriculum to assessing how to improve student abilities. It is also a good tool that can be used to find the successes or failures of new programs added into the school. Action research is a great tool for both teachers and administrators because it gets them actively involved into professional improvement. The biggest benefit of action research is to find best practices in your school. Without action research a school’s continual improvement will remain limited causing students to suffer in the end.