Week 5 & Tech Explorations 15-18

Week 5

 

Visual Literacy

This has been a hard week for me.  The volume of material we had to go through and developing the thoughts to go with it has really taxed me.  Our assignment this week  was to dive into the world of Visual Literacy and online communication tools.

I have been a visual learner all my life.  So the concept of visual literacy really interested me. Even though I am a visual learner I never really sat down and thought about how an artist was trying to tell me a story with a painting or how a director was using lighting and camera angles to get at my emotions.  . 

Watching the Scorsese video made me really think about how video and movies have really become the classic literary works of our time.  Directors like him tell you the story with video effects and music.  The way he talks about how the camera angle and lights become part of the story really opened my eyes to the power of visual mediums.

We were also given the assignment to look at 3 additional sites.  I chose FlickrCC, Flickr Storm and findr.  All three of these sites give you high quality images with a simple tag word search.  These sites would be great if you needed a certain photo to really make your presentation or blog stand out.  I like how you can choose which photos you want on your wall and the simple search features.  For use in the classroom a filter of some kind would have to be used.

Technology is everywhere.  Students today have logged more computer hours by Kindergarteners than our generation did in 6 years of elementary education.  The times are changing and we must keep up!  This visual learning goes hand in hand with the 21^st Century skills.  Students today have been exposed to so much media we as teachers must find ways to use this format to engage with the students and keep them interested in learning. 

 

 PBS

We were given the task of finding 2 resources from the PBS archives and investigate.  I chose “Don’t Buy It” and “Parents Guide to Creativity”.  With all this talk about visual literacy we must also talk about the downside of this visualization.  “Don’t buy it” deals with just that.  It gives students a behind the scene look at cover models, TV demographics, and fast food advertisements and how the media is selling you an image even if it’s a fake image.

A “Parents guide to Creativity” gives the reader useful ways to incorporate fun into learning for young students.  Even though this is designed for preK some of these ideas can be used for my special needs students.

After looking at the topics I chose and reading through the sites it reminds me of the insurance commercial with the lady and her “French model” date.  If it’s on the internet it must be true.  That being said while teaching our students visual literacy we must also caution them on half-truths and deceptive visuals.

 

Online Communication

All three articles deal with the emergence and use of online communication tools.  From simple texts and emails to online video chats and whiteboards. The world of education is changing.  Never before have we had more technology to work with in and out of the classroom. 

This communication technology can be broken into 2 groups.  The first is Synchronous communication, this is communication that takes place between 2 persons in real time.  Examples of this include video conferencing, skype and white boards.  The benefit of this synchronous communication is real time collaboration and instant feedback.  This form of communication provides the most bang for the buck and is the most productive.  The drawbacks are higher cost for high bandwidth used, many times the hardware must match in both locations and the most obvious is that all participants must be available at the same time.

Asynchronous communication takes place when one party leaves a message on a discussion board, a text or a static medium like a video feed or slideshow.  Then another party reads and responds to the message later. The advantage to this form is that both parties can receive and respond to communication at their own convenience.  The drawback is there can be a significant amount of time lapse between postings, words can be taken out of context and in some cases like a static video comments cannot even be left for the original poster.  As long as the user can accept the drawbacks either form will work in education. Just imagine, this type of technology has only been around a few years.  What will be our choices in 2015, how about in 2020? 

Teachers must choose the programs he or she uses wisely.  They must also train themselves to use it effectively.  With the power of today’s technology examples like the ones given in The Horizon Report will become standard classroom activities.  Why talk about tornadoes in the classroom when you can instant message with a storm chaser live in Kansas?  Why talk about the space when you can video conference with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center? The possibilities for using online communication tools are endless.

Tech Exploration # 15

Prezi http://prezi.com/ and SpicyNodes - http://www.spicynodes.org/ 

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Prezi is an online presentation and whiteboard program that allows you to collaborate and create presentations in real time or work on them separately and save to a common file. The whiteboard portion of the software is like many of the others we have explored this year.  You can use it in real time and brainstorm with students or peers.  The presentation software looks very professional and easy to use.  You can add clipart, pictures or videos.    Spicynodes is a new way to present topics.  You can create nodes and the links that go with the nodes.  You can add multiple levels to your nodes.  When you choose a topic “nodes” spring up around the topic with related topics.  When you choose one of the nodes a new set of nodes will pop up.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I can see teachers and students using this software as a whiteboard in the classroom.  Students can use the presentation part of the software to develop assignments or oral reports.  Teachers can use it to give online lessons or assignments.  Since this software is internet based you can use any brand of computer and the software is always the same version.     Spicynodes can be used in the classroom setting to present information to the students.  You can present the information in a logical format that leads the reader on a path you set or you can let them freely surf.  Students can also learn by creating nodes themselves.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This software comes in three levels.  The first level is free and comes with many of the features of the full blown software.  The only drawback is the prezi you make is not private and you only have enough space for a few presentations.  For under $5 a month you can have private presentations and have a lot more storage space.  Finally, you can get the full version that gives you access to the most storage space but comes at the highest cost.  I can recommend the software since it has a low cost and yields professional results.   Although spicynodes does all it claims, the website runs slow and for all of the clicking you only get to a few levels before you realize it will take quite a bit of work to create a spicynode with several levels and enough information to be interesting.  I’m sure some people will say they like the software but I can’t see myself using the program.

Tech Exploration # 16
Edmodo - http://www.edmodo.com/ and a math dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Edmodo is an online social and collaboration network.  Edmodo has a very distinct Facebook look and feel.  Students, teachers, and parents who facebook should be able to use this software right out of the gate.  There are many apps that have been developed that work in conjunction with Edmodo and are very educational.  Teachers can use Edmodo’s many features to post topics, do polls, or use the social media aspect to deliver assignments.   A math dictionary is a good reference for an elementary student or a middle or high school student needing to look up the definition of something they forgot.  The website gives a good definition of the term and gives examples for some of the words.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Like I said Edmodo has a lot in common with facebook.  The look and feel of the software should allow students that use social media to easily transition to this software.  The tools that come with the software make it a powerful tool for teachers to engage and connect with their students.  The apps also are geared towards the students with a fun and educational selection to choose from.   This would be a good reference website for students to look up information on mathematical terms that they need to know.  Although this would not be a program that I would use every day, it would be a good one to keep in the favorites for reference.  You can use this resource for many uses and lessons.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I can recommend this software if the teacher is wanting an easy way to stay in contact with their students.  This easy to use software is very intuitive and there are enough features and add-ons to keep it interesting for the students.   I can recommend the software as a reference tool.  I’m not sure of how many other ways you can use the website but it’s fun and easy to use and best of all its free.

Tech Exploration # 17

Glogster - http://www.glogster.com/ and Jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Glogster is literally a graphic blog.  This is a fresh way to think about blogging.  Usually you have a ton of text telling the story and a few pictures scattered here and there.  With Glogster you can tell the story visually. You can upload pictures, words, graphics, and videos to tell your story to the world.    Jing is screen capture type software, but where most only takes a static picture of the screen Jing can take up to a 5 minute video on everything you do on your screen.  You can also use Jing to capture a video and then narrate what you are doing on the video. Jing is free and you can upgrade it where you can take unlimited length videos.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	You can use Glogster much in the same way you can use a message board or a standard blog.  For assignments that need visual aids you could use Glogster to “show” the students how to do something.  The format is more youth friendly than most blogs and gets away from the boring lines of text and you can present the pictures in a more youthful way.  I think students would actually use this software and not resist like some other software we have reviewed.   With its record and narrate functions this program can easily be integrated into classroom environments.  You can record step by step instructions to your students on the use of computers or software.  Programs like excel which requires many steps to create spreadsheets could easily be taught using these 5 minute videos.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I can easily see students using this software.  It’s free for general use but if a teacher wants to use it and protect the student’s privacy you have to pay a nominal fee for this security.  Even with the low fee, it’s still a good deal and I can recommend this software.   This is a powerful tool for the teacher and students.  It’s easy to use, it’s free, and you get great results.  Plus it makes lessons visual and easy to follow.  What more could you really ask for?  I can easily recommend this program.

 

 

 

Tech Exploration #18
Youtube for Education http://www.youtube.com/education and Schooltube http://www.schooltube.com and Teachertube http://www.teachertube.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	I usually review the assigned websites separately, but since these 3 websites are almost the same I decided to review them together.  The whole “tube” craze started with youtube and it’s the most polished of the bunch.  All three do exactly what you would expect.  You can upload or download videos that students or teachers create.  This like many of the other software packages we have looked at allows for the teachers and students to visually see the lesson or assignment.  All three seem to be good but schooltube does not seem to have as much content or as new content as the other two.  Teachertube even lets you upload photos and documents like a file-sharing site.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Lessons or assignments can be posted online and shared.  With posting assignments and instructions online you can reach out to the students that need a little more visual aide help and with being online you can watch the instructions over and over again.  These web based programs can run on PC or Mac and are limited only by the user’s content.  They are all easy to use and only require you to sign up to use them.  Youtube and Teachertube seem to be a little more current and follow the youtube format a little more than schooltube so students will probably gravitate towards them.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I can recommend all three of the tube type websites.  They can all host videos, some can host documents and images, and they are easy to use and search through. They are free to use but beware they are not always private.  You can set up classrooms in the software to make it a little more private if need be.