Tech Task 5b

I found this tech task extremely overwhelming based on the sheer number of options provided on DS106: An Anthology of New Media Assignments. I knew that I wanted to do something visually, and after looking at the various options, I set in search of a new photo editing program. Previously I had always used Picasa, and just wanted to see what other type of free editing resources were available.   Shayna Brown shared her tech task a couple of days ago and commented that she used,  pixlr express.  I have gotten to know Shayna quite well over the last year and respect her use  and expertise of technology, as she has helped me out on more than one occasion.  I decided to follow her lead and also “colorize” a picture, but opted to add my personal flare.  For those of you who have read some of my previous posts you will notice that I enjoy inspirational quotes and being outdoors so I wanted to be sure include these features in my creation.  Finally,  I decided I would make a motivational poster by colorizing a picture I had taken in the fall.  The first picture you will see is the original, and the second one, the final Colorized version.

Before:

After:

For the next task I opted to look at the writing assignments and found one that fit in nicely with ECMP 355.  It is called Tweet a Film.  Essentially you chose a movie, and summarize it in 140 characters; the amount of character provided when you compose a tweet on Twitter.

I chose Mean Girls and the Tweet i wrote is as follows:

Queens of the high school jungle prey on the weak for domination…Until the wheels on the bus go round and round #karma #yougoglenncoco

I think this would be an engaging way to get students to express/provide a very brief summary of a film or novel.  Class sharing would be quick, allowing all students an opportunity to present, as well as provides an opportunity to  develop public speaking skills, confidence and respect for others opinions.

Tech Task #5 a) ~ Engaging Critical Thinking Skills

Throughout my high school education I was able to develop a critical lens while dissecting literature and for this I am grateful.  As a student and prospective teacher, I truly believe the test of a good pupil is placed in their critical thinking skills, and this is not something that can easily be assigned a grade.  After reading School Isn’t a Job, I found myself slightly overwhelmed and let you warn you that the journey I went through to reach a conclusion on this topic is messy and not really sequential.

For starters I attempted to make ground by finding answers by reflecting on my own experiences.  I considered myself a success story throughout school, and these successes were not always attained easily.   While I found the assigning of grades a reward for my hard work and intellect, I am aware that not all students are motivated by grades as a result of injustice in the realm of assessment.  The article mentions that hard-work is not an area of the curriculum that is assigned a grade;  it is the mastery of content that is assigned a grade.  To continue with this thought I think that the real question should be surrounding the valour of assessments used that result in the grading of students.   Teachers are required to assign grades and far too often work is assigned to be assessed without a real purpose.  All curriculum courses are different and I stand firm in my believe that students are far too often assigned busy work so that teachers are able to assess, collect grades to be used with it comes to the creation of report cards. Parents/Guardians then read into these grades far more than they should.     As Dean Shareski  points out people have the desire to have the grade tell all and he is supported by Berniesoto who goes on to say “a person’s self-worth or value” is not wrapped up in a grade.  Therefore holistic assessment in not present, and until it is, grade will continue to provide only a small inclination of the learning done within the classroom.

Assessment is a topic of great debate and this article for me is about the nature and purpose of assessment and therefore controversial.  Having just completed my 6^th semester in the field of education I took a class designed to specifically to address the area of assessment, under the direction of Marc Spooner .  On the very first day of class he asked my section to brain storm the purpose of education.  The types of comments documented included;

• Developing skills to be life-long learners, including the development of critical thinking skills
• Exploring sense of self and place within community
• Learning about the function of the world including the questioning of social norms
• The creation of active citizens
• Preparation for adult life
• Building relationships and sense of community
• Transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next
• Means of socialization

I am filled with pride as I look over this list that my classmates created.   It is apparent that as future educators we do not have the philosophy that education is simply about the assignment of grades. While my discussion of the controversy of assessment may seem off topic in relation to the question if school should be treated as a job, I wish to integrate that this question can and will not be answered without first answering the question “What is the Purpose of Education” and finally” what is the role of teacher within that purpose”.  Finally the topic of whether assigned grades truly reflect the amount of learning done by an individual is raised.  After all, learning is what education is about according to John Scammell right? Well I also disagree in this respect.  My philosophy of education gives value to the entire journey of learning, not just the success of internalizing content taught in school.  This journey includes the ability to apply learning to new situations known as the Transfer of Knowledge or “Preparation for Future Learning” as discussed by John D. Bransford, and Daniel L. Schwartz  in, “Rethinking Transfer: A Simple Proposal with Multiple Implications”.

Ultimately there is a lot of theory that goes into assessment and I believe that far too often students are disservice by purpose of the assessment they are exposed to.  Therefore I agree that school isn’t like a job, but instead it is a journey of learning that extends greatly passed the assignment of grades and can only be ultimately judged by the character and skills of people as they entire their adult lives.

The realm of assessment is something I plan to discuss in the next couple days so look for blog posts to come!

Result Sharing

This was my first time using google docs, and I loved how manageable it was to organize the results from my survey.  Truth be told I didn’t have to do a thing, as time stamps and a spreadsheet of answers was done automatically (see below for exact display).  I do not consider myself a strong math student and having the statistics graphed for me in a visual way was appreciated.

I posted my survey on Sunday, June 3 and until yesterday I only had two people take my survey.  As a result of this low number of responses I decided to take matters into my own hands and asked my boss, boyfriend and his co-workers to provide me with some insight. At the end of the day I had 11 people take the time to answer the two questions and I appreciate them taking time out of their busy work days to assist me.

The first question I posed centered around the number of hours the surveyed spent being engaged in active play daily when they were a child.  82% answered that they spent more than two hours a day being engaged in active play, leaving the other 18% to say they spent somewhere between one and two hours “Playing”.  The generational contrasts therefore are staggering when considering that  46% of children who get less than 3 hours of active play per week!

The next question I asked was for people to disclose the number of hours of screen time they are subjected to daily.  Again the results were staggering, however based on the subject group, it is understandable based on the fact that the survey was taken by office personnel whose work day is centered around desk and computer work.  With this said, over half 54% revealed spending more than 6 hours in front a screen, with 27% answering 4-6 hours per day.   Technology is powering current society and its benefits are widely accepted, however one must take into consideration how much is too much, and reevaluate to appreciate the simple things in life!

As promised, here is the exact spread sheet of survey results created by google docs.  I look forward to using this resource in the future!

 

Tech Task #4 ~ The Power of Google

Over the course of this semester I have been exposed to a wide array of technological resources and I am astounded by all the facets that google has to offer.  Truth be told prior to this semester, I only utilized the first three google tabs, being,  google search, google images, and google maps.  I am slightly embarrassed that I never had the motivation to further investigate the other options that google has, and greatly appreciate a push to explore google in this fourth tech task.

I am slowly getting accustom to using google reader to subscribe to classmates blogs and am attracted to the “one stop shopping” option this affords me. I am a huge fan of organization, and as my boyfriend likes to point out I am borderline OCD.  I am very particular about the completion of tasks and tediously/exhaustively write lists for almost everything.  I carry a calendar with me everywhere, and absolutely fell in love with the google calendar option.  Not only does will this save money as it eliminates the need to invest in expensive day planners, but furthermore I enjoy being able to colour coordinate everything and love that I can share my calendar with others! I plan to keep using this tool, and feel as though it would be a good way to keep a future family organized while on the go.

Another google option I have recently discovered is google news.  I think it is important to keep up to date on current events, and with the hectic nature of life I often miss the 6 o’clock news.  Being able to search top stories, or stories in specific to Saskatchewan, Canada or a certain field of interest is extremely attractive.

I have read some of my classmates blogs this past week and I have noticed that there are a number of people who have been recently exposed to picasa.  I have been using picasa for the past 2 years and love that I am able to store all my pictures in a space, other than facebook.  The editing options are impressive and a tool that I specifically enjoy is the face recognizer.  When making gifts for mother’s day or Christmas etc I often use pictures and being able to click on the face of, my brother for example, and have all pictures of him come up, eliminates a lot of unnecessary searching.

I have also recently taken a step and set up a g-mail account and went through the process of forward both my university and hotmail account.  I enjoy not having two emails, and due to the fact that I do not get internet to my phone, having to check on email means the whole process isn’t so time-consuming and such a chore.

Finally, I am in the processing of exploring google drive. I have started work on uploading my word documents onto this space, as I am a bit of a worrier when it comes to the possibility of losing work.  Last year I had a computer crash on me, and thought I had lost 2 years of university work as a result.  Naturally when I got a new computer I invested in a backup hard drive that is updated weekly.  While this sounds awesome. my laptop is not always plugged into the hard drive and having all of my work uploaded on an online space is comforting. Additionally, my previous blog post included a survey made on google docs, and I have been playing with the presentation maker.  I am not a huge fan of power point, and being exposed to new tools eliminates me feeling limited in my options.  While I do not have the need to make a presentation at this time I have practiced inserting graphics, as well as a video and sound clip and will be sure to use this tools.

All in all, I feel as though I have adequately began my process of exploration when it comes to technological resources and I feel being asked to spend time on google has furthered this drive to explore.  Previous to this experience I was the first to admit that I struggled with technology and I often hid behind this belief.  I now realize that I was a bit of hypocrite in the sense that I was unwilling to try new things and learn something new in the realm of technology, yet was/am going to expect my students to challenge their learning daily.

Technology vs. Physical Activity/Tech Task #4 ~ Survey

Continuing with my kick on the importance of physical activity in childhood I could not help but recall a series of tweets that I read from @ParticipACTIOn on May 28, 2012.  The first being, ““F” for Physical Activity Levels. Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card 2012 released today:”, the second being “Cdn. kids in grades 6-12 spend 7 hrs & 48 mins per day in front of screens. 2012 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card” and the last being “46% of kids are getting three hours or less of active play per week, including weekends.”

As an individual who enjoys spending time outdoors and being physically active, I consider myself an advocate for the importance of physical activity in the lives of children.  Furthermore as a result of being enrolled in ECMP 355, I have built an  appreciation of the use of technology in the classroom and furthermore have been made aware of its benefits in society.   In my personal opinion, these two areas present opposing ideologies and life without either would not be complete.   It sickens me that children are spending more than 7 hours per day in front of screen, and that just under 50% of kids get less than 3 hours of active play per week.  These statistics speak to the fact that technology presents the possibility to harm the health and well-being of children. Please do not discredit me for my previous statement as I am aware there are other influences that negatively affect the declining number of hours children are spending being physically active, but in this discussion I am looking specifically at technology.  Technology is at the center of current society and the “gadgets” available are very attractive.  It acknowledge that children deserve to be exposed to all forms of technology, however I remain firm in my belief that everything has a time and place. With this said I am concerned that the attractive nature of technology is overshadowing the simply pleases of physical activity, and thus negatively impacting future generations.

My only solution for this debacle is for teachers and parents alike, to present themselves as positive role models by advocating an appreciation of both the use of technology and the place for physical activity.  Instilling a balance between physical activity and technology promises to positively impact underlying messages students receive growing up by engraving ideals that will allow them to carry out successful lives using technology ,while being engaged in life long physical activity.

Below I have created a short survey that asks you to recall the number of hours you spent daily engaged in active play  when you were a child, and finally the number of hours of screen time you are exposed to daily.  Please know that this information is for nothing more than to feed my personal curiosity.

 

Tech Task #3 ~ “Mid-Summary of Learning”

Tech Task #3 ~ Podcasts

For the third week of tech tasks, as assigned, I watched two podcasts.  This was no simple feat for me, given the fact that I was unfamiliar with what a podcast even was.  So before finding podcasts to watch, I sought out some addition clarification using an online dictionary. In essence, a podcast is “a digital audio or video file or recording, usually part of a themed series that can be downloaded from a Web site to a media player or computer.”  Once I had a better handle of what a podcast was, I took to google and began my search for podcasts of specific interest to me in the field of education. Both podcasts that I watched were found on a website based out of the UK called The Guardian.  The specific podcasts were aired on Teachers TV.

The first podcast that I watched addressed “The role and presence of men in the early years of education”.  Being that I am in the elementary program and am aware of the deficit of male presence, I was curious of the views this podcast would present.  Essentially the podcast explained that there is a misconception concerning the professional nature of teachers in the elementary years, and this negative view does not make it attractive area of work for men.  Continuing with this misconception is that secondary school is more important in comparison to elementary, and that secondary school teachers are paid more as a result.  This of course is not the case.  The podcast went on to say that men are not comfortable working with young children as there are issues concerning child protection, and that it is widely accepted that women are better suited to work with children.  Finally the podcast concluded  providing positive outcomes from the presence of men in the elementary classrooms, the most interesting being, that young boys often do not appreciate education however having a male role model who advocates appreciation for learning presents the potential to curb these tendencies.  Ultimately this crucial time period of development affects the success of all  children and deserves to be respected to the same degree as secondary schooling.

The next podcast that I watched was titled “Understanding Autism”.  The podcast shared the story of a 20 year old boy on the Autism spectrum whom struggled with acceptance and learning while in school as a result of a lack of awareness.  Autism is of specific interest to me as I have spent time working with a child with Autism and have watched him grow and succeed upon entering school as a result of support.  The podcast shared a statistic that 70% of children on the Autism Spectrum are educated in mainstream, and therefore it is crucial that teachers inform themselves on the disease itself and the potential challenges these children face within the schooling system.  For starters Autism is a spectrum disorder meaning no case is exactly the same.  Professionals in the field of Autism explain that those struggling with the disorder are subject to a triad of impairment being, communication, social interaction and imagination and are overlaid by how the sense the world.  People with Autism often have trouble communicating thoughts and feelings, and processing communication of others.  Keeping this in mind teachers need to keep in mind that directions need to be clear and concise, avoiding confusing phrasing.  Additionally, people with Autism often lack the ability to internalize societal norms and practice empathy, and therefore social interactions, are difficult.  School would therefore be a difficult place for children with Autism and this is why understanding of the disorder is so crucial.  The last int he triad of impairment, is the impairment of Imagination, meaning there is a favour for predictability.  Something as simple as the presence of a substitute teacher would be  enough to cause students with autism to shut down.  As if these challenges were not enough, fixations on senses cause people with Autism to be the object of ridicule.  This podcast provided insight into the disorder and demonstrates the need for teachers to understand the struggles encountered by those on the spectrum while in school.

On a side note, I also just want to mention that I have subscribed to Dave Cormier’s class blog and am really enjoying reading the informative posts.  I absolutely notice the differences of insight as a result of experience and plan to follow these bloggers past the conclusion of this class.

Educational Chats on Twitter

Continuing with adding to the blogs I subscribe, I found a educational chat on twitter, surrounding the 20 best education blogs.  I looked at the list and subscribed to them on my google reader, as well as favourited the tweet and responded with an appreciation for sharing.  By responding to this tweet it is my hope that my fellow ECMP 355 classmates, and other education professionals who may follow me on twitter will utalize my findings for their professional development.  During this conversation i used the hastags, #edtech and #edchat.

Tech Task #2 ~ Recently Followed Bloggers/Websites

Learning and Technology  is written by Lee Kraus.  He is extremely accomplished as an entrepreneur in the realm of technology.  He blog focuses upon creativity, innovation, collaboration, technology and elearning.

History is Elementary is written by a female history teacher from Georgia.  The site is specifically for those with interests in history and history education.

Growing Young Movers (G.Y.M)  This website is owned an operated by Brian Lewis who is the Physical Education and Health Education consultant with the Regina Catholic School Division.  He has over 15 years teaching physical education in grades k-12 and has developed physical education resources that have been supported by the ministry of Education.  The mission of this site “is committed to providing quality physical education programs and resources, physical educators and parents”

Reflections of the TzstTchr is written by Paula White. Her 35+ years in the education field have provided her with experiences that allow her to reflect on general education and gifted pedagogy

Unwrapping the Gifted is written by Tamara Fisher, a K-12 gifted education specialist for a school district located on an Indian reservation in northwestern Montana, as well as President of the Montana Association of Gifted and Talented Education. This blog discusses gifted education  and offers advice for teachers on working with gifted students

New Categories

For those of you who might have been visiting my page in the last couple of days, I have made a couple more changes.  I have opted to eliminate pages, and instead have organized posts into specific categories.  At this time, I have two categories, the first being EPE 310, and the next being ECMP 355.  Currently I am enrolled in the ECMP 355, and it is my assumption that most of my posts in the coming month or so will be stored under this category.  As I continue to develop and use this space as a place of professional reflection I am confident that these categories will mulitply!