Think Aloud

Think aloud project finished power point show

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Top Ten Videos Response

This activity is similar to the activities when I went to elementary school. We engaged in similar topics but went about performing and reaching the objectives differently, without technology.  I remember in my 3rd grade class we were doing a unit on sea creatures and as part of the activities we got to make sea creatures our of paper and paint and hung on the ceiling.  It was an engaging activity for its time, but in todays classrooms with all the technology going on in the world we need to now include it in our curriculum as well.  Just as Rebecca Pilver did with her students.  Not only was it engaging for them, but it was also very collaborative and made it easier to make sure all the students were participating and getting something out of the lessons.  A learning style that seemed to jump out was the reading and writing, and the visual.  Students had to read and research and then write their own pages for the site, the visual    was evident in all of the pictures the students got to look up and use to accompany their information, making it more diverse in how the children analyzed what they were seeing and learning about.  I am not surprised at the fact that no text books were used for this project, I would like to use books to a minimum, while embracing the new rich technology and ways of learning.  Though I would also enjoy a lot of hands on projects for an art room setting, this would allow other students who may have a need to learn in a more direct approach.  My biggest concerns are relying to much on the technology, and that we may not be ready for this type of teaching in all schools.  Students may not all have the same experience and background as others, and may still not even have a computer with internet access.  As teachers who would like to use technology more in the classrooms we need to be prepared to teach fundamentals and basics of the computer.

Overview of Classroom Blogging

I like the fact that I had never blogged before and this class has taught me the values and learning opportunities that blogging can offer.  Keeping a blog can make you more involved in the students learning process and you can also make sure that no one is being left behind, and more easily see where students may be struggling in the classroom.  Yes I would consider keeping my blog and even broadening my blog to the other interest that I have that can be useful in the classroom and my endeavors into the world of art therapy, where I can hopefully find other bloggers who share similar viewpoints and can swap ideas.  By keeping my blog I can also keep up with technology better, so that when the time comes to implement it into my classroom I will be ready and more willing to use it.  I believe that collective intelligence is the biggest thing that i have found to be easily accomplished by use of the tools learned in this class.  This blog I feel is that concrete example, where people who have similar interest can come and read my entries and comment, and I can do the same to theirs.  So that sharing information and different techniques can be easily accessible and networking can also flourish with teachers in many different states and countries.  

What Kind of Learner Am I?

This is a link to the test I took.

My results were:
Visual 13
Aural   6
Read/Write 3
Kinesthetic 10


The results of the test confirmed what I already knew about myself.  I knew that I do not do well with just some written instructions, that I prefer someone showing me how to do something.  And then I would repeat the process, and re exam my example.  As a learner I should remember that graphs and illustrations help me remember material better and that if it is something that I can use movement with that helps as well.  In the past I have rewritten my  notes on note cards so that I could easily run through the information.  It also helped me to remember things through the actions of actually writing them down, and different colored pens and markers helped a lot to.  I still use these methods to help remember things and to even help others who may have similar learning processes as me.  I do feel the test was accurate,  Not only do I heavily rely on my visual traits, but I do enjoy movement as well.  Through dance I am able to take a mental break, and recharge so that I can continue to study well. 

Thoughts on Tweeting and Texting

I think that 140 characters does not seem like a lot to get any point across, but I thought to myself... I'm not the only one, there are worldwide texting and tweeting going on.  What if the limit was limitless, could long winded tweeters crash the system, or would longer tweets override shorter ones.  The limit does seem silly, but there are ways of getting around it, using txt speak, or posting several txts to get your point across.   I found that I had to use different words, shorten words and rethink how I was going to say something to stay inside the limit.  So in a way giving this limit, makes the limits of creativity grow to accommodate the 140 limit.  You do have to become creative to write your thoughts down and reply to others.  Yes as I said above this can have an impact on writing styles, making us become more creative, creating a new language to add to the many we have and may already know.

Twitter Poem

An Apple a day may keep the Dr. away...
But to gain respect you first must give respect.
And when respect is earned, you must not forget to,
Treat others as you would want to be treated.
When all has been done and another year has passed,
If you want Santa to visit, you must go to bed early.

Learning Activities that I think enrich and broaden a students understanding of both Old and New Literacies

I think that all of the activites have been very beneficial to the understanding of New Literacies and incorporating the Old literacies as well.  The one that I particulary liked was the magazine cover we designed, as an art education major I liked including all of the visuals and having creative license to create.  The NETS that this follows I believe would be the Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Just as the title says 'design and develop' is exactly what we did when making the digital magazine covers.  This activity goes well with students being taught how to analyze pictures and what they are trying to convey to the audiance.  These particular images used, were suppose to convey ideas of teachers who had won teacher of the year; by placing an appropriate picture of ourselves and using words and images to convey what we thought about teaching and how one might go about using their experiance in a classroom.  I believe that this assignment would help teach both literacies by teaching students how to use tools in technology and use thier perceptive skills of the everyday world to deciefer the images.

Website Evaluation

The website I chose to evaluate is about the research of Dihydrogen Monoxide.  According to the homepage they want to provide an unbiased view on the suject.  When looking for the validity of the page I first looked at the domain name, which is .org for this particular site.  Though when looking a little closer at the publisher of this site I found that Tom Way, is a computer science professor and that he created DHMO as a science satire site.  At first glance the site seems like it would be a valid site with all of its links, which some of these links do lead to valid sites.  This site basically leads an individual to believe that 'dihydrogen monoxide' is very harmful to an individual, but what an average person doesnt know or realize is that it is really the scientific name for water.  When looking for information on Tom Way, I ran across a wiki article that exclaimed a young man wanted to ban these sites turning it into a science project named 'how gullible we are'.  After reading some of the artcles on the 'faux' website I found it rather amsuing how he even tried to link school violents with Dihydrogen Monoxide or water.  I agree with the above statement that we are gullible and that we should not always believe what we read and to take a few extra steps to examine what we do read.  And then teach to others, including our students because everyone I think needs to be aware that quite literally you cannot not believe everything you read.

Before and After Results of Students Using Edmodo to Write

This graph shows as seen above how elementry students felt about writing before they used Edmodo.  Most of the students were indifferent on the subject, though only a small percentage didnt ejoy writing at all. 

After the students finished their Edmodo stories another survery was taken of the students.  One of the questions that the students were asked was 'Did Edmodo make you like writing more?', in which all students answered 'Yes!'.  The graph above shows three main reason why the students enjoyed writing in Edmodo.  Most students enjoyed the collaboration that it allowed, others felt that it was easier to write with an audiance in mind, and the remaining percentage just enjoyed being able to use technology to write.

Thoughts on using technology in my future classroom

I think that the students were more concerned with getting their ideas down and having complete thoughts rather than their grammar skills.  Which I find nothing wrong with when beginning any type of writing assignment.  I could tell that the student who I guided in the writing activity really cared about how the story and plot was going to be laid out and that the story was complete and exciting.  I feel that edmodo really helped get their ideas down and could critique thier own stories after receiving feedback from a fresh pair of eyes who was able to give them ideas and pathways to take their story.  I think that their communications skills were very well thought out, I was able to follow the story quite easily and know where the writer was going.  With some polishing and final adjustments the stories will be very well written and most importantly thought out.  I would use edmodo in my classroom, for collaboration on art critiques.  It seems like it would be a great tool to see how other teachers approach different techniques and theories and what other students come up with in their classrooms.  I think that this tool is a great way to broaden the understanding of the subject area and collaboration in the real world.

Fellow Peers Reactions to 21st Century Literacy

I among many others in my class feel that computers are indeed becoming more and more important to the 21st century's classrooms.  Though some believe that books are becoming obselete, there are still mixed feelings about complete transition.  Which I agree with...transition into using more technology in the classroom should come gradually, with use of book and computer.  Students are still so use to the ideas of books and traditional methods some may not even have a computer at home.  Schools also may not have the funding to be 'up-to-date' with the technology of the world.  I feel that it will come in time, but in the mean time we need to remain open about it and try to include it into our future curriculumns.

Pictures speak A Thousand Words

In this blog I will be speaking about two photos and how the subject (which is the same) differs, and what kind of message it is sending to the viewer.

Photo 1 Oil Spill: BP Gulf leak could stain President Obama like Iran hostage crisis destroyed Jimmy Carter

In the first photo the subjects facial expression is in a furrow, and narrowed.  He seems to be intent on something and in a serious state of mind.  His face is clearly shown and close up taking up a third of the picture.  He is leaning forward and very much in a state of assertivness, though not aggressive.  This man is of African American dissent, he is older but not considered old, and he wears a plan checkered white and blue dress shirt.  He is cleanly and presented himself well, he must of course considering the role he plays in america.  The lighting in the picture helps fend off any deep shadows and like said before gives a clear picture of what his facial expressions are.  His leaning toward the audiance gives off an ambiance of something that is important and serious, I think that might make the viewer curious to understand why he may feel this way.

Photo 2 White House: Obama ready to seize claims process

The second photo, shows our subject entire body taking up a much less portion of the photo.  He is also surrounded by other people as well.  The lighting in this photo is much more natural and less of a concern.  More of the visual reading comes from is body movement rather than his facial expression unlike the first photo.  He seems to have a casual walk though he is still up straight and walking with purpose.  What I can see of his facial expressions, they are much more relaxed and not as anxious as the first photo.  His arms swing comfortablely side to side, and there is no rush to his step it seems.  He is still dressed in a plain blue toned dress shirt and dress slacks, looking proffesional and clean.  He seems to have become somewhat less stressed compared to the other photo and to the viewer is is much more comfortable to look at and may even lead them to not read the article because of that or read it to understand why his deminer is more comfortable.

Old Literacy VS New Literacy

I think that making such transitions in the classroom is challenging for the teachers, especially teachers who have taught a certain way for so long. The idea of using technology in the classroom is reletively new, unlike the technology itself. The cirriculum would also have to change I think and the some of the ideas of teaching in general. I really feel that it is time to change the education system in ways that it can keep up with todays youth and the world. Using books and continuing to teach like the computer does not exist seems ignorant on the education systems part. I dont believe we should do away with books completely, it is always a smart and safe way to have a hard copy of anything one may deem important. But computers and the possiblilites of using them as a literacy tool should be taken seriously and pursued for future progress in the education system.

This lesson plan I feel shows the differences between the actual magazines and the online versions, which can be changed or tweaked in some way.  This can help the studebts to learn how to read a hard copy and then switch gears to read online. 

Going back to Pictures!?!!

Papers...we all write them at some point in our lives rather it be in a classroom, or for your job or career.  But how engaged are we really when we write these papers, though im sure some enjoy writing especially when its on a topic of interest for the individual.  But what happens to the paper when everything is all said and done...not much really I imagine.  At least not with past papers I have written, not everyone will find interest in what we have to say.  Instead of thinking in ways of many years before with the traditional paper writing, I think that with new technology, its slowly becoming the way of the literate DoDo.  With access to the internet and so many visuals filling our senses, why not use these new ways of gaining information and sharing that information in a format that is more friendly to the populace.  Digital Stories I think would be just as effient as a paper really, after just making the short video in class I realize that you can put alot of research into just like any paper.  Students can not only research their topics, but they can also learn how to use technology that also interest them.  I am a big fan of visual aids and feel that they can help many students better understand what they are researching, and can even help convey their thoughts and feeling in ways that words may not be effient enough.  So overall again I say yes to Digital Stories, and proper use in the classroom to inhance learning.

My short video.

Unearthing New Ways of Improving Childrens Minds and Psyche

While browsing videos and articles about teaching methods I ran across something called Mind Sound Technology.  I havent done much research on it yet, though to me it seems reletivly new in the way they are implementing it.  There are a couple videos that talk about it, though they really dont go to much into depth about the subject itself, they seem to concentrate more on the results that have come from practining it. 
The first video.
The second video.

Furthur Analysis of Using Technology to Advance Language Learning

  My opionion hasnt necessarily changed but after exploring many sources and opinions of other professionals and students my views have just become a bit clearer on the standpoint I would take on the issue. I really do believe technology in the classroom can maybe not improve language skills but can broaden them.  A particular article I found on the internet talks about technology in the classroom and how teachers can use it in more beneficial ways than just writing papers and researching topics.  By teaching teachers more about technology and its infnite possiblities as a useful teaching tool, they can expand the 'normal' process of english into a more collaborative way (a new way of writing and a new audiance to think about).

Student and Teacher Perspectives on Using Technology in the Classroom

This video tells about a News Literacy Project, where professional journalist came into the classrooms and talked to students about consuming and processing factual information from false information.  The students were all given assigments to do using technology to further their comprehension of the suject.

Review of a counclers blog

After going over a counclers point of view in their blog I saw how versitile it can be for teachers and students.  It can be a great to connect to all of your students at once, and give them information that they may have missed in the classroom.  Its a great way to get students to collaborate with each other and make sure they all are participating in some way.  Placing assignments and other important notices on the blog can also give a heads up to students about missed work, or if they may need to bring something to class.  Having the blog also keeps down the need for so much paper and the chance that the students may lose important notes and memos they are sent home with.  Or if they do lose them they can have easy access to a new copy if need be. 

Survey

Copy of Blue Rays Resume

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Cassandra Abel 

Route 1 Box 234   |   friendly city, WV |   26554  |   330.123.4567 |   websiteofme.org

Objective

 To be able to be in a postion to be of service to people who may need emotional support and help.  To use my skills and techniques to help the individuals work through their problems in a heathly manner and if nessary, re enter them into society as more productive citizens.

Education

2014	University of Higher Education, MA Art Therapy
2012	University of Education, BA In Art Education

Work Experience

Mostly volunteer work with speacial need children.

Skills

 Fine Arts: Drawing, Oil and Water media painting, Sculpture, Pottery, and Art History. 

 Have also worked with elementry children in a public school setting.

Basic Ballroom skills, dances that range from waltz to salsa.

 

References available upon request.

A Short Introduction

Ello, I am a first time blogger from fairmont.  I have a great interst in the arts and would like to teach children how to create their own art, and maybe even use in ways that can become productive to themselves and others.  I believe there is not right or wrong way to learn, and that it is an individual process for everyone.  My goals in the classroom would be to teach in a variety of ways to give every students a new way to learn so that they may become more comfortable and acheive high learning potintial.  I have found that I enjoy working with elementry students, and have used a few different methods of getting them to become engaged in the lessons.  Such as having disscusions about art printouts that I thought might be interesting for the children to look at and try to explain.  Using guided questioning and prompting I found that as long as the children were kept on task the dissucsions seemed to be very stimulating. 
A second technique I used involved the students actually moving around and exploring movement before i had them paint.  This particular lesson focused on brushstrokes and how different brushstrokes can convey different moods.  The students enjoyed this lesson for two reasons, they first got to get up out of their chairs and move around, and then they got to use paint. 
I believe that you must keep the lessons interesting to the children so that they actually learn and not just go through motions.  You can have them sit and read and work on worksheets but there is no active learning.  With converstation and even movement i believe children can retain more and actually get something out of a lesson.

Using technology to engage learning

I dont think that getting iPads will reduce the cost much at first considering how new of a technology they are.  In the long run though when they become more perfected they could become a valuable resourse in the classroom.  Saving paper, ink, and money; going green in schools is becoming more and more prevelent and with the option of electronic sources would cut down on the heavy paper use.  I think that teaching without a textbook will be more time consuming for teachers; but I think that it is better for the students and as teachers we should want to better our students in any way we can.  By taking more time to come up with lessons that have clear cut and stimulating information will make for a better way to learn.  Books are a good way to have guidelines and a way to organize a lesson but i think that most of the learning should be done through the interactions between teacher and students. 


I think that this particular video relates to the idea I mentioned earlier about the importance of interaction can be done through ways such as the video shows.  The children are much engaged in the learning process and this technique is more up to date than just using text books, pencil, and paper.