Week 13 - Distance Education & Virtual Schooling

This week we learned about distance education and virtual school. Distance education is when students receive an education without actually attending at a physical school site. Virtual school is distance education that occurs online. Distance education and virtual school are very popular today, especially for people who are working and want to simultaneously get another degree. It has also become popular at the high school and college level. The way we educate and are educated is being re-imagined, and it revolves around the computer.

I wouldn't have thought that virtual school would have been that useful in my field of elementary education, except in extreme cases where students were physically unable to attend school. However after hearing that virtual school is being created for elementary students, I guess I am wrong. Distance education could be useful for me if I wanted to get another degree while I was teaching.

This video is an example of a virtual school success story. A girl that struggled in regular public school is now doing better in virtual school. I just thought it was nice to see a face behind the stories of how great virtual school can be.

Week 12 - Creating a Professional Web Presence

This week we learned about creating a professional web presence. Basically this means having a positive, appropriate web representation of oneself online (other than a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook). This could be in the form of a website that describes your achievements and goals, such as the one required for Educational Technology class. The purpose is to have a web representation that you would want a potential employer to see.

A professional web presence wouldn't really be useful in my field of elementary education, however it could definitely be useful in finding a job in my field. Although I have nothing inappropriate on my Facebook, it still isn't the first thing I would want a potential employer to judge me on. A professional web presence would be a way to positively represent myself online, and could even give me the edge over someone competing for the same job.

In this video, people on the street were asked what social networking sites they used and how they affected their work. But the most interesting part of the video is when employers are asked if they look at or consider a potential employees internet profile when hiring for a job. All the employers asked denied that they looked at them, saying that they considered their qualifications. It was interesting to hear, although I'm not sure if I believe it is true.

Week 11 - Open Source Software

This week we learned about open source software. Open source software is software that is available for free on the internet. The source code, which is normally kept secret by the copyright holders, is made available so that anyone can edit the software to serve their specific purpose, or just to generally improve it. Open source is a positive thing in that it makes software available to everyone, not just those who can pay, and allows users to edit and improve the software for their use. However, there are dangers with open source software because there is no guarantee that what you are downloading to your computer is safe.

Open source software could definitely be useful in my field, elementary education. I would be able to bring a lot of tools into the classroom, such as the ability to edit photos or record and edit sound, that wouldn't be affordable on a classroom budget if I had to buy the software. It would also give my students the ability, no matter what their socioeconomic status, to use these programs at home or at the library.

This video portrays open source software in a negative light. However, I thought it was amusing and a fun way to look at the side that opposes open source software, since most videos I came across only focused on the positive.

Week 10 - Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

This week we learned about mind-mapping applications and their uses. Mind-mapping applications provide a way to create concept maps. Concept maps record ideas and notes in a visual format, and are meant to be representative of the way we think. These applications can be great for presentations, and are useful in a variety of fields. Some examples of mind-mapping applications include Inspiration or the online version Webspiration, Bubbl.us, and Gliffy.

Mind-mapping applications could be useful in my field, elementary education. As an elementary student I remember being instructed to create concept maps to organize my thinking before I began to write an essay. Making concept maps online could be a fun alternative for my students who get tired of writing or who have trouble fitting all their ideas onto one page. I could also use these applications as a way to create presentations for my class.

This video is about collaborative web-based mapping. I thought it was a great tool that we hadn't discussed in class. People can easily share a concept map, as well as simultaneously edit it. The video shows how to make a collaborative web-based map, and how it could be useful. It could be a good way for my students to work on a group project together.

Week 9 - Social Tools & Cloud Computing

This week we learned about cloud computing and social tools. Cloud computing is when services are hosted over the internet, where the computing resources are easily accessible. Examples of cloud computing include Google Docs, where multiple users can save and edit the same project without the hassle of email, and Delicious, a social bookmarking site. Social tools are online tools that allow users to communicate and share whatever they want with people all over the world. Some common examples include Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace.

Cloud computing would definitely be useful in my field, elementary education. Google Docs would be a great way for me to edit my students work, and for my students to work together in groups. Social bookmarking sites like Delicious would be a great way to share online resources with other teachers, and to have more experienced teachers share their online resources with me. Social tools could also be useful. For instance I could keep a class Twitter account where I would post reminders about upcoming assignments. Facebook and MySpace could be a fun way to have my class keep in contact with people around the world, but I would cautious about using them in the classroom.

This video explains cloud computing, which is a difficult thing to understand. It is similar to other videos we have watched in class, and explains the topic in an easy to understand way.

Concept Map

Follow this link to view my concept-map of how I would use social tools in my field, elementary education.

Sound Assignment

My sound is a mix of different animal and dinosaur noises. It was just a fun way to see how they would all sound together. I could use sounds in my chosen field (elementary education) as a way to broaden the learning experience of my students. For example, if my class was studying the Irish I could let them listen to sounds of traditional Celtic music. Sound would also be something fun for students to create themselves to aid in a presentation. It would also be a good way for them to practice how they sound speaking another language.

Here is my sound

Week 8 - Podcasting

The content covered this week was podcasting. A podcast is a digitally created recording that someone creates and others can listen to. Many podcasts are similar to radio shows, and listeners can subscribe to them. Some podcasts are created purely for entertainment; however others are used as educational tools, such as the recording of college lectures for later listening.

I could use podcasting in my major field (elementary education) by creating podcasts as supplemental lessons for my students. For instance, if a student was struggling with a subject I could create a podcast that would reveiw important concepts for that subject. My students could even request what topics they would like me to review on podcasts, and they could listen to them at home while doing their homework. I could also have students create their own podcasts for projects.

This YouTube video teaches you how to find educational podcasts on iTunes. I chose it because before watching the video I didn't know how to find educational resources on iTunes, or even that they were readily available. These podcasts could definitely be useful in the classroom as a way to supplement lectures.

Week 7 - Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a way to tell a story using tools on your computer and the internet. The tools discussed in class were: PowerPoint, iMovie, Animoto, GoAnimate, Jing, Screen Toaster, Google Earth and Google Lit Trips. These tools can be used to create a number of different things, from fun visual presentations and movies, to stories told by cartoon characters, or trips following the stories of Shakespeare around the world.

Digital storytelling would be an extremely useful tool for my major field (elementary education). There are so many different ways that I would be able to spice up my teaching using these tools. I could create an iMovie on a foreign country for history. I could use GoAnimate as a fun way to review vocabulary words or teach another language. I could show students Google Lit Trips to bring alive whatever book they are reading for class. The possibilities are really just endless, and I am very excited to know about these tools for when I begin my teaching career.

This YouTube video is a digital storytelling example that presents a math problem and explains how to solve it. I chose it because I would like to use digital storytelling in the classroom to explain a math problem to my students. For elementary students, the video would be slower and the math would be easier, but the general idea of bringing a problem to life would be the same.

Week 6 - Visual Literacy

To be visually literate, one must be able to use visual representations. This includes being able to evaluate these representations as well as create them. Visual literacy is very important in today's world. It is the best way to get a message across to a great number of people, because it caters to the culture of instant gratification and can often be understood across languages and cultures. In class we explored visual literacy through the use of Photoshop, an extremely useful tool to create visual representations.

Visual literacy relates to my major field (elementary education) because visual representations can be understood even before a student can fully read. I think it will be important for me to teach my students how to analyze and evaluate visual representations since they will be bombarded with them throughout their lives. Students will also benefit from creating visual representations, although this would likely be done on a smaller scale without the use of a tool such as Photoshop.

This image, taken from www.broadcastingcable.com, shows a Photoshopped picture of Katie Couric released by CBS. I chose this image because it shows that what we see is not necessarily reality. This is an important lesson that I want to teach my students so that they will be prepared to question, not just accept.

Week 5 - Media & Information Literacy

Media literacy is defined as the ability to examine, evaluate, and create information in various media forms. Information literacy is the ability to interpret and make judgments on information received from the media, and be able to use that information for one's own purpose. Media and information literacy as a whole is the ability to understand and participate in today's digital society. Class assignments allowed us to review hypermedia and multimedia, as well as review how to find important information on a website.

Media and information literacy is very important to my field (elementary education) because it is a vital skill that I need to teach to my students. They will grow up in an even more technological society than I did, and they need to be taught how to properly use media and how to evaluate the information they will come across. As their teacher I need to make sure that they are literate in more ways than one.

This YouTube video shows how teenagers are bombarded with media images, and how that can affect them. I chose this video because is students are media literate they will be better able to properly evaluate the images they are constantly exposed to. Part of my responsibility as a teacher will be to prepare them to participate in our media dominated world and evaluate the information they receive.

Week 4 - Copyright Law, Plagiarism, & Ethical Issues

Copyright law is protects authors and their original works from being copied or used without permission. This protection will cover literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works. Plagiarism is when you present something as your own original work when it is not. These are ethical issues that have existed for a long time, however technology has made it much easier for copyright infringement and plagiarism to occur. In class we discussed the ethical use of technology, as well Creative Commons, a new way to protect original work without the strict rules of copyright.

Copyright law and plagiarism definitely relate to my major field (elementary education). As a teacher I need to be aware of copyright law so that I do not infringe upon it when I use other people's work in lessons. I will also have to educate my students on plagiarism so that they avoid it throughout their school careers and their lives.

This YouTube video is an explanation of copyright law using Disney movies and characters. I chose this video because it is a fun way to learn about a somewhat uninteresting subject. It would be a fun video to show my students as an introduction to copyright law and plagiarism.

What is Copyright Law?

Copyright applies to tangible and creative works, and gives the author control over how their work can be used. It protects them from unauthorized reproductions and alterations. If you are interested in the specifics of copyright law, then you should check out the following video. It is a lecture by an MIT professor and reviews some important ideas for the ethical use of technology.