ED5362 Week 2 Network Presentation

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EDLD 5362 Week 1 Teacher Interview

                                              Internet Changes in Education

There is no doubt the Internet as we know it today has made an impact to the lives of many people, professions and the world.  Since the dawn of a project known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was activated in October 1969, many changes and developments of the Internet altered the way we view the world and the way we gather and process information.  The ARPANET project created a connection of computers during a time when computers barely interacted with their operators. This historic connection provided the basis for the Internet as we know it today (“The Internet: Then and Now”, 2013).  I contacted Debra George for a knowledgeable discussion on how the Internet has changed over the last twenty years for her and that of her students.  Mrs. George is certified in the field of elementary education, an expert in Special Education and Library Sciences as well as practiced equally in each concentration over the past twenty years.

Internet availability
To access a perspective on the Internet changes in education, I asked Ms. George to compare and contrast her teaching practices before and after the availability of the Internet in schools.  Ms. George commented, “I didn’t really have computers with the exception of a type of learning program and a very crude form of Tetris” D. George (personal communication, October 10, 2013).  The Tetris educational game called Pentomino, appeared before computers and the goal was to fill in a given field without spaces with the help of various figures that consist of five (Latin “penta”) square blocks  (The History of Tetris game, 2013).  Ms. George’s experiences after the Internet was provided to educational institutions positively supported her student objective goals.  Ms. George continued, “Now, with the internet, we have the entire Renaissance Learning Bundle, with Reading, Math, and testing programs.  The internet makes finding materials for lesson plans so much easier” D. George (personal communication, October 10, 2013).  The Internet has not only provided more convenient ways to locate lesson plans but also, helped with costs that teachers often endure.  “All of the programs are web-based, so buying quizzes is a thing of the past.  The money saved by online materials instead of digging into the pocket to purchase materials at the local teachers’ store is staggering!” D. George (personal communication, October 10, 2013).
Instructional Strategies
Do you think it is likely the approaches teachers take to achieve learning objectives change with the Internet placed in the mix?  It was interesting to listen to Ms. George as she explained the effects the Internet had on her instructional strategies she used with her special education students and their learning processes.  Ms. George explained, “My instructional strategies have not changed because of the special education population I serviced. All activities had to be multisensory – tactile kinesthetic. Now, the internet is just one of the tools we use, but hands-on still works the best” D. George (personal communication, October 10, 2013).   I’ve learned a new perspective throughout this interview process that it would highly depend on the perspective of the teacher and type of student to be serviced.
Learning Theories
The way information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning has changed during the impact of the Internet.  Environmental influences, such as the Internet, play a vital role on how our understanding is acquired or changed.  I must have pushed one of Ms. George’s buttons when I asked her to briefly explain her perspective of the learning theories of then and how the learning theories are now.  Ms. George passionately explained,

“Learning theories have shifted dramatically over twenty years. When I first started, Blooms Taxonomy and Piaget’s Levels of Development were of primary importance.  Now, with the STAAR test, these theories of development have seemingly gone out the window.  I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but it’s like the younger the student the more abstract they expect them to think!” D. George (personal communication, October 10, 2013).     

The Internet has made significant and dramatic changes to the world as we know it.  Since the ARPANET was introduced, the years following have truly been a progressive turning point in how we process, absorb, maintain and change how we view information.  This insightful interview has opened my eyes to a better understanding of the past, present and possibly the future of the Internet and the impact it will have on education.  “Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” (Chamberlain, 2006)

 

References

The Internet: Then and Now [Infographic] - Who Is Hosting This: The Blog. (2013, June 17). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://www.whoishostingthis.com/blog/2013/06/17/internet-then-and-now/#

The History of Tetris Game - Absolutist.com. (2013). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from    http://absolutist.com/tetris/tetris.html

Chamberlain, A. (2006, November 3). May the tech be with you — Training to prepare the    future. Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://aprilchamberlain.edublogs.org/

 

 

EDLD 5366 Week 5 Course Embedded Assignment Reflection

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Digital Graphics and Web Design class.   I am new to the Graphics and Design field and have found every bit of what I’ve learned challenging and fascinating.   I was fortunate enough to be placed in a group during our Web Design class whose members had extensive experience with web design and learned a great deal.  I had not realized that so much went into web design. Graphic design is like putting pieces of a puzzle together and having the image make a vivid impact.

The four principles of design were interesting to learn as I considered them when analyzing different designs.  I find myself analyzing advertisements that I may see on a day to day basis. The ancient manuscripts impressed me with the vivid colors and emphasis placed on the illustrations.  I have learned that Graphic Design is not just for advertising.  The concepts can be used for anything that needs a unified look or professional feel.

I had not really thought about how important branding can be or what kind of impact it would have in regards of telling the world who you are.  Branding yourself creates a lasting impression to others.  By developing your own brand, you’ll have control over people’s initial perception. I would advise anyone interested in creating a logo or brand for themselves to start with their friends.  Ask your friends to provide three adjectives describing you and go from there.  I took this route and was pleasantly surprised to find what my friends thought of me and then compared to what I had used to describe myself.  Once I had my data I could create a logo that accurately represented me as a person, teacher and learner.    

Creating the animation was a fun project.  I used Stykz software for my animation.  It was interesting to see how many open source animation programs that are available.  I can see the value in animation, teaching and learning. Teachers can use animation with students to create all sorts of creative projects.  Animation can drive imaginative exploration by students, as well as enhancing their writing and storytelling skills.  Creating stories teaches visual literacy, as well as plain old fashioned literacy, and can help students experience learning in a very different way.

I learn and retain information best when in a collaborative environment.  Bouncing ideas off of each other assists me in the learning process especially if the content is new to me.  I enjoy surrounding myself with the experts who can show me, not tell me, and can assist in the learning processes.  I also enjoy the research aspect of the learning process and will continue to improve my research skills for future projects.   

Digital technology is part of students’ everyday lives.  As technology leaders it is crucial that we continue to research and develop ways to incorporate technology into the classroom not only as a teaching tool, but to get the students involved in collaborative projects.  If the student understands the application of what they are learning, work with others for support and present the project in an effective way, I believe the student has an excellent chance to retaining the information.     



References

Alcantara, L (2009). The Art of Self-Branding.  Retrieved from http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-one/

Reyes, J. (2010). Why Branding Yourself Is Important.  Retrieved from  http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/why-branding-yourself-is-important/

Gopin, L. (2012) 5 Innovative Animation Tools for Teachers.  Retrieved from  http://edudemic.com/2012/03/5-innovative-animation-tools-for-teachers/

EDLD5363 Week 5 Video Project Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVa7ir0YogM&feature=youtu.be

EDLD 5363 Weeks 4 Reflection

In this weeks web conference we were encouraged to continue on with adjusting our scripts, shot lists and participate in our team collaboration. Basically, re-work week 3 assignments, highlight what was changed and submit as week 4.  I feel like this week has been light as our team worked really hard in week 3.  I am looking forward to the editing piece of our project in week 5.  I really appreciate the 3 web conferences scheduled all in one week as it provides flexibility to my schedule.

EDLD 5363 Week 3 Reflection

Our web conference this week answered several questions I had regarding our upcoming project.  I learned that we are limited to 1-2 photos to use in our project and the rest will be video.  We assembled our teams to work on the video project in our discussion board.  Everything we learned in weeks 1 and 2 such as the use of Audacity and Windows Movie Maker will be demonstrated in our final project in week 5.  I have a solid team who will be demonstrating Sir Isaac Newton's 3 laws of motion. 

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflection

Part of our assignment  this week was to download Audacity.  Audacity is a free sofware, audio editor and recording application.  I experienced no problems during the download.  I had more difficulty downloading LAME.  LAME is a MP3 encoder that is needed to enable Audacity to export MP3 files.  Do you ever feel as if you messed up on something only to find out it worked out when you did a test run?  That was me.   I tested the download and it worked fine.  I viewed a tutorial from YouTube but was disappointed on how blurry the screen was. 

Creative Commons was another part of my assignment.  Creative Commons is a copyright tool and is best known for licensing your work.  I can see how licensing your work can be useful by sharing with others while still receiving the credit.   I create digital templates for my family photos and this tool would be beneficial to my work.