Media Literacy @ Pierce

Photoshopping Images

2011-12-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

Assignment:

Write at least 5 sentences explaining your position on photo manipulation (photoshopping). Is is ok all of the time? Some of the time? None of the time? Only for entertainment? EXPLAIN your answer completely! Use examples to support your opinion and be specific.

Use proper grammar and spelling. No netspeak. (Suggestion- compose your paragraph using MS Word and then copy and paste into the comments section).

Do not use your last name: First name and hour only.

Photo Manipulation

2011-04-29T14:08:00.001-04:00

Assignment: Write at least 10 sentences explaining your position on photo manipulation (photoshopping). Is is ok all of the time? Some of the time? None of the time? Only for entertainment? EXPLAIN your answer completely! Use examples and be specific.

Use proper grammar and spelling. No netspeak.

Do not use your last name: First name and hour only.

Media Use

2011-03-01T09:16:00.002-05:00

Assignment: In the comments section, leave a comment about your own personal media use.

Which media do you use the most? Why this particular media? What do you use it for (entertainment, communication, information)?

Requirements:

5 QUALITY sentences minimum
Correct grammar and spelling (no textspeak!)
The first line of your comment should be your name and hour Example: Patty D. 3rd Hour
Do not use your last name!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-11-16T13:22:00.002-05:00

There is a famous phrase that states, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words."

Think about that phrase. . .

Assignment: Post a comment to this blog.

In your comment begin by writing your name, last initial, and hour (example: Sam R. 4th Hour).

Answer the following questions:

What do you think the phrase, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" means? Do you think it is true? Why or why not? .

Write at least 6, high quality sentences. Use correct grammar and spelling!

Blog Post #2- Bullying

2010-10-29T09:54:00.002-04:00

Directions-Answer the following question in the comments section:

Why does bullying need to stop?

* Write your answer in the comments section.
* Use at least 5 sentences.
* Correct grammar and spelling must be used.
* Do not use your last name.
* Include your hour.
* When posting, use the anonymous setting.

Follow the example of the first comment.

Welcome to my Blog!

2010-09-20T10:34:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Blog. We will be using this blog to complete class assignments, take surveys, and share links.

It is very important to remember that when posting to my blog you MUST use proper English. Text-speak, slang, smiley faces, and acronyms are not welcome.

Let's practice...

1. Click on the "Post a Comment" link.

2. Type your name and hour. First name and last name initial ONLY! No last names.

3. In the "Leave a Comment" section tell me a little bit about yourself. Write at least 5 grammatically correct sentences. No netspeak!

4. When you are done, reread your post to make sure that it makes sense!

5. This is important...select the Anonymous under "Choose an Identity" option.

6. Click the "Post Your Comment" button.

7. Check to make sure that your comment has posted to the blog.

Photograph Manipulation

2010-04-22T10:36:00.002-04:00

Assignment: Write at least 10 sentences explaining your position on photo manipulation (photoshoping). Is it ok all of the time? Some of the time? None of the time. EXPLAIN your answer completely! Use examples and be specific!

Use proper grammer and spelling.

What did you do over Spring Break?

2010-04-12T10:09:00.001-04:00

In the comments section answer the following question: What did you do over Spring Break?

1. Complete sentences- NO NETSPEAK!
2. At least 5 full sentences.
3. DO NOT use your last name!

Poll Daddy Poll

2010-03-29T15:04:00.000-04:00

Take the poll below and leave a comment if you like :)

4 Polls

2010-02-04T10:11:00.002-05:00

Take the following polls about your media use.

Which of the following social networking sites do you visit (select all that you use)?(trends)

How many hours a day do you spend on the Internet?(survey software)

How many televisions do you have in your house?(opinion)

Celebrities and Advertising

2009-11-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Does having a celebrity in an advertisment influence you to purchase the product? Why or why not? Explain.

Write your answer in the comment section.

Use your first name and last initial only.

Use proper grammar and punctuation.

Write at least 5 sentences.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-05-26T10:39:00.005-04:00

There is a famous phrase that states, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words." Think about that phrase. . .

Assignment: Post a comment to this blog.

In your comment begin by writing your name. last initial, and hour (example: Sam R. 4th Hour).

Answer the following questions:

What do you think the phrase, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" means? Do you think it is true? Why or why not? .

Write at least 6, high quality sentences. Use correct grammar and spelling!

The Fabulous 1950s!

2009-03-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

The Fabulous 1950s!

View more presentations from geepatty.

Welcome to Media Literacy Class

2009-01-27T15:46:00.005-05:00

Blog Assignment #1-
Write a post in the comment section answering the following question: What do you think "media" is?

Remember to:

1. Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. This is a graded assignment. You should not use "web speak."

2. Do not use your last name. Start your comment with you Name, Last Initial, and hour.

3. Post the comment use the Anonymous setting! Do not use your email account to post.

4. When you are done posting your comment go back and be sure that it went through.

The Merchants of Cool

2009-01-14T09:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in class you watched a movie called "The Merchants of Cool." In the comments section write about your reaction to the movie. Include such things as:

- Is there anything you learned from the movie?
- Did anything surprise you about how companies market to teenagers?
- What do you think about how companies learn what is "cool"?

Be sure to put your first name, last initial, and hour at the beginning of your post.

Does Advertising Affect You?

2009-01-05T14:42:00.003-05:00

Write an paragraph in the comments section. Do you agree or disagree with this statement:

"Advertising does not really affect me."

Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Explain your answer fully. 5 sentences minimum.

Be sure to put you name, last initial, and hour with each comment.

Thing 23

2008-12-11T23:32:00.002-05:00

Take a few moments to reflect on your journey. You've covered a lot of material over the past ten weeks. What does it all mean? How has your thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thing 23? Has this program changed how you view the Internet or how view teaching in the digital world? What plans have you made for using these tools in and out of the classroom? How will you continue to learn about Web 2.0 tools? What are your big "take aways" from this experience?

Woohoo! Finally here! The strongest emotion I am feeling right now is regret...I wish I had actually taken the intended 10 weeks to finish the course rather than doing the large majority of it in the past two weeks. But of course, life takes over and there are just some things that you can't control.

This journey actually started this past summer during the four day technology workshop at RESA. My inspiration and exploration of Web 2.0 actually started there. I consider the workshop as the actual beginning of my journey rather than Thing 1 and Thing 2. What RESA has done for me with these two programs is radically change the way I present information. The use of wikis, podcasts, online polls and surveys have revolutionized my classroom "bag of tricks."

I have jumped right in and started using these tools with my students and colleagues. My wiki is used on a daily basis. I have already used my blog and zamzar for an assignment with students.

My plan for the future is to continue learning. I received my Master's Degree in Instructional Technology 4 years ago and I already feel like the technology I used in my course work is outdated. You cannot simply rest on what you know. There is always something newer and better out there to discover and incorporate into the classroom.

My big "take away" from this course has to be Zamzar. I love it. I find so many amazing things on YouTube and feel so hampered by not being able to use it in the classroom. This has made possibilities just open up! I don't like how long it takes to convert a video but once it is done and embedded into a blog you can keep it and reuse it again and again. I intend to start converting videos from YouTube- if I can do a few a week I can start building up my resources for the future.

Another big "take away" was Slideshare. I really liked this site but wasn't able to fully explore because of my rush to finish the last few things. I intend to use this site as a resource I always check when starting new units and recommending to my colleagues as a resource. Now that the course is "over" I want to go back and explore the other online productivity tools and image generators that I didn't chose to do the first time around. I also will continue to look for more podcasts that can be used for my classroom.

This class came at a perfect time in my career. Beginning to teach a new course in Media Literacy these Web 2.0 tools are now the foundation of my pedagogy for years to come.

Thank you RESA!

Thing 22

2008-12-11T23:14:00.002-05:00

In your blog post be sure to include the link to your wiki. Then discuss your feelings about using a wiki. How does a wiki differ from a blog? When is one more appropriate to use than the other?

My wiki is at http://dentonmedia.wetpaint.com

I created this wiki in July and have been using it since the start of the school year. I applied for it to be ad free and am happy with the results.

I love using my wiki. It is so easy to manage. I have even used it for interdisciplinary units (see the Election link on the left). I have used polls from polldaddy, posted videos from TeacherTube, make a list of links to follow, and even helped a friend develop her own wiki for a project on French Artists http://mmesmith.wetpaint.com/ which she is now expanding for other projects.

One thing I both love and dislike about the wiki is the simplicity. It is basic and I guess that what makes it easy to use but sometimes you want things to be a little more complex... usually for visual purposes only. I have some problems embedding videos and other widgets. All of my videos disappeared one day. Weird.

I love my Sponge Links page. This is a page of a whole bunch of school appropriate web sites that students can visit when they are done with their classwork. It "soaks up" time at the end of class if they finish early. This helps keep the students from getting into too much trouble on the Internet.

A blog is different in that each entry is piled on top of one another. I found this a little frustrating when putting an assignment in my blog, and then having the students have to scroll through newer entries to find the assignment.

Sometimes I feel a little skitzophrenic- I have a wiki, a website, a blog, a podcast site... But not one central location. Over time I think I will figure out which ones I use the most and how to integrate them together. Just haven't figured out the best way yet.

Thing 21

2008-12-11T23:04:00.002-05:00

Describe a wiki you found that inspires you to create one of your own. What hurdles might stand in the way of your using a wiki? What would it take to remove the hurdles? Is it worth the fight?

I already use a wiki in my classroom and I love it. I do have to admit that I do not use it to its full abilities because of those "hurdles" of using a collaborative tool with my students. Mostly I use it right now as a website. It is so much easier than creating a website in and posting it from home (cannot do it at school because it is blocked). The ease of editing something in real time for students to use immediately has been immensely helpful. It is also easy when sending work home for students who are suspended or sick.

One great fear I have is having students being able to save to the wiki themselves. It has so much potential for collaborative writing. I know that is at the heart of what a wiki is, but I am not ready to take that step. First, I want to know wetpaint inside-out before letting my students use it. I want to know all the ways it can go wrong. Second, I want to be more comfortable in my curriculum before using this tool. I can see the dangers of students deliberately or accidentally fooling with other students posting and that is not a headache I want to take on at the moment. I would be more inclined to have the wiki be a collaborative space with other teachers rather than having the students contribute.

Another hurdle is the same problem with using Google Docs...students having email addresses in order to be able to sign up to edit the wiki. I don't want to open it to every person who stops by. I do believe I need to have control over who can edit it. Yet, the problem of having students use an email address to sign up is the same problem with having students use a lot of the Web 2.0 tools.

Thing 20

2008-12-11T22:37:00.002-05:00

Include in your post the name of at least one podcast to which you subscribed. Describe your experience using the various search tools. Which do you prefer and why?

I already have experience subscribing to podcasts. One of my favorites was also the saddest. NPR: My Cancer is the story of Leroy Sievers. He was a prominent journalist for NPR, CBS, and CNN. For the past few years he has battled cancer. He shared his journey via his blog and podcast. Sadly, Leroy died this year. Now his blog is taken over by his widow. The blog has turned into a blog about widowhood and grief- one that I relate to immensely. She has not continued the podcasts though.

All of the podcasts that I have experience have been personal in nature. I have never used a podcast as part of instruction and was interested to see what was out there.

I found Tech Tip Tuesday on the Education Podcast Network. Very clever. Like the music, sense of humor, and sound effects. (The narrator sounds like Kermit the frog actually!). There are so many different topics to chose from. A very slick production with use of effects that help with understanding and interest. The podcast is very specific though to the University. I especially liked the one on Spam. The podcasts were categorized by subject area but I found like I was blindly picking a podcast from a list rather than finding a podcast that was suited for my needs.

I am an avid iTunes user...but have never touched their podcasts! I knew there was so much information out there. I friend of mine who teaches High School level French uses iTunes to find podcasts all of the time for her students but I never "went there." The search tools of iTunes were much superior to the Education Podcast Network but the problem is that not all of the podcasts are middle school appropriate.

Thing 19

2008-12-11T22:17:00.002-05:00

Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your teaching. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned.)

I first listened to a few This I Believe segements created by students at Charlotte High School. I love the original NPR serious and think this is a wonderful assignment for high school students. The montage introduction was very moving and the variety of topics reflects the variety of students. Some were incredibly moving. I enjoyed listening to them. I can see this being an interdisciplinary unit with either Language Arts or Social Studies. The LA or SS teacher could doing the writing, the research. In my class we could do the recording, the mixing, and the posting. Very fun.

Next, I explored Booktalks Plain and Simple by Nancy Keane. This was a great twist on the book report. Again, this could be a great interdisciplinary unit. My class is called a "Fifth Wheel" which means I am considered a Core Elective- an elective that every student is required to take. Because I am on a team all of my students have the same Language Arts teacher at one time. Podcasts could be part of a literature unit- as the students read independently they write a report for the language arts teacher and then record and post it in their media literacy class. An added bonus could be teachers doing podcasts on their favorite middle school books. The list could be posted on the school website for students to listen to for inspiration on which book to read next.

I currently podcast on a daily basis. The podcasts are the school daily announcements.

Thing 18

2008-12-11T21:57:00.002-05:00

Best Of National Geographic

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: photography nationageographic)

What did you like about the presentation you embedded? How might Slideshare be useful in the classroom? out of the classroom?

This is very much like Zoho but much better. I like the variety of options. I had to go back and check to see how Zoho was different than Slideshare. I can see that in Zoho you have the ability to create presentations with their tools. With both you can upload the presentations and embed them. For ease of use I prefer Slideshare and had fun searching through the options.

Again, I picked a slideshow of photography since my students are currently going through a photography unit. I like the presentation of the slideshow better with Slideshare as well. The tags, title, and links were nice. Very much like YouTube.

Thing 17

2008-12-11T21:35:00.003-05:00

Give a review of the tool you explored - what worked, what didn't work, how might it be used either in or out of the classroom?

(This is my third attempt at posting. My internet tonight is wacky!) I explored Zoho. At first I tried to upload my own powerpoint presentation but it didn't work. I don't know if it was my computer, my Internet connection, or the site itself. My computer hasn't worked right since I installed Delicious icons! uggh.

So, instead of uploading my own powerpoint, I searched through the public presentations. I found the one above and thought my students my find it interesting when we are doing the photography unit. It was very easy to search and embed into the blog.

I can see how easy it is to use. I like the idea of using someone else's presentation. Why reinvent the wheel? This would be great to embed a powerpoint into a blog for students to explore individually (rather than in a classroom presentation) or for absent/ homebound students. It is hard when students miss a classroom presentation and having the powerpoint online would help greatly in getting students caught up.

Thing 16

2008-12-11T21:03:00.002-05:00

How might you use this tool in your personal and professional life? What issues come to mind about using this tool with students (ie, they need email addresses to log-in)?

I was introduced to Google Docs during the Technology Workshop at RESA at the end of July. I love the concept of this tool. There are so many times that I am collaborating on a document with a colleague and we all need to make edits. It can get really messy very quickly. Google Docs is perfect for a collaborative situation. A great example comes to mind. Recently another teacher and myself were working on a document to give to all of our students on our team. He sent it to everyone and asked for feedback. We all sent him back changes, but that meant he had to take the changes we all sent him and integrate them into the original document. Messy and not time effective. The only hindrance right now in using this is getting everyone in a group to learn how to use it and agree to using it instead of email (quicker).

I want to use this with my students. I hate it when they are working together on a project and a student saves it in their folder only to be absent the next day. By using Google Docs students could collaborate at home and not be held back by who "owns" the file. There are issues though and the biggest one is each student having an email. I do not want them using their personal email accounts at school. I don't want them public or forced to share with other students if they do not want to. I have approached my administration about getting my students special Google educational email accounts just for my class but they are hesitant. I am also hesitant because it is one more thing that needs to be monitored closely to prevent any abuse.

Thing 15

2008-12-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

Is RSS becoming easier to understand? Do you recognize new benefits of using this tool? Do you remember to check your feeds regularly? Has it become a habit (or obsession!) yet?

I understand RSS just fine, but have very little time to use it. It is kinda like getting a subscription to a newspaper.... A while ago I had a subscription to the newspaper. I love reading and I love the news. But when I got busy the papers would just pile up, unread. After a while I cancelled my subscription because it was just a waste of paper and money. In addition, I always felt guilty about not reading them. They sat there looking at me... accusing me of neglecting them...of neglecting the world! The RSS does not cost money, nor does it waste paper. But it has added to a list a things that I can't get to. Guilt becomes associated. I need to go read the RSS because I have to, not because I want to.

I definitely see the benefits of using this tool. It can save time by quickly scanning through all of the feeds to find something of interest. The problem is that it hasn't become a habit to check them regularly so when I do there is so much piled up that it is overwhelming. Reading the Bloglines isn't a necessity to my daily life like checking my email or voicemail. It is a luxury that I don't have much time for right now so it gets neglected (like finishing my 23 things in time!).

Thing 14

2008-12-10T21:45:00.002-05:00

Include your Delicious username in this blog post so that others can view the bookmarks that you have chosen to share. Then reflect on how you think social bookmarking can be used in your teaching. Does Delicious seem to be a tool that can enhance your productivity?

I don't want to post my user name as some of my students are accessing this site : ) If you want to know if, leave contact info in the comments and I will send it to you. Thanks.

I guess I jumped the gun in Thing 13- I didn't have to sign up for Delicious then, but I do for 14 so I just want to voice the same disapproval. I don't care for this site. It felt counterintuitive and this was the first time in the 23 Things that I found something that I don't think I will use in the future.

I can definitely see that Delicious could enhance productivity for some people. By having the bookmarks centrally located so that it can be accessed from many different computers, there would be no more searching for a site you saw a few months ago. The social bookmarking would be helpful if you can find a professional community of teachers all in the same field, using the same program to share their bookmarks. But I can find this same information listed on people's personal websites, professional organizations sites, and in search generators.

I don't think this is a "Thing" I will be using though. A little too much for me right now.

Thing 13

2008-12-10T21:39:00.004-05:00

Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?

I did not have a good experience with delicious. I do not like using a tool that needs to install itself on my computer. This inevitably just ads up being another wasted icon that adds to the clutter on my toolbar. I do see the benefits to using it though, but at the same time, I primarily use one computer. When doing most of my planning I use one computer (which I occasionally back up my list of favorites). If I want a website on the fly I can usually do a quick search and find it.

The advantages to using this resource of course is instant access to all of your favorites no matter where you are at. The disadvantages is having to add yet another icon onto your computer. I prefer using google bookmarks anyways.

I think it is important to add as many tags as possible to your content before saving. If you think narrowly and assign few tags you might have a hard time in the future finding your content (as well as for others doing searches with tags). Try to think about all of the different contexts a website could be used before tagging it.

Thing 12

2008-12-10T21:05:00.003-05:00

How comfortable are you using a digital camera? ( polls)

Review the widget you selected. Are you getting comfortable with embedding code? Do you belong to other online communities? Are relationships formed online as meaningful as face-to-face relationships? Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today?

I really like polldaddy. It is a quick and easy way to create an interactive poll or survey to post to a blog or a wiki. I am comfortable embedding the code into the blog. No problem.

I do belong to other online communities. They are not as meaningful to me as face-to-face relationships but they do have an impact in my life in many ways.

I think social networking sites are so popular because they are fun! I enjoy them myself. I don't have the time or energy to devote to them like a teenager does. I have found myself up at 2a.m. playing games on facebook though! The widgets are so fun to collect and send to each other. One other very important aspect to their popularity is how easy it is to use them. The entrepreneurs who developed these codes made them so easy, that, well, a child could use them. And they do.

Thing 11

2008-12-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

What do you like / dislike about leaving comments? How did you feel when you received your first comment? Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities? What might this mean for students who share their writing online?

I like leaving comments on blogs that I read frequently. It is almost like I know the author personally after reading their thoughts, seeing their pictures, and learning about their points of view. But usually, I read without commenting. The reason that I usually don't comment is that I don't like publishing my email along with my comment. I appreciate it when the author sets up their comments to allow the commentor to hide the email address. On the other hand, I do not like posting anonymously.

It has been so long since I started blogging but I know the feeling of checking in on a post to see if there were comments there--wondering if anyone was reading. It was a nice feeling.

I have noticed in many online communities that very strong bonds are built through the comments. I personally have not built extremely strong connections with my commentors, but I have seen other bloggers who develop life long friendships with people they meet through online communities. I guess it is the pen pals of the 21st century!

I think that a teacher using this tool in the classroom have to be careful to regulate the comments. I am trying my first assignment using posting comments on this blog tomorrow and am interested to see how it progresses. I will definitely be moderating the comments and right now only want them commenting to my prompt- not commenting on each other. I can see the potential of it being very engaging and interesting...as well as having the potential for many pitfalls as well.

Thing 10

2008-12-10T20:34:00.004-05:00

Instructions: Watch the movie above of photographic images that changed the world. When you are done, go to the post below, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words."

Add comments to the video you embedded. Why did you select it? Were you also able to download a video?

I selected this video from my Media Literacy class. We are studying photography and I thought it would be a great way to introduce some famous and infamous pictures from history. I had Zamzar convert it and embedded it into this blog. Love it.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-12-10T15:21:00.012-05:00

There is a famous phrase that states, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words." Think about that phrase. . .

Assignment: Post a comment to this blog. In your comment begin by writing your name. last initial, and hour (example: Sam R. 4th Hour). Answer the following question:

What do you think the phrase, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" means? Do you think it is true? Why or why not? Write two thoughtful paragraphs with your thoughts.

Write using correct grammar and spelling.

Thing 9

2008-12-01T23:39:00.002-05:00

What do you like or dislike about YouTube? Did you find videos that would be useful for teaching and learning? Is YouTube banned in your building?

I love YouTube. Talking, not as a teacher, but a computer user. I love the freedom of expression and creativity that YouTube offers. The twisted searches you can take- how one video links to another, which links to another, etc.... I love the absolutely beautiful amateur videos I have seen there. I have laughed and cried and become angry. Very few sites on the Internet have evoked such emotional responses from me.

Of course there are a lot of amazing videos on YouTube that are useful for teaching and learning. I teach Media Literacy so YouTube is a great resource for commercials. Our grade level did an interdisciplinary election unit and YouTube was a great resource for debate clips, interviews, and political ads.

Unfortunately, YouTube is banned with a capital "B" in our district. I have tried several ways to get around it for my classroom but no one will bend on this point. I have been using TeacherTube instead. TeacherTube though doesn't have the breadth of resources that YouTube offers. I understand the reasons why YouTube was banned, but think that it should be available for teachers to use for educational purposes. I cannot figure out how to download, copy, or get a YouTube video on another source so that I can play it at school... any suggestions?

Thing 8

2008-11-30T22:35:00.006-05:00

In the same post in which you placed your creation, briefly describe your experience completing Thing 8. Which of these tools intrigues you and why? Was it easy, frustrating, time-consuming, fun? Share some of your ideas for using the images you can create.

There are a lot of amazing (and free) tools out on the web! I had fun with the Spell with Flickr tool. I couldn't figure out though how to save the whole thing and post it here. I was amazed at how powerful it was and how fun it could be. My students would love to play around with that (wonder if my school's web surfer will allow it...hmmm).

The magazine cover of course was very fun as well. They are all fun and exciting but at the same time very, very time consuming! You could play around with each of these tools for hours to produce some interesting and fun mash-ups. The games especially I think would appeal to my students. They love doing anything on the computer as long as there is a game involved.

I can see this as a "Sponge" activity in my classroom. An activity that they do once they are done with their work that "soaks up" the time while they are waiting for the others in class to finish. Having a computer with wifi in front of them is too tempting sometimes. Directing them to these sites could let them explore their creative side and have fun at the same time.

For myself, I find the sites to be amusing but don't see that I would use them that much. I am so short on time as it is that I cannot image spending too much time playing around with these things.

Thing 7

2008-11-30T22:25:00.002-05:00

Think of ways you may be able to use Flickr in your classroom and share your ideas. What issues might you face?

Currently, my students are putting together the first issue of the school newspaper. We only have 5 cameras and it has been a real hassle having 140 students taking pictures and having them available for them to put with their articles. Flickr could be a wonderful time saving tool. The students could post the images into a single Flickr account and then access them when they need to. In addition, if they use their own cameras they could post the pics from home so that they wouldn't have to transport them with a Flash drive or with email.

I can be such a pessimist but I see lots of potential issues with using Flickr in the classroom. If students are posting pictures of themselves or others on the web there needs to be parental permission. I know that I have 6 students who cannot have their images posted online. That does not include other students in my building who are not to have their images published on the web. This could create a potential legal issue. Also, having students leave comments on a picture could be disastrous. All there needs to be is a few students (who might not even be in the class) to post a few crude comments. Of course, comments could be closed, or the group could be private but that again has the problem of every student needing an email account to access the site. Sigh, wish the kids had school email accounts. This all could be so much easier!

* Side note: our students are not allowed to "right-click" an image so putting them on flickr for them to insert into their papers wouldn't work anyways.

Thing 6

2008-11-30T22:06:00.005-05:00

Create a post on your blog about one of the photos you downloaded. Why did you choose a particular photo? What is it about the photo that you found interesting? Be sure to include the image in your post. Use Blogger's photo upload feature to do this.

For 10 years I have been a French teacher. This year I entered a brave new world of technology to begin teaching Media Literacy. Sometimes I feel like I am a first year teacher all over again. Many days I am missing teaching French. I miss knowing from day to day what I am teaching and messing with technology has many more pitfalls than teaching a foreign language.

Tonight a friend of mine suggested that we go to Paris over Christmas break. It was very tempting. But I have 2 young children (1 and 4), am single, and have plenty of bills to pay so Paris isn't likely. But just thinking about going there again is a dream that my husband and I shared. So, I found many beautiful images of the Eiffel Tower and it reminded me of the plans the two us had shared of returned there one day.

Thing 5

2008-11-30T21:51:00.002-05:00

RSS can be a difficult concept for some to grasp right away - what questions do you have? What didn't work or doesn't make sense? How might you use RSS in your personal or professional life? Find anything in your searching that you'd recommend to others?

I think RSS is very logical and isn't difficult to grasp at all. Of course I am biased because I have used it before.

One thing did not work with the demonstration. When I tried to subscribe to 2cents, I was not offered the script. Instead it offered me a Windows feed. Instead of using the script I just used the Sub with Bloglines method instead.

I think I will use RSS for my professional life rather than my personal life. I enjoy visiting my personal blogs on a daily basis and do not want to streamline that process. But subscribing to feeds of professional blogs will help me keep track of the ones I want to visit. So far, all of the sites I have found are ones that I was already aware of.

Thing 4

2008-11-30T21:24:00.002-05:00

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of blogs out there - how do you handle information overload and how do you think RSS might help with that?

I do suffer for information overload. I have such good intentions but find that there just simply isn't enough hours in the day to read and do all that I have planned (which is why I am doing Thing 4 on November 30th!). I agree that RSS could help me to organize the information on the blogs I enjoy reading. Usually though, it is not the blogs that overwhelm me with information. I choose to visit a blog when I have the time and it is very simple to scroll through the posts I have missed.

Most information overload I suffer from is when I am simply doing a websearch. I come across great resources and have all intentions of coming back to them but never do, or forget them, or lose the link, etc....

Thing 3

2008-11-30T21:03:00.002-05:00

How might you use a blog with students? How might they respond to a blog assignment? What concerns about blogging with students do you have? How might you use a blog for other educational purposes (other than with students)?

I can see that there are many, many ways that a blog can be used with students. One way that I am currently using a blog is for the daily announcements. Each day the staff of my building email their announcements to me. I compile the announcements and they are posted on podbean. My students then record the announcements and we post the MP3 file as well. Currently I do not let the students post to the blog.

I think my students would LOVE to have a blog assignment. Unfortunately I am hitting a roadblock with the logistics of it. A lot of blog sites are blocked in my school district. If I want the students to set up their own blogs then they will need an email address. Most students have email addresses but some do not. I wanted to give my students gmail student accounts but right now the administration is a bit weary of that approach. So right now I am just waiting.

I have many concerns about students and blogging. The biggest concern though is drama related to putting publication rights into the hand of Middle School students. I am afraid of them posting negative comments on each other's blogs or having flaming wars, etc....

A neat blog to have that would be for teachers (but not students) would be a place to link great teacher created lessons for Media Literacy. This is my first year teaching the subject and I feel like I am floundering. If there was someone out there compiling resources on the topic I would LOVE it.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

2008-10-06T21:57:00.000-04:00

Writing Prompt: Why are you participating in 23 Things? What do you hope to learn? What new insights did you have during Thing 1? How does writing on the Internet, knowing anyone could read it, change how you write or feel about writing?

This year is a new adventure for me. After teaching French for 10 years I am taking a great leap of faith and am teaching Media Literacy. I am teaching 8th graders the fundamentals of Media Literacy and hope to use technology as a tool to reach and engage them in the curriculum.

I hope to learn many things from this course. Most importantly, I am looking for the inspiration for using the Web 2.0 components in my classroom. I feel pretty confident in using these tools myself but am unsure about using them in a classroom setting.

I had read article and had seen the video from Thing 1 before. It wasn't an epiphany to view those sources again but it was a good way to ground myself in the topics and possibilities that this course could provide.

I am an experienced blogger. I have had a blog (on and off) for about 8 years now. It has gotten me in trouble at times so I am well aware of the inherent dangers of posting opinions and thoughts for the world to see. Mostly, the danger comes when posting about something personal. In those instances I have just learned to lock up my posts. I try not to write anything that I wouldn't want my children to read when they are older (or my boss for that matter). Why I like blogging is the audience. When writing a personal journal it is only for yourself. When writing a public blog you are able to connect and share with other people with similar points of view and experiences. I enjoy the publication aspect of writing in a blog and feel completely comfortable blogging.

Ciao!