Journal #10

"In classrooms, students have begun to use Scratch to create reports and presentations—replacing traditional PowerPoint presentations with content that is far more dynamic and interactive."(Resnick )

The first time I ever heard about this Scratch program was in this class. I find that surprising considering that it could potentially replace PowerPoint some day in the future. The article expresses that scratch users are developing presentations that exceed the creative limits of PowerPoint presentations. This program allows its user to become more involved in their research by having the capabilities to create simulations. For example, the text details the experiments of younger students. One boy was able to show the flashing of a lightening storm within a project on Benjamin Franklin. By doing this, it would seem to me that the viewers would have a more aesthetic experience that that of traditional PowerPoint viewers.
Resnick, Mitchel. "Sowing for a More Seeds the Creative Society." Learning & Leading with Technology. 2008: n. page. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.

ipad assignment app reviews.

for this ipad assignment, we were instructed to explore two different education apps for the ipad. I was having some technical difficulties figuring out how to download the apps, since the instructions on blackboard only supply a password, and not a username. From this I am unable to download any apps that are not already on the device. Therefore, I intend to review two of the default apps.

The application "Maps," seems to be a version of google maps. This application allows users to search streets, towns and cities all over the world. At the top of the screen a search option is available. This is for entering an address, in which the application will direct the user to the location through picture. This could be beneficial for students because it could potentially strengthen geographical skills.

The "Youtube" application for the ipad is an easy way for one to navigate to everyone's favorite website. Through this one simply can search in the top right hand corner for educational subject matter. There are also options at the bottom that allow users to view videos that are top rated or featured. This is beneficial to students because it allows one to quickly and easily view their favorite videos in high quality.

Journal #9

"They are writers not just readers. This concept allows players to ‘write’ their own story and have it tailored to their liking. This wasn’t always the case, because only until rather recently video games were simply produced and then left to the buyers to consume and wait for the companies next release"("Learning in gaming" )

I most enjoy games that allow me to create my own story. Games like the Fable series allow players to decide they're own choices. Allowing them to become a good or bad character or something in between. In the Gardens of Time game that were played for class, had a some reading that pertained to a story line. It would seem that games as these are close to reading a book. Not quite, but a player is involved in a story that is told with words, accompanied by pictures to further the experience. One can examine, that this is a new thing for gaming. Older games like Mario had a strict progress, and didn't allow for any personalization. 

 "Ten things students can leran from video games. ." Learning in gaming. 2012: n. page. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. 

II found this blog that listed 7 ways games can contribute to learning. It can be found here.

Gardens of Time activity

Out of the ten things that schools can learn from gaming, I found that the five following "things" are most relevant to the Gardens of Time game we were introduced to in class.

The first is Interaction. In the game, player interact with characters. These characters instruct the player on how to accomplish goals.
The second is Risk taking. The object of this game is to find things among a group of other things. Through this is some kind of risk involved. By finding items slowly, or missing, one looses points.
The third is Customization. Besides locating items, another aspect of this game is creating your own garden. This allows players to be creative, and make a garden that is unique.
The fourth is Taking Relationships into Consideration. This game allows players to invite friends. This is beneficial because friends can help with the success of the game by gift sending, and sharing.
The fifth and final is Exploring. This game allows players to explore places of a time in the past. This is where players look for items.  

I received this information from http://www.learningingaming.com/10-things-schools-can-learn-from-video-games/

Journal #8

a. What is Wikipedia? According to the article, Wikipedia is a web based free encyclopedia project, that is multilingual and  non profit.
b. How would you answer the question posed in this piece “How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it?" By trusting Wikipedia we're relying on the "wisdom of crowds."
c. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation? They hope that by having many people watching it that it will reduce errors and vandalism.
d. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia? He believed it should give more authority to experts, and created him own in which does. 
e. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page? It would sound comical or absurd.
f. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal? That Wikipedia is a pretty popular website. 
g. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful? It gives unlimited, and easily accessible information at ones fingertips. 
h. Why might Wikipedia’s creators not want to accept advertising? To keep it non profit.
i. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries? It helps remove information that is of self interest to the government and businesses. 

 

I found all of my information from the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20090206friday.html

Website Evaluation

The website posted above is an article supporting the protection of a creature called "The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus." My first reaction was absolute skepticism, my thoughts were similar to "what? I've never heard of this crazy thing." For the sake of the assignment, I supposed it would be wise to at least read more to see if there is a chance that the information is accurate.
To begin with, I considered where this bit of information was located. As one could see, the address ends with a .net, which implies to me that i was right to be skeptical, because anyone can create a website in that form.
Secondly, I searched the article for any information that would reveal the name of the author or organization. From my observations, there is no information to credit its author. Wouldn't someone want acknowledgment for their hard work? Lastly, I read throughout the article and came upon information that was absurd in nature. For example it lists Sasquatch (a fictional creature) as one of its predators. Furthermore, i googled with tree octopus, and read from other websites that it was an internet hoax. It would seems that my suspicions were confirmed.

Teaching Philosophy.

Jornal #7

"Researchers find that reading for understanding online requires the same skills as offline reading, including using prior knowledge and making predictions, plus a set of additional critical-thinking skills that reflect the open-ended, continually changing online context. For example, online readers play a more active role, selecting links rather than turning pages, and they often must interpret visual images to make sense of what they are reading" (David 84-86)

This statement seems to reveal the scope of the article. I found it interesting that the author compared the skills for offline reading to online. I agree that one needs to develop an additional set of skills for online reading, as the author suggests. For example, when I am doing a research paper I have to be careful with the online sources I choose. I have to make sure the articles I am choosing to cite are creditable and scholarly pieces of information. When making this decision I look towards the URL address to see if it indicates that it is from an educational institution. Also, I take notice of the sources, and the overall quality of the information. The major difference with offline material is that that students are usually citing text books, ones that are instructor approved.

 David, Jane. "Teaching Media Literacy." Educational Leadership. 66. (2009): 84-86. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.

This video explores educating older adults on advancing their media literacy.  

 

 "Media Literacy--Opening Access to Adults." BBC. Youtube, 2011. web. 5 Mar 2012.

   

Teacher of the year