Prezi

Here is a Prezi that includes some thoughts I have on Language Arts and Technology use in education. There were so many great articles and discussions this semester that I did not know where to begin. I learned so many new applications but chose to include my favorites.

When viewing the Prezi, do not use "Autoplay". A few of the slides in the path have a bit too much text to read in the time given and I am still trying to figure out how to change that.

My conversations with ELA teachers continues as I implement and assess the podcasting project that we are doing together.

Most importantly, the possibilities for using new literacies in LA education is so wide open and exciting! Students today are so lucky to be learning in this way and I hope they will be able to be even more successful as they learn through the use of technology.

http://prezi.com/oxg2m2djrtw1/language-arts-and-technolgy/

Glogster Sample

Glogster is a collaborative online learning platform which has a regular user version as well as an educational (Glogger EDU) and paid or PRO version.It allows teachers and students to create "Glogs" or posters where they can express their creativity, knowledge and ideas. Glogs are online multimedia posters with text, photos, graphics, videos, sounds, data attachments and drawings.
Glogs can be used in an educational context to create book reports, research projects, class projects, and presentations. They provide a safe digital environment for homework and distance learning. Teachers and students can create a digital library of knowledge and an added bonus is that digital posters save paper.

I created a quick Glogster that is a book review of The Hunger Games.
I had some trouble embedding certain videos. After much trial error, I was able to do it. As with anything new their is a learning curve, but students especially have no problems figuring these things out.

My Glogster Sample Link

 Glogster Affordances Table

Voice Thread

Hi everyone,
I created a Voice Thread from some photos I took on my most recent trip to Brazil. These are of an artists community in the state of Minas Gerais, north of the state of Rio de janeiro. Here famous artists have created a cooperative where they train disabled and underprivileged members of the community to create works of art which preserve the rich cultural diversity of the region. They use recycled and reclaimed wood to produce beautiful works of art and they now can generate their own source of income, which previously was not possible.

Here is the link:  http://voicethread.com/share/2964618/

Article review- Evaluating pedagogical affordances in Web 2.0 technologies.

Web 2.0 applications feature the ability to share information in a participatory way. They allow creators and users to connect anywhere and anytime in an asynchronous manner which allows users to view information, leave feedback and interact with each other.  Web 2.0 users are offered connectivity and mobility as well as a platform to interact and collaborate with each other in a virtual community.

From an educational perspective this can be amazing. It is a student centered environment which offers more than the information retrieval of a web site and is certainly more exciting that a lecture based traditional classroom.  As teachers we can engage students in ways that are more meaningful to them as they can participate at a global level. The potential for increased participation and feedback is greatly increased.

This type of learning is evolving however and this shift in learning provides us with greater opportunities as well as challenges. This is where the increasing common concept of “affordances” comes into play. The affordance of a Web 2.0 application is basically its usefulness. Though a Web 2.0 tool may offer a great deal of functionality that does not guarantee that learning will take place. As stated in the article “the specific design and functionality of a particular tool does not define its pedagogical usefulness”.

In this article the authors,  Burden and Atkinson, discussed the affordances of the Web 2.0 application Voice Thread. They discuss the key features of Voice Thread and listed the affordances of each feature. This isolated the activities or practices that each function of Voice Thread enabled the user to perform. One example was the ability to post comments related to the artifact or information. These comments can be left in the form of a written response, an audio or a video comment. The affordance was that learners and instructors can provide feedback about the media, for example a video that is attached to specific aspects or points in the presentation. In addition the instructor can provide feedback on the work prior to the formal assessment, allowing the creator to modify or perfect the artifact. Though Voice Thread offers a lot of features, the pedagogical affordances will only be seem when used for specific learning situations.

It is clear that Web 2.0 applications like Voice Thread offer us great flexibility and the ability to collaborate and connect with students in a way that encourages the development of new literacies.  Like any other new and evolving educational tool, we have to plan our work, be creative and design meaningful and authentic learning experiences.

Blogging and College Reading

 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19388070903509177

This was a very interesting study on the use of blogging in a college developmental reading course. The goal was to introduce and integrate new literacies into a traditional literacy learning environment. There were three factors addressed in this study. One was the question “does the use of blogging affect reading performance?” The answer seems to be no. The second question, and perhaps the most indicative of the effects of blogging was whether or not blogging affects the student’s motivation in a developmental reading class. Though motivation did not seem to differ in the two settings, the blogging students expressed more confidence with using the computer for communicating versus the traditional learners.

The most surprising result of this study was related to retention rates. Blogging students are more likely to stay in school. The retention rate, according to this article, among blogging students is 97.5%, compared to 86.2% among traditional classroom students. This can be due to the increased interaction among the bloggers and feeling part of a group as well the positive effects of having your voice be heard.  

Blogging seems to create an environment where students feel more comfortable sharing ideas and critiquing the work of their peers. Teachers play a different role as well in a classroom that blogs. They can provide feedback in such a way as to participate in the discussion instead of always leading a discussion. In addition I feel that in a blog you can offer more to the readers. You can link to pertinent information, include graphics and other multi-media components and you can participate at any time of the day or night. This type of asynchronous learning is conducive to the participation of learners who are working full time and hence perhaps the higher retention rates.

Both professors Hsu and Wang seem to have made great contributions to the teaching of new literacies.

Digital Story Telling in ELA Classrooms

A digital story consists of a series of still images that are combined with a narrated soundtrack to tell a story. Ken Burns used this technique in his series of documentaries for PBS. Although short video clips are sometimes included, students can create digital stories without access to video equipment. From my research I have learned that there are seven elements in digital storytelling. These include a point of view, a dramatic question, emotional content, economy, pacing, the gift of your voice, and an accompanying soundtrack. (Bull and Kajder, Digital Storytelling in the Language Arts Classroom, Vol. 39 No. 4)

I have been creating my digital story using iMovie on my Mac. I have had very little experience with iMovie but it is going pretty well. I have chosen to do a presentation on Nutrition for a second grade classroom. Nutrition is part of the second grade science curriculum.

In speaking with an ELA teacher we talked about the many benefits of digital storytelling. She expressed concern with the "online" nature of the digital stroy and I spoke to her about the option of doing an "offline" version. When using iMovie or other software it is not necessary to publish the digital stories online. The features of digital story telling she was most excited about are the creativite and artistic possibilities, such as in a creative writing assignment and the possibilities for reflection and use of imagination. We also talked about using photography to document data or information such as in a science journal. Another thing we discussed was using digital storytelling for a substitute teacher to show duirng a planned absence.

I am looking forward to working on my digital story and will post my story board here for some feedback from everyone.

This link is directly to the book...

http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=view&book=57574&page=1