Double Journal Entry #7:

In my future English classroom I want to provide students with disabilities, such as dyslexia, the opportunity to compose papers that are up to par, or on the same level as their fellow classmates. I feel that one way to do this is by integrating technology into the classroom to support my dyslexic students. A key technological tool that I would use to do this would be a screen reader. By providing my dyslexic students with the support of screen readers, not only will they be able to better understand the assignment or task, but they will also be able to produce an assignment on the same level as their peers by having the use of the spell check and other additional applications that are incorporated within the screen reader.
Source:Spelling and Writing Strategies

Magazine Cover

Voki continued...

Voki Digital Story Review & Critique

After creating my Voki and listening, I corrected three mistakes in my work.

1. 2nd sentence was a run on sentence (separated it into two sentences: 2&3)

2. Omitted the word discussing (used it too many times)

3. added two commas (after comprehend and after eating)

Double Journal Entry #6:

The relationship between media literacy skills and traditional literacy skills is for the most part fairly simple, they go hand in hand. You must obtain at least some sort of learning or education in traditional literacy skills before you can properly utilize media literacy skills.

Quote: Can schools provide the skills students need to become media literate in a digital world (David, 2009.)?

After reading this question it took me no time at all to answer it. In my opinion, no. Schools cannot provide the skills students need to become media literate in a digital world, and my reasons are thus. First, most schools do not have enough computers for their students and computers are a key necessity to media in a digital world. Secondly, the way the school systems are banning so many websites from the classroom soon, there may not be much of the digital world that students can associate their skills with or learn from. Lastly, how can we teach and provide our students with the skills to become media literate in a digital world when some of our teachers lack the skills of media literacy and also cannot function properly in a digital world themselves?

Youtube is a site that is blocked/banned in most school systems, even though it has a part of the site that you can visit for strictly educational videos. Most school systems cannot even access the educational sect of youtube due to the security certificate blocking anything that has a youtube site address or is connected with the site in any way. This video shows why youtube should be accessible in the classroom.

Sources:

David, John L. "Educational Leadership:Literacy 2.0:Teaching Media Literacy." Web Article. ASCD. Mar. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx.

Youtube for Schools

Portfolio Word Search & Editing

Really:0
Removed:0

Just:0
Removed:0

That:6
Removed:5

Was:0

Digital Story

Double Journal Entry #5:

Does the digital story you created and uploaded to YouTube fall under Fair Use Guidelines? Explain.

The Digital Story that I created in class does fall under the fair use guidelines. I did not transform the photos that were used in my story and they were used in good faith. The use of the pictures in my story was not a substitute for creative effort, and they were also attributed in the story as well.

Source: Best Practice in Fair Use for Media Eductaion

Code of Best Practice in Fair Use for Media Literacy Questions

What is the difference between Media in Education vs. Media Literacy Education?

Media Literacy in Education is when media material is transformed in question, where Media in Education is where media is way that it is intended to be.

What social bargain is at the heart of Fair use?

We as a society give limited property rights to creators to encourage them to produce culture; at the same time, we give other creators the chance to use that same copyrighted material, without permission or payment, in some circumstances.

Why is Fair Use more important today?

Because new creation inevitably incorporates existing material as copyright protects more works for longer periods than ever before, creators face new challenges: licenses to incorporate copyrighted sources become more expensive and more difficult to obtain—and sometimes are simply unavailable.

What are the two key questions judges use to determine Fair Use?

• Did the unlicensed use “transform” the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than that of the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original?

• Was the material taken appropriate in kind and amount, considering the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?

A teacher shows a movie of The Lion King and asks student to notice how the animals in the movie reflect racial stereotypes? Is this Fair Use? Why?

No, because she was trying to change the intended purpose of the film.

Which principle relates most strongly to the digital story you created in class? Explain.

FOUR: STUDENT USE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS IN THEIR OWN ACADEMIC

AND CREATIVE WORK

 Because we used excerpts from copyrighted work to compose our digital videos

Are there limitations to the amount of pictures, length of music, or video that can be used in a multimedia project?

No

Do you need to request permission from the original creator in order to use copyrighted material in multimedia project for school related assignment?

In some cases, yes.

Should educators try to change the policies in their school in they are not in line with Fair Use doctrine?

Yes

What common myth about Fair Use surprised you the most?

Fair use is basically a judgment call and is unreliable

Source: Best Practice in Fair Use for Media Literacy Questions

Double Journal Entry #4:

Quote: Creating digital stories is a perfect way to engage students in media literacy, in learning how the media influence our perceptions on the world (Goodman 2003).

I agree 100% with this statement from Goodman. By having students create digital stories that express their feelings on a particular subject or issue from their own perspective, I feel is brilliant. It teaches the students to think creatively of a way to intrigue the viewers of their story so that it will keep their attention and get their point of purpose across clearly. I also feel that in the process of doing this project, and especially after, students gain a better look and understanding for the influence of media in the world and how it can change perceptions, especially in projects where students are asked to convince their viewers to side with their view or belief on a certain subject.  It also allows them to practice many other skills as well, such as spelling, grammar, communication, critical thinking, technological, and depending on what subject the assignment is, in it could deal with anything from history to math.

Here is an example of a student using a digital story to convince viewers that video games can have negative effects on children.

Sources:

Brittany RH3. Negative Effects of Video Games on Children. 2010. Video. Youtube.comWeb. 8 Feb 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qk-6GMgSSE>.

Ohler, Jason. "The Worls of Digital Storytelling." jasonohler.com. N.p., 2005. Web. 8 Feb 2012. <http://www.jasonohler.com/pdfs/digitalStorytellingArticle1-2006.pdf>.

Cooperative Grouping Startegy Questions

Brief Description of Strategy:

Middle school science students use video conferencing equipment to communicate with real scientists, rather than taking them on an expensive field trip. Students were split into groups and were asked to brainstorm four challenging questions that they would like to ask the scientists.

What learning strategy is being employed?

Ques, Questions, and Advanced Organizers

Why does this strategy work?

This strategy works because it gives the students a chance to learn through asking questions. It also teaches students how to ask questions in order to obtain the information they want to know, and how to ask GOOD questions.

Article used to answer questions.

Learning Styles and Preferences Questions

Do learning styles exist?

I believe that learning styles do exist and I also agree with the article that people are capable of learning under any style regardless of their preference. It may take longer for some people if you are not using their preferred style, but they will still eventually learn what is being taught.

Are they useful for classroom instruction?

I believe that learning styles are very useful in classroom instruction. In a perfect world a teacher would be able teach every lesson to a student using their preferred style, but that’s not realistic. I do however think that teachers should try the best they can to incorporate different learning styles throughout their lessons to help their students have a better understanding of what they want them to learn. By trying incorporate different learning styles in the classroom it allows all students to connect with the lesson on their own level, and in some cases learn more quickly.

What is the best philosophy for sing learning styles?

I feel that the best philosophy for learning styles is to try to incorporate as many as you can in a lesson. By doing this it allows students to connect with the lesson they are being taught on their own level, and allows them to understand the information more thoroughly.

Double Journal Entry #3 : U need 2 R3@D!

Quote:

Yes, young people sometimes accidentally slip a btw (by the way) into a school essay. But a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that middle school and high school students understand what kind of language is appropriate in what context (Lenhart, Smith, & Macgill, 2008).

I agree with this quote mostly because I feel that I was going through public schooling in midst of the texting era. It seemed that as I made the transition from middle school to high school if you didn’t have unlimited texting, you were out of the so called “loop”. I was a pro at texting, along with all of my friends. That was our new way of communication and we thought we were so cool abbreviating our words and using the text lingo. However, even though I could carry on a whole conversation in text lingo or write a paper using it, I didn’t. I knew what kind of language was acceptable in the classroom and on classroom work, and so did my fellow classmates. We had been taught how to use the English language correctly and how to spell since elementary school. We knew better than to write LOL or BTW in a writing assignment for school. Which brings me to my point; I believe that students know better than to use text lingo in school assignments. I feel that students are just being too lazy and don’t want to write a bunch of words out, or just they simply are choosing not to do the assignment correctly.

This article contains some thoughts of teacher’s views on text lingo as well as students.

Quote:

She predicts that the number of “textisms” will stop growing as people continue to develop more proficiency in using handheld devices and as the devices continue to grow more sophisticated than simple telephone touch pads. She adds that part of the appeal of texting shorthands is their novelty, and that that will fade.

I agree with this statement simply because I feel that I have experienced it myself. I have had a cell phone and have been sending text messages since I was twelve years old. My first phone was rather bulky and was one that only had the number pad where three letters of the alphabet were above each number, or button. So when texting you would have to hit the button on the keypad one to three times depending on what letter you wished to type. My second cell phone that I had was a little better. It had the luxury of t9 where if you would start to spell a word it would give you a couple options to pick from and you could just select what word you wanted rather than having to type it all the way out. Now, I have my smart phone. Much easier to text on considering it has a full keypad just like my computer. Before I had my smart phone I admit to using a lot of textisms simply because it was faster, but now having my smart phone it’s just as quick and easy to type out the whole word, especially with the auto correct feature. I feel that textisms will fade with proficiency of cell phones, along with their novelty.

Sources:

Rubira, A. D. (2008, December 2). Is texting ruining the english language?. Retrieved from Is Texting Ruining the English Language?

Shea, A. (2010, January 22). The keypad solution. New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from The Keypad Solution

Harshman, Melissa. "OMG! textspeak in schoolwork ;-)." The Columbian. N.p., 03/06/2011. Web. 1 Feb 2012.