Reflection on Course

Overall I feel I am taking away a lot of new information and resources upon completing this course.  As an art teacher, I have had limited interaction with the ELA teachers in my school other than in a social context and had a limited view of what was being taught in their classrooms.  I feel as though I have a better understanding of the new direction for ELA education as it relates to new literacy development, common core, and technology integration.  Quite often I shared these new resources with my colleagues and the feedback was consistently favorable.  I found the co-teaching experience with the ELA teacher to be a wonderful asset as it allowed me to step outside of my content areas and be able to collaborate with my colleagues.  I found myself adverse to the blogging experience at first, but have understood the benefits, especially as the course comes to a close.  I appreciate the ability to use this forum for class discussions and receiving feedback.  I ultimately feel that the ongoing accessibility to the blogs will be beneficial.  At times, I often came across other students’ blogs from previous semesters as I was researching particular topics and feel that I will definitely refer back to my work and provide it as a resource for others.  As a whole the course content as outlined on the syllabus was relevant and engaging.  I have been exposed to many sites and programs that I am already integrating in my art curriculum this year and plan to further develop next year.  More importantly, I feel as though I have become excited about sharing these new resources with my students as I can more clearly see the benefits having already experienced them first hand.   

Final Keystone Project, New Literacy Reflection, and ELA Teacher Interview

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/x4psexucvppcyig/BYNNPclle4/Final%20Keystone%2C%20Langauge%20Arts%20and%20Technology.docx

Prezi

Below is a link to my Prezi, "What I learned in Language Arts and Technology."

http://prezi.com/rez2stcdvmpu/what-i-learned-in-language-arts-and-technology/

Glogster

Review:

Gloster is a program that allows its users to create interactive posters or “glogs.”  Unlike a traditional poster, which is simply a visual reference, Glogster’s posters are designed to be interactive.  Users can insert text, video, sound clips, and photos to create a multimedia presentation. 

Glogster can be used in ELA classrooms in a number of ways.  Students can create posters for book reviews, vocabulary lists, and character descriptions.  Students can visually display their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject/unit for others to utilize and access as a resource.  Glogster is beneficial as a resource for differentiated instruction.  Visual learners can use this program as a way of organizing and exhibiting what they have learned.  

Educational “Affordances”

Feature of the Technology - Glogster	Affordances
Commenting capabilities on the glogs.	Interaction between students will help facilitate a student centered educational environment.   Students can receive immediate feedback on their work not only from the teacher, but other interested parties, ie. Students, administrators, and parents. Encourages ongoing communication on a particular subject.
Communication through a variety of resources, text, image, audio, special effects, and videos.	Student use of technology for communication purposes and can learn to understand how and what makes communication successful.   Students become aware of and use of multi-sensory, multi-modal forms of communication.
Creativity through design.	Students can create visual representations of an idea, emphasizing communication and personal creativity.
Interactive component, sharing through social networks.	Student learning and engagement is occurring outside the traditional model and traditional time.   Feedback can be received from other users of Glogster outside of the student’s classroom.
Students can share media resources	Student can add links to their glog presentations, providing a means for sharing links and resources.
Security Settings - privacy	Teachers can control who has access to student information and can make groups private.

Week 11 - Article Reflection

The article, “Evaluating pedagogical affordances of media sharing  Web 2.0 technologies:  A case study,” evaluates the usefulness of the technology tool VoiceThread for educational purposes.  The authors Kevin Burden and Simon Atkinson note the vast variety of technology resources available for educational purposes, and the need to find value amidst the quantity.   Using a “Digital Artefacts for Learner Engagement framework: DiAl-e) the authors identified areas in which VoiceThread could be useful in an educational setting.  Ultimately, proper planning remains a critical component in the utilization of this technology tool, but with creativity and ingenuity, the tool according to the authors is a valuable one. 

Voicethread engages learners through video, sound, and story telling.  Tools include collaborative features through writing, audio and video capabilities to encourage discussions, provide feedback, and engage participants.   Overall, student learning can be enhanced through the use of this tool as it has the potential to engage students in challenging and meaningful activities and not simply provide another tool only useful for information sharing.

VoiceThread

Below is a link to my VoiceThread on a recent trip to Riviera Cancun, Mexico.  I hope you enjoy.

http://voicethread.com/share/2965078/

Initial Draft for Final Keystone Unit

1. Subject: Multi-media autobiography using iMovie or UDL BookBuilder for presentations.  Students will write and illustrate an autobiography using a movie making or book-building format.  Students will brainstorm and write about important events in their lives and select or create images that correspond to those events.  Students will create storyboards in preparation for their final project.
2. Grade level: 6-8^th grade
3. Standards addressed:

Common Core Anchor Standards:

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. 

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. 

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. 

ISTE Technology Standards:

1.Creativity and Innovation

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2. Communication and Collaboration

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

3. Research and Information Fluency

a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry

b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

d. Process data and report results

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project

5.  Digital Citizenship

a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology

b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning

d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship

6.Technology Operations and Concepts

a. Understand and use technology systems

b. Select and use applications effectively and productively

c. Troubleshoot systems and applications

d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

4. Intended results of the proposed technology integration

The ELA teacher I am working with wanted to investigate more dynamic ways of presenting student work that would sustain student interest throughout the duration of a writing assignment.  Students currently have not worked with either program iMovie or UDL Book Builder.  In addition, a need for developing and accessing a portfolio of student work was addressed in thinking about future APPR requirements.  Student work is currently not published or shared with peers, parents or administrators.

5. Students will need at minimum two days of training for each program they will be utilizing for the autobiography project.  I can provide assistance with tutorials as well as the technology coordinator in the school.  After exposure and tutorials are provided for each program, students will determine which format will best match their needs. 
6. Requirements

Students will need access to the computer lab for the duration of this project, 10 class periods.  This includes time for presentations of final projects. 

7. Evaluation plan

Students will complete a self-assessment after the project is completed.  In addition, students will give peer reviews.  I will evaluate students with a rubric.  Students will have access to the computer lab and additional help will be provided after school.