Week 12 - On-line media and chapter 30

I liked Google Documents. It seems easy to use and free is always nice. I may use it in connection with my website and the lessons I intend to post there. The other sites wanted me to download other things to use them. I am always concerned about that type of thing.



I checked out each of the picture sites also and found Picknic to be the easiest to use. The grafics and instructions were clear and easy to understand. At 50 I am not as interested in enhancing my pictures as young people would be but being able to whiten teeth, get rid of red eye, and go black and white or gray scale is useful. Of course if I was keeping an on-line scrapbook for a class the boarders and text would come in handy.



As for the reading in Chapter 30, the first take away is the "surface features vs. functional features of visuals." I found it interesting that there was no significant difference in leaning between still visuals and animation. And that line drawings with arrows was effective as a video version. As I develope other presentations I will remember that it is "not the surface features of a visual" but rather the "functional features" and "how well it conveys the intended message."

The second take away is "minimize unnecessary visuals and text." I believe I may be guilty of including "seductive text and visuals" in my presentations. Sometimes there is so much information one can loose sight of the orginal intended instruction. Rather than giving students a boost with the information, according to the text, even the intended information lost out. I will try to remember the "extra" information is for another lesson another time.

My Website

This is the address of my google site: https://sites.google.com/site/teachergradstudententrepreneur/

I intend to use this site for two purposes: teaching and business. As I build lessons and come across material, I am going to include it on this site under the teaching section. I included a link to ELIC's (English Language Institute China) web page because I think many would enjoy this experience.

I am also learning an internet business, processing rebates, and intend to do some of that business here also. Eventually there will be ads for the companies I am processing rebates for on this site along with information on how my business is progressing and links to where others can start a business of their own.

Chapter 27 reflection

I believe my strength is "I am teachable and willing to learn." To develop any competency one must be these things.

Reviewing the listed competencies in chapter 27, I can see where it would benefit me and any organization that I work for to develop more fully all of the competencies listed. However, I chose the following three as the ones that need the most development or that I feel are the most important:

1. Conduct needs assessment. Technically, I have not done this to any extent and as a teacher will need to be able to do this for each class I teach to better reach every student.

2. Dicuss research and theory. Please!! This just about did me in during my undergraduate classes. This is extremely difficult for me and requires reviewing before each and every discussion.

3. Communicate effectively in visual, oral, and written forms. This is extemely important to any profession one is engaged in including education. I have to communicate with parents, students, co-workers, administration, volunteers, and the community.

Of course one competency they did not mention is organization. To do all of the others one would need to be organized. This is something I definitely need to develop in all areas of my life.

teaching in china presentation

Okay, 4th try (or is it 5th or 6th, I have lost count). Boy I hope this time works.

I would use this in a social studies lesson comparing and contrasting Chinese culture with American culture. I admit I might use different narraration and maybe more pictures. I am not sure. I will be happy if this just works.

Week 10 reflection

There are three similarities in the readings that stick out to me. One is each venue, business, P12, and higher education start out with a team. This takes teamwork. One person can not go it alone. The teams are different depending on which venue you look at but all have one. The second similarity I see is the complex process. This is a very envolved, time consuming effort. The planning, designing, and implementation occurs in each venue and is the same process for all three with the only difference being the size of the project. And last is the ever expanding or changing of technology and the needs it creates. I could be wrong, but it seems to me there is a trickle down theory going on here. I am in P-12 education which seems to be the last to get the technology or material that works on said technology. Businesses and the military seem to come up with designs first, then the higher education starts using them, possibaly teaching them, and then high school and finally elementary school begins to receive it. Schools need to at least keep up with what is going on in technology and begin to teach the application of it way before college, but definitly in college. I had a technology class as part of my teaching degree but it mainly taught power point and word. It should have covered educational equipment such as smartboards and covered some of the things we are learning here. That could only enhance our teaching ability and better prepare our students for a future in a technological world.

Follow St. Patrick in Ireland

I could use this map in both ways, already completed by me to use with a unit on St. Patrick, or as a double teaching opportunity: teaching and researching St. Patrick's travel and creating a map in Google Maps. I did not know this existed much less how to use it. However, my oldest son and I want to tour Ireland and this would be an interesting tool to help plan that trip!
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