Jason

This is a post to say "hello" to Jason, my one faithful reader:) Wishing you the best of everything,

Mary Ann Keller

fall colors

PLE

I complete steps 1-3 of the PLE for this week

Internet Safety

ARTICLE OF CHOICE

I read the article, “Leave it alone,” by Elder H. Burke Peterson. This article suggests that some of us may feel immune or impervious to the penetrating filth we find the in the media. He warns us that none of safe and that we must leave it alone. Have the courage to turn it off. Turn away from inappropriate material!—This is how we, our friends, our families, and our loved ones will stay safe.

VIDEO RESOURCES

I watched the video on Cyberbullying. This video was about a boy who was bullied at school and so learned to fight. Little did his family know, the bullying he experienced online was even more dangerous. This boy found a website that taught him how to hang himself and committed suicide before his parents even knew there was something amiss. Apparently, Cyberbullying is a serious problem and part of today’s technology culture.

I watched another video on Katie’s Story. This video shares testimonies about a Game called “Missing” that helps teach children about predators on the internet. Katie played this game and wised up, saving herself from a truly dangerous situation.

A child Predator Fear said that most kids know how to be safe on the internet and that those who get into trouble are usually those who go looking for it.

Grooming Gracie educates you on the signs that indicate an online predator such as sending gifts, trying to get personal information such as a phone number or home address, and taking an interest in a child, trying to convince the child of how much they care.

A revolution in classrooms and social life talks about how often students use technology. As adults, we need to be involved and up to date with technology so that we can effectively interact with students. We must know how to use technology if we want to know how to keep our students engaged. It also addressed cyberbullying.

I also watched the movie in class that told the horror stories of online predators and cyberbullying.

TAKE AWAYS

The content available in the media and internet can be a threat to families which is the reason why the church decided to speak up. Media can ridicule and attack traditional families. The internet can lead us off the straight and narrow path with violence, immorality, addictive pornography, and participation in cyberbullying. Media can replace family, school, work, church, and everything else.
Even video gaming and online chat can be harmful to the family, idling away countless hours of wasted time. Using virtual realities can make us lose a handle on reality, diminishing the sanctity and importance of the human body.

So what can we do about it?

Speak up! Tell sponsors that we've had enough! Support positive programs. Be an example to those who look up to you and model for them how to close out of inappropriate programs, how to walk out of bad movies, or how to turn off the computer or television. We should have zero tolerance for anything that chases away the spirit, leaving us vulnerable to attack.

Also, we need to spend time with our children, hold family councils to determine our standards for media. We can use internet filters and keep computers and televisions in public rooms. Have computer monitors facing out to public view.

Educate your family!!!! Teach your family about the dangers of pornography and have children tell you if they encounter any form of pornography while on the computer. Teach your family to have specific purposes when they use the internet. Teach children not to give any personal information on the internet. Teach family members not to open emails from people they don't know.

Emphasize the importance of face to face relationships. Limit your own cellphone, computer and television time to set the example. We must find positive productive uses for technology. We can teach our children how to use online resources and choose websites.

THE DOING EXPERIENCE

I interviewed someone who is hardly familiar with computers, much less the internet. She knew that there are computer filters that will block some websites and keep a history of the websites that are visited. She thought one of her children might have put a filter on the family computer. She also knew that the church had said to stay out of chat rooms. She was not aware of many of the dangers on the internet and so was unconcerned with internet safety.

She was shocked when I shared some of the things I had learned about the dangers on the internet. She was especially concerned because all of her children use the interent all the time and she realized that she is unaware of how much time they spend on the internet and what websites they were visiting. It scared her that she didn't know what her children were doing on the internet.

I taught her a little about internet safety and gave her a copy of rules for internet safety. She read these rules and actually decided to take action. She asked me for a talk from the church that she could use to teach her kids about internet safety for a family home evening lesson. I suggested she read "Let our voices be heard," by M. Russell Ballard. She took the information I gave her very seriously and seems resolved to do something about it.

Using Technology in Lessons

Classroom technology observation

My mentor teacher was very intimidated by technology. We never used technology in the class unless it was absolutely necessary. We used an overhead projector and tape player for shared reading. Once a week, the lab assistant would bring in a Mac laptop for every student so that they could take their weekly assessment on the literacy skills they learned that week. I would often see Ms. Leighton writing notes on her own laptop. But, honestly, she would try to avoid using technology for teaching or administrative tasks if she could. I think we could have enhanced our lessons with technology.

We had a promethean board installed in the class while I was there. My teacher didn’t know how to use it and so we used the promethean board as a projector screen with the overhead projector. The other cohorts had promethean boards in their class as well and told me how much it helped them teach their lessons. I think the promethean board would be especially useful in teaching math allowing students to learn together and have a visual representation of the mathematical manipulations. I finally had to bring in my own laptop and teaching a vocabulary lesson giving a small group of students visual representations of words. The kids loved my technology lesson and were so engaged! Technology can really help give students a multimodal learning experience allowing them to see things, hear things, and move things, interacting with the promethean board for example.

Two video clips

I watched two video clips--

Inside Kapunahala

Bookends of War

Technology clearly enriches children’s learning experience by allowing them to see, hear and interact with the curriculum they are trying to learn, thus letting them use several of their senses in the learning process, keeping them more engaged. The projects students do with technology provide opportunities for a variety of students of different backgrounds and ages to work together, and peer-tutor to create and accomplish, together.

In both videos, all the students seemed to be very engaged—very excited about their learning experience. Students are proud about what they are able to do with technology—what they are able to make. Technology is so exciting for the children because although it is challenging, students find they have a knack for technology. The challenge makes success so much more satisfying. One student said she loved using the technology because she can take what she learns in class, outside of the classroom and apply those technological skills in real-life experiences.

Another thing I learned from these clips—Using technology can help move assessment away from standardized testing and gives students experience, allowing the teacher to observe their skills in a more realistic and student-friendly way. Also, integration is simple. There is a possible technology application for every subject/topic. You can use technology to enhance any learning experience—students didn’t just feel like they were getting better at using a computer. They saw progress in their speaking skills as well.

Using Technology with Young Children

If I have learned anything while doing my cohort, it has been that students learn better when they are actively participating in the learning process. When I lecture the whole time, they fall asleep. They love to be my volunteers, to do anything where they get to move and interact. Using technology to teach is so engaging for our students. They get to use their eyes, and their ears. They get to explore and discover. These different clips showed how technology allowed students to be the scientists. Technology is so easily integrated into geography, biology, literacy (reading), teaching patterns, writing and drawing, assessments, or internet communication. Also, technology is something our students can pick up computers quickly. It is a fun way for them to learn and they excel. And using technology requires lot of thinking skills. And most importantly, it helps teach students how to access information from different electronic resources which is a skill they will use for the rest of their lives.

Technology Assessment

When I first entered my teachers classroom I had a panic attack because I couldn't see a ceiling projector and I wanted to show a PowerPoint. My teacher took me on a tour of the technology available in her room. She does have a computer projector that sits on a cart. She has a light projector, a television, DVD and VCR players, and a CD player. She even has a tape player at the reading center. There are 3 MAC computers sitting on a counter that we haven't yet used, and the teacher has her own MAC laptop.

There are technologies outside the classroom that are available to us, such as the computer carts that supply students with MAC laptops for testing. There are three technology experts we can call if we need help. I was impressed by how well equipped the school was and I'm certain I'll have fun integrating technology into my lessons.

I have completed the mid-course evaluation and informed consent.

Science Challenge

I viewed and commented on Beth, Mariah, and Kerry's science activities.

Wow, this was a really cool activity for me because it taught me how to use technology to teach an entire lesson. We could leave this voice thread with a substitute if we can't make it to class and we can still teach without even being there. Or, the substitute can get direct instruction from us. Using the voice thread is a great way to pass on knowledge without having to be there in person. I also was extremely impressed with Stellarium. This technology is so effective because it allows the teacher to give direct instruction and then allows for the student to construct their own knowledge. Stellarium is a multimodal presentation that students can interact with and manipulate, allowing them to see the planets move across the sky after it has been explained to them why they appear to be moving like that. Thus, using Stellarium provides a learning experience teachers can't possibly hope to provide without that technology.

There is a downside as well. I went through three computers before I could get this program to work. Technology is not always reliable and I am convinced that we need to have a plan B, always, just in case technology doesn't feel like working when we need it. Also, I don't want students to pay more attention to the technology than they do to me. I want to work with the technology and if one is going to take dominance over the other, I want it to be me:)

Science Challenge

Describe the technology-enhanced science activity that you will be doing.

We are going to be teaching students about the 24-hr rotation of the sun on it's axis. The teacher will be shining a flash-light on a globe. The flashlight (our model of the sun) will remain stationary, while the teacher slowly has the globe turn on it's axis.

As teachers show the bigger picture of why it grows light and dark over a 24-hour period, students will have the opportunity to use the program Stellarium to chose a location and watch, hour by hour (or by shorter intervals) the sun and moon move across the sky. Thus, the students can see an technological representation of the 24-hour revolution of the sun, helping them form connections and giving them a clear representation of what the teacher is modeling.

What is the content you will be focusing on in your science activity?

3rd Grade Science

Standard 1
Students will understand that the shape of Earth and the moon are spherical and that Earth rotates on its axis to produce the appearance of the sun and moon moving through the sky.

Objective 2
Describe the movement of Earth and the moon and the apparent movement of other bodies through the sky.

Indicator c)
Use a model of Earth to demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours to produce the night and day cycle.

What is the pedagogy you will be using and why is it a good fit with the content?

We are going to have our students build a conceptual knowledge through "building activity types." Students will have the opportunity to view a presentation/demonstration by the teacher as the teacher models the movement of the sun and the earth in space. Thus, our first step in the pedagogy is to have students gain information from the teacher.

Second, students will have the opportunity to view Images/Objects and do a simulation. This is where Stellarium comes in. Students will use Stellarium to see and examine both the still and moving images of the 24-hour day cycle. They can see the location of the sun and the moon over a 24-hour range. While using this program, students will interact with digital simulations that demonstrate the science content.

This is a good fit for our content because it provides students with a unique opportunity to see for themselves the movement of the earth, sun and moon in a short period of time. Students don't have to go outside, they can see what they wouldn't see otherwise and the big picture comes together quickly. Because the content is so precise and compact, learning will be more efficient, leaving less room for misunderstanding. What an amazing way to learn this content--to see what's happening in space with the teachers model and being able to connect that with the movement of the sun and the moon across the sky. This connection will make the learning session much more powerful.

What is the technology you'll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?

Stellarium is a good fit for the pedagogy because we want our students to learn this content with building activity types. We want our lesson to have a constructivist theme where our students can explore and build their own knowledge. Stellarium allows for students to do their own manipulations. It lets them see an amazing representation of the the movement of the sun and moon across the sky in a time, place, and at a speed, they can choose.

How would you describe the representation of the content produced by the technology you use in your science activity and in what way would it help students better understand the objective you are aiming to teach?

Perhaps it will sound repetitive when I say that students will better understand the objective by having a visual, multimodal representation of the content we intend to teach. The representation of the content is deep, clear and concise. Students are instructed on the scientific reasons behind the 24-hour night and day period. The teacher models in front of the class. Then, students get to explore and discover for themselves. Students get to do the manipulations. They get to teach themselves. Their learning experience is interactive and they are fully engaged because they are conducting their own learning experience. The content specifically stresses the movement of the sun and moon through the sky and the 24-hour cycle. What better way to teach this content than by showing the MOVEMENT of these bodies through the sky? That is an experience students can't get from lecture or a textbook.

Cultural Snap Shot: Latinos in America

Welcome to my cultural snapshot. Today we are going to be looking at the Latino culture and how that culture is represented in the media. To start off, watch this clip from West Side story.


West Side Story Source

Anita sings about Puerto Rico, “Always the population growing, and the money owing.” Things look so much better to her in America. But there’s a problem. She’s not part of the majority culture in America. Bernardo, who has already had conflicts with the white culture of power, talks about the discrimination endured by the minority culture. They are not welcome, they are taken advantage of, and their standard of living is lower. As the girls talk about the great opportunities they are going to have in America, Bernardo warns, “Better get rid of your accent.” It’s interesting…the girls are comfortable with the idea of acculturation, but Bernardo brings up an good question—Can Latino’s live in America and be welcomed and embraced with their culture, or must they assimilate in order to be accepted? Bernardo and his desire to "Fight in America" plays into the resistance theory faced when the majority culture expects assimilation. The lyrics are quite thought provoking. If nothing else, this song should get us to start thinking. In West Side Story, the presence of Latin's in America is causing some tension and people can't get along. The whites don't want the Latin's there, and as Bernardo says, “Life is all right in America…If you’re all white in America.”
____________________________________________________

So, as I started searching for “artifacts” for my cultural snapshot, I went around asking my friends if they had seen any TV shows with a lot of Latin’s in them. One of my friends answered enthusiastically, “COPS!” I laughed thinking this was a joke, and he grew serious, “No. Mary. I mean it. Watch it for yourself. They are always arresting Latino’s for something on the show.” I went and did some research by watching some random episodes. I’ll admit, a large portion of the arrests are of Hispanics. There must be a lot of Latin criminals here:) The first clip I attached showed a Latin getting caught smoking weed and calling the police officer papi. I had to remove it due to the language, but this next clip should do just as well.



Cops: Drunken Fight Source

This clip from Napoleon Dynamite is included partly because I think it is funny. And honestly, there are a lot of stereotypes in this movie--Latin's pulling up in their flashy cars, making pinata's, the thick accent, and the threatening presence you don't want to mess with.



Napoleon Dynamite Source

In Latino Portrayals In Film and Television by Jesus Trevino, a review of contemporary media exposes some touchy issues regarding Latinos in the media. This article goes through a large number of films pointing out the negative depictions of Latinos within them. In the past, Latino's haven't really been represented in the media. Now the media portrayal of Latino's "reveals a succession of abusive stereotypes and denigrating distortions." Latino men are portrayed as the lovers, drunk, passionate, violent, illiterate, helpless, or lazy loafers who sit on the porch to drink and smoke. Women are depicted as the "hot-blooded temptress obsessed with carnal pleasure." An interesting point from this article--In our media, Latino’s aren’t often depicted as “people in control of their lives, capable of standing up for their rights, or having an interest in their own future."

Now, do I understand that this article has an agenda, that perhaps bias has tainted the validity of the words written? Yes. But, the number of films listed with specific examples of negative Latino portrayal are compelling.
______________________________________________________

Are all depictions of Latin's in the media negative? Absolutely not. I grew up watching I Love Lucy. The Co-star is handsome, talented and successful. Ricky Ricardo brings his cultural capital to the screen and uses his accent, his music, and his cultural background, to make him not only successful, but famous in the I Love Lucy show, as well as in the American society. But don't they make fun of Ricky's accent? Wasn't that a running joke? Only Lucy is allowed to make fun of his accent, and the tone of that teasing is more endearing than offensive. In this media portrayal, Ricky's success as a movie star, owner of a night club, actor, performer, loving husband and father is due to his cultural traits. In this show, Ricky's cultural capital is responsible for his success.


I Love Lucy Source

What about the TV show, Dora the Explorer? Dora is a smart, ambitious, talented little Hispanic girl. She has a good, strong family, she helps out everyone and she teaches little children Spanish.

Then, there’s Maya and Miguel. If there's a show that depicts Latino children as intelligent, inventive problem solvers, !eso es! Maya and Miguel teach about the Latino language and culture. This television series has a message of strong family values, the importance of doing good for the family and community, and of sharing your happiness with others. You can check out the Maya and Miguel Homepage. It’s !Super Fabuloso!

These two television shows are positive media portrayals of Latinos. They encourage socialcultural learning and show credible examples of biculturalism.

Let's take a look at Spy Kids, a movie catering to English speaking American's as well as Hispanics. This movie illustrates the story of the Latino Cortez family who are not only model citizens but super heroes saving the world. Once again, this media portrayal gives exposure to the emphasis of having strong family values because "Spy work, that’s easy. Keeping a family together, that’s difficult and worth fighting for."
_____________________________________________________

Let's look at how Latinos are portrayed in the news. In the news, article, Latinos Facing Racial Intolerance you'll read the sad stories of Latinos being run off the roads, beaten, shot at, taunted spit at, etc. because of their race. There has been a 40% rise in anti-Latino hate crimes between 2003 and 2007. Reports say the police are indifferent to the reports given by Latinos and often "blame the victim instead." What kind of message does this send about Latinos in America?--Perhaps they are unwelcome and unwanted by some? Perhaps some people want them to leave? Perhaps some people don't think they are worthy of the rights held by others?

I also happened upon a Mexican Joke Website. At the top of the page is a heading that reads,"NOT RACIST, JUST FUNNY!" Really? These jokes depict Mexicans as a people who can’t get a respectable job, who can’t raise their kids, who have too many kids, who can’t afford anything new, who are thieves if they do own anything nice, who are lazy-law-breakers, and the list goes on and on.

If racism is a theory that claims that one person or group is superior to another due to race, than I would suggest that there are examples of racism depicted both by the article of hate crimes, and by the jokes posted on that website. I might go a little further to say that the hate crime article is an example of institutionalized racism, where law enforcement protects people of one race while being unjust to those of another. And as for the joke website, if we laugh, if we share those jokes with our friends, if we see the web page and go on with our happy lives without really thinking about what we just read, then we are guilty of passive racism. We are guilty of seeing racism and allowing it to go on, or accepting it in any way, because we think we can justify ourselves by saying that these jokes aren't "racist,just funny."

I also gathered some CNN clips on Latinos. This one is on Latinos and their high birth rates.

Birth Rates Source
Read the Article for yourself.

This is a negative media portrayal of Latinos because “They say they want to be educated and get good jobs and have important life goals, and that they know having a baby interrupts that, and yet the teenage pregnancy rates among Latinos are higher than among non-Latinos such as whites and African Americans.” This news report suggest that there are aspects of the Latino culture that could be responsible for these alarming pregnancy rates such as the catholic prohibition on abortion and birth control, and cultural issues with discussing sex in the Latino community versus other communities. These are culturally binding customs that are making it difficult for Latinos to have the higher standard of living they say they want.

This clip talks about road Blocks to Latinos Education

Latino's Education Source

And here's an article with similar findings.

There is an alarming drop-out rate in the Latino community here in America, especially for Latina women because of discrimination and gender stereotyping. A survey taken among young Latinas showed that 1/3 did not expect to achieve their educational goals because of family and societal expectations. They face the stereotypes of Latinas as submissive underachievers and caretakers. Poverty, immigration status, limited English, discouraging family situations and lack of documentation are all challenges to education. This article refers to some institutionalized racism of not having enough funding and resources, and teachers with lower expectations for ELL students. This article also hints that Latinos are suffering the effects of teachers deficit theory, the theory that because one is not originally from the majority culture, they will not be adequate in their performance.--This article sets the stage perfectly for our discussion in which I will delve deeper into the article.

WHAT MESSAGES ARE BEING SENT ABOUT THIS CULTURAL GROUP?

I have talked about the messages being sent about this group all throughout the blog. There are some positive messages about this group. They are intelligent, contributing, thoughtful problem solvers. This is a group that is talented, that works hard, that has strong family values and that can save the world. This is a group that is welcome, that enriches society, that has a different culture we can learn about and appreciate.

Some negative messages portray this group as one with high pregnancy rates, high crime rates and a low level of education. This is a group who's customs don't match with ours, who are lazy, lustful, and gluttonous. This is a group who claims they want to be contributing members of society but who can't give the follow through. This is a group that we can crack jokes about because it's funny. And this is a group that suffers hate crimes because they don't belong.

When it comes to education, this is a group that is unlikely to graduate or to get a higher education. This group is seen as the underachievers and outsiders. They can’t speak English, and they come from disparaging backgrounds. They are poor. They are illegal and suffer from the associated instability. They don’t have the advantages and opportunities of their American counterparts. They don’t have many role models because there aren't a lot of Latino politicians, doctors, lawyers, or people of high position on display. Latinos have a hard family life and difficult backgrounds. Latinos have a hard time staying in school and they will need extra help and encouragement if they are going to be able to succeed.

How might these messages impact how a child from this cultural group is viewed and treated in the classroom?

Perhaps the positive messages being sent about this group will speak louder than the negative messages. Latino students will be viewed and treated just like every other student and there won't be any problems. But what if the negative messages being sent overpower the positive messages?

To answer this question, I would like to refer back to the clip of challenges in Latino education. Lucy Flores made a disturbing but eye-opening comment when she described the reasons for her dropping out of school,"Graduating wasn’t something that was expected for me. It just wasn’t something that really happens for a lot of people in my community.” Lucy had a hard time at home, a hard time speaking English when she started school, and she was exposed to a lot of teachers and a community who had lower expectations for her.

If there are messages being sent about Latinos that depict them poorly in the academic setting and group them with the lazy, the addicts, the criminals, the gangs, and the unwanted, then perhaps that is how they will be treated. Perhaps students of other cultural backgrounds will view themselves as superior to Latinos. Perhaps Latino students will be treated as the potential drop-out rather than the potential genius. Perhaps the teacher and other students of the classroom will have low expectations for the Latino students. Perhaps students and teachers will judge the Latino's in their class before they have even given them a chance to prove themselves...

And perhaps, Latino students may fear that they have already lost and that they cannot succeed because of their ethnicity .

Why is it important for teachers to know how cultural groups are represented in the media, curriculum and policy?

Teachers have been given stewardship over their students. I wonder if teachers know how powerful and influential they can be. Teachers will be able to best reach and teach their students if they know their students. This means knowing their background and knowing about their culture. This means knowing about how that cultural group is represented in the media, curriculum and policy. Knowing this empowers teachers to recognize and combat racism (institutionalized racism and passive racism) within their classroom. Teachers are placed in a position where they can either contribute to the deficit theory or they can fight it.

A lot of us are going to be teachers. If you see negative portrayals of your students' cultural group, you can teach the class the truth, that everyone can succeed. You can stop yourself from prejudging your students based on their ethnicity, and you can help them succeed when society, or the media says they can't.

Lucy Flores was a high school dropout who joined a gang and lost her way. Lucy is back on track today studying to be a lawyer because there was an intervention. She found someone who treated her as a child with issues, not a criminal. She found a teacher to guide her, to encourage her and to allow her to believe that she was capable of something different. Lucy speaks fondly of that person who supported her as the "first person that set me on the right track."

That quote should give us a feeling of teacher efficacy. We can be that first person to set our students on track. We can believe in our students and be aware so as to fight against the challenges that face Latino students (including the racism and deficit theory they might be exposed to by us, their teachers.) The first step to solving a problem is diagnosing it. We can succeed. We can be good teachers. And ALL of our students can be successful as well.

Virtual Tour: Holy Cities of Islam

I viewed and commented on...

1. Laila : The Oregon Trail
2. Beth : Number the Stars
3. Cicely : Cultural Contributions

What do I think the upsides and downsides are for implementing a virtual tour in an elementary education classroom?

I'll be honest. I think there are more upsides than downsides for implementing a virtual tour. I did my tour on the holy cities of Islam. I know I probably won't get to travel to these places and see them for myself, and probably, neither will my students. This is a great way for students to see the locations I am talking about. Where is this place relative to the rest of the world. What does it look like and sound like? How's the weather? There is so much information on Google earth. This is a multimodal representation. Students can interact with the tour and do assignments in Google Earth. What an interesting way to learn! How great that we have found a way to teach while serving the visual, audio, and textual needs of our students.

What are some of the downsides? What if I have limited resources in my classes? What if my students have limited resources at home? If that is the case, will I be able to teach like this? What if students start to play with Google Earth instead of completing the assignment as they take my tour? Technology is not always reliable and students might take advantage of my willingness to let them loose on the computer.

The Islamic Religion

I am addressing the 6th grade curriculum for Social studies,

Standard 1
Students will understand how ancient civilizations developed and how they contributed to the current state of the world.

Objective 2
Objective 2: Evaluate how religion has played a central role in human history from ancient times to today.

b Identify key tenets of the major world religions (i.e. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism).

I am doing a virtual tour on the holy cities of Islam. I chose this topic because the Muslim religion is so very foreign to me, so interesting, that it was something I would enjoy researching. I love the study of different cultures and there are so many rich and deep beliefs and traditions held in these cities--I wanted to do a tour this topic so I could see pictures, watch youtube videos, and "travel" to the places I have heard so much about, but never been able to see.

Google Earth is the best vehicle for teaching this curriculum because it is multimodal. Students can see, hear, and interact with the knowledge they are needing to learn. Students get to use technology and see the world, and where in the world these places are, and they can see pictures of buildings and people and watch videos and do fun activities like measuring distance, seeing the time and temperature differences, watching the sun rise---they get to do so many different activities in one spot that I couldn't offer them if I were to stand up in front of the class and lecture. Google Earth will keep students engaged. Google Earth is more efficient.

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Mecca	Click on "wikipedia" in layers to find out what the qibla is. Take the ruler and see how many miles it is from your house to Mecca.	Picture Information Page
2. Medina	Check "YouTube" in layers and watch at least 2 videos. write a brief description of what you learned.	Picture 1 Picture 2 Info page
3.Jerusalem	check "Panoramio" in layers and look at at least 5 pictures and write three questions you have after seeing these pictures.	YouTube Dome YouTube Mosque Info page
4. Kabala	check "terrain" in layers and click on the sun on the toolbar to get the temperature.	Picture YouTube Info Page

The most difficult challenge of implementing a digital storytelling project?

I think the most difficult challenge of implementing a digital story into the elementary curriculum is the motivation to take that time out of class to put together a fun, engaging story for your students. It would be a lot faster and easier not to bother and to stick to the core curriculum that you know your students are going to take government tests on. It takes hours to write the script and find all the pictures and music for a digital story. The story itself only lasts for a couple of minutes. So, I think the challenge is finding the motivation and time to put something like that together.

There are a couple other small challenges. It can be a challenge, or at least an inconvenience, to work around copyright laws. You have to be sure to cite everything. It really would be easier just to teach pure content. Also, you never know if you can rely on your technology. I experienced several technical difficulties while putting my photostory together.

Watching other photostories

I watched McKay, Shanna and Heidi's digital stories and made comments on their posts. I think that the music, sound effects and narrations in each were engaging and made it easy to keep my attention on the digital story. I especially liked the idea of using an ABC story on one topic. That way, you can get a lot of ideas about one topic in a fun, easy to remember way. My favorite was seeing the digital story used as a book trailer. What a great way to get the class excited to read their next assigned book! I think I will definitely use digital storytelling in my classroom.

WASHING HANDS PSA

Screen Caption of Photostory

Asynchronous Photo

Photostory

Content: This storyboard is for a PSA on washing your hands. With this PSA, we are full-filling the Utah State Core Curriculum for the First Grade Health Standards...

Utah Core: 1st Grade Health Standard 1 Students will develop a sense of self.
Objective 1 Describe and practice responsible behaviors for health and safety.
a. Practice appropriate personal hygiene (eg bathe, wash hands, clean clothes).

Script/Description (words said or written on page)

(Title Page)



Happy Body for Everybody Series

Part I: Washing Hands

(Happy girl holding toothbrush)
________________________________________________________________________________________

(Scene 1)

"We need to wash our hands because there are germs everywhere, especially on our hands that touch so many different surfaces!

(Cartoon Germs)



(Cartoon Germs on Hands)


________________________________________________________________________________________

What are germs? Check this out! Germs are tiny little organisms that can invade our bodies and make us sick!"

(Microscope Germ)


________________________________________________________________________________________

(Scene 2)

"No matter what we do, we will always come in contact with germs. There are germs on the telephone, germs on the light switch, germs on our desk and germs on the toilet handle.

(Telephone)



(Light Switch)






(Desk)



(Toilet)

________________________________________________________________________________________
(Scene 3)

"Germs need the type of environment provided by the human body to live and multiply, so their goal is to get inside of us. When we touch a surface, germs move from that surface to our hands. When we have an open cut, or touch our eyes, nose or mouth with our hands, we allow germs to get inside our body. When that happens, we get sick."

(Girl touching face with Hands)


________________________________________________________________________________________

(Scene 4)

"But don't worry! Washing our hands is one of the best ways to stop the spreading of germs."

"Cheers!"

(Soapy Hands)


________________________________________________________________________________________
"Use warm water to wet your hands. Lather soap and scrub for at least 15 seconds getting on top, bottom, in between fingers and especially under your fingernails. Then, rinse off your hands, turn off the water and dry!"

(Washing hand chart)


_______________________________________________________________________________________

THE END!



________________________________________________________________________________________
Credits
Images (in order of use):

*Happy girl holding tooth brush
o http://health.kaboose.com/img/images_234_175/guide_teeth.jpg

* Cartoon Germs
o http://wpbkids.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/germs.jpg

* Cartoon Germs on Hands
o http://www.harfordcountyhealth.com/WebImages/med22-germs.jpg

* Microscope Germ
http://www.karlloren.com/images/96500b.jpg

* Girl touching face with hands
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/LA0057-001.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=11D6A58AF5B96465BF13FD747F48D0A96529E79887609E4F

* Telephone
o http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/LA5195-001.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=EDF6F2F4F969CEBDE22700280E3B21BDC4DB0C3AD95A1DC6B4C4C9DA9CA9933D

* Light Switch
o http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/light_switch.jpg
* Desk
o http://thespectrumnetwork.org/programs-and-services/employment/images/employment1_000.jpg
* Toilet Handle
o http://www.coolthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/touchless-toilet-handle.jpg
* Soapy Hands
o http://www.ecolab.co.uk/resources/images/soapy-hands.jpg

*Washing hands
o http://dragon-con.pbworks.com/f/washing_hands.gif

* Washing Hand Chart
o http://putriima.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/washing_hands.jpg

* Germs on hands
o http://www.salmonellablog.com/2004/08/

Music (in order of use):

* Conspiracy (2:40) by Paul Andrews
* Legion (2:43) by Paul Andrews
* Dancing With A Droid (3:58) by Dean Barrett and Judy Whittaker
* The Escape Route (1:23) by Patrick Smith
* Here With You (3:48) by Marco Mastrocola
* A Walk in the Sun (2:00) by Pierre Langer and Scott P. Schreer
* Uptown Blues (2:03) by Doug Quinn and Scott P. Schreer

Voices (in order of use):

* Laila Samhouri
* Mary Ann Keller
* Cicely Chipman

Videos (in order of use)

Other Websites
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/germs.html

____________________________________________________________________________________

A Digital Story will help in teaching this content because...

The representation of this content will help Students better understand how and why to wash their hands by giving them a visual. Students will see real germs that they wouldn't be able so see otherwise. Information is organized and combined into one spot making this a convenient and efficient learning experience (as seen by the hand-washing chart). This representation is more engaging than having the students read or listen to lecture. Students will remember the content because of the visual images they are given. The music and auditory voices and sound effects will keep students alert and aware. A Photostory is a fun, attention-grabbing/retaining tool to get out a PSA to students on how to wash their hands.

This representation is so much more effective for learning because it is MULTIMODAL. Students get to read text, see pictures, hear music and narrative. The visual, textual, auditory, dynamic representation of the content is much more effective when combined than it is alone.

TPACK

Teachers need to know the content they are to teach. They will pull up the UEN website to see the facts, concepts and skills their students must learn. But content knowledge (CK) is useless to a teacher without Pedagogical Knowledge (PK). Pedagogical knowledge is the "How To" when it comes to teaching children. As teachers, we first must know what to teach and then how to best teach that material to our students. We cannot effectively teach with one or the other--we must combine CK and PK to know ho to teach in specific content areas.
However, PCK is still not enough. We live in an era of technological discovery. Our students are digital learners. Our teaching and out students' learning will be more efficient if we are able to use technology in our teaching methods or specific content. That's where TPACK comes in.
TPACK combines the WHAT and HOW with TECHNOLOGY. When it comes to CK, students are able to use specific software to help them complete their projects was well as measure and interpret their findings. Technology is incorporated into the content the students are learning. Teachers can also incorporate technology into their pedagogy to help students learn. For example, technology may aid the students by giving them a visual of the content.
Teachers need to know TPACK because today's generation learns digitally--a generation who is so heavily stimulated, who has shorter attention spans, and who needs technology incorporated into their learning if they are going to see the learning experience as relevant to them. I think TPACK is most important because of its ability to hold the students attention and keep them engaged. If students are to really learn, teachers must be familiar with TPACK.

Skype

Wiki Experience

This week I created my first wiki. I was so excited to learn how to make a website that my students can see and have access to--it's incredible. I learned how to edit photos, embed Google maps, tutorial videos and documents. I think the most useful thing I learned to do this week was to create and embed a Google calender. I didn't even realize that this resource was so readily available. I think this is a wonderful way to keep my entire class on the same page. My students will have access to an updated class schedule. If students ever have a question of when things are due, they can get on my website and know whether or not they are on track. How convenient:)

Technology Background and Experience

I have never considered myself to be very computer savvy. I have always just used computers enough to get by. I know the basics of PowerPoint, Excel and Word. I know how to use the Internet. I am learning how to use Macs. I think my skills are sufficient, but I know I have a ton to learn. Basically, I know how to use my PC laptop and my cellphone, and when it comes to technology, that's about it. I have always just gotten help on computers when I needed it, but it would be cool to know how to figure things out on my own. I use computers everyday, but I perform very basic operations on them. Although I am not extremely confident in my skill with computers, I am confident in my ability to learn more.