Week+9+-+Mar+15th

=Thoughts & Reflections... =

Reading # 9 - "Literacy is Not Enough" - Ian Jukes

In this reading the author explores the fact that the schools are largely the same as they were decades ago, despite the fact that there have been technological advances that have altered the way we think and the knowledge that is important to us. According to the author, today's students have undergone a remarkable transformation in the way they learn and utilize knowledge, and as a result, if schools do not want to lose students or be left behind in the dust, they need to fundamentally alter the way they teach and the skills they are teaching.

Quoting Edgar Dale's learning cone, the author notes that after two weeks, today's learners will only recall 10% of what they have read, 20% of what they have heard, and 30% of what they have seen. However, they will recall 50% of what they have heard and seen, 70% of what they have actively participated in and 90% of what they have taught to someone else and applied to a real life task or simulation. Thus, we can infer from this information, that the traditional teaching method of "stand and deliver" is no longer effective.

According to the author, there currently exist five main categories of skills - Not only to schools and teachers need to be cognizant of all of these categories, they also need to go beyond simply teaching students how to be good consumers of content, and teach students how to also be responsible producers of content, as this is a skill today's students will need more and more as our technology becomes more and more advanced.
 * 1) Obsolete skills (those skills that are no longer important in our society i.e. sword sharpening skills)
 * 2) Traditional skills of decreased emphasis (i.e. handwriting, knowing the Dewey Decimal system)
 * 3) Traditional literacy skills - while these skills are slowly decreasing in importance, they are still essential for survival in the 21st Century (i.e. reading, writing, numeracy, communication skills, etc.)
 * 4) Traditional skills of increased emphasis (i.e. information processing, critical thinking, problem solving, etc.)
 * 5) New 21st Century skills - these are skills that have emerged as technology has appeared (i.e. social networking, online communication, etc.)

More specifically, the author has outlined **5 internal fluencies** __everyone__ will need for continued success in the 21st Century. They are:
 * 1) **Solution Fluency** - there will be more and more tasks that require whole brain thinking. Creativity and problem solving in real time are becoming very valuable capabilities
 * 2) **Information Fluency** - this is the ability to unconsciously interpret information in ALL formats in order to extract the essential information and figure out its significance
 * 3) **Creativity Fluency** - employers know that creative minds can come up with creative solutions to problems - this will be a very in demand skill in the workplace
 * 4) **Media Fluency** - this entails being able to look critically at the content of a media work (i.e. website, blog, video, newscast), understanding how data is shaped and biased, being able to measure the effectiveness of a communicated message, and being able to identify the most appropriate media tool for getting that message out
 * 5) **Collaboration Fluency** - email and social networking has meant "the death of distance" and has made it possible for students to interact and work with students from around the world. Thus, students need to learn how to communicate and collaborate not only with people who are physically in the classroom, but also with others in an online community.

=Information & What I Have Learned... =

This week we...

Looked at two videos concerning Interactive White Boards and their use(s) in the classroom
 * For a more detailed overview of how to use an Interactive White Board or Smart Board, please see the "Information & What I Have Learned" section of the wiki from week # 4
 * Interactive White Boards (IWB) do not come with sound, so if you desire better sound quality than that which comes from the computer speakers, you may want to consider purchasing separate speakers
 * Also, while IWBs do offer on screen keyboard and mouse, these are not always easy to manipulate. Keep in mind that it is possible to purchase a wireless keyboard and mouse that can be used with the IWB instead. Also, the mouse can be used while in the air (it does not have to be resting on a flat surface). This is a really neat feature and also allows you to pass it around to students to have them interact with the IWB from their desks
 * After watching the videos, here is a list of some of the IWB features I found to be the most interesting/useful for the classroom
 * You are able to slowly reveal a picture or parts of a picture. This allows you to create very interesting "hooks" to gain students' initial attention, it is also a good way to foster class discussion - students cannot help but be intrigued by an image they cannot quite figure out
 * There is also a slide down screen that allows you to slowly reveal only parts of a text. This is useful when playing games or when giving quizzes and you do not want students to see all of the content on the screen
 * You are also able to write all over whatever is displayed on the screen. This is useful for writing down discussion points and for manipulating images or text
 * In addition to simply writing on the screen, you are able to move whole words around the screen. This function is especially useful when creating mind maps and when trying to organize brainstormed ideas into groups and categories. Likewise it would also be a useful function in a language class when students were studying grammar - they would be able to move parts of a sentence around the screen into the right positions
 * If your classroom has internet access, you are able to access the internet and have the webpage displayed in large on the IWB screen - this allows the whole class to view what you would like them to view on the internet, without having to transport them to a computer lab
 * Perhaps one of the best features of all - students can interact with the IWB. Students were also able to write and manipulate things on the chalkboard, but they are able to do more things with an IWB, and they are able to interact with websites, wikis, online games, online presentations, etc.
 * I believe IWBs are an extremely useful tool in any classroom and I look forward to being able to utilize one in my future teaching career

=Software & How to Use... =


 * PhotoStory**
 * PhotoStory is a free digital story telling program that is available for download on the Microsoft website
 * It allows you to create slideshows using digital photos, and easily walks you through photo-editing, adding text, sound-effects, and voice narration
 * Just like Comic Life and Bitstrips (digital story-telling applications explored in week 8), PhotoStory is an excellent tool to help students organize their thoughts, and deepen their understanding of a topic
 * PhotoStory can also be very helpful to those students who have difficulty expressing their thoughts in written form. Telling a story through photos, music, and voice narration can meet the same learning expectations as a written story, but students are able to express themselves through a different media
 * For a better understanding of how to use PhotoStory, please see the "Software & How to Use" section from week 5 on this wiki

Although I have a sample PhotoStory project posted on week 5 of this wiki, please see the below link to view another PhotoStory project:

[|PhotoStory2.wmv]


 * Adobe Photoshop Elements**
 * Photoshop Elements has two basic workspaces that it is important to be aware of - the Organizer and the Editor
 * You begin any project by importing photos into the Organizer workspace, where you are able to view, manage, and find all of your photos
 * The Editor workspace is where you can edit, refine and change your photos
 * The Editor workspace provides three ways to create and edit images: Full Edit, Quick Fix, and Guided Edit. The Full Edit workspace has tools to correct color problems, create special effects, and enhance photos. The Quick Fix workspace contains simple tools for correcting color and lighting, and commands to quickly fix common problems like red eye.
 * As Photoshop is slightly complicated to pick up initially, I might recommend beginning with a Quick Fix or Guided Edit, as these are slightly more user friendly than Full Edit
 * While I did find Photoshop somewhat difficult to use initially, it was entertaining, and I can see the endless possibilities for classroom use, as any photos can be edited in really any way. Also, students can create slideshows or animated videos
 * For more detailed information regarding the specificities of Photoshop, please see the following link which will take you to the "Using Adobe Photoshop Elements" webpage: []

Below is a photo that I edited using Photoshop elements. The first photo is the original, and the second photo is the edited version. It has been blurred, the edges have been scalloped, the gradient has been altered, and it has been cropped into the shape of a heart.