Digital Storytelling Video (The Passenger)

The video I created is based on a piece of untold history,  I added text and audio.  Hope you guys enjoy it !!!

Reflections

Using Addie Model

I have used ADDIE with Dr. Wang in Multimedia.   I think that ADDIE is a wonderful outline educators should use, especially when using an open ended online environment like Second Life.  Teachers need to have well thought out learning outcomes.  They need to think about how they are going to achieve desired outcome, and how effective it is.  This form of planning is crucial to ensuring that the students are getting what is expected out of the online environment. Second Life is an open environment; anyone can drop in and distract users at any time, which can be unfavorable to the learning experience.  There needs to be goals and structure in order to make sure learning actually takes place because it is easy to wonder, explore, and get off task. 

Multimodal Education

After reading this article I thought about some of the ELA classrooms I have observed in the present and past where I could immediately see students lose interest, they yawn, their eyes glaze over, and they tune out. Educators need to break up content, especially for today’s learners.  A great way to break up content is by using multiple modes for learning.  Students need to be engaged different ways.  In addition to breaking up the monotony, presenting the same concepts in more than one mode can reinforce ideas and help students learn in ways that suit them best.  Lessons could include a Web quest, an animated PowerPoint presentation, and even a video, using the same material in three different ways.  Students probably won’t even realize that in the three lessons they’ve gotten the same exact information three different times. Incorporating various modes within each lesson can keep students engaged.

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Ways to incorporate Second Life into the ELA classroom:

• Teacher and students can create a space in Second Life as a class
• Students can explore other destinations in Second Life and create a presentation on what they have observed or teacher can used explored destinations as a writing prompt
• Teacher can support students by offering virtual homework help sessions
• Teacher can have students explore different genre and interact inside those islands

UDL Book : I Learn Everyday!!!!!!

The "I Learn Everyday book" is a non-fiction book created for a kindergarten general education class.  Before creating the book, the ELA teacher and I had a discussion about what types of books she needed her students to take interest in. Teacher stated within the common core standards for reading and writing there is a big emphasis on reading informational text.  The teacher needed to expose her students to more non-fictional informational text.  This discussion inspired my book idea.  “I Learn Everyday” would be an informational text with real world experiences.  Students would be able to read book, look at illustrations and relate it to their everyday lives.  After publishing book I emailed link to ELA teacher.  The ELA teacher loved book and had many questions on how it was created.  I introduced teacher to book builder site and showed her how she could use book builder features. The ELA was excited and immediately thought of ways she could incorporate it into her lessons.  The ELA teacher stated that she could use “I Learn Everyday” with all her readers.  She stated the book is a great way to expose her young students to informational text.  She also indicated that the pictures were so realistic and that students would definitely be able to relate to them.  The ELA teacher stated she loved the audio features embedded in book builder.  The audio would be great for younger students who sometimes have trouble decoding words and for others that may read below grade level.  The ELA teacher raved about the response feature because she loves to have students interact with text.   

Book Builder is truly a great web 2.0 tool where teachers and students can read, but also create and publish their work.  The books can then be read and shared with students all over the world.  Comments and edits can be made to build skills in communication and writing.  Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, offers students many different routes to take in order to find their best learning style, and to experiment with different formats of learning and presenting to find greater success.  Open ended projects can be created and expanded upon.   This idea offers students a chance to think outside the box.  The ELA teacher and I were in agreement about taking a UDL approach to textbook usage, any text book could be reworked to drive home key points to students in a manner of different ways using Book Builder.

Middle School Science Teachers’ Confidence and Pedagogical
Practice of New Literacies
After reading the article I wasn’t surprised by the results.  The major barrier for new literacies practices to occur in classrooms was limited access to technology.  I think in today’s world most teachers’ aren’t afraid of new technology and would embrace new literacy practices but the lacks of available technology in school buildings are killing educator’s motivation to use technology.  I think most educators have come to terms with the idea of the use of technology to support their lessons.  The bottom line is no access; no technology, equals computer illiterate students.

Social Networking Sites
Social media as part of teaching strategies will encourage students to view social networks as less of a pleasurable distraction, and more as something that can be used in projects and for personal expression.  Some possible strategies for teachers to use social media have been outlined in article.  Using free social networks help incorporate real-world experiences into the classroom as well as the ability to encourage collaboration between students.  For students, social networks provide a mix of creative expression and group work through tasks like contributing to a blog, designing websites, uploading video presentations, and creating Facebook pages for class projects.  Social media can be used productively in schools.

Edmodo for ELA class
Class announcements-  Edmodo is a great way to get class announcements out quickly and easily.  Lessons can be posted, resources, and basic class information.
Assignments-  Students can post reading assignments.  Next to their name, it will tell you if the assignment has been graded or not, and it will also tell you if it hasn't been turned in.
Formative Assessments- "Polls" a feature to give a quick assessment, either during a lesson or at the end of class.  Polls are great ways just to get a general feel for how a class is doing while learning is taking place.  Also, feedback is instant, and there is no going through documents or papers in order to collect data it tallies the results.
Sharing folders from the Library-  You can create folders in your Library and add links or documents to them.  Then, you can share these folders with an entire class, small group, or individual.  This is a great way to distribute ELA class resources.
Quizzes-  You can choose from multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions, pick time limits, edit previously assigned quizzes, and assign them to groups or individual students.  This is a great way to test students on reading comprehension.

Edmodo Screen Shot

Article: "Research confirms social media's impact on adolescent development"
This article suggests that social networks have negative impacts on adolescents.  The article also suggests that social media sites distract students, take way from study time and makes students unfocused on independent class assignments.  However the author does give an example of the positive that can come from social networking such as expression.  This short article makes you really think about the positive and negatives of a social media platform.