Video Editing Project

What would you do differently if you could do it all over again? Are these changes based on feedback that you may have received from friends, peers, family members, etc?

Overall, there is not much I would change if I could do it all over again. I am very happy with my group's footage and after editing, I was very proud of the result! The only thing I can think of that I would do differently would be during filming. Transitions between clips may have been better if we waited a little longer between clips before stopping the recording. Adding transitions while editing did help though!

What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.

I really enjoyed the recording and editing process. I felt that our recording went very well and my group worked together great! There was one time during the recording that I could not stop laughing, but besides that setback, we managed to record pretty quickly. The editing process took a long time but I had so much fun! The program I used, iMovie, was very easy to use and I liked playing around with the all features. When I was done, I showed my family what I learned and now they all want to learn how to use iMovie!

Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.

I do think it would be possible to have my students create a movie in my future classroom. I think they would have a lot of fun and learn some cool things like I did. However, I do not think I would have the resources necessary to include a movie project like this. In the TCPCG program, we are all lucky enough to have MacBooks and Flip video cameras. It is very unlikely that I will be teaching in a school that makes resources like this available to every student. I would have no problem teaching students the skills to use iMovie but resources would definitely be the problem.

Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.

Before this project, I knew nothing about iMovie and video editing. I learned so many amazing features to enhance videos! I plan on using iMovie in the future for any video I record. I especially liked learning about sound effects and transitions! I plan on using my new skills to create a video for my little brother with all his lacrosse highlights. Now that I know how to cut and edit clips and add music, I think I can make him a really cool video as a gift!

EDCI 5825 Week 6 Blog Question: 10 Big Shifts

• What is your reaction to the 10 Big Shifts in Education? Which shift(s) will be easier and harder for you to integrate in your future teaching/classroom? Please explain.

I agree with the ideas behind the 10 Big Shifts in Education presented by Richardson (2010). I think it is important to reexamine the way we look at content and curriculum as we continue to develop through a world surrounded by technology. Although the transformation of technology in the classroom will take some time, I think this change is important. We need to remain up to date with new technology as it becomes available and take advantage of the opportunities this new Internet presents (Richardson, 2010). Ignoring technology in the classroom would be a disadvantage to students. As teachers, our goal should be to prepare our students to grow and prosper in the networked personal learning spaces that will be apart of the rest of their lives (Richardson, 2010). I completely agree with Richardson (2010) when he says, "If we fail to graduate students who are not able to create, sustain, and participate in these networks in safe, ethical and effective ways, we've done them a disservice" (p.149).

In my future classroom, some of Richardson's (2010) 10 Big Shifts will be easier to integrate over others. I think I will easily be able to integrate big shift number 1, "Open Content," into my mathematics classroom (Richardson, 2010). There are so many websites and resources available online for mathematics. I feel very comfortable providing students with sites that they can refer to online for extra help in learning mathematics. I have already started bookmarking sites through Diigo that I plan to use in my classroom.

I also think Richardson's (2010) big shift number 2, "Many, Many Teachers and 24/7 Learning," will be easy to integrate in my mathematics classroom. Through the Social Networking and Social Bookmarking Workshop, I have already found multiple resources of teachers sharing their work for other teachers to use. The internet makes it easy for teachers to publish their ideas and I think that teachers can work together as one big community by sharing their ideas and experiences online. I hope to have the same results as Richardson (2010) when he says, "The rich diversity of cultures, geography, and professional expertise that these sources provide has dramatically broadened my understanding of my own teaching and of education in general" (p. 150).

One of Richardson's (2010) big shifts that I don't think would be very easy for me to integrate into my mathematics classroom is big shift number 5, "Know 'Where' Learning." He says that "it's not as essential to know what the answer is as it is to know where to find it" (Richardson, 2010, p. 151). I think it is important to know the basics of mathematics and know how to compute certain functions in your head. I would have a hard time allowing my students to solely rely on resources to learn mathematics. Instead, I plan to integrate the multiple resources available as compliments to the learning that is going on in their head.

Another big shift that I would have a hard time integrating into my mathematics classroom is big shift number eight, "Writing Is No Longer Limited to Text" (Richardson, 2010). I think it would very difficult to move away from paper and pencil to write out solutions to math problems. Richardson (2010) says that the newly forms of writing incorporating new technology can be published easily for extended audiences. However, to understand and create a solution to math problems, I think students need to start with the basics on paper.

Final Technology Integration Project: Wiki

I decided to create a class wiki for an Algebra II class. I hope you like it!

My wiki: MissMaureensMathematics

Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.

I definitely plan on using this classroom wiki in my future classroom. I think having a classroom wiki is a great community space for both students and teachers to refer to. In order to use this classroom wiki in my future classroom, I would have to make some modifications. First I would edit my contact information page with correct information. I would add my email and correct office hours as well so that students can easily contact me. I would also modify the class resource page and homework page with relevant information pertaining to the class I am teaching.

Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.

I do not plan on having my students create their own wiki but I do plan on having them create their own personal blogs. In my mathematics classroom, my goal is to get students to apply mathematics to the real world. By having them set up their own personal blogs, I can have them reflect each week on what they learned and how the mathematics relates to the real world. Some questions that I can have them consider in their blogs are:

1. In what ways does mathematics reflect the world around us?

2. How do we solve real world situations using mathematics?

3. How flexible is mathematics?

Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester

Before this class, I knew that technology could be very powerful in education but I knew little about the ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. I became hesitant is trying to use it because I would get frustrated when I didn't know how to use a software or program. I always wanted to incorporate the SMART Board into my classroom but that was one of the few forms of technology I was aware of. Throughout the semester I have been exposed to a whole knew side of educational technology that I was completely unaware of. Right from the beginning, I was blown away by Jing and the ability to record onscreen action. Before this class, I had no experience with creating blogs, wikis, or websites. I now have a whole new appreciation for instructional technology and will definitely incorporate these tools in my future classroom.

Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.

This class has provided me with many great tools I can use in my classroom. Although I do not think I will use all the tools I have learned about, I think it is important to be aware of what is out there and feel comfortable using this technology. I think it is important to learn how to use various forms of technology before expecting my students to use it. This class has given me the experience I need to feel comfortable sharing technology with my students.

Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology

I feel pretty comfortable moving forward with technology in my classroom. Since technology continues to grow, I think it is important for teachers to gain the experience and use of new technology and stay up to date with new programs and software. I hope to continue practicing with technology and learning new things as they become available. This class has given me the groundwork to continue to explore ways to use educational technology and I look forward learning more throughout my teaching career.

PowerPoint Reflection

Brief description of the lesson/topic presented on the PowerPoint

My content area is mathematics so I chose to create a PowerPoint on Matrices. In the presentation, I go over the basic operation of matrices including adding matrices, subtracting matrices, and multiplying matrices by a scalar. I also included a real life problem to show how to organize data into a matrix.

Brief description of the features used in your PowerPoint. Did you use any "challenge" features? Why/Why not.

I used many basic features in my PowerPoint and also tried to incorporate some "challenge" features as well. For basic features, I used a slide theme and incorporated WordArt for the titles on each page. I had a lot of fun playing around with the custom animations and transitions as well. I used images for the matrices I found online and included hyperlinks to cite my resources. I also included images from Photo Booth on my Mac and had a lot of fun with that! Some "challenge features" I used were tables for my data and SmartArt graphics.

Did you learn anything new in the process?

In this process I learned about the SmartArt graphics. I had no idea what that was until I explored it and looked at the various layouts. I was surprised how many graphics they provide and found them very useful in making the presentation more appealing. I will definitely use SmartArt graphics in my future PowerPoint presentation.

How can a lesson be enhanced with Presentation Software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Docs Presentation software, etc.)

Presentations can be enhanced with presentation software like PowerPoint by making lessons and lectures more appealing and more interesting. They also provide a framework for both the teacher and the student. For the teacher, they can use their PowerPoint as a reference to refer to and to help them throughout their lesson or lecture. For students, a PowerPoint helps them to see the main points laid out for them to take notes from or to guide their learning.

T2P Week 5

If teachers approach conundrums in the learning environment with pedagogical beliefs of relational care, then the teacher's solution will directly benefit the students and more likely solve the problem because a foundation has already been established.

While creating a heuristic to approach a conundrum, I believe teachers should use their pedagogical care to support their thought process in coming up with a strategy. Teachers need to have the ability to look past their bias and listen to their students without passing judgment. It is also important to consider affect in understanding the problem. Teachers need to care in the sense that their students feel cared for when solving the problem. It is important for teachers to think of their students as their own. When teachers are autonomous in their work and conscientiously pursue certain goals for their students, they are acting as a parent and putting all their time and effort into coming to a solution that is best for the students. As teachers, all our energy needs to flow towards the cared for. If we've developed a caring relationship with out students, we will more likely find a solution to a conundrum because we have already created that caring foundation.

EDCI 5825 Week 5 Blog Questions

1. Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms? Please explain.

In a world surrounded by technology, all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities for students within their traditional classrooms. Although personal, face-to-face contact is important and necessary in the learning environment, online activities create new opportunities for students that provide many benefits. One benefit is that some students feel safer expressing themselves online (November, 2010). Students can interact and respond to each other freely on their own time, allowing them to be more thoughtful with their feedback “without fear of recrimination” (November, 2010, p. 89).

Another benefit of online activities for students is the advantage of a collaborative environment on the Internet where students reach out and work together creating a positive relationship between peers (November, 2010). Since the Internet is a highly shared tool, students work and rely on each other and “learn what each other think and believe” (November, 2010, p. 89). In regular classrooms, there is not as much sharing of ideas because students fear they are being judged; online activities create a judgment-free zone. November (2010) mentions one student from an online school known as VHS who says, “You can really know someone just by what’s inside them, by the comments they say and that type of thing, instead of thinking, ‘Ooo, that person looks weird’” (p. 90).

Finally, online activities allow students to take on the responsibility of managing information (November, 2010). November (2010) says, “With online learning, students can do their work when they are best prepared mentally and physically to do it, whether that is 9 a.m., 8 p.m., or 2 a.m.” (p. 91). Students are given the responsibly to manage their time freely and motivate themselves to complete their work (November, 2010). Online learning activities are not for everyone but I think it is important to encourage teachers to create some online activities and take advantage of all the benefits the Internet has to offer.

2. Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.

Social networking has and will continue to develop throughout the 21^st century. The power of social interaction will continue where we build complex networks of resources allowing for learning to be a “continuous conversation among many participants” (Richardson, 2010, p. 86). With the explosion of Twitter, schools can communicate with parents and others in the community as well as find links to student work, presentation, or relevant articles on a variety of topics (Richardson, 2010). Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and Diigo, create learning environments where teachers and students can organize “vast libraries of information” on their own as a great tool for sharing information (Richardson, 2010, p. 91).

Social networking also gives students a new experience to engage in “self-directed, peer based learning” different from what they are used to in traditional classrooms (Richardson, 2010, p. 132). From an educational standpoint, social network sites such as Facebook and Ning create an interest-based learning environment (Richardson, 2010). “The key to both of these sites for educators is to move beyond the friendship-based connections and really explore the potentials of the networked, interest-based learning that’s possible within these frames” (Richardson, 2010, p. 132). Social networked learning creates a 21^st century vision that stresses “cooperation, interactivity, mutual benefit, and social engagement” (Richardson, 2010, p. 133). Let the social connecting and learning begin!

T2P Hypotheses "Voices of Youth Today"

The Power of Whole Brain Teaching

If teachers encourage students to draw, mirror, talk, or model, attending to their various learning styles, then they will be more likely to progress as learners enabling them to retain information and get closer to independent performance. For example, in the video "Whole Brain Teaching: High School Math," Kristin DeWit teaches her class a lively algebra lesson, what she calls "whole brain teaching." She has her students mirror the concepts she is teaching and then has them teach each other in pairs creatively referring to half the students as the "north" and half the students as the "south." She says, "North, I'd like you to tell the south about the four types of lines we have. (clap, clap) Teach." She also uses rhymes to keep the students entertained and engaged. She says, "Classsss" and the students respond, "Yessss." Vygotsky would say this teaching method is effective because learning cannot be separated from social context. In the zone of proximal development, students' assisted performance allows them to become closer to independent performance. As a teacher, I think that students should be actively engaged in a lesson, whether it involves talking concepts out with peers, mirroring concepts for repetition, or incorporating visuals into a lesson. By creating an engaging learning environment that does not separate social context, my students will achieve, progressing through their entire learning experience.

Pedagogical Care

If teachers develop a trusting, nurturing student-teacher relationship where they show students that they care and will never give up on them, then students will feel empowered to make change in their lives and stay out of trouble to reach their goals towards a better future. For example, in the video "Youth Voices," Eric, a fifteen year old 9th grader, talks about his father's struggle to get a job as a construction worker. He talks about his math teachers that really made an impact in his life. "Miss Vondant, she's trying to help me out too. She helps me fill out job applications because I tell her I need the money to help my dad and she's like 'just do good in school Eric, we'll all be here to help you, for anything.'" Eric also says that he wants to join the army and then become a cop, "something that will keep me out of the streets." About Eric, Noddings would say that his teacher portrays relational care, establishing a "framework" for learning that pushes Eric to pursue his goals to make a better future for himself and his father. As a teacher, I understand that I must first listen to my students and give them a chance. I accept my responsibility to provide a "relational sense of caring" where my students feel cared for and provide them with memorable experiences as a foundation to their learning toward a positive future.

Students Speaking from the Heart

If students, living a life surrounded by debt and family struggles, come together in learning environments where teachers provide a place where their voices can be heard, then students can express their feelings and bond together to solve their problems and build a better world. For example, in the video "Is Anybody Listening?" Village Academy High School students speak out about the struggle they face every day and the stress in their lives. Their teacher, Michael Steinman, allows his students to speak from the heart and gives them a chance to share their personal stories. "We decided to put together a very heart felt testimony to what kids are going through...let their thoughts flow freely." In the testimony, one student named Ana says, "I have lots of stress, I'm getting sick of it. I can't even concentrate in school anymore." Michael Steinman says, "The students have come to realize they have to bond together, as a community we have to bond together, and work to solve these problems....we're all in this." About these students, Maslow would say that their basic needs must be met in order for them to achieve needs higher in the Hierarchy of Needs. Their basic needs are not being met outside the classroom and this is the reason why the students are struggling to focus in school. Maslow would say that their teacher is providing them with a safe, structured classroom environment where they can express their emotions freely meeting their basic needs. As a teacher, I think it is important to give your students a voice and allow them to express their emotions and come together to relate to one another. There are so many things out there, and it is my job to show students that their dreams are attainable.