My Flash Plan

• The purpose of my project is to create an animation that uses a character from one of the plays that we have read in class to teach them how to write a play.
• This assignment will target relatively low functioning seventh grade ELA students with severe behavioral problems.
• I will have a stationary picture of “James” and use audio for his voice.
• I will use buttons to control the sound, and let the user choose when to start and stop.

Storyboard

• The character will introduce himself as James from “Welcome to Ellis Island”.
• The character will introduce what he will be doing
• The character will tell the students that the first part of their play should list their characters.
• The character will tell the students that it’s okay that their sentences aren’t always complete, but accurate punctuation is essential.
• The character will tell the students that their play should look like an instant message.
• The character will wish them good luck on their journeys.

The Judgment of Thamus

I do not believe that that technology has altered my understanding of the purpose of education, teaching or learning. It has however, changed the mode in which I as the teacher present the information to my student.

As part of the first generation of digital natives, I find using computers (and always have found them) easier than hand writing assignments. I understand that there are ups and downs to every technology; and it is easy to become engulfed by their glamour, especially when they first come out.

A friend of mine, Mike who is a self proclaimed technophobe has said to me that he feels that technology has caused more headaches than it’s worth. When I asked what he meant by this statement, he said that “because of this new stuff [we] have more work.” Being someone who loves technology, I still found this hard to grasp, but after reading the Postman article and watching the Technology and Society video clip, I understand how with every good comes bad.

“What new problems might be created because we have solved the problem? Now the automobile solved some very important problems for most people, but in doing so has poisoned our air, has choked our cities with traffic, and has contributed toward the destruction of some of the beauty of our natural landscape . . . antibiotics have certainly solved some significant problems for almost all people, but in doing so have resulted in the weakening of what we call our immune systems.” - Neil Postman

One of Mike’s major contentions has nothing to do with Web 2.0 tools, his major complaint is that because of the resources that we have at our disposal, now what is expected of us is a lot more than what was expected of educators 10, 20, or 30 years ago.

I’d like to believe that I teach utopia, (any visionary system of political or social perfection – from dictionary.com) but in reality, right now I’m teaching in a horrible place. I use my tools to the best of my abilities. I do not believe that I teach computers, anymore than I teach pens and pencils . . . I teach technology. And I will use whatever I can to get through to my kids.

Why Web 2.0 is Good for Learning and for Research: Principles and Prototypes

Keri’s Definition of a Web 2.0 Tool:

- A new generation of the web that mixes multiple forms of interactive technology. Instead of just presenting the information on a topic, giving the user the opportunity to explore and experience in a whole new way.

Classifications for Web 2.0 Tools:

- Interactive

- Collaborative

- Perpetual Beta

- Accessible

Sample Web 2.0 Tools - Do they meet the criteria? Do they support a constructivist teaching model? How could the tool be used effectively in a classroom?

- Flickr – image hosting website

o Flickr is very interactive and collaborative. And, it is accessible to anyone with a yahoo email address (which is free). The tool is not in a perpetual beta mode; however they are changing and making updates to their site to keep it fresh.

o Flickr supports a constructivist learning model because it enables the students to be in charge of their learning. They can take their own pictures, or they can choose from the thousands of Creative Commons pictures on the web.

o Flickr could be used in a classroom as a repository for student work. There is a website called FD’s Flickr Tools that will enable the students to manipulate their pictures into movie posters, etc. No longer are they confined to paper and crayons. I have also seen it used, with TEAM, where we were all in a group and then we commented on each others work within the group each week.

- Slideshare – a site where the user is able to post a previously completed slideshow to the Internet.

o Slideshare is not extremely interactive or collaborative. However, you can post comments on user’s presentations. The site is extremely accessible, especially if you are just looking for a presentation. If you want to post a presentation then you must sign up for an account. Slideshare is a free tool. This tool is not in a perpetual beta mode; however they are changing and making updates to their site to keep it current.

o Slideshare supports a constructivist learning model because the students can create their own presentations using pictures. In addition, it supports a constructivist teaching model because it allows a teacher to create a presentation using pictures if she feels that this would benefit her students.

o Slideshare could be used by a teacher that wanted her students to be able to view a presentation that was given during a lesson at home. The teacher could upload the presentations to Slideshare. The teacher could even then embed the presentations on a class website that the students are more familiar with (to make it even more accessible for younger students.

- Photostory – a Microsoft program that allows you to narrate still pictures

o Photostory is very interactive and rather accessible (only to PC users though). It enables students to take photographs, add transitions and narrate them, in a very simple way. The program is very simple to use and can easily be taught to elementary school children. The tool is not extremely collaborative, as the students cannot really interact with each other once they are done. They can however, take what they have produced and publish it to an online video hosting site, where others can comment on their work.

o Photostory definitely supports a constructivist learning model because, like Slideshare, it enables the students to create their own presentations using pictures. It allows the students who are more comfortable using the technology to create their own transitions, but will automatically transition for those less comfortable. This program is not in a perpetual beta mode; however they are changing and making updates to their program to keep it up-to-date.

o Photostory could be used in many classrooms. One of the major drawbacks that I have seen is that it needs to be downloaded and authenticated on each computer before its use. The other major drawback is that it can only be used on a PC computer. Teachers could use it for a variety of projects. It could be used to review field trips, to talk about interviews, to showcase important items, the possibilities are endless.

- WizIQ – an online teleconferencing tool

o WizIQ is extremely interactive, very collaborative, and fairly accessible. Since it is a free tool, I did not find it to be as reliable as Marratech is (which I can only assume costs LIU a lot of money). Because of this fact it is both more and less accessible. The fact that it’s free makes it more accessible and easier to spread to a wider audience; however, the fact that it’s free also means that it’s less reliable. Unlike Photostory, it can be used by both PC and Mac operating systems. This tool is not in a perpetual beta mode; however they are changing and making updates to their site to keep it the popular choice among Internet users.

o WizIQ supports a constructivist learning model because it enables the students to interact with each other and the teacher both in a chat-box and on a whiteboard. The teacher can transfer audio control over to the students, when they raise their hands. In addition the teacher can quiz the students at the end of the session to see if they’ve learned what was taught, or practiced.

o WizIQ would not be used in the classroom; however, it could be used effectively in lieu of a regular classroom setting. A teacher could use WizIQ to run on online tutoring or extra help session.