Final Product Analysis

Bethany Robinson

Final Product

ED550 Documentation

1.      How can you think about yourself as a reader/writer with this product?

I actually am surprised at how well I was able to pull elements together to create a decent, respectable presentation which communicated my thoughts despite the few words I used. That’s a big change for me—I’ve always been verbose. I like to cover all the bases with my explanations but that’s unnecessary with digital presentation. I feel far more confident using digital means to communicate than I did before the class.

2.      What is the relationship between reading and writing in this product? What should it be?

My entire presentation is loosely based upon a series of novels I have always enjoyed—The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. Tolkein is like me in that he tends to be a bit verbose and over-explains concepts and details in his novels. I enjoy them, far more than the movies, but they do get word heavy at times. I am glad I was able to pare down my presentation and let the images and presentation take the place of all the words I’d normally use to “explain” my work.

3.      How do technology or digital affordances change how you think about reading and writing, if they do, in your creation of this product?

I now recognize that, as the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Those images, shared in an instant, convey more than I could write in a week’s time. I’ve just got to get more comfortable with sharing digital materials rather than stacks of paper.

4.      How does your artifact meet the goals of the course?

My artifact uses parallel pedagogy: I chose a text I had read in paper format and applied it to the digital literacies our course embraces. I used information I gathered from the internet, added music and images I’d downloaded (Creative Commons), and applied Power Point to make the slides attractive and sleek.

5.      What readings/theories informed the production (from idea development to completion) of your artifact?j

I drew much of the idea development from examples provided by the course instructor, and fleshed them out using my own personal preferences. The slideshow was a bear to coordinate to run smoothly and advance properly, and much of my time was spent working out those kinks. I feel that my artifact would be attractive to adults as well as children, and doesn’t look “staunch and stodgy”, which is a problem I’ve had with slideshows I created in the past.

Video Blog

One more attempt at creating a video blog which flows well and includes video I've taken myself, as well as my own narration.

How to Train Your Dragon (or Angel Fish)

I have a clever fish living in my STEM Lab!

Go to this Sway

Blog Assessment Memo

I'm going to start with a screenshot of my LEAST favorite Blog entry: 

I am so upset I didn't know how to post the slideshow itself. Although the link I included is valid, I would rather have had the slideshow on the page. There is more for me to learn, as this post proves.

I really enjoyed using Kami! It made note-taking so much simpler, and I didn't end up with a big stack of papers to have to shuffle through to get to the most important parts. It 

took me a little while to figure out the highlighting, but I did manage. I will use Kami again--I can see it being an excellent tool for writing and for studying.

This was my favorite segment of the blog (most likely because I enjoy a dry wit). I learned from each of the bloggers I followed that wordiness is unnecessary--even while being humorous. I'm going to continue following these blogs. It isn't every day you find someone whose sense of humor is just as sy-gogglin' (warped or slanted) as your own!

Question Blog-- Multi-modal Learning

Learning styles are as varied as fingerprints (or ear prints). Being able to identify a student's learning style, then being able to teach to that style, is essential for a successful classroom.

1) What do we look for in choosing multi-modal methods?
2) Will all methods work for all students?
3) How do we find the best method to help that special child in our classroom for whom nothing seems to "click"?
4) How can digital literacy help me as a teacher better reach my students on both ends of the scale--the high-performers and the low-performers?

Answers:

1) It's difficult to pinpoint a method without trial and error. While time is at a premium, it's extremely important to invest as much as possible in finding the best possible mode for each student's learning style.

2) No. While some students will show enormous growth when they're given a new method by which to learn, others will simply not "get it". Those are the children to whom we must reach out most diligently.

3) As trite as it may sound, the internet is still an excellent tool for providing methodology for teaching. We can search by keywords, and even read other teachers' blogs for pointers in dealing with the slowest (or quickest) of our children. They expect to learn digitally, so it is our responsibility to provide digital tools for them.

4) Digital technology is today and tomorrow--learning's face has changed and teaching must change, as well. Being "digitally literate" doesn't mean I am a digital expert. There are thousands of tools available online, and I don't need to master them all to be able to use them effectively to reach those "outliers" in the classroom. 

Responses to Others' Blogs

I am by nature a pretty private person. Putting my thoughts and writing "out there" for everyone to read/critique is hard for me, although I'm cognizant of the necessity of doing so.

Because I'm so hesitant to share, I find myself feeling awkward reading everyone else's blogs. I kind of feel like I'm peeping over someone's shoulder. Ugh.

I really like Misty's handling of the Infographic. It's concise, clutter-free, and wastes no time in communicating the message she intended. I like how well she has learned to let the photos do the talking for her! I'm still wrangling with my tendency to write everything instead of letting images do the talking for me. I need to emulate Misty's blog and method.

Damien's blog post is another example of getting a whole lot said while using few words. I like the concise nature of his sentences, the recommendation of a website, and I REALLY like the appearance of his blog in general.  It's always more pleasant to read something which is visually appealing. I find Damien's post neat, tidy and well-planned. I can't wait to try Scribblenauts. It should be a great asset for my STEM classroom.

Digital Footprints

Digital Footprint

(Link to the Google Slides Presentation)

ED550 Annotated Text

ED550 Annotated Text Blog

Ed550 Meta-Blog

I've always felt that having a sense of humor makes it far easier to approach teaching children. That tiny bit of whimsy in an otherwise horrific classroom situation can lead to great empowerment (and cuts down on the need for medication!) and make almost ANY day a "good day".

These teachers have the same sense of humor I embrace. And they aren't afraid to use it.

http://www.iteachstem.com/2017/02/10-memes-that-sum-up-my-life-as-teacher.html addresses the "what's going on in my mind but I don't dare allow to escape my mouth" situation in which we've all found ourselves. I love the use of memes to convey emotion and evoke laughter, even in unpleasant circumstances.

On https://www.the-teacher-next-door.com/my-blog/classroom-ideas/teacher-humor, humor and camaraderie sashay about like the closest of friends. While this author's sense of humor is a bit more subdued than what's found on iteachstem.com, the wit is still there, ripe for the picking.

Finally, the piece de resistance: The Woke STEM Teacher

https://www.thewokestemteacher.com/blog-1/

Although this blog is heavy on text and light on images, it still ranks among my favorites because a) still photos show the students actually participating in the challenges introduced in the blog, and b) she has a simple, seamless flow which doesn't slow down due to too much text and too few images. Plus, she has a great avatar.

One of the best tools I've gained during this course is the ability to peek into other teachers' methods and observe the skills they employ in their classrooms. With STEM being a fairly new concept here in Buncombe County, connecting with teachers across the country who have successfully managed STEM instruction in their classrooms provides me with tips, strategies and more confidence in my own skills.

Digital Immigrants/Digital Natives Image Blog

We aren't all noobs when it comes to the use of technology, despite having been born BEFORE digital literacy was a "thing". However, using technology isn't as natural for us as it is for people who were born after the advent of the internet.

Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrant.

Prensky's premise, that learners born after the advent of the internet think and learn differently than all learners before them, seems a bit of a stretch to me. Large bursts of change in the method by which we learn have been occurring since the dawn of time. Centuries ago, history was passed down orally. That changed with the advent of written language. The implementation of public education gave all children the chance to access books and materials that impoverished families could never have provided centuries before. Television was one huge change which came about in the 20th century--suddenly students could see and hear in real time events happening across the globe, and study other civilizations and subject matter by not only reading, but also by observing.

Computers and the internet have, indubitably, changed the way children learn. From birth, almost, children are face-to-face with screens. The assimilation of knowledge unhampered by the lack of ability to read and write has made the acquisition of knowledge far simpler for the masses.

Image-based learning works well for digital natives. They've learned to assimilate knowledge without the necessity of reading. They grow up watching things happen rather reading about them happening.  That changes the way they best assimilate knowledge.

In order to teach digital natives effectively, it's our job to use technology as often as possible to reach them where they are.

Remember the standard alphabet posters everyone had in their classrooms growing up? They've been updated with words which are native to today's learners. 

Using images the children already know makes learning the sounds the letters make far simpler.

Images can convey most subject matter just as effectively (or moreso) than the written word. Areas they don't help with include spelling, sentence structure, and other language arts areas which require the output of written text. Of course, spell check and grammar check programs can edit for those, but do they really teach the students how to spell or write effectively? Or have the needs for those abilities been lessened if not eliminated by the advent of the internet and the easy availability of devices which allow the transfer of images and videos?