Weekly Update

I have a very exciting and productive meeting with Carol on Tuesday. She thought the Google Form was very easy to create. I showed her other ways she could use Google Forms, such as exporting to Excel. We were both so excited that we went off topic and I showed her how I use Google calender and Picasa to share photos. She said these would be very useful to her with her organizations she helps with outside of school. She and I were both very busy and not able to do much with our second goal, which is creating a digital story. So we decided that she would learn how to use Windows Photo Story on her own and start on that project this week. Instead of creating a instruction sheet, I am going to create a digital story about myself and a template that the education professors could use.

Week 2 Post 6818

Because of our busy schedules, I was not able to meet with Carol in person this week. In my absence, she provided me with some ideas of how we could meet every other week. So what I did for this week is create a document explaining how to create a Google Form. I included screen shots and step by step directions so that it could be used after I was not there to help her. Then I told her that we could even use Google chat to communicate when I cannot meet her in person. I really like how she got the ball rolling, which helped me think of other ways I could help her.

Final Post 6809

What an inspirational speech! The speaker’s main argument is that tests don’t prove how much knowledge a student learns and doesn’t prove the ability of the teachers and the schools. The speaker stated that tests don’t lead to education—they just look good. I completely agree with the speaker. Some students are not the best test takers. Students should not be penalized for this, just like they are because of No Child Left Behind. There are other ways to assess what the students have learned. Teachers are more concerned and pressured that their students get good scores on standardized tests to meet the annual yearly progress. Teachers are not focusing on the skills and interests of their students—if they did, the students would be more excited and interested in their own learning. Teachers need to harness these skills and use all available resources. By harnessing the specialized skills of our students, we will help our students to be more confident in the classroom and in their everyday lives outside of the classroom. Teachers need to teach their students how to be innovators and entrepreneurs, not just employees and consumers. Education should be personalized and strength based, where students make authentic and real products. So how does this speech relate to the course book “Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking out”? The future generations are surrounded by technology in their everyday lives. They are developing skills by blogging, tweeting, and gaming that could be used in the workplace. These are the skills we need to harness. From this point on, technology will be the forefront of many corporations and are students need to be taught how to use these skills.

Final Post 6816

The work of the forester in Indonesia is a perfect example of a type of research done in the workplace. The team of scientists located a problem and researched the problems it was and could cause and solutions to fix the problem. What is impressive about this forester is how he incorporated the research of students from around the world to solve the crisis of deforestation around the world. The students were able collect data from their area and share it with real scientists! A perfect example of how new literacies can be used in the classroom. The research of the students is authentic and relevant and of course aligns with content standards. Students can get a real connection to the content they are learning.

Webquest Artifact

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Week 9 Reading 6809

1. How do educators in youth media programs differ from the orientation of classroom teachers in terms of preparing students for using digital media for work related purposes?

Youth media program educators’ main responsibility is to teach students how to use various technologies primarily in their everyday lives to prepare them for life outside of the classroom.  A classroom teacher’s primary responsibility is to teach the content for a specific grade and subject mandated by the state. Using technology in the classroom is on the back-burner for some if not most classroom educators. 

2. With some important exceptions, how are lower income youth marginalized from using digital media in ways that might provide them with economic empowerment?

Our economy and is generated and maintained by the use of digital media.  Corporations rely on technology to run their businesses more effectively and efficiently and require their employees to be able to use these technologies.  Students that are from lower income families can not afford these technologies and therefore are not as familiar with how to use them compared to students who come from high income families that have easy access to these technologies.  Should these students be handicapped because of their parents’ income?  All students should learn to use technology in the classroom where it is free to all.    

3. In 2005 the CEO of IBM announced that if we wanted know what business leadership looks like in the 21 century look at what is going on in MMORPG's. After reading Box 7.4 does this make sense? Are you impressed by the levels of commitment and collaboration it takes players to be successful in these games? Do you have new respect for gamers?

This completely makes since.  Sometimes more than one person is needed to get the job done.  I was surprised that at one point in the game 36 players were needed to kill Tiamat the dragon.  I have a new respect for the people that play Final Fantasy XI.  They are dedicated to what they enjoy doing, which is a great trait to have. 

4. How do school need to change to become learning environments that cultivate the same kind of enthusiasm and commitment from young people like NeoPets did for Eddie? How can digital media play a role in the creation of these kinds of environments?

I believe all students need to understand the time=money state of mind.  Students love playing interactive games such as neo pets and learn crucial life skills without knowing it.  These learning environments could start out with social interaction in the classroom but then evolve into personal environments. 

Final Webquest 6809

https://sites.google.com/site/amyphillips4876webquest/home