Best and Worst WebQuests

The best to me was the Ice Cream Webquest because it had a great color scheme and it grabbed my attention very well; also it is a very fun topic that will make it intersting in itself. Also the oricess is mapped out well with the steps explained well. The next best one was "Where is My Hero." This one was interactive and had a fun topic. Also, the topic itself promotes good people skills. The worst were would have to be "Grow Schools Green" because it is bland and it isn't very appealing to make students interested in it. The next worst would be Underground Railroad because it isn’t interactive enough and the way it is written just seems like it was thrown together and not enough thought was put into it. The best and the worst just simply mean to me which ones have the most thouoght put inot them and which ones jump out at me and are appealing, are interactive and have good links to the necessary information, and the ones that are written well for the students to understand what their task is.

Worksheet for Webquest

Social Networking for Sex-Offenders

This article talks about the law passed in Illinois that put an end to registered sex offenders from having social network pages such as Facebook and Twitter. Magid uses very good evidence to support his argument; he says that only very few cases where adults have sexual relations with a teen, and he also says that most of the kid online behavior is kid-to-kid. Magid, the writer, chose a very touchy subject to write on, and to most people it would seem absurd to even write about much less support, but he does both. I commend him for his resolve and he uses very good evidence to back up his argument. While he does present good evidence for his position, I have to disagree with his position. I think that the more access to minors you take away from a predator the better society and minors will be protected. In the past week we have seen through Penn State that sex offenders need to be stopped and limiting their social media access can aid this.

Wikipedia, Good or Bad?

When I began to read this, one thing that stuck out to me was that no one ever really praises the idea of a free encyclopedia so that people will be able to learn better. Almost all of the feedback is negative and talks about how uncredible the articles are because anyone can add things to Wikipedia. Another thing that I learned is that people actually post innacurate information just to prove that Wikipedia isn't a credible source, and they call this "Wikiality." Another thing I learned is that the one of the ways teachers might be able to use Wikipedia in the classroom is by using it as a starting point to jump into more intersting topics. A fact that really entrigued me is that Wikipedia is constantly changing and evolving and it also is a great tool to get to credible sources because of the Hyperlinks to credible sources when the Wiki article has its sources listed. Another intersting topic that I took form this is that there are some areas where a Wiki article is better than a is better than a regular encyclopedia because it is better research because of the hyperlinked footnotes and the debatable topics referenced right below it for essay access to learn about it. The one question I do have is How do you totally get rid of false information while still allowing open access to anyone?

This sight here What is Research? is a grea sight for to look at. It talks about the crediblity of Wikipedia from a guy who has wrote on Wikipedia a few times.

Citations

Crovitz, D. & Smoot, W. (2007, November 21). Wikipedia: friend, not foe. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/archival/EnglishJournalArticle2.pdf

http://whatisresearch.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/wikipedia-criticism-and-why-it-fails-to-matter/

Wikipedia Worksheet

I chose to do an American Revolution Wikipedia page and there weren't any cleanup banners on the page. The whole page seems to be well oraganized and it is written in a neutral position and no one is picking a side to try and build up' it is made up of mostly facts. It also provides all of its references and and the information seems to be there and actually in depth. Almost all of the sources are reliable sources from reliable places. One of the discussions did give light to the fact that one of the sources might be unreliable when he mentions the writer mentions about it in the Standing Army section. Overall I would to rate this article as a relaible source because a lot of the sources were from education sites.

What is Wikipedia

"Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based encyclopedia project, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization." If someone was to ask me how reliable could Wikipedia since anyone can edit it, I would answer it by having vey good editors and by having members and people who post things that are reliable. The creators of Wikipedia rely in the concept of having a lot of people view the pages will weed out the false information. Larry Sanger left Wikipedia because he thought more authority should be given to experts. On a Wikipedia page vandalism or abuse would be in the form of false information or something else degreading to that topic or page.Statistics listed in the 3rd paragraph reveal that at the time this written Wikipedia was making huge strides and getting a lot bigger. The reason is so successfl because it is always there when someone is doing research therefore it is a great place to start your research and therefore a lot of people use it. Because its a nonprofit organization and perhaps they don't want to change from that. The Wikiscanner helps witht he reliability of Wikipedia by identifying the IP addresses of anonymous writers who were editing for personal gain.

Assistive Technologies

     One thing I learned through the first reading was that children with disabilities in the mid 1900s were pushed to the side and negelected becasuwe they were seen as never going to be able to learn and read, and we as teachers need to be conscious of this and make every effort possible to make sure that everyone receives the same great education that they are entitled to. Also in the second article I learned that there actually was technology used to help special children learn. I always thought that the special classrooms were just the teachers trying to teach the kids one on one how to do basic stuff. I also learned that students with dissabilities can actually use computers. I knew that the just mentally slow could, but not other more severe cases like dyslexia.
     One way to help children with learning dissabilities is with Word Processors. With Word Processors students are able to express themselves easier because they know they will be able to make easy changes later and this allows them to be more creative. Tape recorders are another good tool to use to help children with learning dissablities learn. They can get audio version of books from the library to help with reading or they can use the recorders to record a lecture and play back so they can fully grasp the lesson.

In my classroom I could allow a student to use a tape recorder to tape a lesson, or I could perhaps allow the student to bring their computer to class so they use word prediction systems or other computer systems that will help them understand something better.

Citations

http://www.sc.edu/scatp/ld.htm

Schultz, P. (2011, September 3). Words failed, then saved me. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/with-dyslexia-words-failed-me-and-then-saved-me.html

        
    

Internet & Social Behavior Theory Unfounded

Despite early studies suggesting that internet use leads to anti-social behavior, later findings indicate positive aspects of engaging in online socializing.

It is hard pressed to find somebody today that doesn't have some sort of online identity or page about them. People today are so engulfed by the computer and the Internet. The Internet, in my experience, has very few negative effects on relationships. If it had any, the one might be that it aids the decline of personal interaction skills, but where it negatively affects that, it positively affects other areas. There are so many Web chats between families, spouses, and even businesses now, and the Internet is the tool that enables this. Web relationships are like an Ice-Breaker because you don't have to meet that person for the first time face to face, or if a business merger or decision goes bad, you don't have to tell them face to face. Also online dating has become huge in recent years. People are letting the computer find a compatible match for them. Now whether this is a good or bad thing can be debated, but the fact remains the same that so many people are looking for the spouse or just date for a night online and they do this because it saves time and they don't have to go out and waste time with somebody that they have nothing in common with. 




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seiZVLMdpBg     


This is a link to a video that gives proof that more and more people are turning to online relationships.


Citations


Owens, L. (2009, April 23). Internet & anti-social behavior theory unfounded [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://laura-owens.suite101.com/internet--anti-social-behavior-theory-unfounded-a111897

Double Entry Journal 8

The way we are educating is based on nineteenth-century ideas and methods. Here we are, entering the twenty-first century, and you look at our schools and ask, 'Why are we doing things in this ancient way?' Our system of education is locked in a time capsule. You want to say to the people in charge, 'You're not using today's tools! Wake up!'


Education today just isn't where it needs to be. I agree with George Lucas when he says that our education is like living in the past. I remember when I was a Junior and Senior in high school that we hardly ever used any technology in the classroom unless I was actually in a technology or computer class. Schools just aren't using the technologies that are available to them, this is probably in part to the lack of money in the budget for new technologies, but maybe then some money from other parts should be diverted to technologies because if students do not know how to use the materials that they will be using in the workforce then how will they survive. Therefore education needs to shift out of ancient ways and join the modern era, and give students the proper education they need.





Works Cited


Daly, J. (2004, September 14). Life on the screen: visual literacy in education . Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/lucas-visual-literacy


https://hamiltonrentals.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/technology-in-the-classroom-from-ipad-to-laptop-rentals/

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove . . . . but the world maybe different because I was important in the life of a child." - Kathy Davis

Teaching Media Literacy

"Although some countries (notably Canada, England, and Australia) have made progress in integrating media literacy into the school curriculum, schools in the United States generally have lagged behind (Hobbs & Frost, 2003)."


Students today just don't get the proper media literacy training that is necessary to keep up in this digital world that we live in today. I know when I was in high school that I took computer classes and yet I still only learned the very minimal in media literacy. I didn't learn how to blog, do magazines, how to use media and implement certain media techniques. Students are spending so much time on the Internet yet do not truly know how to use digital media correctly. Teachers need to really focus on making students more media literate.





This picture shows a collaborative class probably learning what they need to be learning about media literacy, but sadly enough there aren't many classes like this!!


Citations


David , J. (2009, March). Teaching media literacy. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Teaching-Media-Literacy.aspx


http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/06/cisco_network_academies_once_p.html

Media Literacy in Civics

"However we define it, we must agree that today's students, our future citizens, should be able to marshal thinking skills to spot 'eye-witless news... a twinkle of the airwaves' (Bennett, 2001) or 'manufactured news' (Postman, 1992) if they are to reason intelligently about societal issues and draw meaningful conclusions about political candidates."

What this is saying is that students today need to be able to think critically and to be able to analyze things so that they can become good citizens when they become adults. So many students even at the college level, if they were asked to take the citizenship exam, they would fail and fail miserably, yet immigrants can pass it to become citizens. Students today just do not care about the country that is provided for them and they need to start becoming more educated so that they can contribute to society and be informed voters. Teaching media literacy will allow students to be able to break down different pieces of media and interpret them and be informed from them.



This shows just how the majority of the upcoming generation are; they really don't care who gets the presidency so they don't pay attention to anything about them.

Citations

Abilock, D. (2003, November/December). A seven-power lens on 21st century literacy .


http://standupforamerica.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/is-voting-a-right-should-it-be-regulated/

Media Literacy Photo Analysis

In the first photo we see Obama meeting with a group of people and it can be assumed that they are talking about matters of the coast cause otherwise they wouldn't be there. It also represents that this meeting is not formal but semi-casual and we know this through what the men are wearing, and then Obama is trying to make a statement that he is there to help and he doesn't want the people thinking he his a coward which is why he lowers the number of Secret Service. The caption and title raise questions, though, like what does it mean when the President is taking claims, and who is he taking them from. It also raises the question of is he really ready to let the government take care of the oil spill.

In the second picture Obama looks puzzled, and the logical explanation is that he is in deep thought. It also says to me that he is trying to think of ways to aid in the oil spill or stop it all together. However it could mean that he is disgusted with BP for not cleaning up the spill faster. The title and caption raise the question that maybe he is thinking about ways to get out of this tarnishing his legacy as a President but while still helping out the gulf. It also raises the question of is he mad that this is happening in his presidency.

Photo Analysis 2

Photo Analysis 1

Art as an key component of Education

"The Language of art has become the next literacy-or the fourth R. We need not linger any longer over whether art should have a permanent and central place in our school curriculum. It should, and we need to move quickly to prepare students to be literate in the world that they are inheriting and rapidly shaping. In the digital age, art skills are not just good for the soul, but they provide, in the words of Elliot Eisner (1988), 'access to cultural capital,' and ultimately, access to employment."

I chose this quote because while it does have a good message and probably has some truth to it; I just don't see how putting so much attention on art is a good thing. While using technology and digital stories is a good thing and art is used in the digital stories, I believe that is really the extent of what the average person will be using art for. I am studying to be a Social Studies Teacher and so I know that art is used a lot to try to help us understand a group of people or a time period in history, but I just don't think it is more significant than the other three R.



I chose this cartoon picture because it satirically speaks to my point about art not being as important as the other R. This cartoon shows the unimportannce of art to the point where the boss doesn't even know the difference between a fine arts degree and an art degree.

                                                                             Works Cited
Ohler, J. (2000, October). Art becomes the next r. Educational Leadership Magazine,58(2), 16-             19. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vCKbHYY-gzXtLXnLak8i_hoV7TPAOfxNIamNrkWW3Pc/edit




http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Fear%20No%20Art_47330

Digital Stories and Relation to Education

Digital stories are a great tool for teachers and school systems to use in the classroom. It presents many different positive ways for students to learn, plus it gives them good exposure to technology. Jason Ohler says it well when he says, "Such technologies give voice to a number of otherwise quiet students and to students who skills don't fit the usual academic mold" (Ohler, 2005). What this is saying is that digital stories help kids who have trouble learning to learn better. In a Social Studies classroom, a teacher could use a digital story to tell the history of the U.S. For example students could use the digital story to explain all the events and acts leading up to the American Revolution. Digital Stories are a great tool and they even fit in with ISTE.NETS. ISTE says that teachers should incorporate digital tools and projects so that the students can be better learners.

Copyright Rules

Yes students can us Youtube to upload their multimedia projects to youtube as long as their copyrighted material falls under fair use. There are limitations to the amount of of music, video, or pictures that a person can use. For instance, only 30 seconds or 10% of a copyrighted music piece can be used and the same is true about a video with no more than 10% of 3 min. They don't need to ask permission to use copyrighted material as long as it falls under fair use laws, but Educators need to be on guard that material under fair use laws could result in a broader dissemination. Therefiore, it is recommended that students and educators ask for permission during their preperation stages.

Abe's Translation

The Spelling War

"The sister organization of the council, the British-based Spelling Society, does not advocate adopting texting conventions..."

There are some problems with the spelling system that we have, and there are many possible solutions that could help the problem, but implementing text language as the solution, to me, is a bad idea. The problem with text language is that it doesn't really present alternative spellings to words that need altenative spellings, it instead offers bad abbreviations to words that don't really need knew spellings; such as great or gr8, forever or 4ever and other words like that. There are words in the English language that need to have their speeling resructured and perhaps, if they are restructured, we might see more foreign people learning English because it would be easier to understand, but text language is not the way to bring about this change. It will only bring more negative than positive.

Check out this article dealing with spelling reform!!!

Citations:  
Shea, A. . (2010, January 22). The keypad solution . The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html

Johnson, S. (2010, September 15). Wy can't we get it rite? [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/09/english_spelling_reform

My Learning Style

What the learning style test told me was that I was a predominately Aural learner. This means that I am a more sound or lecture oriented learner. I prefer to learn by listening to something or someone. As a learner, some things I could use to help me learn better would be to take good notes or use a recorder so that I could play it back for me. I've never heard of this test before, but I think it was very informative and accurate, and helped it could be used as a great tool for students because it would identify their learning style and they could adapt their study habits to that learning style.

Jon the man Fan by Jon the man Fan: Picassohead

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Wordle and Poll Everywhere are great tools to use in the classrooms, becasue they make the classroom interactive. Poll Everywhere allows the audience to respond to a question and a wordle allows the class to position the answers in a intuitive way. These tools could be used very effectively in the history classroom. I, as the teacher, could set up a question through poll everywhere, and make a wordle out of the many responses that the poll receives. For example, if I asked what were some causes for the American Revolution; I could take the many different responses and place them in a wordle and it could be a great way for students to study.

Wordle and Poll Everywhere are a great way to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. With Wordle and poll everywhere students can be creative which will inhance the students knowlege in that particular area.

Why become a teacher??

My Poll

My Poll: Why did you become a teacher?

Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade

"A classroom suited to today’s students should deemphasize solitary piecework. It should facilitate the kind of collaboration that helps individuals compensate for their blindnesses, instead of cultivating them. That classroom needs new ways of measuring progress, tailored to digital times — rather than to the industrial age or to some artsy utopia where everyone gets an Awesome for effort" (Heffernan, 2011)

     Technology is moving faster than it ever has. Todays technology would have made people only 10 years ago say that it couldn't be possible to have devices with so much technology. This is also going to be true of us 10 years in the future. We are goin to wonder how so much technology could even exist. This is why it is key for kids at an early age to use the newest technologies in school every year so that when they graduate from college there won't be another technologically illerate generation that can't find a job because they do not know how to use the technology that is new in the work force. This is what I believe this quote and this whole reading is talking about. In the future, the workforce will almost totally be collaborative and technology-based, and the children of today are going to need to know how to work in these conditions, and the way they will know is by learning through education at an early age how to use technology properly. There are two problems I see with concept though, these are: maintaining a professional education environment in the classroom and funding for these technologies in the classroom. When I went to high school, it was hard for the teachers to even get their students to do their individual work, so the concern I have is how are the teachers going to make the students stay engaged in their learning when they are assigning collaborative, group work and students are paired with their friends and then throwing in a third element in technology, how will the kids stay focused?? This is my concern. Video games and computer-based programs already dominate kids life, and this would happen the same way in the classroom. My second concern is how the schools are going to get funding for all this technology. I was born and raised in North Carolina, and my mother works in one of the largest school systems in my area, and she keeps telling me how the school system continues to cut jobs or cut pay. So this raises the question, even though a more technology-based education would be better for kids; how will the schools and schools systems receive funding for it.

The journal article, "Using Technology in the Social Studies Classroom: The Journey of Two Teachers," go right along side with this reading because it deals with technology in the classroom. This journal article ws a study on two teacher education students who were in student teaching and had to impliment technology into the classroom, and while the two had different styles; they both implimented the technology. The link to this article, if you would like to read it is, http://search.proquest.com/education/docview/211150849/13177C69BD2533E6194/1?accountid=10797.

Citations

1.) Heffernan, V. (2011, August 7). Education needs a digital-age upgrade. The New York Times, pp. The Opinion Pages.

2.) Wright, V.H., & Wilson, E. K. (2009). Using technology in the social studies classroom: the journey of two teachers. Journal of Social Studies Research, 33(2), Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/education/docview/211150849/13177C69BD2533E6194/1?accountid=10797

About me

Hi, my name is Jonathan Fansler. I am a junior here at Fairmont State, and I am a member of the Fairmont State baseball team. One intersting fact about me is that I am not from WV, I am from North Carolina where I was born and lived my entire life. My major is secondary education with a main focus on Social Studies. There are are 3 reasons i really want to teach, one is because i love history. Secondly is because i love to work with teens, and lastly is that I want to coach one day. So these are some intersting tid bits about me