Final Assignment

Link to Matrix

My final project is based on an Art lesson of the symbols used by the Aborigines in their artworks (taken from CURR 310).


Selected technologies + Identified teaching strategies = Achievement of Standard


The formula above has been used & proved throughout my matrix. First I obtained my educational goal. Then I started analyzing my lesson & selected standards to line up with my educational goal. I began to think about what strategies & then technologies I would have to use to achieve the initial standards. I kept asking myself, "Does this technology support this strategy and if yes, together will they help my students achieve the learning targets/standards?" I also made sure each assessment, formal or informal, both measured the students comprehension of the content materials relating to the NJCCCS standards, but also provided opportunity to demonstrate their achievement of the NETS-S standards. 



Day 1 of my lesson would be spent lecturing students about elements found in Aboriginal Art, projected on the SmartBoard. I would use the SmartBoard to mark up artworks so students could visually see the elements discussed. Next students would choose a work to dissect & engage in research & inquiry using appropriate technology. Finally students would put together a brief presentation using the SmartBoard to mark up their work. I would use their presentations as an informal assessment to judge their depth of understanding on the content/achievement of standard and their use of technology as a tool for research and presentation.


Day 2 would reflect on our prior knowledge. Students will engage in research & inquiry again using appropriate technologies. Individually students will compare & contrast the symbols (their meanings) & elements found in Aboriginal Art and record/reflect their new knowledge on our art class website/blog. After, peer reflection will take place by commenting on students posts. Class ends with a large group discussion mediated by the students & teacher using the SmartBoard to mark their points & make educated assumptions based on their findings. This will serve as another informal assessment to determine their depth of understanding of content materials & use of technology as a tool for research, evaluation, & reflection.


Day 3 will be art-making. I begin with a demonstration using the ELMO camera. Students will then individually create works that reflect their understanding of the Aboriginal Art elements & their cultural/social commentary using Model Magic. I contemplated on substituting this material for KidPix, Paint or an iPad, which would ultimately teach the same concepts. Students will share their works in progress via our art class website/blog & students can  collaborate/record their progress. Their final pieces & art class website/blog progress is another informal assessment to determine if their works demonstrate their understanding of Aboriginal Art, & if their progress shows comprehension of the simulation.


It would be interesting to make demonstrations into student-centered strategies by assigning students a demonstration to research & prepare to teach the class. 


Day 4 would be a class critique. Students will prepare a presentation using appropriate technology. All students will fill out self-evaluations & peer evaluations using rubrics on Google Docs Forms (I fill out a teacher evaluation). To end class we engage in a large group discussion using the SmartBoard to project students works as we discuss them, this time 'formally'- using proper terminology while marking their work. The critique & discussion are informal assessments (for teacher to adjust lessons) to evaluate &assess students understanding 1) in a casual setting & 2) 'formal' setting. Evaluations would be formal assessments used to give feedback from peers & teacher.


The final day provides students with closure through a large group discussion using the SmartBoard to project & mark images, and provide one last reflection. The discussion would initiate student thinking on the context of the art & help students determine if they consider these works, Art. Students will gather information to support their beliefs using appropriate technologies. They will create presentations to share using Google Docs Presentation, our art class website/blog or other appropriate technologies. This lesson ends with Q&A supported by visuals on the projector. Everything except the information gathering, would be an informal assessment to determine if we achieved standards, & if students are in line with the NETS-S standards.


The formula mentioned in the beginning proved to be the ultimate tool in transforming a lesson to have technologies that support learning strategies, & together create the opportunity to achieve standards while assessing students to ensure the greatest learning outcome possible.

[15] What have I learned?

As the end of the semester draws extremely near, I look back and consider all of my projects, and what I have learned from them. From the start of this course I identified my beliefs and thoughts on technology, and over the course of this semester I have edited and enhanced them. I have discovered my belief on student-teacher relationships, and how I believe it is important to be able to relate lessons and lesson objectives to students current, daily lives. I stated an on-going goal of mine- which was to promise to keep up-to-date with technologies, so I can incorporate these devices into my lessons supportively and educationally. I want my students to develop skills that they can continue using in their daily life outside of school. I also identified and recorded important old and new technologies in an Art Technology Inventory list, which I will constantly update and refer to during lesson making. I also discovered that being a teacher is a lot more than it seems.


In the end, CURR 316, CURR 314, READ 411 and my methods courses have all impacted me in a great way. I learned that I want to be the best teacher I can, and I want my students to enjoy learning. I don't want them to struggle. I want my teaching strategies and lessons to reflect the characteristics I believe a good teacher and lesson creator should have. I will combine all skills learned from this semester to become the ultimate educator and assessor. I look forward to continuing my journey in education, and even more so to being in the classroom. I believe education is finally getting the attention it deserves and hopefully with a new generation of teachers we will be able to completely transform the field of education.

[14] Making up for Lost Time

ARTICLE


A big concern I recently stumbled upon was lost time in the classroom from absences. This whole concept began when I found an old article, from 2009, that asked teachers what technology and equipment they would buy if they had an unlimited budget. One of the teachers replied they would buy an ELMO camera. This is a specific brand name, but in general the camera this teacher is referring to is used during demonstrations- a technology every art room should have! This camera points at your desk area, and projects onto the TV or any screen. This allows students to remain in their seats, and get a closer view than they ordinarily would when they are all gathered around the teachers desk for a demonstration- another great device to add to my Art Technology Inventory (Interactivity #3).


Anyway, this lead to me thinking about using the camera to record demonstrations and post them online for absent students (or even for students to review). I thought this would be a great way to ensure no time is lost reviewing demonstrations during valuable class time. BUT- this could backfire and cause students to take attendance lightly. "Why go to class if I can just view Ms. Kelly's demonstrations online?"- is what I imagine my students would say. This camera proves to be a useful technology, but how can I ensure my students will show up to class?


There are many other uses for this camera if I ultimately decided not to use it on a blog. I could always send students personal emails with attachments, or I could use the recordings and have my students each take turns creating a blog post everyday for each demonstration. This would allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the covered materials for that day, while also using publishing and producing technologies. There are many thoughts and questions that still linger with the idea of a class blog, but I believe as I implement my ideas and test them out, the answers will become more clear to me.


ARTICLE

[13] Google Docs

After reading Google Documents for Teachers by Richard Byrne (taken from the CURR 316 blog) I began thinking more about how one can use Google Docs to their advantage. In my Assessment course we are learning about the importance of using assessments constantly, yet appropriately throughout the year to check for understanding. This allows teachers to pin point students struggles and immediately alter the next days lesson to address the misconceptions before moving on to new materials. This method of formative assessment can be beneficial if used correctly in any classroom. By this I mean not only do teachers have to create accurate, valid and reliable assessments, but after administering them and grading them, they need to analyze their data! We learned it's common for teachers to use assessments as a check for understanding, but that they also fail to use the results to alter and edit the lesson (based on students' misconceptions). 


Here is where I made the connection- Google Docs Forms allows teachers to create easy to access assessments that can be administered weekly and taken from any computer (with internet access), but then also grades them for you. Using this feature on Google Docs will allow the time that used to be spent grading, to now be spent editing lessons according to students scores. This is only one way Google Docs Forms can be used to a teachers advantage.


Another interesting feature (I found out by creating a "test" using Google Docs Forms) is that when all the answers have been submitted, the teacher can view the "Summary" and it is shown using a line graph. This allows the teacher to judge how many students got which questions wrong. Teachers can then use this information to see if the wording was confusing or if the material needs to be re-covered in the next lesson.


Since I couldn't take the test I wonder what the student receives after completion? Do they get a summary feedback of which answers were wrong? This would be another great aspect where students could use the information to self assess. 


Google Docs proves to be an innovative, effective source for all content teachers, but should not be relied on fully. Teachers need to administer more than online tests to check for deeper/higher understanding of materials (Bloom's Tier II and III). As a future teacher it is important to keep up-to-date on the evolving and developing tools for us to use in our classrooms and Google Docs is just the start!

[12] Advocacy for Technology

This post developed from a connection I made, originating from my content area. In our methods course we learn about all aspects of teaching art and being an art teacher. One of the topics we debated about was advocacy for the Arts. How does one promote the Arts? In our class we had to develop a plan which enabled us to spread news of the Arts and their importance in education. It was an interesting activity because you need to think about money/budget (or a free promoting event), what points you want to communicate with the public (keeping it clear, comprehensible and precise can be tough), how your students will be involved (are we displaying their work, is it a fundraiser) and what extra information (a worksheet or pamphlet) can you provide to further educate the public on the topic (and what points do you include, or what points would encourage the public the most)?


The connection I made came about when I read an article on school budgets. I started to think about the lack of funding all the areas of the Arts department has, and how I would attempt to raise extra money or get students supplies they needed if our budget couldn't. I then connected advocating for the Arts to advocating for Technology. These two areas in the budget are similar- the Arts has a lack of funding and as of now Technology in most schools has a limit too. As an Art teacher is there a way I can advocate for both the Arts and Technology- at the same time and same event? Would it be a stronger message to hold two separate events? How would one go about advocating for Technology compared to the Arts? What proof could one provide at the event and what information would I want to include or exclude? There's a ton of questions that emerge from what I thought was a simple thought. But as a future teacher it is important to consider that the school I will be working at might not have a huge budget for technology. What technologies would I want to include, or in an extreme case (low income areas) what technologies, programs and devices would I want to spend the budget on so my students stay up-to-date and remain educated in the technological field (relating this back to Olivia's case).


One final thought that lingers (which I constantly create infinite answers for) is how can I use technology to benefit disabled and ESL students in an Art classroom?

[11] How to choose your Technology

A reasonable question that emerges from all the Interactivities we have done to date is how do you pick which technology is appropriate to use in your classroom, and more importantly from lesson to lesson? As I have learned, I need to first consider if the technology is supportive of my lesson. From there I would have to use the tool myself and address issues such as it is easy enough for my students to use and will it help my students meet the intended learning targets? After reading a blog post on Edutopia, I found more questions that are important to consider when it comes to technology in the classroom.

• Is it free?
• Do I need an account?
• Do my students need an account? If yes, what kind of information does the service ask for?
• Does it offer teacher accounts?
• What are the Terms of Service? Can my students legally use the site?
• Can my students’ finished products be easily archived or shared?

I now realize that all students will come from different households (and even personal beliefs) where each parent has a different set of restrictions and concerns. Will all students be able to create (educational) blogs if required to for a lesson? And will their parents allow them to participate in blogging or becoming part of an online community? What information will my students need to give out to create an account? All of these issues are important to address before planning a lesson to ensure participation from all students and to make sure no student is left out or uncomfortable explaining why they can't have a blog. Relating this even more to art, what about the concerns again addressing copy rights and the public stealing students art work. If my class was to create an Art blog, where they post their work and comment on each others, will the public be able to view their works and comments? How can we prevent the stealing of student work and ideas? Will all students be willing to post their works?


The only true method to finding out will be implementing this in a classroom, and even then every class will have different results and responses.

[10] Kid Pix and Cross-Curricular Lessons

As a child I vividly remember Kid Pix, I'd be curious if other students have ever used this program recently or as a child (more likely) and could contribute some cross-curricular ideas.

Either way, in short, Kid Pix is a child's version to Photoshop. I was recently wondering how I could plan a lesson, using this technology, but incorporating standards and keeping it educational. As an art teacher, Kid Pix can easily be incorporated into a lesson or two. The program allows students to create lines and shapes (to learn about line and form), use the pencil, paint brush and paint bucket tool (to learn about color), use, edit and create stamps (used for repetition), among many other things. Obviously this lesson would be geared towards the Elementary level, and if I ever wanted to create a lesson for older students I would just have them switch to Photoshop and of course edit the actual lesson goals and such. BUT- I was wondering if there was a way to incorporate other contents, or even more ideas for my content, in an academically challenging and acceptable way (unlike the Oregon Trail which was educationally based, yet students didn't learn much). There's always the easy Math connection to making pictures that illustrate numbers, but I wanted something deeper. I would love to hear any suggestions and if any one has questions about Kid Pix I can easily answer them for you. 

Below I provided a Youtube video, but this is the most recent version (I have only experienced the original version).

[9] Live Studio Feed

Damien Hirst Live Studio Feed
Recording of Progress

I was inspired to do some research on live video's in artist studios. This came from a previous blog post that suggests student's learn best when engaged interactively. Additionally I believe that young students should have the oppurtunity to watch artists work live in their studios (natural habitats) to gain an understanding of art as a process and how current artists tackle art making and planning. With technology today, we now have this capability. Student's can follow artists and take notes on techniques and processes to apply to their own works. Teachers can develop lessons that have students choose an artist to follow or even create their own live streaming videos when they engage in their art projects during home or in class (provided the proper technology). The possibilities of this technology are infinite. For assignments where students are working collaboratively (internationally) teachers can set up a website with their students working live for classes to communicate, seek help or provide insight and critique their classmates instead of waiting for the works to be shipped back! There seem to be an endless about of ideas coming to me as I continue to think about the support and possibilities of using this technological concept in my classroom.

Below (and at the top of this blog) are examples of the artist Damien Hirst, and his live studio feed. The second link is also similar- it is a timelapse progression of the current project in his live feed. These are both useful and beneficial sources for artists and students in an art class.

Damien Hirst Live Studio Feed
Recording of Progress

[8] Advocacy for Art and Technology

PROMOTING TECHNOLOGY AND ART

In my methods course we are learning about advocacy for the arts and promoting the importance of art in the curriculum. I have recently stumbled across a site that promotes Art and Technology, by the name of Eyebeam.

This is a non-profit organization 'dedicated to exposing broad and diverse audiences to new technologies and media arts, while simultaneously establishing and demonstrating new media as a significant genre of cultural production'. Their statement is similar to that of our CURR316 class, which is incorporating supportive technologies into the art classroom and keeping our students exposed to up-to-date devices.

Eyebeam implemented an educational program for young artists' professional development and helps them reach out to the community. They promote the artists through exhibitions, provide workshops and hold annual events demonstrating these artists accomplishments. Their organization uses technology to learn about art, create art, promote art, and exhibit art, which relates to our Technology Inventory for the Arts and it's potential uses.

PROMOTING TECHNOLOGY AND ART

[7] Technology and Copyrights

ARTICLE 

As we become engulfed in an increasingly technological world, particularly relating to art, it becomes easier and easier to steal images or even accidentally infringe on copyrights. This article addresses exactly that, and recent incidents in the current art world. Artist Kelley Walker, considered an "appropriation artist", creates art through taking images or work that someone else has created and reworking it as their own. This could mean 'sampling, quoting, borrowing, remixing, transforming or adapting' the work. This brings up concerns such as how altered does a work need to be from the original for it not to be considered stealing? Issues such as this need to be addressed with students in the upcoming technology age. Lessons can be based around this concept which will allow students to practice appropriation art, and follow guidelines to ensure avoiding lawsuits and learn about copyright laws/their complex technicalities. 


It was also interesting that the article mentioned how some artists don't like the term "appropriation" and instead prefer the term “image transfer” because it 'more accurately describes the intentions of artists who sample imagery more freely.' The article also states,  'that in the past artists had to engage in a physical act—either engrave a plate or paint a canvas or make a collage or pick up a camera—to appropriate, whereas today images can simply be downloaded or scanned.'

Does the physical, real involvement of replicating an artwork they had to go through in the past make it less of an infringement on Copyright laws? Is there a difference between practicing a technique through replication and forging an artwork?

ARTICLE 

[6] Interactive Art

Integrating technology into the art classroom is a concept that has become more and more prevalent. We addressed the idea of using technologies in the classroom that support our lessons. This clip above shows how a modern, living artist used technology to create art- interactive art. I believe as art teachers in the technical world, we need to keep updated on new technologies and programs used to make art, along with technologies and devices we can use in our lessons and to support our lessons. From an older blog post I stated my beliefs that students learn best when engaged interactively in learning. The exhibition in the video above is 100% interactive and would be a good example of an educational field trip to actively engage students and motivate them for a lesson addressing elements found in art (maybe even comparing physically interactive art versus the traditional art medias- painting, sculptures/that are non-interactive, drawing, etc.) 

[5] Interactivity #5: NETS-S & NETS-T

My study was conducted with a middle school science teacher in the Fair Lawn School District. Based on their responses I would assume my teacher was not accurately knowledgeable about the NETS-S/NETS-T. They said they believed they were somewhat familiar with the NETS-S/NETS-T because they believed it was similar to the NJCCCS for Technology (Standard 8.1 Computer Information Literacy). This answer is not all wrong due to the fact they are both technology as a pedagogical means to curriculum goals and not technology as a separate content area (which is similar to the NAEP standards). My teacher did not know if their school had begun to use the new NETS-S/NETS-T but told me they thought it was in the planning stages. They mentioned that other technology initiatives their school implemented were Smartboard training for teachers. Additionally the middle school technology teacher was moved down to the elementary level because their students needed to learn technology skills at an earlier age. An earlier start in developing technology literacy will help increase students' proficiency and media literacy throughout their lives. Also, students' proficiency and media literacy increases with the more authentic practice they engage in. If teacher are trained on how to incorporate new and old digital technologies for teaching and learning, their students will gain exposure, increasing their overall media literacy. The workshop the Fair Lawn School District holds for their teachers will provide them with the confidence and knowledge needed to incorporate supportive technologies into their lesson plans (to ultimately increase students engagement in authentic learning experiences that allow them to practice and increase their media literacy). 

 I was surprised at first at the fact they moved the technology teacher to the elementary level but after I thought about it, it actually makes sense (as previously described); to keep up with the advances in technologies and medias, students need to be exposed at a younger age. As a future art educator I would use the technology teacher as a resource and discuss with them the students’ levels of technology literacy. I could also form and discuss lessons with the technology teacher in which I want to include the use of digital technologies. They could then prepare students and educate them on this certain media/technology. My lesson would enhance their learning and allow the students to transfer and apply their knowledge learned in their technology class to another situation outside of that class, my art class (and eventually they will apply it to a situation outside of their academic life). I would have them practice their developing media literacy by assigning them a project that authentically incorporates their learned materials (technology ) and my art objectives (content standards). I would definitely like to have a mentor to advise me, and to receive feedback on my lesson plans -specifically, how I integrated the NETS-S/NETS-T standards in my lesson.

My Lesson Plan with NETS-S Standards

[4] Interactivity #4: The Pedagogical Uses of Technology

Lesson Plan Breakdown

This lesson focuses on a sculptor who creates chairs for her installations in which the viewer sits (in the chair) in front of a screen which projects them and the chair in another time period. I thought it was interesting how the artist uses technology to help convey her message- much like we are using technology to help support our lesson plans.

I was actually disappointed after I read the lesson due to its lack of technology. The curriculum goals, of which there were many, were well supported in the plan but I had to make some additions to incorporate supportive technologies. I made the connection to Mac's app PhotoBooth- where you can create your own background and project yourself into it. In this lesson students were already examining the art (the different chairs) and then creating their own. They also had to collaborate in groups to make a collage which they then cut and pasted their chairs into. I altered it so the students hung their collages, with their chairs, on the wall to use as the PhotoBooth background which they then photographed themselves in- much like the artist did in her works with the viewers. Foreground and background elements were used in this lesson, so I had students adjust their positioning accordingly to achieve foreground and background distances. 

I also added more Student-Centered Strategies to keep the students engaged and active in their learning. A class blog was created to allow us to keep a record of their learning and progress of their understandings that they could then share with the public via internet. 

I felt that technology was essential in achieving the curriculum goals. The goals wanted students to understand how the artist’s media/mediums chosen affected the message/content of their works. This lesson provided no opportunity to use the technologies that the artist did- leaving them only a conceptual understanding. The modified lesson gives students multiple chances to incorporate technology as a tool for recording information, critiquing/discussing peer works, publishing the information and their learnings, and actually producing similar works to the artist using very similar medias.

[3] Interactivity #3: Generating a State of the Art Inventory

After generating a state of the art inventory..for A R T , I noticed a few interesting things that had emerged. You'll need to know we documented our technologies by resources for content management, authoring, collaboration, communication and cultural transformation.  Looking at them now, from a different perspective (I printed them all out and tried to recategorize them using more general terms) I found that one of the new categories I created seemed to contain all the "coolest" tools for art educators.


The new categories I chose to use were Physical Tools (like the 35mm camera, projector, all the iAccessories), Cultural Events (Making Art for Change, Art for International Unity and current films about Artists), Instructional Forums, Blogs, or Websites (artcyclopedia, VanGogh's letters, blackboard, art blogs and museum sites) and Interactive (Community murals, GoogleDocs Presentation, CoMaya)....


Yup! My favorite category. I have my professional reasons and then I have my own reasons. Professionally- I find that the following resources are so incredible I myself got addicted to using one. Basically, the learning process needs to involve the student, and a huge question all teachers have today is how can you get the students actively engaged and involved with their learning? The answer seems so easy now! Let me explain- even though it was really hard picking one technology to talk about.


Google Art Project - This amazing program has taken several (but not enough) museums and turned them into interactive rooms where you can actually walk through the museum as if you were there!!! In just 30 minutes I had quickly 'been' to over 10 museums. Now, there is a downfall to this. Although the application was truly amazing- there is still no experience (yet) like viewing a work of art in person. From online you still can't get that texture, the paint application and brush strokes, the true color, and size that you can when you are standing in front of a painting or sculpture live. Other than that, this device would have many professional uses. Art educators can take their classes to international museums with the click of a button, and..it's free! And don't forget about the easy access in a timely fashion.The other great thing is you can use this to plan out trips for your students and take them on a virtual tour of the path they will take through out the museum. This can relieve great stress for high schoolers and even college students who are taking their first trip to a museum. This can be used personally, for students to view works at museums they enjoyed from a prior trip to the actual museum and even to refresh their memory of what a work looked like.


As a collective, these technologies we found have truly impressed me. I have already saved this file so I can add onto it as I need to. Coming from an Art background, I know many other artists too, who don't like to think of Art as technologically evolving content (due to its strong connection to the past and the methods of the past). After compiling this list I can see the positive ways technology is now influencing Art, and I am pleased to see it is not taking over the past methods such as painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. to the point where the human is not as involved in the process.  


If you have the time check out the Google Art Project and let me know what you think!

[2a] Interactivity #2: Clarification

After some thought and viewing others posts, I realize my image might not have been to clear and although it is past the due date I wanted to still clarify my image.

Student's watch passively as their minds are aggressively influenced and filled with 'proper' beliefs and behaviors.

[2] Interactivity #2: The History of Technology in Schools

      The technology that I consider to have influenced education most in my content area, art, is the introduction of the slate board and chalk. After viewing the first video I immediately connected this to my methods course where I learned that Walter Smith introduced the method of drawing on the slate board, and having students (mainly boys at the time) copy it over and over again. This was preparing them for industry design which at the time Smith felt needed to be domesticated due to the high price of importing. I also learned in my methods course that mimicking is a necessary step students take in art development, which is interesting because Smith and others of his time believed that the mind was a muscle that "needed to be repetitively exercised". After reading the interview article I again confirmed that this technology made its impact in other ways by allowing the teacher to teach to the class as a group instead of walking around to each student individually.  Students were now actively taking a role in the construction of their education versus passively receiving the information relayed by the teacher. The negative impact of this, which Grace's grandmother agreed with, was the closeness to which education resembled the factory. I was appalled that her supervisor actually said schooling needs to display the "efficiency of an assembly line." This eliminates the purpose of (modern) art which is to express one's self and creativity. (I say modern because art was originally used to document events, important people, and such.) 

      A controversial technology developed and implemented during this time period in formalized schooling were motion pictures/"commercials" (Channel One). I believe their impact on art was more of a undesirable one due to the fact art was being used as propaganda, but I will provide both the good and the bad impacts the introduction of film to the classroom had. First I believe it’s important to consider these few things which I learned through the Chapter 2 readings- Common schools were created in effort to create a cohesive body of democratic citizens. This was seen as a need due to the influx of immigrants. But there was a problem; the issues with the common school were that most were only one classroom, which meant a high and diverse population of students, most of which were ESL students. This is where I see motion pictures as a positive addition to education at that time. Teachers who couldn't communicate with their ESL students could rely on the motion pictures (the instructional films) to communicate visually to the students.  These videos commonly embedded values, lessons and even encouraged patriotism. These videos would have also benefited the English speaking students with limited literacy. 

      The issue to bringing these films into schools was the concern of their educational value. Grace's grandmother brought up the controversial debate of Channel One, which was a program played every morning- it was 12 minutes long, 2 minutes of which were commercials. You may wonder how this was even allowed..Basically, technology was wanted in schools, but it was expensive. Administration signed contracts which got them free equipment at the expense of the students being exposed to 2 minutes of commercials every day. This left teachers with the responsibility to teach students to become critical viewers and how to detect propaganda in media. Two views I saw as interesting and relating to this issue were cultural criticism and protectionism. Cultural criticism is something I believe I can relate to today through the commercials, advertisements and TV shows which definitely promote oppressive ideologies and stereotypes. This overlaps with protectionism in where it seeks censorship over harmful technologies and their content- Cultural criticism actually fights against schools from giving companies advertising rights and protectionism fears that technologies can exert heavy influences upon users (especially young ones). To me these perspectives go hand in hand. Being that students are exposed when they are so young to these technologies it is important to start educating them about this manipulation as soon as technology becomes a part of their life. This use of film today is not so different from the use it had over 100 years ago. We still see films that instill certain values and morals in people, advertising still targets audiences, and there are definitely instructional videos still being made but today we call them tutorials. An example that comes to mind is the commonly known Joe Camel ads, that we don't see today due to some sort of regulations or lawsuit I'm sure. Cartoon characters, bright vibrant colors and other factors are regularly used in advertisements that are meant to attract the youth. Teachers today are no different from the way they were in the sense that it is still our responsibility to teach students to detect, analyze and be critical users of technologies to avoid being targets of marketing and propaganda.

     

      Ultimately the success or failure of technology in a classroom does depend on the teacher. I think it’s important to consider that when using technology you need to make sure your students comprehend the information. Sometimes there are technologies that are more 'fun' and less educational (such as the Oregon Trail- which I really, really liked to play but I can't seem to remember if what I learned was more educational versus fun). Something future administration needs to consider is how to keep future teachers on track with technology. Being that I will be considered a "digital native," I can use my knowledge to help my students become responsible users of technology and I will be able to use the technology in my classroom efficiently, but it is still necessary for me to keep up to date with the latest thing. This is where administration should have workshops on the newest developments. Just like my previous blog, I think it's important to gauge where students' views on technology are and use them to help push them towards the responsible users we should all try to be.

      On a final note I thought it was a great idea (stated in the interview) to have the students review a McDonald's commercial and look for persuasion techniques- my idea of a positive use of current media.

The art form of film is shown above being used as a way to embed desirable behaviors into adolescents (Still shot from Etiquette Film 1940s).

          Domine, Vanessa. "A Social History of Media, Technology and Schooling." The National Association for Media Literacy Education's Journal of Media Literacy Education 1 (2009): 42-52. JMLE. Web. 1 Feb. 2012.

Domine, Vanessa Elaine. Rethinking Technology in Schools Primer.  New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Print.

[1] Interactivity #1: Technology as Autobiography

          As a future teacher it is important to keep up with the latest technologies, specifically the ones that we can take advantage of in the classroom. Whether you want to accept it or not, technology is constantly being used more and more in the classrooms that we will be teaching in. It's a way of communicating, learning, researching, writing, creating, and even teaching. Technology has so many uses and everyday more advantages become accessible to us. As with anything, advantages come with disadvantages. I agree and think it's important that we first need to assess our situations and where we stand with technology in order to use it appropriately in our classrooms and to be able to understand the relationships our students have with technology too.

          The three communication technologies/concepts I chose were text messaging, internet access from my laptop, and my 3DS. These technologies have helped me in many ways but also if you're not too careful you’ll start to abuse them. I like text messaging for the convenience factor. If I need to tell or ask someone something - instead of calling I can send a simple text for a quick response. People are pretty efficient when it comes to respond to a text versus a phone call too. Texting does eliminate the human contact though. Texting is also like another language in which the meaning of something can be lost in translation, or misinterpreted.

          Next I chose the internet, on my laptop, which has helped me in multiple ways but has been more of a negative impact when it comes to social networking. To me there is a fine line between the advantages and disadvantages of social networking. I understand it’s a way of keeping in touch with family and friends from all over the world, but at the same time people use it beyond just that. People practically live their lives through their Facebook or twitter and it’s almost infectious. I enjoy an online class where work is done through a blog because it’s the convenience factor again and it’s using technology to its advantage. A chunk of the users on Facebook, twitter and such are abusing these technologies (as in they have no control and are in a sense addicted to them). I believe technology has advanced our world in many important ways, but I still believe in human contact and social experiences (especially in the world of education and art!!) There is obviously much good to the internet through a laptop such as portability and accessibility to information from anywhere with a connection.

          Lastly the final device I chose was a 3DS (for those who don't know it’s just an advanced version of Nintendo’s Gameboy). It doesn't have too many advantages when it comes to learning. I mainly use it for games and it does have internet access. Even though I don’t have a Facebook I can use it to communicate with other users and in the same sense as Facebook because it does keep me connected to a 'cult' of 3DS users. These three technologies have their downfalls but they have also mainly helped entertain and educate me, while keeping me connected to the world.

          After assessing your individual situation, you come to a better understanding of how your technologies mediate your life for better and for worse. After understanding the role technology plays in your own life, it's important to be able to assess and understand the role of technology in your students’ lives.

          Olivia’s relationship with technology is important for me as a teacher to know about so I can use it in my lessons appropriately. It’s important to know where each student stands when it comes to technology. In the video clip the first teacher asked who had access to a computer and I saw the majority of students not raising their hands and looking around. That should be the first question a teacher asks so you now see that it might be a struggle for some students to get on a computer when they’re not provided for them. Even if all students have access, you can’t just assume they know how to use a computer.

          Just like me, the kids in the second video, Learning to Change, Changing to Learn, most mentioned the convenience factor. Reading and writing can now be done simultaneously. Any notes you take while reading off an online book can be edited (not erased and rewritten) into a report format. The creating, editing, making, and recording of music and art can also be done on the computer with the right software. Olivia and the other students in both videos enjoy these technologies and have become attached to them. As a teacher you need to be able to keep a student engaged, and one strategy is incorporating these technologies they like into their education. Kids have unlimited knowledge at their fingertips and they clearly took it into their own hands to learn these programs and self-teach themselves about topics they want to know. I know I self-educated myself when I was younger if something sounded interesting. HTML coding, music editing, all sorts of art programs, sign language, anything I was interested in I looked it up on the internet and downloaded it. These kids are using their technologies to do the same exact thing. In all cases Olivia, the other students, and I are all using these devices to entertain, educate and socialize. With this knowledge, as a teacher, I can combine the way we all use technologies into an educational setting to increase the want to learn. Technology can make anything fun…