Podcast

This week's big assignment involved creating a PodCast for classroom use, relevant to subject, grade level, and content material being taught. We were also expected to cite specific standards which might be met through facilitation of the lesson. Additional requirements for this activity included creating and linking to a PodCast script, lesson plan, and lesson materials.

I believe that this process could be an effective tool for live classroom facilitation by a substitute, or for any number of independent or distance learning class components, which students might be involved (including absenteeism or OSS, to minimize potential for falling behind). The context in which I designed my lesson was a Distance Learning class. The content coverage accessible by this method seems limited only to the capacity of students to gather primary information from a recorded audio source. The lack of two-way communication present within this teaching method limits the extent to which content can be covered and reinforced, but this weakness can be effectively adjusted for with use of other technological applications such as IM, Skype, Email, Discussion Boards, etc.

Powered by Podbean.com

I used MS Word to create the supporting documents required for this assignment, then uploaded them to GoogleDocs, and published. These documents can be accessed by clicking on the following links:

1. PodCast Script
2. Twilight Poetry Lesson Plan
3. Hand Out I: Poems (Selected Keats & Yeats)
4. Hand Out II: Lesson Questions
5. Assessment Rubric

I created my PodCast by using Audacity freeware. There were some challenges inherent to the process of downloading and using this application, but ultimately - after hours spent nose deep in tutorials - I was able to lay down and format my voice tracks, as well as additional audio components, before saving the audio file, exporting it to my desktop as an MP3, and uploading the finished product to PodBean.com. My PodCast can be accessed with the player tool embeded within this message (by pressing the play symbol), or by clicking here.

TPACK
Today's assignment is relevant to a wide spectrum of content material and methods for course instruction (CK). The ability to turn a lesson into an internet-based PodCast opens many avenues for in class and out of class instruction (P). Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.

Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by designing or adapting relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by addressing the diverse needs of all learners, using learner-centered strategies that provide equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

Integration
As an English Teacher, I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent activities rely greatly on my ability to develop and create many of the materials present within this assignment. These factors may be improved with the use of content-related tools such as PodCasts, lesson plans, and rubrics; and by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources.

Assessment Forms

Today's assignment involved designing a content quiz with the the use of the 'forms' application of Google Docs. I designed the following quiz around principles of grammar that are covered in secondary-level English classes.




The quiz can also be accessed by clicking here.

TPACK
As discussed in "Presentation Games," teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class (CK). The assessment and evaluative applications of the process used in this assignment are multidimensional and relevant to review, testing, and recreational classroom objectives. Products using this application can additionally be established and maintained alongside my lectures, presentations, and student activities (P), in order to pursue content comprehension, convergence, and application, as well as assess student learning outcomes. The development and online accessibility of my assessment tools (T), can greatly assist me in creating, using, and evaluating instructional methods/materials.

Relation to standards
The process of developing internet accessible assessments relates to several ISTE NETS standards, but primarily meets the vision of #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature and evaluate my instructional effectiveness at the same time. The use and incorporation of assessment forms in my instruction will serve to provide critical formative data and inform my instructional methods, which might collaboratively be used to maintain my effectiveness as a teacher.

Assessments Rubistar

Today's assignment involved designing a rubric that might be applied to a student assignment. A rubric is basically a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work. By using them in class, and providing activity-oriented rubrics to students, a teacher in effect helps his or her students figure out what assignment expectations are, and how projects will be evaluated. I created a rubric around the premise of a Creative Writing Assignment, which can be view below. For this assignment I've employed a four-point grading scale, with 4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D, & 0=F.



After creating my rubric on the Rubistar Website, I downloaded the file as a MS Excel Spreadsheet, and uploaded it to Google Docs. This document can be accessed by clicking here. The rubric can also be accessed at the Rubistar Website by clicking here.

TPACK
Teaching English requires the integration and assessment of instruction of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class (CK). The assessment and evaluative applications of the process used in this assignment are multidimensional and relevant to review, testing, and application, evaluation, and development of authentic assessments (P). The technology-based development and online accessibility of my assessment tools (T), can greatly assist me in creating, using, and evaluating instructional methods/materials for classroom use.

Relation to standards
The process of developing internet accessible assessment rubrics relates to several ISTE NETS standards, but primarily meets the vision of #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature and evaluate my instructional effectiveness at the same time. The use and incorporation of digital rubrics in my instruction will serve to provide critical formative data and inform my instructional methods, which might collaboratively be used to maintain my effectiveness as a teacher.

Moving Pictures

This assignment involved using Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to transform a slide show into a web accessible movie. The process was fairly simple: Take an already developed educational slide show (I decided to revisit the Archetypal Hero theme), reformat the slides as individual JPEG files, upload the files to WMM, and start playing around.

There is great potential for this program in the classroom, and a wide range of potential applications. This is a very accessible program, and most computers (with MS Windows platforms) come equipped with WMM already installed. Additionally, there is an extensive margin allowing for creativity in designing movies with this program, which amounts to increased student interest and engagement in lessons involving the tool. Here's my video:



My movie can also be accessed at YouTube by clicking here, or at TeacherTube by clicking here. One of the largest benefits of using WMM, and like programs, is the multiple access points that can be used to reach the end product, as evidenced above. As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

TPACK
As mentioned in a prior blog post, a teacher might use a Power Point presentation for several reasons over the course of instruction (CK). The ability to turn that presentation into an internet-accessible film however, opens new avenues for creativity and student engagement. This tool could be used to outline assignment specifications and introduce new material, support substitutes, or inject some fun while illustrating the main points of a lesson. An additional significant facet for using moving pictures and other movie-based applications for classroom instruction involves having students work on presentations of their own (P), either individually or collaboratively, fostering direct learning and presentation skills, and encouraging creativity. Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.

Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Integration
As an English Teacher, I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved with the use of content oriented movie applications, and by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources.

Presentation Games

Today's assignment involved experimenting with presentation games via the MS PowerPoint application. The requirments for the activity included creation of a short quiz in our content area, based on a template provided by the course instructor. I chose to focus on literature related content, in line with English language and literature CSO's. This application is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom for informal assessment purposes, and is also a good interactive tool for engaging students in a fun way. The PowerPoint I created can be viewed below, but unfortunately animative features were lost in transitioning the file format from PPT to Google Presentation. I've accounted for this discrepency by adding edited duplicate slides in order to present before & after perspectives for how individual slides in the presentation work. The presentation can also be accessed by clicking here.




TPACK
In using this, and like processes, for classroom instruction, teachers might more readily demonstrate technological competence in teaching within their content areas (TPCK). As in previous assignments, this application and activity can easily be modified to provide an avenue for teachers to model technological skills and methods, and promote modern technological responsibility related to privacy and appropriateness aspects inherent to publicizing material online.

Teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class (CK). The assessment and evaluative applications of the process used in this assignment are multidimensional and relevant to review, testing, and recreational classroom objectives. Products using this application can additionally be established and maintained alongside my lectures, presentations, and student activities (P), in order to pursue content comprehension, convergence, and application, as well as assess student learning outcomes. The development and online accessibility of my assessment tools (T), can greatly assist me in creating, using, and evaluating instructional methods/materials.

Relation to standards
The process of developing internet accessible assessments relates to several ISTE NETS standards, but primarily meets the vision of #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching..

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature and evaluate my instructional effectiveness at the same time. The use and incorporation of Presentation Games in my instruction will serve to provide critical formative data and inform my instructional methods, which might collaboratively be used to maintain my effectiveness as a teacher.

Pecha Kucha & Ignite Presentation Styles

Today's assignment involved creating a slide-show presentation, related to our content areas, in the Ignite format. The reader's digest version (as presented on the course activities site) is "20 slides, advanced automatically after 15 seconds," for a total presentation time of five minutes. My presentation consists of 22 slides, but the 21st is just a closing thought (or opportunity for transition to a follow-up activity) and the 22nd simply cites nongraphic-content references used. Although loosly based on content material used for a previous presentation, the task was actually a bit tougher than I expected it to be. The course instructor suggested after the last presentation-based assignment that they should focus on short, direct points and question, utilize high quality graphics, and avoid large chunks of text. I worked very hard to meet all of these goals with this presentation, and incorporate material which might readily engage students as well. -Doing so was a bit difficult, but I believe the final product is both accessible to students and something that can be easily modified for classroom use. Look below, or click here, to access my Hero Archetype presentation, and as always, feel free to leave feedback.

Hero Archetype

View more documents from chrismurban.

For this activity, I located and selected my presentation graphics with use of Google Images, and by using the Print Screen utility in some cases; then edited (mostly cropping) the images in MS Paint, before adding them to my text in MS PowerPoint. In this process I tried to maintain font size at of above 30 pt. Upon completing the presentation, I uploaded it to an account I created at Slideshare.net, and embedded the Html code for finished product in this post. Ultimately, I think this is another great tool for facilitating classroom instruction, but while the visual appeal for this format may be grater than that related to more traditional methods, great emphasis will be placed on discussion, provision or development of lecture notes (for the students), and student interaction for Q&A (which will likely push the time over five minutes).

While practical educator uses for classroom instruction are limited by this format however, it has promise for use in group presentations, because it would likily allow every group in a large class the opportunity to present. Aside from this factor, the technological aspects of the assignment (both presentation style and accessability) are worth investing time in, and have a broad base of uses for classroom facilitation.

TPACK
As mentioned in a prior blog post, a teacher might use a Power Point presentation for several reasons over the course of instruction (CK). The tool could be used to outline assignment specifications, give an overview of the day's lesson, or if the teacher is lecturing, he or she might use presentations to illustrate the main points of that lecture. An additional significant facet for using PowerPoint to facilitate classroom instruction involves having students work on presentations of their own (P), either individually or collaboratively, fostering direct learning and presentation skills, and encouraging creativity. Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.

Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Integration
As an English Teacher, I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved with the use of slide show presentations, and by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including Pecha Kucha & Ignite Presentation Styles.

EDUC 6305: Photo Story

Today's assignment involved creating a photo story by use of Microsoft's Photo Story 3. In putting my Photo Story together, I focused on pictures taken during a trip I took to Europe with my fiance last summer (many of the same and related pictures can be accessed in the slide shows ebeded in the left-hand colum and toward the bottom of this page). After assembling the pictures into something loosely resembling chronological order, I used the editing tools to tweak the transitional process between pictures, add text, make a soundtrack, and embed some voice-over narration. It was a time consuming process, but very fun well as well. You can access my Photo Story below.

As far as practical uses for this tool in classroom instruction are concerned, they are many and quite varied. Students would have a great amount of autonomy in putting together stories related to themselves, class content, presentations, collaborative work, and cross-curricular projects in extremely creative ways. This of course also carries with primary instructional use by teachers, to better facilitate lessons, activities, and document class progress in a readily accessible manner. Ultimately, this presents as yet another wonderful tool marrying the concepts of technology and education to benefit both.

TPACK
In using this, and like processes, for classroom instruction, teachers might more readily demonstrate technological competence in teaching within their content areas (TPCK). As in previous assignments, this application and activity can easily be modified to provide an avenue for teachers to model technological skills and methods, and promote modern technological responsibility related to privacy and appropriateness aspects inherent to publicizing material online.

Teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class. The cited content theme of story presentation incorporating pictorial representation (CK), is relevant to the English curriculum and content field both directly and indirectly, as it can be used readily to address issues related to literature, composition, and language. Products using this application can be established and maintained in my lectures, presentations, and student activities (P), in order to pursue content comprehension, application, synthesis, and evaluation, as well as assess student learning outcomes. Varied cross-curricular instructional avenues and possibilities for engaging multiple learning domains also coincide with this tool. The development and online accessibility of my visual tools (T), and those of my students, can greatly assist me in creating and using instructional methods/materials.

Relation to standards
The process of developing online graphics and diagrams, and linking them in one cohesive project relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by developing technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by demonstrating fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility by promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The use and incorporation of PhotoStories in my instruction will serve to improve instructional effectiveness within content and affective domains. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

EDUC 6305: Power Point & Google Presentation Embed

Today's assignment involved creating a PowerPoint presentation reflecting a 'problematic' teaching standard or topic within our individual content areas. As my area of specialization is English, of which literary criticism can often be difficult for students (and teachers) to sort out within a classroom context, I felt that putting together a slide show reflecting some of the various schools of thought might be worthwhile. The presentation I made can be accessed below, or by clicking here.



TPACK
A teacher might use a Power Point presentation for several reasons over the course of instruction (CK). The tool could be used to outline assignment specifications, give an overview of the day's lesson, or if the teacher is lecturing, he or she might use presentations to illustrate the main points of that lecture. An additional significant facet for using PowerPoint to facilitate classroom instruction involves having students work on presentations of their own (P), either individually or collaboratively, fostering direct learning and presentation skills, and encouraging creativity (this is especially significant in the development of illuminated texts -I can not say it enough: Check out AWaytoTeach.net if you have not already done so!).

Of course, this process also teaches, facilitates, maintains, and showcases technological literacy (T), responsibility, effectiveness, and utility for teachers and students alike.


Relation to standards
The development and use of internet-accessible content material relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, thinking, planning, and creative processes; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, by advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

-The additional assignment component of posting the presentation within this blog is admittedly less than an rewarding process however. The ready accessibility of publishing online is once again a fantastic avenue for developing and sharing resources, ideas, and communication, but the transfer from MS platform presentation with multitudes of presentational devices to a limited and somewhat time consuming Google-based web application is not pleasant. Don't get me wrong, Google is great (if it weren't, I wouldn't have this blog or the ability to share documents as readily) and MS can be much less than great (for several reasons), but it takes time to get a presentation from one platform to the other, then more time playing with formatting. Ultimately, despite the effort necessary to provide it though, I'm happy with the results. And while the MS presentation might be more appealing visually, this one has much better mobility. -Plus I found a neat blackboard background... Let's take a moment to fully appreciate the various layers of irony and metaphor!

As always, comments are welcome. -Let me know what you think!

EDUC 6305: Jackson Pollock

Today's assignment involved creating graphics in the artistic style of Jackson Pollock. I created the first image below, which I have entitled 'Whiskey Sunrise,' using the Pollock application at Manetas.com. Creating images at the site was a fairly straightforward process, but there were some limitations: only one color could be used, the user has little to no control over how the 'paint' is distributed beyond direction, and in order to save the image the mouse the Print Screen Utility has to be used. I enjoyed using the program, and made several images before coming up with one that I liked.

Whiskey Sunrise

In the process of making my first graphic, I found myself thinking that it'd be nice to have a broader pallet than orange and by backtracking the URL, I found a couple other interesting Pollock-oriented sites. I created 'Righteous Indignation' at Jacksonpollock.org and also perused iPollock.com, which is similar, but has a more gallery-oriented feel to it. At both sites the user can incorporate different colors, but the other limitations are still present and the color range is random.

Righteous Indignation

TPACK
Despite the limitations however, it was a fun process and while I don't see many educational avenues (CK) for the use of these programs outside of an art class (though English and history might be effectively related and used in cross-curricular creative, interpretive, or presentation oriented projects, and to place Pollock's artistic movement in historical context), I might use the programs for redirectional, brainstorming, and prompting purposes within my own classroom (P). As with previous assignments, the technological orientation of this activity ensures engagment of technological literacy (T).

Relation to standards
As stated before, the process of developing online graphics and diagrams relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness; and #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by developing technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The use and incorporation of graphic elements in my instruction, as well as facilitation of activities that allow students to engage in the same process, will be essential to meeting the needs of my students. Provision of redirectional activities and avenues for creative expression may also contribute to the effectiveness of this process. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

EDUC 6305: Self Portrait

Today's assignment represented another exercise related to the use of internet-based graphic applications. More specifically, we were instructed to create self portraits in visual likeness to the artistic style of Pablo Picasso; by use of the interactive tools located at Mr. Picassohead.com. The website provides several images, representative of various facial elements, which can be accessed and utilized by dragging each from the toolbar to the 'canvas.' From this point, the various elements can be individually manipulated to manage size, color, rotation, and orientation.

After playing around with the tools for a while, I was able to produce the image on the left. My self-portrait might also be accessed at the site gallery by clicking here.

All said, the assignment was rather enjoyable, and the only difficult aspects involved engaging my creative ability (or lack thereof) to use the elements provided in a remotely artistic fashion, and actually saving a copy of the graphic once it was completed (since it was created in a flash program, the 'Print Screen' utility had to be used to save and manipulate a copy).

TPACK
The application itself, has enormous potential within educational settings, both academically and on a more personal level. Within a classroom context (CK), I believe that Mr. Picassohead could be effectively utilized to illustrate various literary characters, events, and processes, which might then be used in a collective or collaborative fashion toward creating project-based assignments; such as book reports or illustrated texts. Also, as mentioned before, the process of creating graphics with this application necessitates significant use of creativity. This factor serves to make the application fun (P), engaging, and appropriate for student-centered activities; as well as a possible option for 'break activities' and activities related to creative writing. This application might also be used effectively to demonstrate and reinforce the teacher's technological literacy and competence in the content area (T).


Relation to standards
As stated before, the process of developing online graphics and diagrams relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by developing technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by facilitating effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support learning; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility by promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The use and incorporation of graphic elements in my instruction, as well as facilitation of activities which allow students to engage in the same process, will be essential to meeting the needs of my students. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

EDUC 6305: Photoshop Express

Today's assignment built upon the content of yesterday's, focusing on the manipulation of photographs, post production. For this process, we were instructed create an account at and make use of Photoshop Express. After completing this process, I uploaded an image of my brothers and myself a from a little over ten years ago, and played with the graphic using tools available at the sight.

Before:

After:

It was a fun experience and it'll be interesting to see how my brothers react, but I did feel a little constrained by the limited editing options represented within this application. While there are several options for editing the format of a picture (such as cropping, tinting, filtering, warping, and marginal cloning), the choices available for adding to the picture are confined to a handful of pre-loaded images, which can only be manipulated to a small extent. Adding components involving elements such as new images or freehand drawing is not an option within the program (at least not one that I could find). -Though to be sure, the use of other programs, such as MS Paint, in conjunction, might allow for some additional creative avenues and maneuverability.

The largest benefit of this program is that it's free. It therefore lends itself well to classroom use because students and teachers have equal access, unrelated to financial costs. There are several practical, creative, and social, uses for such an application within the classroom. In addition to lending itself well toward projects involving graphic elements such as fliers, posters, illustrations, and illuminated texts (as mentioned in previous posts), or photo sharing, this application might also be used (to an extent) to edit graphic elements of educational activities. Also, like Picasa, Photshop Express allows users to warehouse pictures online (up to 2G, for free), which can later be used for additional purposes, without necessitating access to portable storage devices (like flash drives).


To access my Photoshop Gallery, click here.

TPACK
In using this, and like processes, for classroom instruction, teachers might more readily demonstrate technological competence in teaching within their content areas (TPCK). As in the previous assignment, this application and activity can easily be modified to provide an avenue for teachers to model technological skills and methods, and promote modern technological responsibility related to privacy and appropriateness aspects inherent to publicizing material online.

Teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary materials, events, topics, and movements into the class. The cited content theme of Graphic Representation (CK), while not immediately relevant to the English curriculum or content field, can be established and maintained in my lectures, presentations, and student activities (P), in order to pursue cross-curricular instructional avenues and engage multiple learning domains. Online organization and accessibility of my visual tools (T), and those of my students, can greatly assist me in creating and using instructional methods/materials.


Relation to standards
The process of developing online graphics and diagrams relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress; #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by modeling and facilitating effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning; and #4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility by promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The use and incorporation of graphic elements in my instruction will be essential to meeting the needs of my students. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

EDUC 6305: Web Album

Today's assignment involved creating a photo album with use of a free internet application. I chose to use Picasa Web Albums primarily because of its compatibility with Google applications. It was a fairly simple process to create an account, and after doing so I was able to upload some random pictures, taken over the last few years, add some captions, geo-map them, and link the finished production to a slide show gadget, which can be viewed in the left-hand column. It was a fun activity that brought back more than a few memories.

Among other things, adding the slide show as a blog element adds a 'human' component to what might otherwise be extremely dry reading. Aside from the current application however, there are several alternate instructional uses, which might be suitable. Project-based pictures could be taken, published, and presented by similar methods, and other uses might involve taking photo evidence of student assignments toward incorporation into individual end-of-year portfolios for evaluation purposes. Students might additionally store images in Picasa, and like programs, for future editing and use in assignments involving cover pages, posters, illuminated texts, or similar graphically-oriented projects. In addition to content-based technological applications (TPCK), making use of this process and component applications for classroom instruction readily lends itself to meeting the first four ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). More specifically, using web-based photo applications in class can both facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity because photos offer a personal approach to learning, can be used for digital-age assessment as previously mentioned, provides an avenue for teachers to model technological skills and methods, and promotes responsibility inherently because privacy and appropriateness are extremely significant aspects of publicizing material online.

To access my album click here, or view and click on the slide show gadget located in the left-hand column.

EDUC 6305: Online Graphics

For this assignment, we were asked to compare the 4th and 8th grade average reading scores for West Virginia with the national averages from 2003-2007, utilizing National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, as documented by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

We were then asked to make comparative charts relating this information, by accessing the graphing tools at Kids' Zone.

Click here to see a document presenting the information within the first chart from the perspective of the head of the statewide reading initiative, and the second from the perspective of a concerned parent, going before the state legislature to respectively increase and question the use of funds for the statewide reading initiatives.

From this activity, I've become rather concerned myself with regard to the reading standards and initiatives within West Virginia, and nationally. The scores are not good, and while national scores at least appear to be improving marginally, West Virginia average scores have declined and plateaued.

The tools used within this activity could easily be adapted for classroom use, particularly for use in presentation-oriented projects. Additionally, these tools might be used effectively for cross-curricular activities, particularly in the fields of math, business, English, science, and history.

TPACK

Teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary events, topics, and movements into the class. The cited content theme of Score Tracking (CK), while not immediately relevant to the English curriculum or content field, can be established and maintained in my lectures, presentations, and research activities (P), in order to pursue cross-curricular instructional avenues. Online organization and accessibility of my visual tools (T), and those of my students, can greatly assist me in creating and using instructional methods/materials.

Relation to standards

The process of developing online graphics and diagrams relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by engaging students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments; and #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by collaborating with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

Integration

As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature, as well as work collaboratively with peers. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including graphic representations.

EDUC 6305: Crappy Graphics

I've just completed working on a Venn diagram, designed to represent some of the interrelated types of imagery present in literature. The diagram shows that personification, simile, and metaphor represent different forms of this literary device.

I made this graphic at CrappyGraphs.com by inputting the data I wanted, submitting it, and saving the resulting image. Use of this method allows teachers to create easily reproduced technological graphic representations, illustrating the relationships between key content topics. The tools can be used for a wide range of activities, and lend themselves well to presentation, assessment, and instructional purposes. Similar processes might be used to engender student-lead projects and the technological process and products relate to TPCK standards, but it should be noted that the content at CrappyGraphs.com ranges from informative, to inappropriate, and in some cases offensive. To see my finished product click here.

TPACK
Teaching English requires the integration of current, historic, and developing linguistic and literary events, topics, and movements into the class. The cited content theme of Literary Devices (CK) can be established and maintained in my lectures, presentations, and our research activities (P). Online organization and accessibility of my visual tools (T) can greatly assist me in creating and using instructional materials.

Relation to standards
The process of developing online graphics and diagrams relates to several ISTE NETS standards, primarily #1 Facilitate and inspire student creativity and innovation by promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness; #2: Design and develop digital age learning experiences by using contemporary tools, methods, and presentation factors; and #3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning by communicating relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Integration
As an English Teacher I will be required to teach English language and literature. The quality of my classroom facilitation and inherent presentations may be improved by the systematic collection, development, archiving, and retrieving of electronic resources including images.