This week we did not have class, but we did have the opportunity to work on our Photoshop tutorial project and others as well. This blog will be focusing on the practice tutorial mainly. First I would like to say that it was great being able to practice on photoshop before actually having to do a real project with it. Also, having the instructions written out word for word is something that really helped me. Learning how to work with all of the different applications and layers of photoshop was fun and interesting, as well as a little difficult.
Photoshop is a program that takes a lot of practice and patience to use, especially for someone like me who is not good at anything technical. But, I believe that this program is very useful for teaching and education. While i would not recommend the program to every grade in school, if teachers know how to use it then it can be utilized to create an even better classroom. Teachers can create unique pieces in different things that the students are learning and help the students keep the information fresh in their mind with a good project. I also think that teaching the students in middle school or high school how to use it could be important. For kids that want to go into journalism, advertising, etc, photoshop is a great program to learn how to utilize.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop
The link that i used for this post is a link to wikipedia talking about photoshop. I know that many times wikipedia isnt considered to be a credible site, but i think that mostly it has some relevant information that is easy to follow and learn about. The website gives information about the program and can help a new user learn about the program and grasp the knowledge that they need to use the program effectively.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Week 7 Visual Literacy
In class this week we discussed digital storytelling. This is the concept of combining narrative with digital content. This is an idea that is catching on really quick, and it is the new way to get a story across. Today, a digital story is a way of creating an emotional piece on the computer by combining images, sound, voice notes, etc...The days of creating a masterpiece on the computer are here. I personally find this concept interesting due to the fact that with programs like imovie or animoto it is not only quick but also easy. for someone who is technologically challenged, this is the perfect way to create a piece of work.
In education, things are changing rapidly. Technology is becoming more and more integrated into everyday life in the classroom. Programs on the computer like animoto and imovie can easily replace the old days where a student had to write a paper about something and turn it in. this gives a student a way to actually incorporate many different things into a project and become more creative. With these programs, students are expanding their horizons and raising the bar for future students to come.
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/
The link above is to the University of Houston's website on digital storytelling. it talks about the educational importance of digital storytelling and goes into great depth about different software that you can use, examples, tools, how to use it, etc. One of the reasons that I used this site is because in the article that we read about digital storytelling talks about the college of education at the university and the great advances that it has made in using digital storytelling and telling the public about its importance.
In education, things are changing rapidly. Technology is becoming more and more integrated into everyday life in the classroom. Programs on the computer like animoto and imovie can easily replace the old days where a student had to write a paper about something and turn it in. this gives a student a way to actually incorporate many different things into a project and become more creative. With these programs, students are expanding their horizons and raising the bar for future students to come.
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/
The link above is to the University of Houston's website on digital storytelling. it talks about the educational importance of digital storytelling and goes into great depth about different software that you can use, examples, tools, how to use it, etc. One of the reasons that I used this site is because in the article that we read about digital storytelling talks about the college of education at the university and the great advances that it has made in using digital storytelling and telling the public about its importance.
Week 6 Media and Information Literacy
This week in class we discussed the concept of visual literacy. This is something that I think that everyone knows what it is but its not something that many people actually take the time to look at and realize the importance of it. the idea of visual literacy is that a picture can be read and information can be conveyed through this picture. the classic example of this would be Photoshop. It basically takes an image and allows a message to be conveyed through it. I believe that visual images are much more exciting and catch peoples attention more than words on a page do so this is an interesting concept.
In education, especially early childhood education, which is what i am interested in, visual clues are something that are essential in helping children to learn. Programs like photoshop can really help a teacher to help children learn by making something fun and interesting. like i stated previously, images are much more exciting than words, and preK and kindergarten children cannot read well anyways, so pictures and images are the ways that a teacher can help them to learn.
http://k-8visual.info/
The link above is to a website that talks about how visual literacy helps children from kindergarten to eighth grade learn. the website explains why and it even offers some free examples that you can download and use. i think that this website was a good choice because it is not only a good example, it is also a website that i would use once i actually became a teacher. it even has toolkit that you can use to help you get started. a website like this is certainly helpful in utilizing all of the tools that you can in order to help children learn the best way.
In education, especially early childhood education, which is what i am interested in, visual clues are something that are essential in helping children to learn. Programs like photoshop can really help a teacher to help children learn by making something fun and interesting. like i stated previously, images are much more exciting than words, and preK and kindergarten children cannot read well anyways, so pictures and images are the ways that a teacher can help them to learn.
http://k-8visual.info/
The link above is to a website that talks about how visual literacy helps children from kindergarten to eighth grade learn. the website explains why and it even offers some free examples that you can download and use. i think that this website was a good choice because it is not only a good example, it is also a website that i would use once i actually became a teacher. it even has toolkit that you can use to help you get started. a website like this is certainly helpful in utilizing all of the tools that you can in order to help children learn the best way.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Week 5: Webspiration
In week five we discussed an application known as Webspiration. It is a site that allows for mind mapping. What this essentially does is allows you to take an idea or a list and categorize it the way that you would like. I thought that it was very interesting and I am glad that I learned about it because I need some way to stay organized and I think that this is a great way to do it.
This particular tool could be very helpful for teachers and students alike. Teachers who need to outline their curriculum, or organize their lesson plans can look to this tool to create a quick easy, ready to use visual outline. For those that aren't visual, there is also a text that shows the outline of thoughts. Students can use it to keep track of homework assignments, do projects, and many other things.
http://www.mywebspiration.com/
The link above is a direct link to Webspiration and allows you to sign up to be able to use it. I thought that I should go ahead and show the exact website so that if anyone would like to try out this new tool then they would be directed to the site upon immediately clicking on the link.
This particular tool could be very helpful for teachers and students alike. Teachers who need to outline their curriculum, or organize their lesson plans can look to this tool to create a quick easy, ready to use visual outline. For those that aren't visual, there is also a text that shows the outline of thoughts. Students can use it to keep track of homework assignments, do projects, and many other things.
http://www.mywebspiration.com/
The link above is a direct link to Webspiration and allows you to sign up to be able to use it. I thought that I should go ahead and show the exact website so that if anyone would like to try out this new tool then they would be directed to the site upon immediately clicking on the link.
Extra Blog Post:Copyright Video
The video that I am posting is about internet ethics and certain examples that show the violation of copyright laws, such as the wikileaks. I obtained this video from Youtube. I believe that this video is important to look at because it shows the importance of copyright laws and what happens when someone does not follow them. It also relates directly to the internet and copyright laws which I thought was especially essential for this class.
Week 4 Copyright Law, Plagarism, and Ethical Issues
In week four we discussed copyright laws and exactly what they cover. We also learned about the ethical issues regarding copyright law and how people are protected through copyright laws. Copyright allows authors, songwriters, inventors, and many more to publish their work freely without the fear that someone will copy it, take credit for it, or use it in a way that the author did not intend. I believe that copyright laws are very important and that they should be taken seriously. Without the protection of ideas and thoughts then I think that many people would be hesitant to share their thoughts with the world and I believe that would lead to a decline in society.
Education is a field that revolves around the sharing of ideas. Without copyright laws, or some sort of enforcement the sharing of ideas would lessen and not as much teaching would be done. Copyright laws are important because it gives scholars the chance to publish their works and share them with the world without fear of having their work stolen, corrupted, or used in a way that it wasn't intended.
http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/copyright/?DCMP=KNC-Copyright&HBX_PK=copyright+laws&HBX_OU=50
The link that is listed above is a site that gives the details on copyright laws and lists all of the actual laws. I thought that it was important to use this website because it sheds light on many of the specifics regarding copyright law and explains everything so that anyone who is confused about the matter can look and see the distinct features of all of the copyright laws.
Education is a field that revolves around the sharing of ideas. Without copyright laws, or some sort of enforcement the sharing of ideas would lessen and not as much teaching would be done. Copyright laws are important because it gives scholars the chance to publish their works and share them with the world without fear of having their work stolen, corrupted, or used in a way that it wasn't intended.
http://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/copyright/?DCMP=KNC-Copyright&HBX_PK=copyright+laws&HBX_OU=50
The link that is listed above is a site that gives the details on copyright laws and lists all of the actual laws. I thought that it was important to use this website because it sheds light on many of the specifics regarding copyright law and explains everything so that anyone who is confused about the matter can look and see the distinct features of all of the copyright laws.
Week 3 Web 2.0
In week three we discussed Web 2.0. It is basically a new version of the internet that is much more user friendly and allows for many more operations. In this new web there are so many different applications that someone can use. Our assignment for the week was to look up three different "tools" accessible in Web 2.0. Web 2.0 isn't actually a new web. It is a shift in trends in web designs that allows users to own, add and share content collaboratively. This gave rise to social networking sites, sites where you can share anything from pictures to recipes to ideas, and other new sites.
This concept of Web 2.0 is very important to the field of technology as well as other fields. In the field of technology, social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace can be used to gather students online and use it as a way to teach. You could create classroom groups that allow for discussion of ideas, and allows for students to ask questions, all while getting to know each other better. There are also sites that could be used to create a collaboration of ideas from students. This could help students learn better and learn more. Being able to have these tools at our disposal is important and we should take every opportunity that we have to explore and use them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
The site that is listed above is an article that shows the history and concepts of Facebook, which is arguable the most popular social networking site in the world right now. It has influenced so many things in our culture today. It has led to an increase in globalization, which is essentially bringing the world together. I think that it is important to look at Facebook because it has had such a huge impact on society, and it is a direct influence of Web 2.0.
This concept of Web 2.0 is very important to the field of technology as well as other fields. In the field of technology, social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace can be used to gather students online and use it as a way to teach. You could create classroom groups that allow for discussion of ideas, and allows for students to ask questions, all while getting to know each other better. There are also sites that could be used to create a collaboration of ideas from students. This could help students learn better and learn more. Being able to have these tools at our disposal is important and we should take every opportunity that we have to explore and use them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
The site that is listed above is an article that shows the history and concepts of Facebook, which is arguable the most popular social networking site in the world right now. It has influenced so many things in our culture today. It has led to an increase in globalization, which is essentially bringing the world together. I think that it is important to look at Facebook because it has had such a huge impact on society, and it is a direct influence of Web 2.0.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)