My MEL Experiences

• Student /Teacher relationships:  In high school, I was the kid that was allowed to sit with the librarians behind the circulation desk. Both of the librarians are still to this day my friends and mentors: one is an ivy-league graduate and published author, the other an intelligent, experienced, and passionate woman. Over the course of my high school experience both women fostered my love of English and writing and helped me cater my passions to my school work. Additionally, on applying to colleges they were integral to my eventual admittance; I would dare to say that without their support my personal life would have gotten in the way of me attending college period. 
• Helping students succeed: Another teacher that means the world to me was my high school visual arts teacher, “Stan”. Stan was amazing and cared so deeply for all of her students. During my senior year, three students were in A.P Studio Art; none of which could have been if not for Stan; she had offered to combine two classes so that we could have the chance to run the first ever A.P Studio Art in our school. Throughout the year she balanced two different classes combined into one period- all to provide for the three of us that adored the visual arts. 
• Hands-on: The final product for Physics was to design and build a bridge for a class contest. The contest was judged on many factors including aesthetics and maximum capacity held. The project gave us all a chance to put our gained skills into action. 
• Interest: In my high school, during your sophomore year the students are required to learn how to write an extensive research paper that spans the entire year (extensive equals about one-hundred pages). Luckily, the teachers were reasonable and understood that if they wanted the students to cooperate they had to provide options; because of which we were all allowed to choose the topic of our choice, as well as sub-topics to be researched within each. 
• Context: One of my favorite projects in high school- I had to create a digital presentation of "my future lifestyle". In the class we had worked on investigating the career we wanted and how to attain it, where we wanted to live, what type of car we wanted, etc.  Using all of this information we had to conduct research on insurances, and other factors, as to see whether our desired lifestyles were realistic within the contexts of our desired careers. Every student in the class was given the opportunity to understand exactly why they were working so hard.

SAMR Model

Substitution/Augmentation/Modification/Redefine (SAMR): A model which categorizes technologies based on its specifications and uniqueness, works by comparing technologies to more dated versions. 

Technology/Pedagogy/Content Knowledge (TPCK): A model used by teachers to better and clarify understanding through the blending of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. 

Examples: 

Substitution: Google Docs is an example of substitution. Although I love it with all of my heart, essentially Google Docs glorifies the ability to share work and edit it; both tasks are feasible without the program. In the classroom, Google Docs is a great tool for peer editing strategies as it is a more interactive experience, additionally, it cuts back on resources. 

Augmentation: A projector is an example of augmentation for manual board writing. In the classroom, the projector is a great tool to not only cut back on time wasted by already having the notes (or other) prepared, but it also provides the opportunity to project things that cannot be hand-drawn. For example, in a math class having the ability to project a three dimensional model would be simple and much more effective to the learning environment; being able to add notes or other illustrations could also enhance this tool. 

Modification: PowerPoint/Keynote presentations a are great examples of modification. Both programs allow the students to expand upon the idea of a generic poster-board presentation with various decisions on fonts, styles, clipart, audio, links, and more. Furthermore, the ability to put more of an emphasis on one point or slide is more easily done using these programs. As an example of the latter point, during my sophomore year of high school I had to do an extensive Keynote presentation on the deep sea, by using consistent framing and transitions it was clear whether the next slide was a continuation or not of the same topic. 

Redefinition: The iPads are an incredible example of redefinition. Firstly, iPads have instant access to nearly infinite resources. Secondly and additionally, many of these resources and apps are type 2 technologies. Furthermore, these apps are technologically interactive. In the classroom, these apps have endless possibilities: most importantly, I think it is superb for appealing to the multiple intelligences as there are apps for- almost literally- everything. 

"TPCK and SAMR: Models for Enhancing Technology Integration" podcast by author Ruben Puentedura.

Audio

     Audioboo: This is a super cool site, kinda like an exclusively audio version of Youtube. On the site there are different recordings and shows, including reoccurring ones of which you can subscribe. Additionally, if you create an audio recording it is easy to share with your friends as it can be automatically linked to major networking sights. The only down side that I have noticed is that if you do not have the premium account your recordings are limited to three minutes. Immediately the thought that popped into my mind was that students could use if from their own home computers (as not all the students will have Garage Band at home). Also, students could make audio recordings rather than written blogs.
http://audioboo.fm/

     iPadio: Speaking of audio blogging, on iPadio students can create"phlogs". This twist on the classic blog is interesting and it could be a great way to involve the students with musical intelligences!
http://blog.ipadio.com/

     Audacity: Okay, so your students have created their audio recordings/phlogs and they are ready to edit it. Using Audacity, a free audio editing service, students can cut and paste segments, change the pitch, and make other adjustments. Additionally  the website allows them to create recordings on the site.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

     Overall, this service, as well as the previous two, are all great and free (except Audioboo's premium features) tools to be used in the classroom.

Video Thoughts

1) Pre-video Questions: Wes Fryer suggests that by asking the students questions before showing them features, usually shorter features, they will be more attentive and involved in the feature.

2) Youtube "Clone" Sites (Sandboxes): With putting anything on the internet there is a risk. However, I like the idea that their are sites that offer the same features as Youtube, but a little more safely.

3) Narrated Slideshows: Wes Fryer used an example of people that narrate photos they take on their smartphones to explain; I love this idea. Not only is this a fantastic and quick way to create a caption, but it has so many potential possibilities for use in the classroom.

4) Screencasting: I have seen these before, but I didn't know there was an official name! One use could be to help absent students catch up on missed lessons through computer-based tutorials.

Even though I find it hard to incorporate technology at all times I do think that it is essential for students to develop these skills. Throughout my unit with Dr. Grace I have used many videos, digital organizers, a podcast, and more. Additionally, I think using technology in the "hook" is a great tool, if done correctly it can establish how relevant the lesson truly is to the "modern world".

Web 2.0 Educator

    I chose Vicki Davis' blog. Vicki is a huge believer in technology in the classroom and has worked with schools to find ways to incorporate and make technology accesible; throughout her blog she provides ways to make use of various technology. In school, I really appreciated teachers that kept their grades and such online, "With more students having access, the ability to visit their classrooms and schools virtually is increasing in importance. Online gradebooks, online classrooms, online forums are important as well as the behavior in those spaces." Vicki recognizes the importance of keeping the classroom modern and ever-changing; technology is so prominent and important in our society and it is not going away anytime soon- so it is critical to understand it. 

Vicki's blog site: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

The aforementioned quote was taken from the blog entry, “$20 Laptops for Students from Google: The Questions to Ask”

Chapter 4: Copyright and Fair Use (Wes fryer)

   The fourth chapter of Playing with Media, by Wesley Fryer, focused on copyright and fair use and how to avoid infringing on them in your classroom. "Harry Potter Can Fly" is a mnemonic device to remember guidelines regarding copyright and fair use: the H is homegrown (media that can be created at home), P is public domain (works that are either placed into the public domain or that have had their copyrights expire), C is creative commons (works that are copyrighted byt registered to be shared as long as you follow the established Creative Common terms, and the F is fair use (exceptions to copyrighted works). 

     In the classroom, teachers should make sure that students understand the above mnemonic, as well as the specific copyright laws. The chapter referenced how many teachers will accept work from students that lack any evidence of using other sources, meaning they are not providing citations- a major infringement  As a teacher, especially an english teacher, it will be crucial for me to explain the importance of the above information and to will my students into applying it beyond my class. 

Copyright and Fair Use

     The comic that I read (read it here: http://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/zoomcomic.html) was all about copyright and fair use laws, the main conflict regards a woman who hopes to publish a work that illuminates the life of the new yorker.
     One of the things that I learned, and that stuck with me, is that copyright laws are relatively new: anything before 1923 is all a part of the public domain. After that any work published could be copyrighted and prevent use; however, Fair Use acts enable people to reference and reproduce work for things such as critiques. Claiming fair use is something that can be done by anyone if they can justify their reasoning; educators can use copyrighted works for educational purposes for example.
     As a teacher there are laws that enable me to use work for educational purposes. However, it is not applicable to everything. For example, Disney once had such tight copyright laws on their films that schools could not present them in class without violating them. As an educator I will have to teach my students how to reference works without infringing the copyrights.

Learning Style Inventory Results

The scores are out of 20 for each style. A score of 20 indicates the style is used often.

My Style Scores

Visual

18

Social

14

Physical

10

Aural

19

Verbal

19

Solitary

13

Logical

11

     I think that my results are very close to perfect! In high school, I was always stronger and more interested in english and the arts. Also, I am a very social person and I love interacting with others, but much of the time I do feel like I just want to work on something alone; I think that the test captured this well with how close the "social" and "solitary" scores are in numbers. Overall, I do think that the test did a good job labeling my learning style based on 70 questions, which I assume means there were 10 questions per style (that is really not a lot to go off of and yet my results are great).

Test Source: learning-styles-online.com