Tech Task # 7

Blogging and me. Let’s start at the beginning. Blogging and I met and had a quick rendevous the first day of class. And from then on I thought it would be edublogs and me for ever. However, now that we’ve been together for a while I don’t know if it will end in a long term relationship or a tumultuous short lived fling. It was easy enough for me to set up my blog site and write my first couple of posts. It was exciting when I received my first comments. But things started to go downhill when I was asked to link, add images, and add videos. By far the hardest to date is adding images. For some reason I just can not figure out how to do it from my Mac. Seriously??? So I guess for me that’s a deterrent. I mean I would blog if I got it and it was fun and easy but it still feels like a bit of a chore. In saying that I LOVED it when I posted my Father’s Day Video and got all that positive feedback. I was so high on my technological life at that point. In fact my favourite blog had to be when someone wrote and suggested that I should make a “how to” video about it. That’s pretty cool.
My most legitimate comment on someone else’s blog. Was when I comment on a post of Rachel’s about advertising. I posted, not necessarily what I believe but rather an opinion because I wanted to get a good discussion going and a lot of people commenting on the topic. It didn’t really happen so that was disappointing.
I enjoyed reading other peoples posts and say I gave it a really honest effort to write sincere comments and also to write posts that would be interesting for people to read.
As far as continuing blogging and using it in a classroom. I don’t know if I’ll continuing blogging. But I think I could set up a blog in my class and enjoy it. I think it would be an awesome way to connect with other classes.
Having said all this… and it sounding kind of negative. I feel that I got so much more out of this class than blogging and I want to implement technology in my class in lots of ways.

Final Project – Lesson Plan for Highschool

This lesson plan can be used in either a highschool health, social studies, english, or art class. In the lesson I have specified an english class but I think it would work with any of the above.

Colleen Little
Final Project – ECMP 335
June 16, 2008

Lesson Plan: Addressing Issues through Art
Component: Creative/Productive; Cultural/Historical
Objectives: -understand how to present a topic through art
-combine art and technology to form a statement
-use commonly found stories, ideas, and images to present and respond
to a topic

Common Essential Learning: communication; critical & creative thinking; independent
learning; personal & social development; technological
literacy
Set: Students have been studying different social justice issues in their literature
class. In this assignment students will be asked to choose an issue and make
an awareness presentation on this issue. This assignment must use art and
technology as the two main tools to present the issue. Whether they want to
make a PowerPoint presentation where the design of the presentation has had
specific attention paid to it, or they want to make a video, or they want to create
a book of images that pertain to the issue.
Development: 1) class makes list of different social justice issues.
2) class uses descriptive words to summarize/describe each issue
3) students pick one issue they feel especially close to
4) teacher explains to the students that they will be doing a presentation
on their issue and that they must use art and technology to create the
presentation.
5) teacher shows an example of a former project from this assignment
Closure: This is a large project (it is their final project) it will be due in a month and students will be given one class period a week to work in class on the
assignment. All other work must be done on their own time.
Assessment: -students will be assessed on ability to combine art and technology and to use them as productive and helpful tools to depict a topic.
-students will be evaluated on collected information
-students will be evaluated on quality of presentation
Materials: -different technological and art tools (depending on what the students needs are and what the school has available)
Resources: -example of project (made by teacher); available tools on the internet
(blip, etc)

Tech task #6 – Happy Father’s Day!

Since this project was falling fairly close to Father’s Day… and I pretty much never get to see my dad on his special day (cuz we live 7 hours apart) I decided it would be fun to do a little video for him. I hope he likes it. I also hope my first attempt at this type of video isn’t TOO painful to watch!

Oh Rosie… I’m SO tired of you!

I watched the video “to all the rosie o’donell’s out there” and I was so annoyed. I was totally one of those people who loved Rosie. Remember when she had her show and she was obsessed with Tom Cruise (before he jumped on couches) and everything was cutie-pa-tutie this and cutie-pa-tutie that. Then she got all scary and in everyone’s face. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she’s feeling really empowered, she’s making a stance. But time after time, she feuds with people, she makes inappropriate comments. It’s all just getting a tad old. Does she think because of her celebrity she can shrug things off. NO… if anything her celebrity should hold her more accountable.
Back to the video in response to her remarks. THIS VIDEO HOLDS HER ACCOUNTABLE. and this video does it in an artistic and poetic manner that chooses to not demean anyone but rather point out that Rosie was off base.
After I watched the video of what she had written on her blog as an apology. Watch it! You tell me if it seems like she’s acknowledging the video but apologizing only because she knows she’s supposed to. Do you think she really learned her lesson? Do you think she’s not going to make her wildly inappropriate comments? What adult doesn’t know that a statement like that is inappropriate and to top it off is so uncaring to just make a blatant comment like that on national television.
Shame on you Rosie… I’m spent of your crap!!! And I’d just like to point out… if anyone watches the video about the young man who committed suicide because of cyber bullying and how non-chalant his bullier was… wow Rosie, she’s non-chalant just like YOU! Probably because you’re supposed to be a role-model… way to lead by example.

SUCCESS!!!

Just a quick post. Now that I know how to work imovie and now that I know how to embed videos… there is NO stopping me. Feel free to check watch my video

WHOOP WHOOP! so pumped!

Slideshare video

div>The other class Dean had asked us to search for a video that we could critique on its elements of design. Originally I had found another video that was discussed the importance of design in powerpoint.

| View | Upload your own

It had no audio and no images for the first 30 or so slides but what it did have was POWERFUL WORDS. The words would not have been even half as powerful if they hadn’t been presented in the way they were; what the words read was mirrored in the way they were displayed. The text discussed using simplistic ideas to make your words powerful; the background was white the words were few, bold, and black. Every point the text discussed the slide’s layout and design displayed. It was powerful, the text was beautiful, and the slide show was easy to follow and understand. I think that’s what is called BENEFICIAL DESIGN!!! The other point that I wasn’t stated in the slide presentation but was there throughout is: TEXT is VISUALLY PLEASING when presented in a way that is appealing to the eye!

The video that I have embedded, magically appeared infront of me. LITERALLY! I went on to the slideshare website and it was the slide show of the day. HOW PERFECT IS THAT. It focusses on the idea that words and text are powerful and beautiful but now pulls on other elements that Dean discussed: compesition of a slide, uses real images rather that clipart, font mirroring the subject of the word.

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When looking through this slide show you’ll not:

• the font in every picture is different. It corrolates to the image and the text on the slide.
• each slide is an individual entity, however there is a common thread between all threads; they each deal with a letter in the alphabet.
• no slide is overwhelmed by bold colour, each slide has a neutral and a bold colour to draw attention and force your eye to look.
• the text states something, the image gives an example, and the text in brackets draws emotion (it commands – be this, be that)
• lastly, when using an image of a human it pulls a little extra at the viewer’s emotion… because it is that much easier to relate to the text when you SEE a person experiencing what the text is expressing.

Anyway, I hope it embeds properly if not comment, if it does comment also. Hope my critique was helpful in looking at this slide project. I’ll try to find the other slide show I discuss (if I do, I’ll post it)

Presentation Design: Presentation of Alphabet

Tech Task #2 – Old article from CBC

I’m so proud of myself. I’m trying so hard to use all my tools that Alec has been discussing in class. So I went onto my igoogle and went onto my CBC option that I have on the main page of my igoogle. Once at CBC I searched “education + technology“. I found an article from a couple years ago, that discussed Canadian students and technology. It was based on a survey done that had finding stating students thought technology is integral to them becoming successful in the future and that they didn’t feel their technology education was being met. I thought it was an interesting article and I guess it triggers a fear of mine as a future teacher. I fear that I won’t be able to provide the information that fulfills my students learning. I want them to come out of my class feeling that my information and processes are usual and relevent to their lives and their futures. Technology freaks me out because of that. I’ve never been current with technology and now how do I get current with technology when it’s such a quickly evolving thing. How can I stay current when I can’t even catch up and how can I catch up when I don’t know where to begin. Can I skip and just go into whats new and if I do that will I GET IT?!?
Check out the article I’ve got posted a link to it and then post your thoughts, comments or concerns.

Sorry Sarah

Just before I start… wanted to send out an apology to Sarah.  I appreciated the comment (it was my first after all) and I accidentally marked it as spam… or said that I didn’t want it to show,  anyway I somehow trashed it and now i feel badly.

About Me – Tech Task #1 ecmp355

I am 23 (nearly 24) years old.  I just finished my first year of schooling at the University of Regina, in the program of Arts Ed. as an after degree student.  My first degree was from the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in Studio Arts.  I then spent a year at the University of Alberta attempting to finish my minor in chemistry. 

My mom, dad, and older sister (Heather) all live in Drumheller, Alberta. I grew up there, although I don’t spend much time there now.  My mom is in charge of Human Resource and all the contracts for the Royal Tyrell Museum, my dad is a mixed animal veterinarian, and my sister is marketing coordinator at the Rosebud Theatre and School.  At the moment I’m working at Nicor Group, which is a property management, property development, and property realty company, in Regina.  Its fun and the people are great.

As far as technology and I go… well I didn’t know how to properly save a file until I took a digital imagery course a couple of years ago.  I can manage but I seem to be one of those people who have weird things happen to them constantly.  I think technology is never easy…. even though its supposed to be!

I spend my entire day, at work, using microsoft word and excel, while at home I work with a mac.  I bought the mac when I first started my digital imagery class because my prof recommended it and haven’t looked back since.  Though I would really like to use it on a larger scale.  I know I’m only scraping the surface of what that computer is capable of doing.

I like the idea of technology in a classroom.  I’m always looking for inventive ways to bring learning to a student.  And since technology is current – it’s relevant in a class and will be something students are interested in.  Gone are the days of mavis beacon!! WHOOP WHOOP! My only concern is that at what point do we put down aside the technology and interact face to face on a human level.  I love that technology connects people who are apart but don’t we still want an excuse to actually get together.  I think that sort of interaction is always going to be necessary in a classroom.

As far as things like youtube, myspace, facebook, etc. go I think like anything they can be used for good or evil.  The amount of relevant material at your fingertip is endless.  Why wouldn’t you welcome that into your class.  Just be aware that with all that knowledge comes some questionable material.

I expect to be more comfortable on a computer.  I expect to be able to do the basics on a lot of cool computer things.  I expect to want to learn this information and for it to keep my attention.  I expect to find the information useful.  I expect to use the knowledge in a future classroom.  I expect my professor to be excited about the material he is teaching and spread that excitement to the rest of the class!