Digital Storytelling: A Useful Tool

Quote- “Such technologies give voice to a number of otherwise quiet students and to students whose skills don’t fit the usual academic world .”- Jason Ohler

Responce-  I think that Digital story telling technology is very beneficial to the teacher as well as the students. Students can be creative, and expressive. The instructor can engage the students in technology that they may not be familiar with. This technology gives the students a basic format to work which keeps the students work organized and enables the teacher to better assess the students work.  The instructor can also determine if the students understand the idea putting together a story unlike written work which may be difficult to judge the students understanding.  The student can take advantage of this technology by expressing themselves through their work. They can be more creative by designing their story instead of writing the standard essay. I believe that digital story telling technology can be very useful in the classroom.

Related Resources- This website gives examples, instructions on using digital storytelling, and even instructions on how to create rubric to assess student’s projects. http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

References-

Ohler, J(2005). The world of digital storytelling. Educational Leadership, 44-47. Retrieved from http://www.jasonohler.com/pdfs/digitalStorytellingArticle1-2006.pdf

Robin, B. (2011) The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling Website
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu

Acronyms:Nothing New

Quote-
"In fact, he said, with the exception of a few recent coinages like LOL, “virtually all the commonly used ones can be found in English a century ago.” For example, bn (been), btwn (between) and wd (would) can all be found in a 1942 dictionary of abbreviations".
Reaction-

I was surprised to find that most of the abbreviations that people in the present use while texting have been used for the past 100 years.  If this is so then why is there an issue with the use of these acronyms all of a sudden? If they did not affect spelling and the English language in the past then why is it such an issue now?

I believe that the use of acronyms did not significantly impact the English language in the past; it will not impact the language that we use today. Even if people did start spelling words by using the acronyms, what would be the harm? The spelling of words has changed before and our language has survived.

I think that this texting issue has been blown out of proportion. The fact that many people text and use the abbreviations of words should not be such a big deal. It is not going to change, so what is the point of fighting it.

Related Resource-

 This website gives the history of the use of acronyms. Presidents, businesses as well as physicists initiated the popularity of using acronyms.

References-

Joyner, J. (2010, October 1). A history of acronyms. Retrieved from http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/a-history-of-acronyms/

Shea, A. (2010, January 22). The keypad solution. The times magazine, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html

How I Learn

I have discovered that I can learn in many different ways. I learn best by doing and by seeing. My scores on the vark learning test are 7 for kinesthetic learning, 6 for visual learning, 3 for read/write learning, and 5 for aural learning. One learning strategy for me is is to use pictures, diagrams, videos, and charts. Other ways that I can learn is by discussing topics with others and attending class and discussions as well as participating in hands on activities. I think that the test was accurate because I respond to many different learning methods.

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Poll everywhere is a tool that is used to have students interact with one another.Each student will set up a poll by typing a question; their peers will then respond to that poll. After every student responds to each others poll, the information that they have gathered can be viewed in a variety of ways.
Wordle is a tool that allows students to use words in a creative way. They can be creative and choose the font, color, and positions of the words.

One way that I could use wordle in my classroom is to have my students create their spelling list using this tool. If the words were associated with colors students may be able to memorize the word quicker and accurately.
Poll everywhere could be used as a way to answer word problems in class in math or literature. I could post a question and provide multiple chioce answers and allow students to respond.

By using poll everywhere students will collaborate with each other by sharing their ideas or thougts in a poll. They will also engage in the ideas of their peers by responding to their polls.

Students can be creative and inventive in designing their wordle.

Updating Education

Quote- "Most schools have abandoned teaching handwriting, but a few have held their ground, to the good fortune of their students."- Naomi S. Baron

Response- I believe that students should still be learning hand writing, but teachers should not put so much emphasis on this subject. Many schools are requiring students to type papers, because it is easier for them to read, but handwriting is still used. Therefore it should still be part of the curriculum. It is important that educators and students take advantage of technology, but we should not rely on computers for everything. Technology is not flawless, so we cannot give up skills that we may need, such as hand writing. There would also be an issue with creating boundaries between generations. Even though technology is continuing to advance and has become an important part of our society; there are still many people that do not have a computer or internet access. Technology is prevalent in the present time, but we should not give up on skills that we have depended on for thousands of years.

Related Resources- In this blog an educator describes her experience with technology in education. She mentions that she used to be against technology, but now believes that technology can be used in effective ways. She also mentions some pros and cons of using technology.

References-
Baron, N.S. (2009). Are digital media changing language?. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 42-46.
Lynne, R. (2010, April 13). Pros and cons of technology in the classroom and where i stand [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://racdab2819.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/pros-and-cons-of-technology-in-the-classroom-and-where-i-stand/