TechSmith | Jing, instant screenshots and screencasts, home
So in my constant Pusuit of all things digital I have found the website Jing. This digital websites allows you to caputre various aspects of video and image from your computer and incorporate them into your presentations.
My next project I am hoping with use some of the Jing technology.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Digital Advocacy
As part of my ongoing quest to learn new digital skills I have created my first ever YouTube video that I posted myself.
I feel that the skills I have learned as part of this process are essential literacy abilities that are often over looked. I had to go through an intense learning process in order to be able to learn the skills needed to create this video. I found that just like traditional literacy I started to be able to make connections to past knowledge that guided my learning process.
Students who grow up in this technological generation thrive with the use of technology. One of the reasons that I continue to push myself to learn more and be able to create this sort of production is for the benifit of my learners. You never know when you may have an opportunity to utilize these skills and what impact that this form of literacy may have on our students understanding. This is why I continue to strive to learn more.
This video was created based on the Centre for Dreams in Markham Ontario. My brother David is a member at the centre for Dreams. In my Adult Education class we had to create an organization and some form of digital artifact to represent this fictious place. I changed Dreams into Hope and tried to capture how important having a place like the Centre for Dreams is to a community.
I feel that the skills I have learned as part of this process are essential literacy abilities that are often over looked. I had to go through an intense learning process in order to be able to learn the skills needed to create this video. I found that just like traditional literacy I started to be able to make connections to past knowledge that guided my learning process.
Students who grow up in this technological generation thrive with the use of technology. One of the reasons that I continue to push myself to learn more and be able to create this sort of production is for the benifit of my learners. You never know when you may have an opportunity to utilize these skills and what impact that this form of literacy may have on our students understanding. This is why I continue to strive to learn more.
This video was created based on the Centre for Dreams in Markham Ontario. My brother David is a member at the centre for Dreams. In my Adult Education class we had to create an organization and some form of digital artifact to represent this fictious place. I changed Dreams into Hope and tried to capture how important having a place like the Centre for Dreams is to a community.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Digital Ethics?
So today I have been thinking a lot about the topic of Digital Ethics. Now we live in a technological world the way that we communicate has also change significantly.
As an undergraduate I attended UOIT. I completed my B.Com (Hons) degree in E-Marketing and Information Technology. During that time period I had the opportunity to work for an amazing professor. This professor specialized in "mobile network securities" essentially privacy technology. He had received a significant grant from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to re-write the PIPEDA (Privacy Information Personal Electronic Document Act) Legislation that would eventually pass before congress. As a research assistant I was exposed to so many amazing opportunities to learn about Digital Ethics and the critical role that privacy plays in protecting our rights and wellbeing as Canadian Citizens.
I bring up this experience because, even in the 2.5 years since I have graduated from my Undergraduate, so much has changed. The issue surrounding digital ethics continues to become more complex. Every time a new technology is created to make our life easier 10 new unanswered questions are created as a result. Also, every time a new technology is not created and an industry fails to keep up with the pace of society new problems also emerge.
I have been thinking about Shuttering the Internet, and what this means for technology and digital freedoms.
This issue is explored in more detail in this podcast (http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/02/spark-137-february-6-9-2011/) from CBC's Spark, a show dedicated to the intersection between technology and culture.
THE INTERNET KILL SWITCH
No, this is not a big red button or a giant hand crank lever. The idea is that the American Government has proposed a bill that would (If the situation called for it) Immobilize the internet.
This article: Does Obama Really Have an Internet Kill Switch? Explains the Issue better http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/032811-does-obama-really-have-an.html
You may recall the uproar just this past January when the Government of Egypt utilized a similar mechanism and effectively shut down every internet provider in the country. This essential disrupted all incoming and outgoing messages. Now Libya has followed the trend and is facing complete internet blackout. http://www.itp.net/584069-libya-in-full-internet-blackout
This Article explains more about what rights and under what circumstances the Government could utilize this technology. http://www.technologyreview.com/web/32451/?p1=A1&a=f
China is a massive country however, when it comes to internet they only thing in China bigger than the Great Wall, is the Great Firewall. On a regular basis China audits and limits the type of information (Incoming and outgoing) that there citizens can be exposed to. http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/China+plugging+holes+Great+Firewall/4482807/story.html
So I have done some research and looked into why would the Government even want this sort of Technology?
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR CLASSROOM?
First, this indicates just how much social media is embedded into our culture. Teachers need to be aware of just the sort of percieed influence that this sort of technology has over the current generation. If the Government feels so "threatened" by the power of digital technology then perhaps in the classroom we should be paying more attention?
LITERACY
http://blogs.hbr.org/now-new-next/2008/10/the-importance-of-social-media.html In this Article Howard Reigngold an Award Winning Knowledge Networker writes at lengths in 2008 about how teachers can start to use online Social Media in the Classroom as a way of reaching our students.
Personally I feel as if Social Media is a critical component of overall literacy for our generation. All of the reasons that the government wants control of the internet, are the reasons we need to stop and take this digital technology seriously.
As an undergraduate I attended UOIT. I completed my B.Com (Hons) degree in E-Marketing and Information Technology. During that time period I had the opportunity to work for an amazing professor. This professor specialized in "mobile network securities" essentially privacy technology. He had received a significant grant from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to re-write the PIPEDA (Privacy Information Personal Electronic Document Act) Legislation that would eventually pass before congress. As a research assistant I was exposed to so many amazing opportunities to learn about Digital Ethics and the critical role that privacy plays in protecting our rights and wellbeing as Canadian Citizens.
I bring up this experience because, even in the 2.5 years since I have graduated from my Undergraduate, so much has changed. The issue surrounding digital ethics continues to become more complex. Every time a new technology is created to make our life easier 10 new unanswered questions are created as a result. Also, every time a new technology is not created and an industry fails to keep up with the pace of society new problems also emerge.
I have been thinking about Shuttering the Internet, and what this means for technology and digital freedoms.
This issue is explored in more detail in this podcast (http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/02/spark-137-february-6-9-2011/) from CBC's Spark, a show dedicated to the intersection between technology and culture.
THE INTERNET KILL SWITCH
No, this is not a big red button or a giant hand crank lever. The idea is that the American Government has proposed a bill that would (If the situation called for it) Immobilize the internet.
This article: Does Obama Really Have an Internet Kill Switch? Explains the Issue better http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/032811-does-obama-really-have-an.html
You may recall the uproar just this past January when the Government of Egypt utilized a similar mechanism and effectively shut down every internet provider in the country. This essential disrupted all incoming and outgoing messages. Now Libya has followed the trend and is facing complete internet blackout. http://www.itp.net/584069-libya-in-full-internet-blackout
This Article explains more about what rights and under what circumstances the Government could utilize this technology. http://www.technologyreview.com/web/32451/?p1=A1&a=f
China is a massive country however, when it comes to internet they only thing in China bigger than the Great Wall, is the Great Firewall. On a regular basis China audits and limits the type of information (Incoming and outgoing) that there citizens can be exposed to. http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/China+plugging+holes+Great+Firewall/4482807/story.html
So I have done some research and looked into why would the Government even want this sort of Technology?
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR CLASSROOM?
First, this indicates just how much social media is embedded into our culture. Teachers need to be aware of just the sort of percieed influence that this sort of technology has over the current generation. If the Government feels so "threatened" by the power of digital technology then perhaps in the classroom we should be paying more attention?
LITERACY
http://blogs.hbr.org/now-new-next/2008/10/the-importance-of-social-media.html In this Article Howard Reigngold an Award Winning Knowledge Networker writes at lengths in 2008 about how teachers can start to use online Social Media in the Classroom as a way of reaching our students.
Personally I feel as if Social Media is a critical component of overall literacy for our generation. All of the reasons that the government wants control of the internet, are the reasons we need to stop and take this digital technology seriously.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Lets Sing About Math...
Last night in class we had a special guest Dr. George Gadanidis from the University of Western Ontario who spoke to us about teaching mathematics through multimodal instruction. One of Dr. Gadanidis current projects is taking concepts and math and teaching them through music.
This has inspired me... No I refuse to sing to you however I will share with you different attempts that other people have made. http://www.songsforteaching.com/mathsongs.htm --this particular website brakes down the content by strand and concepts and offers a wide variety of different skill and grade level selections.
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/index.php?topic=Math -- Not as many selections however this FREE website offers some really fun and exciting tunes!
From www.kidsknowit.com -- Can I download this song? Many of the songs featured on The KidsKnowIt Network are available to download. To do so, please visit the website of the artist whose song you would like to download. If the artist has a website, there will be a link to it in the center of the yellow educational music player.
My personal favourite is Fraction Rock
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/play-educational-song.php?song=Fraction Rock
http://www.joecrone.com/samples.htm -- at Joe Crone's website you can listen to samples of songs and even book class visits.
Here are some Photos of integrated art projects from practicum last year
This has inspired me... No I refuse to sing to you however I will share with you different attempts that other people have made. http://www.songsforteaching.com/mathsongs.htm --this particular website brakes down the content by strand and concepts and offers a wide variety of different skill and grade level selections.
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/index.php?topic=Math -- Not as many selections however this FREE website offers some really fun and exciting tunes!
From www.kidsknowit.com -- Can I download this song? Many of the songs featured on The KidsKnowIt Network are available to download. To do so, please visit the website of the artist whose song you would like to download. If the artist has a website, there will be a link to it in the center of the yellow educational music player.
My personal favourite is Fraction Rock
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/play-educational-song.php?song=Fraction Rock
http://www.joecrone.com/samples.htm -- at Joe Crone's website you can listen to samples of songs and even book class visits.
Here are some Photos of integrated art projects from practicum last year
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Week 9 - Digital Games in Education
So this week in Class our topic was the idea of digital games in Education. I found that when considering my own views I am much more "anti" gaming. Therefore, the idea of incorporating the ideas and concepts of gaming into a learning environment was not a desirable topic. However, I perservered... I forced myself to reconsider my thinking, in particular the origins of my thinking and determine 1) what my issues were with gaming 2) how I could overcome my bias to incorporate positive changes.
So... the million dollar question, why don't I like games. The most obvious answer that comes to mind is the fact that I have never been good at game; and therefore I am avoiding them becuase they are not enjoyable. However, I feel my dislike of games goes slightly deeper. Through reflective thought I have come to realize that I do not dislike the concept of games I just have not found the proper combination of fun and educational factors availible to meet the middle ground. Based on that thinking I sought out the Youtube Video (above). Most of the games that are fun appear to waste time and the educational games are boreing.
How can we fix the problem. Personally I can't... However i am sure someone with more technical skills and know how then me can start to see the middle ground and build games that have a purpose. In terms of using games in the classroom currently we are limited to one that have obvious educational value. I recall as a child playing "all the right type" in school working on my typing ability and accuracy with the keyboard. I also use to love the Carmen Sandiego geography game where you would search the world based on clues to discover where the character was hidding. However, a new generation of kids has split the chasm wide open. Games that use to be fun and cutting edge are now pixilated and old fashion.
Ironically with week in my Adult Technology class we also dealt with the topic of educational video games this past week. I have been able to combine my learning and understanding from both classes to help formulate my new views. My Adult Education professor Dr. Shawn Bullock suggested some really interesting learning games to explore. I now pass those links on to you...
NotPron (http://www.deathball.net/notpron/) is a single player puzzle game, which describes itself as the “hardest riddle available on the Internet.” The puzzles are of increasing complexity and require more technical knowledge of computing and the Internet as the game progresses. It is an example of a game that uses simple technology to create engaging game play.
The Bonte Room (http://home.scarlet.be/%7Ebbonte/bonteroom.html) is a point-and-click game in which the player has to escape from a locked room.
Sleuth (http://www.playsleuth.com/) is an online detective game where the player has to solve mysteries by searching locations for clues, gathering evidence, and talking to suspects in order to solve a number of cases that gradually increase in difficulty. It is an example of a game that uses a detailed environment and objects that the player can interact with in order to make logical deductions about the case.
These particular games I explored in order to better understand the teaching and learning aspects of digital gaming and its potential function within the classroom.
So where does this leave my personal debate... I am a slowly moving paradigm I am starting slowly to come around. I feel as if there are some really important benifits that we as teachers can tap into as a result of our students perpensity towards gaming. It is important as modern day educators to teach our students in a way that they will learn and prepare them for the future. I still have my hold outs however, my brain is on the right track and my defenses have lowered. I am excited about the future and looking forward to seeing the potential that digital gaming will have on progressive education and how all these factors will impact the way we teach literacy.
A Digital Community
Here are some cute kid friendly ideas for safety when using the internet. The internet is becoming part of our world. 10 years ago having a fast internet connection was the acception to the rule. Now in our classroom it is rare to find a student who is not connect in at least 1-2 different ways to the www. at all times.
Teaching smart and sensible ways to use the technology is really important. We cannot control the content that is placed on the internet however, we can teach our kids how to be safe and only access information that will benifit their needs.
Here are the suggestions for the Video for Staying Safe online:
1) Ask Permission before going online.
2) Only talk to people you know (Like Grandma)
3) Only go to places of interest
In addition here are some more suggestions for older users
1) Teach kids how to be critcal consumers
2) Talk to our students about what they enjoy and build conversation
3) Encourage transparency by keeping the computer in a public room
Monday, March 21, 2011
Why The Delay...
Okay so I have been in this class since January however in terms of preparing for my final presentation I have experienced some unfortunent delays... and failures.I started with a facebook profile page however I found my efforts fell flat. There just was not enough functions and I felt so limited in terms of what I was hoping to do. I also was constantly frusterated by how user "un"friendly facebook became the more advanced I became and the more I attempted to push the limits and go beyond basic functionality.
I also have experimented with prezi and slide rocket, both these programs are amazing however again I felt limited to just what those programs had to offer. I started to do some research and found what I wanted/needed was an interface that would allow me to embed and bring in all sorts of multimodal aspects from a wide range of places and arange and use the technology the way that I wanted to.
So here we are. Blogger I have experience using prior. When I was teaching ESL in S.Korea I kept a blog for my friends and family as a way to stay connected and tell them what was happening in my life. I would post pictures and share my experiences and they would comment and send words of encouragment. In Blogger I can share my ideas and use other programs all over the internet and either post a URL or bring the ideas right into my blog.
I may be a bit behind however the work has already been done. Just in the next few days I will be bringing the ideas and presentations i have already created and start uploading them to my blog. It is too bad it took me so long to find an interface that I liked; however, I am here now and I have a lot I want to share.
Welcome
Welcome to Amanda Paul's Digital Literacy Blog.
In this blog I will be examining various aspects of technology and how we can utilize new literacy to influence our teaching and bring these modern concepts into the classroom. My personal goal through this blog is to stretch my own understanding and try some of the new multimodal concepts we are learning in class.
Every few days or so I will be bringing new ideas and sharing them on this blog. I hope you enjoy sharing this journey with me and maybe we will both learn something new?
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