Wk3 Reading: Art of Possibility

As I read through the chapters I find this book unlike any of the texts from my previous classes. I've never been a strong reader and don't consider myself an avid novel reader. I do enjoy reading about real-life not so much history but how an event impacts our personal world and the ripple effect on the ones around us. I would normally pass on a self-help book but do not have any reasons why. The art of possibility has an intriguing approach and definitely has drawn me in. I consider myself an optimistic person willing to accept my failures and look at how I can use this to move forward. The book has definitely allowed me to look at myself but also view myself and how I impact others almost as if I was a third party. My wife follows a Buddhist path and I come from the school of thought that spiritual is in the eye of the beholder. So I think I have a different take on many things but this book definitely allows me to relate to my inner passion and energizes me to use that passion. I truly am still absorbing what it is but I'm enjoying this path the book and our course is taking me on.

Wk2 MAC Wimba

Week two Wimba interactive discussions highlighted on many copyright issues. The interaction between instructor and students on the topic of creative Commons was very informative. I personally find the topic of discussion something that I can relate to as I feel many teachers are not even educated on the topic. A relationship to prohibition and how those times created a society that was breaking the law even though it was socially acceptable. It does make me look at things differently. Since society has accepted some forms of media sharing and not others. Does that make it any more legal or illegal? Society has been very clear in saying that it is socially acceptable to download music and to share music and software in a digital format. Are we in the time where there is media prohibition. Are the ones who are going to make the most money criminalizing the average user? I know from the talks here at Wimba I will be bringing this to the discussion table with some of my colleagues.

Wk2 Reading: Art of Possibility

 

Creating an environment where students’ grades are the result of hard work and the mastery of the materials. Using grades to compare students against one another will result in the classic bell shaped graphic. Give the students the tools to develop skills and express their knowledge through demonstration. I believe every student has the ability to reach their potential with guidance and practice. Allowing a group to see each other as individuals learn together but differently. They find their interests and use them as part of group projects or assist each other on individual assignments. Students who engage in risk-free activities show more of their creativity and personal expression. Giving students a letter grade of an "A" rings to my own philosophy and practices in my classroom. No I do not give out all "A's" but I do give every child the opportunity to work to their potential. I speak often to my class about appreciating their peers and what they've accomplished. Students acknowledge their hard work and that they earned an "A" for the day. From this week's readings the letters "I got my A" shows the impact and the depth of the student reflections. Mastery in the woodshop is a lifelong quest. Over time and with practice you will master many areas but always have so many challenges ahead of you.

grades are the result of hard work and the mastery of the materials. Using grades to compare students against one another will result in the classic bell shaped graphic. Give the students the tools to develop skills and express their knowledge through demonstration. I believe every student has the ability to reach their potential with guidance and practice. Allowing a group to see each other as individuals learn together but differently. They find their interests and use them as part of group projects or assist each other on individual assignments. Students who engage in risk-free activities show more of their creativity and personal expression. Giving students a letter grade of an "A" rings to my own philosophy and practices in my classroom. No I do not give out all "A's" but I do give every child the opportunity to work to their potential. I speak often to my class about appreciating their peers and what they've accomplished. Students acknowledge their hard work and that they earned an "A" for the day. From this week's readings the letters "I got my A" shows the impact and the depth of the student reflections. Mastery in the woodshop is a lifelong quest. Over time and with practice you will master many areas but always have so many challenges ahead of you.

Wk1 MAC Wimba

Media asset creation Wimba May 3, 2011

This weeks Wimba session covered a whole lot of material and kicked off this month's course. From the first day that the course opened in FSO  I must have reviewed activities and requirements for this course a handful of times. Documentation and video tutorials led me through each activity and what my responsibilities are for each week.  Each activity had very clear directions with specific steps that needed to be followed to receive credit. I reviewed them several times to make sure that it did not miss any important information or steps before I move forward. Week one Wimba session reviewed and confirmed everything that I gathered from FSO. It also gave me a great overview of this month better explanation of where I will be four weeks from now. The ironic segment of this  is when the discussion boards were being covered. Simply put this week was extremely busy and I found myself double booked for appointments / meetings and could not attend Wimba on Tuesday night. They say you need to see, hear, write, and speak a language before you can fully understand it. Luckily when viewing the archives it dawned on me that I completed all tasks except posting to the discussion board about topic one and topic two. I immediately pause the archive video and login to FSO and sure enough there were two blank discussion board posts waiting for me to comment on. My math teacher always said to me checks your work and checks it again. So my take away from week one Wimba always read through all instructions and requirements. Always double-check that you've completed all activities before their final due date. A personal thank you to Joe my course director for media asset creation on providing more than one resource to support your students in weekly activities and requirements.

Wk1 reading: copyright issues

Image from Flickr.com by kevin yezbick 

Digital literacy and digital citizenship has been a recent topic among the faculty at my school. We want students to be able to find digital content and be able to analyze its validity. The phrase good digital citizen has many meanings depending on the context that you are using it in. One area that I have been focusing on is copyright laws and how this relates to my students being good digital citizens. In the education field I see photos being pulled off the Internet without any mention of the artists or link to the original photograph. Students dragging and dropping photos into a project without any understanding of the copyright laws or fair use rights for education. This weeks reading on copyright issues identify and describe the key points that students and teachers should know. Teachers should be giving students resources to copyright free material. Students should understand what can be copyrighted and what cannot be. When we look at copyright issues students today are producing more video projects to present during class time. I find they choose popular songs recorded by artists and do not have permission to use their music. By offering students alternative ways to produce their own original music for soundtracks or introductions to presentations we are fostering more creative projects but also educating students how to be a good digital citizen. Copyright issues go beyond the classroom when you look at school district performances, battle of the bands, and dances for fundraisers. In conjunction with our town officials we pay a licensing fee to broadcast music Inc. that gives the artists and composers royalties for the music that we will broadcast during special events. This is a general blanket that covers the town and the school district to perform without infringing on copyright laws. Finally the keyword still is education. Teachers need to understand the black-and-white of copyright laws and teach students how to access media responsibly.

SketchUp Skate Park

What a great way to show students how Geometry and their world interact.

Cube, Tetrahedron, Octahedron, in Google SketchUp