Week 1 EDLD 5363 Video Technology and Multimedia

I started the class a week late so I'm playing catch-up.  In four short days I have scripted and recorded my digital story.  I truly beleive I had divine guidance as it all came together easily.
 I was unable to collaborte with a class peer but as usual my family gave me feedback and ideas to build my story. 

I have seen Digital Stories before but did not realize or appreicate the impact.  I fully intend to add this to my teaching plans for my 7th and 8th grade students.  The language skills alone are worth the time and effort to teach my students about the process of telling your story.  When you the technology lessons to the process you have created an opportunity to engage students and encourage them to think about what they are learning and it will apply to them now and in the future.

My digital story was developed with Technology Facilitation standards that focused on Standard 3.  Standard 3 focuses on educating the net generation.  The performance indicators that will help the technology facilitator assist learners include: Facilitating technology –enhanced experiences that address content and technology standards and help manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.  The digital story is an example of a multi-media learning opportunity. Patti Shank says, “Well-designed multimedia can enhance motivation, learning, and transfer. The most effective multimedia provides learning experiences that mirror real-world experiences and allow learners to apply what they’ve learned in various contexts.” (pg. 10) The Center for Digital Storytelling uses the motto ‘Listen Deeply, Tell Stories’. Digital storytelling provides our students with a media-rich experience to demonstrate learning through the creation of personal stories that focus on their learning and knowledge they are acquiring. According to the ISTE text, “ In technology-rich environments students claim they could learn better and more deeply by constructing products, assessing online learning opportunities, finding information tailored to specific learning goals, and connecting with teachers, beyond school mentors, and peers.” (Williamson and Redish , pg.59)

Shank, P. (n.d.). The value of multimedia in learning. Think Tank. Retrieved May 5, 2009, from http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/thinktank/valuemedia/

Williamson, Jo and Traci Redish. "ISTE technology facilitation and leadership standards." What every k-12 leaders should know and be able to do. Washington DC: International Society for Technology in Education, 2009. 57-76.

School Community Relations - Week 5

Dr. Jenkins facilitated the webcast for the beginning of Week 5.  Several students presented their community project ideas.  Some of these ideas included:

Program focused on new 9^th graders.
Watch Dogs
Volunteers to read and discuss books in elementary
Expansion of Dual Language Program
Reading Picnic

Science Night with the community

Dad and Daughter Activities

School Newspaper as an enrichment activity

Improvement of neighborhood school concept with activities in school zone

Long distance connection at a residential school

Many students expressed frustration with using TK20.  It was suggested and acknowledged that a chat would be set up with the TK20 folks. I have discovered that the TK20 support is good and they are quick to communicate.  My frustration is in knowing what to submit.

Week 3 EDLD 5326

I attended the Week 3 web cast with Dr. Abernathy.  The discussion was focused on the types of school community program projects the graduate students are pursuing. There were many different kinds of programs shared and we were able to offer alternate approaches for many. Dr. Abernathy continued to stress the importance of collaboration through the use of Web 2.0 tools.  I reminded the public school teachers about Texas Project Share and the collaborative forums, blogs and wikis available on the platform provided by TEA. 

There were several questions regarding the mid-term scheduled for Week 3.  Dr. Jenkins will be posting this information during week 3.

Week 2 Web Cast EDLD 5326

Week 2 Web Cast
EDLD 53626

Dr. Jenkins led the Webcast for Week 2 of School Community Relations.  Many students shared ideas about School Community activities they are considering. I was able to connect information about the DOGS (Dads of Great Students) with one student.  Dr. Jenkins also shared a book titled Bi-Cultural Parent Engagement that addresses advocacy and empowerment for the bi-lingual/cultural community.  I think this could be very helpful if I decide to pursue an initiative that involves improving communication with our bi-lingual community.

Information was also shared about taking the ILD training. I shared the following web address for information on all the ILD courses in Texas. http://www5.esc13.net/ild/trainings.html

EDLD 53626 Week 1 WebCast

WebCast 2/27/2012

EDLD 53626 (School Community Relations)

The opening webcast for EDLD 5326 (School Community Relations) was held on Feb. 27^th.  Dr. Abernathy facilitated the webcast with opening information regarding the course.  She assured us that she and Dr. Jenkins are available to assist with any issues.  We are all encouraged to use Web 2.0 tools to communicate and collaborate.
This is focused on assessing 2 community/volunteer initiatives in our local school community. We are to evaluate SWOT (strenghts, weaknesses, opportunity, threats) of the programs we have identified.

Graphic Design in Ancient Manuscripts-EDLD 5366 Week 1

Impressions of Ancient Manuscripts

My first impression of the Sultan Baybars' Qur'an is the opulence of the construction of the seven volumes of the Qur'an (Koran).  All of the lettering is done in gold, which was not customary. The pages show contrast with the gold print and repeating geometric shapes. The gold and colors in the shapes contract dramatically against the plain parchment page. Throughout the seven volumes is the repeating per shaped image which is used as a counting device to show 5^th and 10^th verses. Repetition also occurs at the beginning of each volume, with an illuminated double page that indicates the volume number and the placement within the set: fourth of seven volumes. Another repetitive design feature is the occurrence of only six lines per page.  This is in contrast other manuscripts of the period where an odd number of lines were used.  All of the pages appear to be set so the far left and right margins are wider placing the inner margins close together at the spine of the book. On each page the use of the pear shape and gold roundel help the reader know where the reading begins and ends. This Qur'an is an important example of period.  It was commissioned and written using the best calligraphers and illuminators (illustrators) available to the Mamlak ruler that commissioned the writing around 1304 AD.

Creating a UDL

UDL Reflection

The process of building a lesson plan using the UDL Framework provided a mechanism to really thin about all the learners that will facilitated with the plan. In the past I might have build a lesson plan for the generic population and then adapted it for the needs of individual students as the need arose. This philosophy requires the lesson designer to plan and prepare for all learners.  I definitely need more practice with adding the requirements for each of the networks.  It helped to think of the learning networks as referenced by Rose and Meyer:

·        Recognition Network – The what

·        Strategic Network  – The How

·        Affective Network – The Why

(Rose, 2002)

Including the technology components is especially important in the plan so that the teacher can assure that different tools and modalities are addressed.  Not all students are in the same place with the use of technology and planning ahead assures that not only are there concrete examples available but appropriate training is planned for all users including the teacher. Giving a teacher with little or no knowledge of a particular tool would be disastrous.

I like the tool and with a lot more practice will be able to quickly assemble the information needed to complete effective UDL's for a variety of core topics.

Rose, D. M. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from Center for Applied Spcecial Technology: http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes