Thing #6

Google Chrome is very easy to install and retrieves data faster than the original version.  It is a free web browser and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.  Google Chrome uses the WebKit layout engine and was released in 2008.  It is the second most widely used browser in the world.  The original version had more internet sites than its competitor and has always been my favorite web browser for many years.  Bing lacked the speed and database that Google had, so I removed it from my computer and replaced it with Google.  After playing around with Google Chrome, I have chosen to keep the upgraded version. 

It would be very easy for students to use.  In fact, my son helped me load the program and explained what it did.  It lists multiple articles under the subject being researched, so students have a wealth of information at their fingertips.  One of the greatest disadvantages is the way it categorizes topics.  As you narrow the definition of the subject being researched, the articles change.  Younger students would not realize that more articles were available, if they just drilled down further.  Also if they did not bookmark the article or record the website, they might not ever find the passage again. 

I spent time looking up activities to use in my classroom and have listed three sites where I found age appropriate items. 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/school/crafts.html DLKT is a free British website with multiple elementary art activities that are quick and inexpensive to make.  The site also includes directions, templates, and suggestions for extending the activities.  Other subject matter is included to use during cross-curricular activities. 

http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/auto/12/44.html Art Express is a website with art activities for students enrolled in 1^st through 5^th grades.  It is a free site that has lessons plans on various subjects, templates, and directions for completing the accompanying art projects.

http://www.kinderart.com/drawing/numbers.shtml Kinder Art is a free website for children age kindergarten through 6^th grades.  It has a variety of activities, directions, lists of required materials, but no templates are available. 

Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org/ This program is available in multiple languages and is a free simplified CachedSimilarUndoencyclopedia available on the Internet.  It boasts of having over 10 million articles which are written in 200 different languages.  The website has beautiful pictures and a wide variety of subject matter to choose from.  It is a quick resource for students to go to for information, but they must be advised that it accepts articles from the public without proper documentation.  Many times, the articles border on plagiarism when compared to the original documents they were taken from.  Students must understand that Wikipedia may not be quoted as a resource when completing a research article.  It can be used as a starting point to define topics, find possible resources, and get ideas to research.  It is an excellent resource for them when they do not understand information.  For example, I used it while reading my organic chemistry textbook to clarify unfamiliar terms or to explain why various reactions occurred.     - You +1'd this publicly.

Thing #5

Students in my era learned through textbooks, overhead projectors, videos, slides and rudimentary interactive computer activities.  I remember creating a banana split on the computer and running it off on a dot matrix printer.  I was absolutely thrilled with my computer skills. 

That all changed with the invention of Web 2.0/School 2.0.  Now, students can view 394 million photographs using visual imagining software, and the library increases by a million images every day.  My two children navigate the web and show me how to access information.  They feel comfortable using the new software available in their schools.  Luckily, our school system realized early that in order to hold the interest of the students, the curriculum had to incorporate visual imagery and technology into the instructional program.  Our students learn at an early age to communicate with classrooms throughout our county via video streaming and do cooperative projects.  There is no limit to the learning opportunities of students today using Web 2.0/School 2.0.  They are able to access information, videos, and pictures about subject matter not covered in their textbooks.  Our educators have realized that by the time textbooks are published, a great deal of the information presented is already obsolete.  Using this software, allows instructors to remain current in the literature and supplement the adopted text with accurate data imported from the internet.  Students are free to do outside research on topics of interest to them and assigned projects.  These interactive learning experiences keep students motivated to continue learning beyond completion of their assignment.  My son comes home from school commenting on things he has learned and asking a million other questions.  My daughter is a visual learner and remembers material imported from the internet better than from lectures or textbook passages, so Web 2.0/School 2.0 has opened a new avenue of learning.

Thing #4

Blogging can be very useful to politicians and people seeking information on issues of interest to the public.  When public figures set up their own websites and request feedback from their constituents, it provides an instant resource to measure the feelings of society.  Surveys and phone calls are costly and time consuming.  The data collected via these sources are outdated before the information can be tabulated, whereas, electronic feedback elicits instantaneous responses. (The power of the internet was demonstrated when a simple posting saying to meet in the park for a snowball fight produced a 1000 participants.)   When political figures stay connected with their voters through blog sites, voters have a better scene of being a part of the political process and being represented by a concerned administration. 

When I was in school, my research consisted of reading a variety of articles and books in the library.  Now, my daughter actually has an opportunity to ask questions online and receive professional responses from experts in the area she is exploring.  Those opportunities are more meaningful to her than reading about it in a book.  Also, blogging provides feedback on her thoughts on the subject, before she submits the report for grading.  Her information is current and provides credible resources and data unavailable to her classmates.  The electronic dialogue allows my daughter to clarify misconceptions and develop a better understanding of the technical aspects of issues. 

Also, blogging allows an audience to share your thoughts and feelings with before making critical decisions, to sway public opinion, or elicit support.  One must be careful not to fall prey to fishing or predators inundating your computer with spam.   People who share the same interests or intellect can converse in minutes and not wait for snail mail to carry responses.  You are free to converse with people in other countries and all across the United States. People you would never have an opportunity to meet and talk to face to face.  Many educators are willing to share ideas and discuss ways to teach students of varying ages.  These posters have already completed the projects and can provide helpful hints on how to modify instruction to meet the needs of at-risk learners.  The comment section, allows other instructors to discuss how they used the activities, and the responses obtained from their students.  These websites are safe means of reaching fellow teachers and sharing ideas.  This is a constructive uses of blogging.  Hopefully, our society will not completely retreat into the internet world and forget the beauty of discussing issues face to face with colleagues. 

There’s a Dragon in my Art Room: http://plbrown.blogspot.com/p/about-my-classroom.html is for elementary art teachers to share ideas and make comments. Also, The Teaching Palette: http://theteachingpalette.com/category/blog/ provides a wide variety of art activities, interactive games, and videos posted by elementary art instructors.  

After reading Jeremy Hand-Roe’s, Alicia Coakley’s, Nathan Davis’, Katrina Motter’s, and Michelle Parson’s blogs, I realized that we were all basically concerned about the same things when communicating over the internet.  Two of us were novices at blogging, and the others were concerned with using proper etiquette while chatting.  One even suggested having a special font for criticism, so you could push delete when it came on the screen.  All of us wanted to communicate with our peers and fellow educators in a constructive manner, in an effort to share ideas. 

 

Thing #3

I have started to figure out my way around this blog.  It makes me nervous not knowing how to do something.  If anyone reads this and can help me improve it, PLEASE let me know.  I would deeply appreciate it.  I am now going to attempt to register my blog.  Cross your fingers there is no turning back for me now.

Thing #2

How did I decide on posting my name and the name of my blog?   I named my blog after me because, well, it is my blog.  Actually after being in organic chemistry for a year and labeling over 200 laboratory notebook pages, "K Mott", the name sort of stuck.  The title of my blog reflects the requirements of completing this course.

What was my experience in creating the blog like?  Was it easy or hard for me?  Why?  I am not going to lie to you...this class scares me more than any other class I have taken.  I was not raised during the electronic age and I am not confident in my computer skills.  I can do what I need to do to get by.  I had a hard time figuring out what size and colors to use on my blog and I still haven't figured out how to make my words closer together so it doesn't take up so much space.  I hope that after this class is over, I will have gained self-confidence in computer usage and be able to utilize the electronic equipment in my classroom as effectively as possible.  Computer technology can be very beneficial in my art classroom.  I have never blogged before so please be patient as I will do my best to succeed.  I am very nervous and excited about this class and I am looking forward to working with each one of you.

How does my avatar reflect my personality?  Did I create an avatar that looks like me or someone totally different?  There weren't very many things I could do to my avatar to make it reflect my personality other than change its clothes.  I would like to be able to add some personality to my avatar if someone could lead me in the right direction.  I tried to make my avatar look as close to me as possible.  I like to see people's interpretations of themselves or others.  It is fun to look at self-portraits and immediately know who that person is.

Thing #1

The easiest of the seven and a half habits for me would have to be Habit #1.  Throughout life it is necessary to set lifelong goals if one is to be successful.  When long term goals are set in advance, they provide a rubric from which to plan backwards in order to obtain the desired end results.  Attainable objectives can be developed to insure progress toward final outcomes.  If success is measured in small increments, people do not lose sight of their ultimate goals.  When teachers predetermine the skills necessary to pass required evaluations, they inadvertently set the tone for developing learning experiences geared to completion of tasks required for mastery of the assessed objectives.  This allows students to see their progress and feel successful.  Success drives students to attain more information and attempt more difficult tasks. 

The hardiest and most frustrating habit for me is Habit #4.   As a novice teacher working in the same school I attended as a youth, it is difficult to establish myself as a competent instructor.  Many of my former teachers are now coworkers.  They treat me with respect and include me in academic decisions.  Unfortunately, I have difficulty adjusting to the new relationship.  I have always admired my former instructors and look to them as role models, now we are equals.  Perhaps one day, I will develop the self-confidence necessary to lead others and make changes in the curriculum.  Many of the senior staff members question me about current educational issues, which they were not exposed to during their college years.  With each passing day, I am learning to view myself as an educator and no longer the student.   Eventually, I will develop the self-confidence to implement the educational strategies I gain from my former teachers and modify them to fit my personality and needs.

As a right brain learner, I always read the end of the novel before beginning a book.  This allows me to determine and make note of events that occur throughout the story which are influential to the outcome of the book.  Lifelong learners set in motion events which determine the final outcomes of their life.  During this process if they pre-plan for unforeseen calamities, they will be better prepared to cope with the aftermath and learn from the experience.  Lifelong learners continue assessing their role and needs in life, in an effort to remain productive members of society.  When the human mind stops learning, it begins to deteriorate and senility occurs.  Active minds begin collecting information from birth, resorts it throughout life, adds and subtracts from it, and allows us to remain functioning members of society.   We are never too old to learn information which will be beneficial to our well being.