Scrolling through my posts for this course reminds me how much I have learned taking Jennifer Dalby's course, Essentials for eLearning. First of all, our course textbook, The Online Teaching Survival Guide by Judith Boettecher, is an excellent resource. It is both informative and practical. It covers the “life-span” of developing and teaching online courses with examples, resources and recommendations. Thank you for including this great resource as part of our syllabus.
Second, I really appreciate the expertise and enthusiasm of our instructor, Jennifer Dalby. Technology is her passion and, as we all know as fellow educators, you are at your best when you are teaching your passion.
Third, we had a core group of very enthusiastic students who were sharing and responding, almost daily, on diigo - a social bookmarking website. When time allowed, I would check diigo right after my personal emails to see what topics and ideas were surfacing among this “intentionally forming community.” I guess you could say, this is one of several new habits I have developed inspired by this course experience. I would like to continue this habit of connecting with like- minded educators (on blogs) who are experimenting with arts/technology integration for teaching and learning.
A major revelation for me after taking this course - you can connect and form virtual relationships with “kindred spirits” from all over the world which can be a great resource for both personal and professional support! Once again, I give Jennifer the credit for showing us how these connections can be found and created. This resource and activity is definitely one I will start practicing as I continue to explore and grow, hopefully creating a niche where I can market a newly acquired teaching expertise.
Finally, what I found most exciting is the discovery (with Jennifer’s guidance) concerning a wealth of free technology applications one can access on the internet - VoiceThread, Vuvox, Picasa, Prizi,etc. are applications readily available to educators! Technology and the internet have truly transformed how we access and acquire knowledge. Here, I am reminded of my final project where I quoted John Seely Brown regarding the impact of our rapidly evolving “new culture of learning.” Due to advancements in technology, Seely Brown believes the emphasis needs to shift from not only absorbing information, but appreciating how knowledge is created. For me, this is the true calling for educators in the 21st century. How can we create new learning environments where students are nurtured to learn, discover, explore, play, and develop? This course has inspired me with many new ideas and teaching possibilities I plan to continue exploring, both professionally and personally. With much appreciation!
By L.D.Fink "The single most powerful change most teachers can make in their course is to expand the experiential dimension of student learning."
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
DESIGNING RUBRICS for Online Courses
This week we have been reading about "QM" Quality Matters- for-profit entity that certifies online courses. They have developed an 8 section rubric on necessary traits as a tool for assessing and ensuring the quality of online courses. I came across this teacher's approach and liked the idea. Not sure how it would work for an online course, but could lead to an interesting discussion among the students. And, as an arts learning advocate," . . . the process is as important as the product!"
"A great idea to have a two-pronged approach to the rubric - Make your own rubric while you're planning the unit. Figure out what students need to demonstrate to master the objectives.
In class, explain the project. Place students in think-pair-share groups to discuss what criteria they would use to judge the project. Ask for a volunteer to take notes for the class on the whiteboard and take criteria suggestions from the crowd. Circle those items that have more than one vote. Underline those that you have in your own rubric. Talk about the products and how each criterion will be evaluated. Show the class your rubric and add suggestions from the class's discussion.
By having this pre-work discussion, students can show their creativity on the front end of the project. They have a say in what distinguishes a successful project from one that doesn't meet expectations. The students have ownership and have begun the thought process that will lead to the project development. This isn't a waste of class time; it's think time.
Best of all, when you receive the students' projects, you'll have a rubric to guide you. You won't be surprised with a clay sculpture when you expected a lab write up. And you'll be assured that your lesson's objectives, the students' work, and everyone's expectations all line up."
"A great idea to have a two-pronged approach to the rubric - Make your own rubric while you're planning the unit. Figure out what students need to demonstrate to master the objectives.
In class, explain the project. Place students in think-pair-share groups to discuss what criteria they would use to judge the project. Ask for a volunteer to take notes for the class on the whiteboard and take criteria suggestions from the crowd. Circle those items that have more than one vote. Underline those that you have in your own rubric. Talk about the products and how each criterion will be evaluated. Show the class your rubric and add suggestions from the class's discussion.
By having this pre-work discussion, students can show their creativity on the front end of the project. They have a say in what distinguishes a successful project from one that doesn't meet expectations. The students have ownership and have begun the thought process that will lead to the project development. This isn't a waste of class time; it's think time.
Best of all, when you receive the students' projects, you'll have a rubric to guide you. You won't be surprised with a clay sculpture when you expected a lab write up. And you'll be assured that your lesson's objectives, the students' work, and everyone's expectations all line up."
Revisitng Module #4 - Essential Understandings (improved)
Even though I am way behind with this class (just starting Module #8) I needed to return to our assignments in Module #4 "essential understandings." As I started to really think about learning outcomes for my course (learning and using tech applications with the arts) my thinking shifted about logical outcomes. So that I can continue going forward with our EDUC 251, the foundational components needed to be changed and clarified in my thinking.
- Arts learning involves a different type of cognitive and affective engagement of the learner. To best accommodate this type of learning, classroom teachers must adopt teaching methods which incorporate visual, auditory and kinesthetic modalities.
- Many technology applications lend themselves to appreciating and creating the qualitative and experiential learning involved in arts-making.
- Arts learning can be incorporated in classroom curriculum using available and free technology applications accessed off the Web.
- With limited resources, classroom teachers can readily learn to use technology applications which create unique learning opportunities provided by the arts.
Monday, March 14, 2011
PORTFOLIO #7
Title: Make History Come Alive with FLIP video
Your students have been studying the French Imperialism into Egypt during the 1790’s. You assign the following Learning Activity -
Introduction: We have been studying the French Imperialism into Egypt. We have the opportunity to interview Napoleon Bonaparte to find out his reasons for sending troops into Egypt on a non-military expedition of discovery. In teams of 4, you are to create a videotaping of an interview with Napoleon. The final learning project is a 6 to 8 minute video interview of Napoleon responding to questions detailing his motivation, experiences and discoveries during this imperialistic expedition to Egypt in the 1790’s.
Activity Instructions:
1) You will have access to Flip video camcorders for both filming and editing your interview.
2) Each team member will be assigned a role – actor, camera person, interviewer, costume/set designer. As a team, everyone does the necessary research to find out more about this event in history and what Napoleon discovered during this expedition. Based on your research, you should come up with no less than 6 questions for Napoleon to answer in detail.
3) You will tape and edit a short video (8 minutes) of this interview which should include both dialogue and images (music if you wish). Have fun and use your imagination. You will be graded on the following:
Required Elements for Score:
Exemplary - 3 Met - 2 Unmet - 2
Level of research & historical details/accuracy
Video/audio quality & editing
Dramatic skills/costumes/props
Originality
4) You will have 3 weeks for this project. I must see both Napoleon's questions/ and responses before you start videotaping.
5) Videos should be stored on YouTube to access via URL for internet access and sharing.
Your students have been studying the French Imperialism into Egypt during the 1790’s. You assign the following Learning Activity -
Introduction: We have been studying the French Imperialism into Egypt. We have the opportunity to interview Napoleon Bonaparte to find out his reasons for sending troops into Egypt on a non-military expedition of discovery. In teams of 4, you are to create a videotaping of an interview with Napoleon. The final learning project is a 6 to 8 minute video interview of Napoleon responding to questions detailing his motivation, experiences and discoveries during this imperialistic expedition to Egypt in the 1790’s.
Activity Instructions:
1) You will have access to Flip video camcorders for both filming and editing your interview.
2) Each team member will be assigned a role – actor, camera person, interviewer, costume/set designer. As a team, everyone does the necessary research to find out more about this event in history and what Napoleon discovered during this expedition. Based on your research, you should come up with no less than 6 questions for Napoleon to answer in detail.
3) You will tape and edit a short video (8 minutes) of this interview which should include both dialogue and images (music if you wish). Have fun and use your imagination. You will be graded on the following:
Required Elements for Score:
Exemplary - 3 Met - 2 Unmet - 2
Level of research & historical details/accuracy
Video/audio quality & editing
Dramatic skills/costumes/props
Originality
4) You will have 3 weeks for this project. I must see both Napoleon's questions/ and responses before you start videotaping.
5) Videos should be stored on YouTube to access via URL for internet access and sharing.
Friday, March 4, 2011
LEARNING OUTCOMES and EVIDENCE Module 6.4
As I was working on course assignment in Module 6 and thinking about aligning learning activities to the “essential understandings” I had developed a few weeks back, I realized something very important. The “essential understandings” I had developed and taught previously in another “integrated arts instruction” course for pre-service teachers do not easily transfer to integrating arts into technology. Why is this? I view technology as an application, a container or medium for expressing knowledge and understanding. Expecting classroom teachers to research and understand core technology concepts ( in addition to learning about styles of visual art forms) would be a huge undertaking in one course and beyond my level of understanding and experience. That being said, I need to revisit my “essential understandings” for the following learning activity I had intended to assign. It's that "backward to foward" thing!
A learning outcome for “Integrated Arts & Technology” would entail the following: real-world relevancy, include multiple perspectives and interpretations, involve collaborative efforts, and culminate in a product valuable in its own right (Marilyn Lombardt’s work on 21st century authentic learning)
• The course objective or understanding for this course - to develop a 10 minute presentation using one of the tech applications introduced in this course (VoliceThread, Prizi etc.)
• This presentation should represent an authentic, age-appropriate project which addresses a famous artist from the 20th century with examples of their art work. Students need to design this project to be age- appropriate for their students and approppriate for the level of research they would be capable of.
• Working together in teams of 3, students will choose a tech application we have learned about during the course and create an asynchronous presentation. Think of your presentation as an advanced Power Point with a voiceover application. This criteria will allow your classroom students to record their thoughts and research ideas.
. The presentation will consist of both images and text and allow for voiceover. The presentation should address why you selected this artist and what made them famous.
• This presentation should include both examples of the subject artist’s work, and a recreation by you of their work or style, with brief descriptions of how you created these images (materials and technique selections).
• Each team decides which art medium (painting, photography, video) will be used in creating recreations which capture the essence of this artist’s work and style (emphasizing their technique of painting, subject matter of photography, etc.)
To conclude -please write a short 3 paragraph essay addressing what you learned (social/academic) from incorporating a technology application with this project. What were the challenges? What are you most proud of?
A learning outcome for “Integrated Arts & Technology” would entail the following: real-world relevancy, include multiple perspectives and interpretations, involve collaborative efforts, and culminate in a product valuable in its own right (Marilyn Lombardt’s work on 21st century authentic learning)
• The course objective or understanding for this course - to develop a 10 minute presentation using one of the tech applications introduced in this course (VoliceThread, Prizi etc.)
• This presentation should represent an authentic, age-appropriate project which addresses a famous artist from the 20th century with examples of their art work. Students need to design this project to be age- appropriate for their students and approppriate for the level of research they would be capable of.
• Working together in teams of 3, students will choose a tech application we have learned about during the course and create an asynchronous presentation. Think of your presentation as an advanced Power Point with a voiceover application. This criteria will allow your classroom students to record their thoughts and research ideas.
. The presentation will consist of both images and text and allow for voiceover. The presentation should address why you selected this artist and what made them famous.
• This presentation should include both examples of the subject artist’s work, and a recreation by you of their work or style, with brief descriptions of how you created these images (materials and technique selections).
• Each team decides which art medium (painting, photography, video) will be used in creating recreations which capture the essence of this artist’s work and style (emphasizing their technique of painting, subject matter of photography, etc.)
To conclude -please write a short 3 paragraph essay addressing what you learned (social/academic) from incorporating a technology application with this project. What were the challenges? What are you most proud of?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
ePortfolio "freebie"
“Knowledge may maintain consistency in the explicit, while undergoing radical changes in the tacit and we believe that understanding how knowledge is both created and how it flows in the tacit is the key to understanding and transforming learning in the 21st century.” Quote from an interview with John Seely Brown, “A New Culture of Learning.”
The project: Second graders first completed a piece of artwork, depicting a place they love to visit or imagine visiting. Then, 9th graders used a Wiki to few and then select various pieces of artwork. They created poetry and recited their work on the VT. Then, the link was sent to a classroom in Texas, where students worked to compose an original piece of music for each picture using GarageBand. Overall, it took about 2 1/2 months to put together. Don’t forget to click on the “St. Marks” thumbnail to hear wonderful, original digital music by 5th & 6th grade student in Texas. I love this project!!
At the beginning of this course, one of the more profound moments for me resulted from viewing a videotaped interview with advanced thinker and scholar, John Seely Brown. He so eloquently addressed the challenges we face with the rapidly changing role for educators from instructor to facilitator -“being expert in a particular area of knowledge, to becoming expert in the ability to create and shape new learning environments.”
For fellow educators seeking new technology skills for "shaping a new learning environment," may I share a wonderful example done with the tech application and media aggregate,VOICETHREAD. Click on the link BELOW and see what the application,Voicethread, can do for a teacher who seeks to expand opportunites for students to think and create in multiple dimensional ways. I love this project because each group of students created a new layer of interpretation, applying different modalities (poetry, music and visual art) to represent their thoughts about a simple theme of “places I like to visit or imagine visiting.”
http://ed.voicethread.com/community/library/K12_art_poetry_and_music_from_Erin_Berg/
The project: Second graders first completed a piece of artwork, depicting a place they love to visit or imagine visiting. Then, 9th graders used a Wiki to few and then select various pieces of artwork. They created poetry and recited their work on the VT. Then, the link was sent to a classroom in Texas, where students worked to compose an original piece of music for each picture using GarageBand. Overall, it took about 2 1/2 months to put together. Don’t forget to click on the “St. Marks” thumbnail to hear wonderful, original digital music by 5th & 6th grade student in Texas. I love this project!!
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