Social Networking...

What is Social Networking?

Social networking is defined as the grouping of individuals together into to specific groups, often like a small community or a neighborhood. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the workplace, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions, if not more, of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users and develop friendships.

Our Article...

According to our article, more than 96% of teens use social networking tools, ages 9 to 17. Popular and yet controversial sites such as Facebook and Myspace are among the popular sites used by the students surveyed. Text messaging, instant messaging, chatting, blogging and email are also considered social networking tools among teens. Most schools have strict rules on the use of social networking tools during school hours, some school districts even prohibit it. According to the article because of the survey results, school leaders should consider changing the rules and find a way for students to use the social networking tools for educational purposes. Students are using these tools to discuss educational topics at home according to the survey. These networking tools have also been used for students to explore their creativity. According to the article, students surveyed said they have uploaded photos they have either created or taken and some have even created video. According to the article, 96% of the students surveyed are also given home work by the teacher's that require internet use. As a result of this survey school leaders should reconsider their strict policies on social networking during school hours.

What do we think?

As young adults, we have all known many people who use a social networking tool. Most of our friends have a myspace or facebook, and almost all use a chat system, such as AOL Instant Messenger or Skype. When a lot of people write on their "blogs" or post a "bulliten" they talk about school, work, and other educational things. At times, we all have even written blogs for classes. We wrote blogs about world politics and other hot topic issues in my creative writing class. I found this to be the only part of my class that I liked. I think that schools should reexamine their internet policy, like the article said, and incorporate social networking into allowed sites.

***Virtual Classrooms***

Article: http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/onlinelearning/virtual-classroom.html

Summary:
Virtual classrooms offer homeschooled students the ability to continue their education from home and receive an education from someone with the knowledge and the expertise. Students can work at a pace that works for them with Virtual Classrooms. Teachers of virtual classrooms are available to answer questions and offer help on assignments. In some cases, virtual classrooms offer classes otherwise not available to students. For example, if a biology class is not offered because of the lack of a professor, a virtual classroom allows the students to study biology from their hometown.

Further Research:
Using a Virtual Classroom: What's In It for You? Learn theory & practical skills. The increased role of online education in institutions of higher learning, K-12 school districts, the armed forces, and corporations has produced a dramatic increase in the demand for skilled, high quality online educators who can design and deliver effective online education. Learn online. Delivered completely online, the comprehensive TVC program allows participants to learn online teaching skills and then practice these skills as they develop their own effective online courses. Learn from the experts. The program's core faculty, Drs. Rena Paloff and Keith Pratt, are well-known authors and consultants in online learning. Adjunct faculty includes Rita Marie Conrad, noted author of Engaging the Online Learner. Become an effective online educator. On completion of the TVC program, participants will understand the theory behind online learning, and will be well equipped to create and conduct successful, stimulating online courses. Work towards a doctoral degree. Fielding's Teaching in the Virtual Classroom certificate program is the only one of its kind to offer students the option to earn a certificate and apply units towards the university's doctoral program in Educational Leadership & Change.
A virtual classroom can be used as a tool to encourage learning outside the classroom along with being an alternative to a regular classroom. Teacher's can facilitate many activities 24 hours a day in a virtual classroom. A virtual classroom can contain many activities. Some activities might include: group or individual projects, chats, quizzes, surveys, and even homework. The virtual classroom can also be a tool to inform parents and students about their progress and what is going on in the classroom. For example, the virtual classroom could have announcements, a calendar, grade book, chapter overviews and student information such as photos, information or even a personal web page.

Thinking and Reflecting:
Our article this week address a subject that has been around forever but in a new way, home schooling. When I think of student who home school the virtual classroom does not come to mind, but with this new tool for parents to use they have the ability to still have their children at home with them when they reach a level of learning that is higher than the parents own teaching ability. They also have the ability to utilize a certified teacher which was not possible for home schooling of the past.
This article states that a common use of virtual classrooms is for students who are home-schooled. As the kids get older, the amount of knowledge the parents have on a particular subject may not be as high as they expect their high school students to be. Virtual classrooms are a good way for at-home students or distance learners to take a class at their own pace, without the assistance of their parents. If the parents do not want to 'force' their high school students to the big adjustment of a real high school, a virtual classroom would be a great way for their student to take a course that they are not prepared to teach.

A Classroom of the Mind

Summary:

Alison- The article is about a man named, Rizzo who invented the Virtual Classroom and Virtual Office. He began using the tool to test students with ADHD. Instead of using the basic A-X pattern test the virtual classroom puts the child in a cartoon classroom setting and has them take a quiz, with and with out distractions. This alternative way of testing helps psychologists better diagnosis children with ADHD and the level of severity. The Virtual Classroom could also limit the number of children taking Ritalin and other medications because the program can detect the most severe cases and offer training to help prepare them better for the classroom and when faced with distractions. Virtual Reality in the classroom can help teachers and psychologists better understand students with behavior problems and solutions to help them in the classroom. It can also offer real world experience and field trips like a trip the zoo, museum or space. Virtual Reality can also help adults who suffer from ADHD, strokes and brain disorders to refresh their memory or teach them to multi task. Some studies have found that children going through a painful doctor procedure like drawing blood or surgery helps reduce their pan through virtual reality distractions.

Sarah- For many kids, keeping their attention one one thing for extended period of time is difficult to do. Rizzo began developing Virtual classrooms in 1999 to create a 'classroom' for students with attention disorders. These virtual classrooms can actually train kids to pay better attention!


The Article

by Emily Sohn

Oct. 22, 2003

You're sitting at your desk. A teacher is writing on the chalkboard. A bus rumbles past the window. Kids are yelling in the playground outside. A paper airplane whizzes overhead. The school principal steps into the room, looks around, and walks out. A book falls off the desk next to you. Suddenly, the teacher hands you a pop quiz.

Don't panic! You aren't actually in school. You're in a "virtual classroom." Everything you see and hear is coming to you through a computer-operated display that you're wearing on your head like a pair of very bulky goggles.

Wearing special headgear allows this girl to see images and hear sounds that make her feel that she's in a classroom.

Skip Rizzo

Unlike the classroom, the technology is real. It's an innovative application of virtual reality, a type of technology that uses computer programs to simulate real-world (or even fantasy) situations. Wearing virtual-reality gear, you can find yourself sitting in a classroom, touring a famous museum, wandering across a weird landscape, zooming into space, or playing with a cartoon character. You don't have to leave your room.

Movie directors and video game producers have been using computers for years to create ever more realistic special effects. Some companies are now building three-dimensional fantasy worlds in which players, linked by computer networks, appear to meet and go on quests together. Virtual-reality gear that delivers images and sounds directly to your eyes and ears makes these fake worlds seem lifelike.

Some psychologists are also getting into the act. They see virtual reality technology as a useful tool for learning more about why people act as they do. It could help psychologists better identify and come up with solutions for behavior problems, for example.

"We've spent the last 100 years looking for certain laws in how people interact with the real world," says clinical psychologist Albert "Skip" Rizzo. "Now, we've got a powerful tool that lets us create worlds, control things, and see how people perform. This is a psychologist's dream."

Rizzo works in the school of engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he developed the Virtual Classroom and a related program called the Virtual Office.

Virtual classroom

Some kids can't sit still for long. They have a hard time paying attention to just one thing. They're easily distracted. They can get very impatient. They hate standing in line or waiting for their turn in a game or activity. They get bored pretty fast. They may also be impulsive—saying the first thing that comes to mind or interrupting someone else who's talking.

For certain kids, this problem is so severe that doctors have a name for it: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Perhaps as many as 1 out of every 20 kids under the age of 18 have characteristics of ADHD. Often, these kids have trouble getting through school and face other difficulties later in life.

Rizzo started developing the Virtual Classroom in 1999. He wanted to see if he could use it as a tool for testing and treating kids who have attention disorders.

Here's what you might see when you're wearing virtual-reality headgear that puts you in a "cartoon" classroom.

Skip Rizzo

To diagnose ADHD, doctors typically test patients by giving them tasks that require attention. As part of one classic test, you watch letters flashed on a computer screen. Every time you see the letter "A" followed by the letter "X," you have to press the space bar. If you're paying close attention, you'll register all the times this combination occurs. If not, you'll miss some.

The Virtual Classroom makes these tests more efficient, Rizzo says. In one experiment, he gave a group of kids the classic "A-X" test. Instead of looking at a computer screen in a doctor's office, though, the kids wore headsets that made it look like they were taking the test in a classroom.

"Basically what we found," Rizzo says, "is that, in 20 minutes of testing with virtual reality, we replicated a finding that usually requires a couple hours of standard testing with computer screens in the psychologist's office."

Realistic features

Encouraged by these results, Rizzo and his colleagues started programming additional features into their Virtual Classroom. Introducing distractions was one of them.

Even though teachers try their best to keep their classrooms quiet and orderly, real life can get pretty chaotic. So, the researchers added people walking around, noises coming from the hallway, paper airplanes flying every which way, and other distractions.

A paper airplane glides through this virtual classroom scene.

Skip Rizzo

When Rizzo tested kids with and without ADHD using the more advanced program, he found some interesting patterns. Even without distractions, kids with ADHD performed worse on the "A-X" task than did kids without attention problems. When they had to deal with distractions at the same time, the differences between the two groups were even more striking, Rizzo says.

Because the Virtual Classroom more accurately mimics real life, diagnoses become more reliable than with traditional testing methods, Rizzo says. He thinks his program could reduce the number of kids who take Ritalin and other medications for ADHD because it does a better job of identifying the most serious problems.

The next step will be to move from diagnoses to treatments. Spending time in a carefully controlled Virtual Classroom might help train kids to pay better attention, even when facing the multitude of distractions that confront them every day.

That may be the only way psychology will ever keep pace with modern society, Rizzo says.

Information deluge

"We're living in an information deluge," he says. "One person estimated that a Sunday edition of the New York Times contains more information than a person was exposed to in their entire lifetime in the 18th century." And there's a lot more around than just the Sunday newspaper.

Kids are growing up in an increasingly high-tech, computer-dominated world. "We're not going to entice this generation of kids in the classroom or later in job training with old, traditional tools," Rizzo says. "Their brains are wired for speed. You can complain about that all you want, but this is reality."

Grownups, too, stand a chance of benefiting from virtual reality technology. With a Virtual Office, adults with ADHD and others who have suffered from strokes or brain disorders might be able to retrain their memories or improve their ability to do two or more tasks at the same time.

While interviewing Rizzo, I found myself wondering if a Virtual Office might also someday be available to help writers get better organized.

Several groups of scientists around the world are looking for additional applications of virtual reality. One recent study found that the technology could help ease the suffering of children undergoing painful medical procedures. Kids who experienced a pleasant virtual reality while getting blood drawn or having healthy skin grafted onto severely burned areas appeared to feel less pain than those who simply watched a cartoon. In this case, distraction was a goal, not a problem.

As new applications arise and computer technology improves, it may get harder and harder to distinguish between the real and the virtual. Don't get confused, though. Letting fly those paper airplanes might be okay in a virtual classroom, but it could get you into real trouble in a real one.

Question the Scientist: Skip Rizzo

Word Find: Virtual Classroom

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Thinking and Reflecting

I like the idea of virtual reality but not in the classroom setting. I do not see the virtual reality realm working within the classroom on a daily basis. I can understand a once a week activity plan that incorporated the technology. I see these virtual classrooms more useful for the students who are not able to attend, but rather do distant learning. It can sometimes be hard to keep up with assignments in a virtual class. However, with a virtual classroom it would be interesting to see how that would help a student learn. It would give them the interaction that is lacking with just the virtual online classes.
-Mariel

When first reading this article, I found it hard to believe such virtual reality was even possible. The thought of children walking around with giant goggles but visualizing a different setting was unimaginable, as if it only exsisted on television. But after reading the article, I was introduced to a new type of learning that I had never known truely exsisted. This new type of technology could be very helpful in the teaching classroom. It is able to introduce students to new forms of learning and even bring them to places they couldn't ordinarily go. Although, I am not quite sure how a classroom full of students wearing giant goggles could work in a cohesive way. There is always the possibility that students will "goof off" in the virtual classroom and think of this learning tool as a game and not so much as a way to learn. (Even though I do understand that the appearance of learning as a fun game can be very helpful.)
-Barwen

Further Research

Paula says...

Virtual Reality is a great tool to use in the classroom one teacher in New Jersey is allowing all children to explore music, virtually. http://www.edutopia.org/virtual-music-production-reality http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/04/setting_up_shop_in_second_life.html

Kimberly says...

Today, there is so much technology to help teachers in the classroom. Virtual Reality is just one of many.
http://www.vrealities.com this site offers low cost virtual reality hardware.
http://www.tekgear.com/index.cfm?pageID=1 this site also offers virtual reality hardware.

Using Video in the Classroom

http://www.libraryvideo.com/articles/article13.asp
By Lori Griffin, Curriculum Director, Library Video Company
There is substantial research promoting the use of video in the classroom as a dynamic resource for supporting curricula. According to a recent teacher survey, 94% of classroom teachers had effectively used video during the course of an academic year. And most teachers were using it frequently - on average, once per week. But why?
Benefits of Using Video:
As educators, our goal of course, is to get students energized and engaged in hands-on learning experiences, and video is clearly an instructional medium that generates excitement. Using sight and sound, video is the perfect medium for students who are auditory or visual learners. Video taps into emotions which stimulate and enthrall students, and it provides an innovative and effective means for educators to address the curricular concepts.
Consider the classroom in which students can hear the cry of a nearly extinct species and see the colors and hear the sounds of animals that thrive only in a remote wilderness half way around the globe. Envision teaching with the voices of the past by introducing young learners to great historians, political figures and famous people who lived centuries ago. Imagine conveying the laws of motion, sound and energy transfer by viewing the launch of the space shuttle on a journey into outer space. Think about how much easier it would be to understand the diverse cultures of people who live in other areas of the world if you could encounter them in their own environments - hearing their songs, observing their rituals or listening to their silence. Video provides another sensory experience that allows concepts to actually be “experienced” and come to life while you guide your students on each adventure.
We all know from experience that the more engaged your students are, the more interactive your lesson is, the more your students will enjoy, learn from and retain information from your lessons. It may surprise you to think of video as a means for interactive instruction, but video is a very flexible medium. The ability to stop, start and rewind it can be invaluable. You can stop the video and challenge your students to predict the outcome of a demonstration, or elaborate on, or debate about, a point of historical reference. You can rewind a particular portion of a show to add your own review or view a segment in slow motion to ensure that your students understand a key concept. Furthermore, you can ensure interactivity by replicating activities, workshops, demonstrations and experiments in your classroom environment.
Effectively Using Video:
Current research reveals that the most effective way to use video is as an enhancement to a lesson or unit of study. Video should be used as a facet of instruction along with any other resource material you have available to you for teaching a given topic and you should prepare for the use of a video in the classroom the very same way you would with any other teaching aid. Specific learning objectives should be determined, an instructional sequence should be developed and reinforcement activities planned. And of course, no video should ever be used in the classroom until it has first been previewed by the instructor.
Resources:
There are a lot of excellent videos available, but a video produced for educational purposes - created with the needs of the classroom in mind - will be structured in a way to most effectively meet your needs. There are over 500 Schlessinger Media programs that have been produced specifically for the classroom - they have been correlated to state, regional and national standards, most come with Teacher’s Guides and 3 minute video clips are available online for previewing purposes.
There are over 14,000 education titles on our web site and each program has been carefully reviewed by our experienced and knowledgeable staff to ensure its appropriateness for use in the classroom. We welcome any additional ideas you may have about using video in the classroom or feedback regarding the resources we can provide to make it efficient and easy to find educational media for an educational setting.
Note: For information about Public Performance Rights and the copyright issues concerning using video in the classroom, see the article, Can These Videos Be Shown in a Classroom or Library Setting?

What we think:

Summary
Arwen Barr-Yip (aebarryi)
As an educator, the goal is to get students engaged in hands-on learning experiences, and video is clearly an instructional medium that generates excitement. Using sight and sound, video is the perfect medium for students who are auditory or visual learners. Video taps into emotions which stimulate and enthrall students, and it provides an innovative and effective means for educators to address the curricular concepts. Video also provides a sensory experience that allows concepts to actually be "experienced" and come to life while you guide your students on each adventure. Using video, you can ensure interactivity by replicating activities, workshops, demonstrations and experiments in your classroom environment.

Sarah Molinari (semolina)
Using video in the classroom is an increasingly popular strategy used by teachers to support their lessons, some as often as once a week. The reason this is becoming so frequently used is that students get more excited about lessons when it is through video. Videos provide students with experiences they would not normally be able to see. Videos also provide a more engaging lesson for students. One piece of advice: Always preview your videos before bringing them into the classroom.


Thinking/Reflecting
Alison Francis (amfranci)

I agree with the article that video is a great educational aide for teachers. Students usually are more engaged when watching a video versus reading a text book. The use of the video helps bring alive what is being read and taught from the textbook. The use of video helps the students who learn visually and also helps the students' imagination come to life. I enjoyed how the article made the use of videos in the classroom sound so exciting. I can see why using a video aide in the classroom would excite and engage students in learning. I agree it is very important for teachers to preview the video they will be using first and provide supplemental materials and reinforcing work related to the subject and video.

Mariel Jacques (mejacque)
Using streaming video is a great addition to any lesson plan. It helps to enhance a lesson and bring more insight into a particular subject. However, teachers have to be careful in the way they use their videos. In highschool, teachers use to use videos during the whole class period. While it was a break from class, it began very tiring to watch it for the entire time. I think the video should be used alongside course material, but never for the whole time. It becomes hard for the student to pay attention and lights off make an atmosphere of relaxation.


Further Research
Kimberly Legendre (klegend)
Scientific research states that it is good to show videos in the classroom. This is in compliance with The No Child Left Behind Act. There are websites that help teachers with showing movies. teachwithmovies.org is a website that offers help with movie lesson plans. http://www.libraryvideo.com/articles/article18.asp?mscssid=MHJ64J8M3MLP8KX9LE6NSD6ATN9R4556 No Child Left Behind Article http://teachwithmovies.org/

A study found that certain ESE student can actually hear the sound of video, or even people talking into a microphone better than a normal voice. They felt this was because children of today use iPods to listen to music, watch a lot of tv and movies, and they have train themselves to hear in this way. So using video in a classroom is a great learning tool for these students.One place to check out for video that shows kids in action in the classroom www.edutopia.org/

Podcasting in Education

What is a podcast?

A podcast is an audio or video recording, of a lecture, lesson, or demonstration. Podcasts can be shared, via the internet, with friends and teachers. Apple makes it easy with programs pre-installed on their Macintosh computers and the iPods. Podcasts can be useful in education because it can reinforce a point that was made in class, or begin a new point.

Podcasts are yet another useful way of incorporating technology into the classroom. Students are now able to be even more interactive and make their projects hands on. It also gets the students onto websites, as they try to publish their pod casts. This gets them into the field of graphic design. Parents, who are busy in the professional world, can be updated by teachers on how their child is performing in school. They can be sent directly to there ipods or computers.

What do you think of podcasting?

When I was first told about podcasts, I will admit I was a little skeptical. Even though I was born during the age of computers and technology, I still found it difficult to understand how someone would create a podcast in the first place! But now people are coming up with a more accessible way to create and use podcasts in the classroom. Apple has seen the advantage podcasts have in classrooms, so they have decided to come out with an easier program to develop podcasts. I thought that was very helpful and a smart idea to get teachers to incorporate them into lessons. Also, as a student myself and a visual learner, I can see how podcasts can help. Being able to watch a lesson helps me learn.

This is the first time I have heard about Podcasting, although I do own an iPod. With so many technology tools out for teachers it is hard to sort through them all and decide what to use. This article mentions something very important for us as future teachers "provides an exciting way for students and educators to explore and discover educational content." Anything that can make students excited to learn is really great. Podcasting involves all the aspect of learning for children; parents, teachers and students all working together.

More Information:

Podcasting is the process of creating an audio show, usually in an MP3 format through an RSS feed. They are designed to include talk shows, tutorials, music, or other audio content. Podcasting is similar to the radio; however, listeners can decide the time and place, meaning they choose which programming they want to listen to and when they want to listen to it. Podcasting can be used for self-guided walking tours, music, talk shows, training, or for storytelling.

A program called iTunes offers thousands of podcasts related to education that teachers and students can both access. With new mac computers from Apple students can create their own podcasts equip with slides, photos and sounds with a simple program called garage band which is part of the iLife package on new macs.

Teachers creating a podcast project in the classroom should usually allow 3-4 weeks to complete. The teacher needs to go over students' computer skills before beginning a podcast. The teacher should assign students into groups and sections. The teacher should have scripts ready for the students and have a rehearsal before recording the podcast. After creating the podcast the students should be able to brainstorm and design the content of a podcast effectively with the help of the teacher. The student should also have developed project management and podcasting skills, and be able to use podcasting to express what they have learned in the future.

Some other websites:

• Podcasting Tools- http://www.podcasting-tools.com
• Podcast Alley- http://www.podcastalley.com
• Podcast Bunker- http://podcastbunker.com
• Podcasting News- http://www.podcastingnews.com

Podcasts by students:

• Radio WillowWeb- http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/
• Coulee Kids- http://www.sdlax.net/longfellow/sc/ck/index.htm
  
• Coley Cast- http://www2.murrieta.k12.ca.us/tovashal/bcoley/coleycast/index.htm
  

Wkis

Quick Wiki Summary!
Wikis, web pages editable by everyone, are often a good source of information. There are many downfalls though. Since wikis can be edited by anyone that accesses the site, the information is sometimes wrong or biased. This does not make for a good research resource for students

Classroom Scenario:
Sarah and her team have been working on their project since the second week of class. To make things go more smoothly, Sarah introduced her teammates to the concept of a wiki. She used a wiki last semester and appreciated the way you can share and collaborate on documents without special software or training. She also liked the fact that the wikis are Web pages, making links to references very handy.
The team members liked the fact that anyone on the team can browse and modify the wiki with nothing more specialized than a Web browser. One person can post a rough draft document online while the others can correct and contribute.
Sarah and her team are impressed with how easy it is to add, modify, or delete material from the wiki. There is no HTML to learn or any programming interface to master. It is an easily accessible site. Everyone on the team can read and react to information being generated and add modifications or corrections. And, since their wikis live on the Web, the team can work on the assignment at any time from any location offering an internet connection.
Sarah did caution her team to be mindful of deleting information; she had once inadvertently wiped out someone else's contribution without realizing what had happened.
Because of the wiki, Sarah and her team are now sure they have completed a thorough investigation of their project and now have something to contribute beyond a simple class project.

7 things you should know about Wikis:
What it is: a Web page that can be viewed and modified by anybody with a web browser and access to the internet.
Who's doing it: Scientists, engineers, faculty and staff of higher education, educators, students, artists, writers, collectors, professionals and more.
How it works: By using CGI script and a collection of plain text files, we are allowed to create web pages "on the fly"
Where it is going: Collaborative spaces that may become semi-authoritative voices on particular topics. Wikipedia is one of the most famous.
Why it is significant: Because wikis grow and evolve as a result of people adding material, they can address a variety of pedagogical needs (student involvement, group activities, etc.)
What the implications are for learning and teaching: Provides students with direct and immediate access to a site's content, which is important for group editing and other collaborative projects. Wikis help promote 'pride of authorship'. Wikis can be used as portfolios. Other uses: editing a textbook, preparing a journal, assembling a syllabus, etc.
What the downsides are: Site's are monitored closely to catch unwanted content (such as inappropriate language, spam, incorrect/inappropriate content. Having it monitored so closely is time consuming and personnel-intensive. Wikis have a collaborative bias; opinions, values, and perspectives become a large part of a wiki.

A Further Look Into Wikis:
Wiki has been around since the mid- 1990's, and originally used by scientists and engineers. It is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by anybody in real-time format, with a Web browser and access to the Internet. Wikis provide both author and editor privileges, and the user is able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures. It works by a combination of CGI script and plain text files that allows users to create Web pages. As you may guess there can be some draw backs with this system one being that it can be edited by anyone and that it has to be closely monitored. It also represents the collective perspective of the group that uses it, and may be bias. In the future Wikis can be used by faculty to do projects together, which might include writing textbooks, or journal articles without having to be in the same area and doing so in real time.

Digital Imagery/ Photography

Friday, September 21, 2007
Digital Imagery/ Photography

The Article

Why Digital Images?

http://futureofmath.misterteacher.com/digitalcameras.html

"When students take the pictures and actively use them for purposeful knowledge, you have a dynamic combination for engagement and active learning." (McAnear, 2004, p.4)

Your students come to you with ideas of what math is. Unfortunately, for most of them their ideas consist of worksheets, textbooks, chalkboards, extreme boredome, and the feeling that they just can't get it. They may have had some good teachers in the past who taught with manipulatives or had them use the computer for some drill & practice.
I am sure that almost none of your students would ever include digital cameras or images as tools they associate with math. This is one of the reasons why they can be such a powerful tool in the mathematics classroom--they change the way students view math. No longer is it a class where the teacher lectures about & defines procedures related to a new concept before handing out a worksheet or assigning pages in the textbook for homework. Interesting and engaging projects can be designed around the use of digital cameras and images, projects that have the potential to motivate students at a far greater level than a simple worksheet. Indeed, digital images can make many concepts come alive. In addition, the selection of subjects and their use requires critical thinking and reasoning on the part of students.

A Framework for the Use of Digital Images in the Mathematics Classroom
In the May, 2004 issue of Learning and Leading with Technology, Glen Bull and Ann Thompson provide readers with a four-step framework for the use of digital images across all content areas. Any activities mentioned below fall under one of the four following steps:
Acquire: Where does one find digital images to use in the classroom? One way to acquire digital images is to use an image search engine, like Google Images. Another way is to simply take photos with a digital camera and import them into your computer.
Analyze: Use of images can involve many kinds of analysis on the part of the student. Our goal is to get them to see mathematical concepts in real-world images.
Create: Educational activities often involve products. Many technologies make it easy to incorporate digital images (see blogs, Flickr, PowerPoint).
Communicate: Products are not always meant to be read only by a teacher, but also to be communicated to a larger audience. (Bull and Thompson)

Printable - 38 Uses for Digital Images in the (Math) Classroom (PDF)

Acquiring Digital Images for Classroom Use
Using Digital Cameras
The NCTM theme standard Connections states that students should be able to connect mathematical concepts to the outside world. Teachers who use digital cameras can get students out of the classroom and into their environment to capture real-world examples of mathematical concepts. Perhaps the most common example of this that I have found is having students find geometric concepts around the school grounds (see an example lesson on The Apple Learning Interchange). Students can easily find examples of parallel lines (sidewalk cracks, power lines), right angles (bricks on a wall), shapes, geometric solids, and on and on.

The sidewalk cracks are examples of parallel and perpendicular lines.
The bricks form right angles.

Digital cameras and images can also become the basis for project-based learning artifact. In the 2004-2005 school year, I had my 7th grade math students complete a probability project. Throughout the project I took photos of them playing games with a digital camera and then had them use the photos in a blog entry describing the theoretical and experimental probability of the game they played.

Using the Internet to Acquire Photos to Use in the Classroom
The Internet is a gold mine for finding digital images to use in your classroom. On numerous occasions I have found photos from Google or another photo site and used them on worksheets, in a blog entry, for writing prompts, or for something else. Below are some of my favorite sites for finding photos to use in the classroom.

My Favorite Sites for Acquiring Photos for Classroom Use
Flickr - Millions of users, million of photos. This is Web 2.0 at its finest. This photo sharing site allows users to tag their photos, or add keywords to them when they upload. When you search for photos here, you enter a tag into the search box and any photo that has been tagged with that keyword is returned. Tips for using Flickr:
Try a tag search for math nature and you will get photos from folks who have tagged photos with those words. Go to the site and try this.
You can also do a group search for photos. Do the same search from above and your results will show groups who have uploaded photos with the theme math nature.
KidsClick - This page contains links to special image databases under the following categories: Art, Astronomy/Space, Animals, History/Society. Some of the links include Astronomy Picture of the Day, FWS Image Archive, and American Memory Collection.
Yotophoto - From the site: "Yotophoto is a search engine for free-to-use stock photographs and images. These are images that are either in the Public Domain or released under generous Creative Commons, GNU FDL or similar licenses."
Stock.Xchng - This site is full of stock photos for professionals. It is still full of photos that are great for classroom use.
PixelPerfect - Another site meant for professionals but full of of photos appropriate for classroom use. This is a comprehensive site on digital photography with tons of information on cameras, reviews, links, and more.
Pics4Learning - A copyright free image library for teachers. I can't say I'm real high on this one--there just isn't the depth here that you'll find in the sites above.

Analyzing Photos & Communicating Concepts with WritingPrompts
One of the best ways to assess whether students understand a particular mathematical concept is to use a photo as the basis for a writing prompt and have students solve the problem. The photo in the problem below provides context for a writing prompt that assesses student knowledge of perimeter:
Mr. Williams would like to put a fence around the Verity School playground. The rectangular playground surface has a length of 85 ft. and a width of 120 ft. How many feet of fence does he need to purchase to enclose the playground?
I have numerous examples of photos I have used as writing prompts at my classroom blog from two years ago. Check them out at verity7math.blogspot.com.

Photo of the Week - Analyze & Communicate
I am currently implementing a project on my classroom blog called the Photo of the Week. Each week I post a photo that I have found on the Internet in which a mathematical concept is evident, to me at least. Creating Products with Digital Photos

More of Misterteacher's photos...
www.flickr.com
So you've sent students onto the school grounds to take photos. Now they have cameras full of digital images waiting to be placed somewhere. So what are the options? Here are a few...
Flickr: The Ultimate Photo Organizer!
www.flickr.com. If you are serious about using digital photography in your classroom, then you must go to this site and bookmark it right now! (well, after you've finished reading this page) Flickr is a Web-based photo organizing system that has many powerful features. Here are a few:
The first and most impressive feature of Flickr is it allows you to post photos to your blog. This makes the blog another canvas for your students' work. For example, the real world connections photos above could be posted to a blog with full description. See some examples from my class below. (Danger: Millions of photos reside on this site and it is easy for students to come across something they don't need to see!)
Students can create slide shows with the photos they upload to the site.
Because Flickr is Web based, you don't have to worry about whether it or will work on your PC or Mac. You also don't have to worry about how to get your photos to the Web, if that is one of your goals.
From the Classroom: flickr
Ciara's Blog
Brian's Blog

Slide Shows
Once students have acquired their photos and imported them into the computer (another topic itself), they then have multiple choices for slide show applications, depending on the platform. For PC users, the most common application is PowerPoint. On a Mac, they can place the photos into an Appleworks document and create a slide show from that document. The best application is for creating slide shows on a Mac is iPhoto. This application does it all: imports, organizes, edits, & exports albums as slide shows (& Web pages, photo books, & individual photos). In addition, iPhoto allows you to put music to the slide show.

Blogs
Just about any blog host allows users to upload photos to their blogs and use them in an entry. Have students use their classroom blogs to post photos of assignments that they have completed in class with a description of the process and results.
Check out more on blogs in the classroom:

Classroom Blogs allow teachers to assess and enrich classroom learning.
Student blogs allow students to create amazing multimedia projects and to communicate and dialogue with another.
Writing with blogs in the mathematics classroom allows students to record their learning in a digital format.
Digital portfolios allow students to demonstrate growth in an electronic format.
Resources for Blogging in the Classroom - Books, links, and even more links.
Word Processing Documents
Another option for using the digital photos is simply to insert them into a word processing document and add text for each photo. From there, any one of a number of products is possible.
Resources

McAnear, Anita. "The Power of Images." Learning & Leading With Technology, May, 2004: 4.
Bull, Glen . "Establishing a Framework for Digital Images in the School Curriculum." Learning and Leading with Technology 31 (2004). 05 Apr 2006 http://www.iste.org/inhouse/publications/ll/31/8/14b/index.cfm?Section=LL_31_8.

Summary

Typically, digital cameras are not thought of as tools used in teaching math; however, they can be a powerful tool in the way students view math. The article includes a link for engaging projects that utilize a digital camera (examples such as probability). Digital concepts can help concepts come alive and aid in critical thinking and reasoning. The four steps for creating a framework for the use of digital images are Acquire (how we find images), Analyze (seeing more than just an image), Create (blogs, Flickr, PowerPoint), and Communicate. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics states that students should be able to connect math concepts to the outside world; digital photos can aid in this standard. The article lists some uses for digital images in the math classroom: Use digital images as writing prompts Create graphs on a spreadsheet program Have students estimate how many objects are in a large group from a photo Take photos of math manipulatives and create problems for them Insert images in PowerPoint presentations And several others… Digital cameras get students out of the classroom and into their environment to capture real-world examples of mathematical concepts. Students often find many geometric concepts such as parallel lines, shapes, right angles, and other geometric solids around the school grounds. Digital cameras and images become the basis for project-based learning. The author suggests some website that he visits in order to find photos to use in the classroom. (Flickr, KidsClick, Yotophoto, Stock Xchng, PixelPerfect, and Pics4Learning) Flickr is highly recommended! (Sarah)

Thinking and Reflecting

When I first heard about this weeks article focusing on digital photography hepling in a math class, I will admitt that I was a bit skeptical. But reading the article gave me a new outlook on this alternative form of teaching. I know from personal experience that math classes are all "boring" and monotonous. Unlike a science class where there are more visually stimulating projects and much more class participation, a math class can only truely offer textbooks and calculators. I agree that incorporating photography into an allgebra class will encourage the students to try and get more involved in learning. If I entered that math class, I would be more interested in learning, mostly because I would be curious to see how exactley digital imagery was used in class. (Arwen)

It is fascinating that, even in math, digital pictures can be useful inside the classroom. When thinking of subjects photos would be most helpful towards, math came very low on the list. However, the uses of these pictures are amazing learning tools. By giving actual pictures of buildings and asking to give the area or depth, the students become more hands on. This gives them a visual aid that better helps them understand what they are trying to find out. It makes them interested to find out what dimensions make up that building because it is a real live object. Usually, in math, students are just given three dimensional drawings and asked to solve the problems. This involves no imagination and, therefore, is slightly boring for the students. It does not get their creative juices flowing in any way. It is also interesting how taking pictures of certain objects can better explain geometry. The teachers can use real life objects to point out, for example, what an isosceles triangle looks like. These examples will put a picture in the students, that will most likely last longer than a drawing. This would be especially true if the teachers used objects that the students are familiar with, say on campus. It would be something they walked by every day and they would be able to relate back to their math lessons. (Mariel)

Further Research

Digital Imagery helps in Mathamatics classrooms because it can show students different areas in which what they may be learning can be applied. Photography helps teachers in the classroom because it allows teachers to take their students to far off lands through photographs taken by them or other people. These students can see what they otherwise would not be able to see. (Kimberly)

Digital photography can be used in the classroom to identify concepts in a subject or lesson, such as math. The students can use digital camera's to capture images to represent definitions. There are many great sites on the web for student's to hold and show off their images such as flickr.com and photobucket.com. The students can create slide shows or blogs for a group or individual projects much like the virtual field trips or an online book report. Digital images are great visual and kinesthetic tools in the classroom for students who learn visually. The images also act as reinforcement tools on the lesson and subject. There are many great programs to edit photos and create projects such as Adobe photo shop, Microsoft picture it, Microsoft power point, and Corel which all come with great tutorials. (Alison)

Opinion

Being one of the many people that have trouble learing and retaining math, any type of tool that would help, is wonderful. I know some students relate better to objects in the real world better than they do trying to teach out of a text book. If you as a teacher are able to use a picture of a brick building to show and explain the way a line is going on a building, that is wonderful. (Paula)

Virtual Field Trips

The Article

Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips!

You look outside the classroom window and see yet another in a long string of gloomy days. Inside the classroom, restless students seem mired in malaise. It must be time for a field trip! No money, you say, for busses or admission fees. No time for travel? Then why not a virtual field trip? The Web provides the resources; you provide the fun. Every day is a beautiful day for a virtual field trip! Included: Tips for creating your own virtual field trips!

Have you ever taken your students on a virtual field trip? If not, you're missing a great opportunity. You can take your students outside the classroom without ever opening the door! Like regular field trips, virtual field trips are designed to be entertaining and educational.

"[Taking a virtual field trip] is so much better than boarding a school bus and going to a museum or something and listening to a boring speech about each of the exhibits," Emily, a high school student from Maine, told Education World after she and her classmates took a virtual trip to view the Natural Wonders of the World. "It's better in that I could view each place in my own time; I wasn't rushed through, like on many field trips. I would gladly go on this type of field trip [again]. It saves time and money and is very convenient," added Emily.

Virtual field trips tailored to every grade level are springing up all over the Internet! Trips range from the simple, such as a photo tour of a famous museum, to extremely detailed and high-tech field trips that offer video and audio segments to make the visit more interactive.

However simple or complex, virtual field trips can take your students to a completely new world -- and the trips are as close as your computer!

WHERE CAN YOU GO ON A VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP?

On a virtual field trip, you and your students can go just about anywhere on Earth -- or on out into the solar system!

For a trip to another galaxy, check out The Nine Planets. An engineer who has a great love of the solar system put this site together. The star buffs in your classroom will love it too!

For a trip to another environment, how about Live from Antarctica 2? Students can follow a team of explorers through every step of their trip across the frozen continent. The site includes activities, reasearcher questions and answers, links to related sites, and more.

Maybe you'd like to take your city kids someplace they might not get the chance to visit on their own. Then check out one of the six virtual tours at 4-H Virtual Farm. Here, students can visit a horse farm, a beef or dairy farm, a poultry farm, and a wheat farm. There's even a fish farm!

MANY MORE EXAMPLES ON THE WEB!

Those are just a handful of thousands of virtual field trips students can take on the Web! Some are very simple, created by students, teachers, and parents. Others are big-budget productions that include several trips and extensive teaching resources. Either way, virtual field trips provide opportunities for new discovery in the classroom.

CREATE YOUR OWN VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP

Any teacher -- or student -- who is even remotely computer savvy can create a virtual field trip! It's as simple as taking a camera along when the class goes off on a field trip. Take plenty of photos, then upload them to your computer and add them to your class or school Web site. There, you've created your first virtual field trip!

If you'd like to add material other than photos and text, use The Virtual Field Trips Site to create your own field trips and share them with other educators.

You'll find additional resources to help you create great virtual field trips in the Additional Virtual Field Trip Links section of this article.

TEACHERS TALK ABOUT THE VALUE OF GOING VIRTUAL!

Teachers Education World talked to seemed to really enjoy using and creating virtual field trips with their students. Students seem to value them as a way to learn about places they might never get to visit. "I decided that the World Wide Web offered an excellent way to access these places, events, and opportunities," said Gary Gillespie, a Seattle teacher who has created a number of virtual field trips for his students. "Students can explore the sites and use the information and pictures for reports or speeches."

So, if you want to take your class around the world, it's never been easier! You can create field trips for your students to experience and enjoy or explore the many trips just waiting to be discovered on the Web. Either way, the world and all its many wonders are waiting, just a click of the mouse away!

ADDITIONAL VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LINKS

You can learn more about virtual field trips with these links to field trips:

• John Muir Exhibit This exhibit by the Sierra Club offers the concise story of Muir's life, writings, and works. It includes sounds, video, and text.
• Secrets of Easter Island This is a beautiful Web site put together by Nova and PBS. It includes a tour of the island and the game Move a Megalith.
• Virtual Geologic Field Trip to Griffith Park If you're interested in geology and earthquakes, take a look at this site. It was developed for use on its own or as an introduction to an actual field trip to Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
• Explore the Estuary If your students are studying the tides, ocean, or water dwellers, this is an excellent site. It includes video tours.
• Minnesota Orchestra European Virtual Tour This site for both music and European exploration was developed for student and teacher use.
• The JASON Project This many-faceted site hopes to "put the thrill of discovery back into the classroom." It offers several different trips, including one that follows a crew living aboard the space station.
• Holy Land Network This site provides field trips of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Tiberias.
• Reach the World Sail around the world on a 43-foot sailboat, and meet the crew who did it. You'll find separate centers for teachers and students.
• PolarHusky.com This site chronicles the dogsledding expeditions made especially to educate the children of the world.
• GOALS: Global Online Adventure Learning Educators developed this Web site to "intrigue you with the adventures, the sciences, the technologies and the underlying laws of nature that make them possible."
• Virtual Field Trips If you're looking for a museum trip, here's a list of several available on the Web.
• Virtual Field Trips Here's another site where you can create your own field trip or try out other teachers' efforts.

Article by Sherril Steele-Carlin
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World

Summary

Virtual field trips are an amazing way to get students outside of the classroom in an organized and modern fashion. By using virtual field trips, the students and teachers are able to save time and money. No one has to drag themselves to a museum or find the money to pay for an extra item that is not in the budget. Now with so many people in college taking on line courses because of the convenience, these types of field trips make sense.
Students do not have to leave the comfort of their own homes and can experience an interactive environment. A lot of people in college these days have families already and it is difficult to take time out of the schedule to go on an actual field trip. The virtual kind can be done in several different ways. They may just be several photos, a virtual tour, or an actual tour with a tour guide.
Not only are virtual field trips helpful for college students, they can be used within the classroom at all school levels. Some schools may not be able to afford the buses and equipment needed to take children on the field trips. These virtual trips allow the classroom to be their portal into a more interactive environment, where learning is more fun.
Teachers can even create their own field trips. On any day off, a professor or school teacher could go to a certain educational place and photograph what they deem as important material. They could make slide shows, which could be shown within the classroom, and they could act as the tour guide. This would allow the teachers to focus only on the parts which they feel is important to the matter they are studying. (Mariel)

Thinking and Reflecting

Virtual field trips are a great way for teachers to take their students out of the classroom with out the hassle of expenses, planning, setting a date, permission slips, providing lunches and finding chaperons. They also give the class an opportunity to explore at their own pace. Virtual field trips are also easier for elementary school teachers because taking younger kids on field trips requires a lot of patience and supervision. Teachers should carefully plan out the virtual field trip as if it were a real one. The teacher should provide the student with background information about the field trip they will be taking and have them answer questions along the virtual field trip to keep them interacted maybe even have them work in groups. It would be helpful for a person or teacher planning a virtual field trip to take a few virtual field trips themselves to give them ideas on how to create the virtual field trip. Virtual field trips are a great way to keep students excited about learning. Students generally enjoy field trips and virtual field trips are more accessible so the teachers could take their students on more field trips through out the school year. (Alison)

I believe that virtual field trips will allow teachers to take their students to new and different places. Elementary school teachers who teach Spanish can take their students to Spain without the hassle of out of country travel. Middle school teachers could take their class to Egypt to learn about the history instead of using text books. This technology is a great help, in my opinion, to teachers. I believe that this idea will grow until it has reached the depths of the education world. (Kimberly)

Further Research

For children growing up in today times with both parents working full time and family vacations getting shorter in time and closer to home, virtual field trips during school time is the only time some of these kids get to explore new places. I think some are of research that needs to be looked at is how this can help a child develop life long interest in a future career, not original able to them where they live. Another area for to study to see the effect of a virtual field, may be children with disability. This will give these children the feeling of getting to go to place that may be out of reach to them other wise. Like a field trip to a top of a mountain or maybe to explore underwater caves. (Paula)

Virtual Field Trips are typically designed to make efficient use of a learner's time and to spend time focusing on using information rather than searching the Internet.
Virtual field trips allow us to conduct traditional field trips digitally. What makes technology so transforming is that it compels us to look at traditional thinking and question our presumed boundaries.
Online a field trip does not have to be just a visit to a physical location beyond our own physical space. Virtual field trips can take us inside a plant cell, along a body
system, across constellations and through time. Once preconceived assumptions are set aside, virtual field trips redefine the limits of our physical classroom and our traditional concepts of teaching and learning. (Arwen)

Abby's Ideas

Storyboarding is becoming more and more having to do with powerpoint on promethean boards. The teachers use text, audio, video, graphics, etc. with powerpoint. When I am in the classrooms observing the students really do learn better than if teachers just stood up and talked for hours on end. It's really cool the way kindergarten can sit still for so long and listen to everything going on. Also in the upper grades a lot of teachers will give the students pages that look like a comic book and they have to draw and write what's going on in that book at that particular time, so they have to pay attention. It's awesome how our classrooms are becoming so technology advanced these days. It's weird to me because when I talk to 5th graders about what in their classrooms now, I think back to when I was in elementary school and I had basically none of it. But all in all storyboarding is soon going to be not there that much anymore because there will be so much new technology later in the years.

Paula's Opinion

Storyboarding reminds me a lot of what you would have prepared for a science project, just the before rough draft stage of the project. I feel that in the classroom storyboarding is very useful because there is a lot phases or parts that are involved and therefore you can have a lot of child interaction and they are able to share their ideas. It also shows a different way for kids to think in, that it does not always have to be an order such as "first, second, third", you can put it together and rearrange it until you feel all the parts complement each other or you feel it is the best for what you are trying to achieve in the project. One of the nice things about a storyboard is that it allows the kids and even the teacher to realize you can always make something better, but it is nice to have a visual feel for the final project, even if it a very rough and sometime stick figure feel.

Alison's Opinion

The article did a good job of explaining storyboarding by giving definitions and an example to help understand storyboarding. I did not like how in some parts of the article the writing was complex and hard to understand. Storyboarding is a great interactive tool for both students and teachers to share and express their ideas in a entertaining way. In this type of creative learning most students will be more eager to work on a project or report. Storyboarding does not have to be a masterful art piece but in some cases schools that do not have as many funds in the classroom may not be able to purchase as many tools to use in the storyboarding project and can be discouraging.

Arwen's Summary

Storyboarding is a sketch of how to organize a story and a list of its contents. They are very helpful by defining the parameters of a story within available resources and time, organizing and focusing a story, and helping to figure out what medium to use for each part of a story. Storyboards are helpful in the classroom because they introduce an element of interactivity, giving the student the opportunity to cunstruct their own story.

Sarah's Post

Summary: This article describes how storyboarding can be helpful, how to do a rough storyboard, and how to divide a storyboard so that is as organized as it can be. This article offers suggestions for parts that should be done in still photos, video, or both and where to add text. It is important to include necessary information; nothing redundant. Storyboarding helps expose 'holes' in a story. A helpful article for those who need some simple tips to making a good storyboard.

Further Research:
Advantages of Storyboarding
-Allows the user to experiment with changes in the storyline to evoke stronger reaction or interest. (fyi: "Flashbacks" are often the result of sorting storyboards out of chronological order to help build suspense and interest)
-The process of visual thinking and planning allows a group of people to brainstorm together, placing their ideas on storyboards and then arranging the storyboards on the wall. This encourages more ideas and generates consensus inside the group. -Problems can be spotted from the storyboard
-It saves time in writing project documentation
-Advanced planning can result in templates for the content-writer to work with. This speeds up the content-writing process and makes the production of the storyboard itself so much faster.
- The storyboarding process was developed at the Walt Disney studio during the early 1930's.

The first complete storyboards were created for the 1933 Disney Three Little Pigs.

Storyboard Article

This article was found by Alison
By Jane Stevens
Why Do a Storyboard?

A storyboard is a sketch of how to organize a story and a list of its contents.

A storyboard helps you:
* Define the parameters of a story within available resources and time
* Organize and focus a story
* Figure out what medium to use for each part of the story

How to Do a Rough Storyboard

A multimedia story is some combination of video, text, still photos, audio, graphics and interactivity presented in a nonlinear format in which the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant. So your storyboard should be put together with all those elements in mind.

The first thing to tackle is the part about the story being nonlinear.

1. Divide the story into its logical, nonlinear parts, such as:
* a lead or nut paragraph, essentially addressing why this story is important
* profiles of the main person or people in the story
* the event or situation
* any process or how something works
* pros and cons
* the history of the event or situation
* other related issues raised by the story

Instead of thinking "first part," "second part", "third part", "fourth part", think "this part", "that part", "another part", and "yet another part". It helps to avoid linear thinking. The home page comprises a headline, nut graph, an establishing visual (can be a background or central photograph, a slide show or a video), and links to the other parts, which are usually subtopics of the overall story.

Next, divide the contents of the story among the media -- video, still photos, audio, graphics and text.

2. Decide what pieces of the story work best in video. Video is the best medium to depict action, to take a reader to a place central to the story, or to hear and see a person central to the story.

3. Decide what pieces of the story work best in still photos. Still photos are the best medium for emphasizing a strong emotion, for staying with an important point in a story, or to create a particular mood. They're often more dramatic and don't go by as quickly as video. Still photos used in combination with audio also highlight emotions. Panorama or 360-degree photos, especially combined with audio, also immerse a reader in the location of the story.

4. Does the audio work best with video, or will it be combined with still photos? Good audio with video is critical. Bad audio makes video seem worse than it is and detracts from the drama of still photos. Good audio makes still photos and video seem more intense and real. Avoid using audio alone.

5. What part of the story works best in graphics? Animated graphics show how things work. Graphics go where cameras can't go, into human cells or millions of miles into space. Sometimes graphics can be a story's primary medium, with print, still photos and video in supporting roles.

6. Does the story need a map? Is the map a location map, or layered with other information? GIS (geographic information systems) and satellite imaging are important tools for reporters. Interactive GIS can personalize a story in a way impossible with text by letting readers pinpoint things in their own cities or neighborhoods - such as crime or meth labs or liquor stores or licensed gun dealers.

7. What part of the story belongs in text? Text can be used to describe the history of a story (sometimes in combination with photos); to describe a process (sometimes in combination with graphics), or to provide first-person accounts of an event. Often, text is what's left over when you can't convey the information with photos, video, audio or graphics.

8. Make sure the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant. A little overlap among the different media is okay. It's also useful to have some overlap among the story's nonlinear parts, as a way to invite readers to explore the other parts of the story. But try to match up each element of a story with the medium that best conveys it.

9. Interactivity means giving the reader both input and control in a story. By making the story nonlinear, you've introduced an element of interactivity, because the user can choose which elements of a story to read or view and in which order. By including online forums or chats, you give readers input into a story. Some news sites have included interactive games so the reader can construct his own story. One newspaper let people help plan a waterfront redevelopment project with an online game in which they placed icons on a map of the waterfront showing where they thought parks, ballfields, restaurants, shops and so on should be located. For more examples of how news Web sites are including different types of interactivity, check out J-Lab -- the Institute for Interactive Journalism.

When you're done breaking a story down into its elements - both in terms of its content and the different media you could use - you need to reassemble all that into a rough storyboard.

On a sheet of paper, sketch out what the main story page will look like and the elements it will include. What's the nut graph? What are the links to the other sections of the story? What's the menu or navigation scheme for accessing those sections? What multimedia elements do you want to include on the main page as the establishing visuals, whether video or pictures.

Then do the same for the other "inside" pages that will be the other parts, or subtopics, in your overall story. What is the main element on each page and what other information should be included there? What video, audio, pictures or graphics would best tell this part of the story?

A rough storyboard doesn't have to be high art - it's just a sketch. And it isn't written in stone - it's just a guide. You may very well change things after you go into the field to do your interviews and other reporting.

What storyboarding does is help point out the holes in your story. It helps you identify the resources (time, equipment, assistance) you'll need to complete the story, or how you have to modify the story to adjust to your resources. A good way to learn storyboarding is to take a newspaper feature story and sketch out a storyboard of all the elements in it, the multimedia possibilities if it were more than a print story and how you might break it up into a nonlinear Web presentation. Example - Dancing Rocks Rough Storyboard

Here's a rough storyboard for the "Dancing Rocks" story.

From the preliminary interview in which Dr. Paula Messina explained what she does in the field, her Web site, and a review of an existing story, the content -- existing and anticipated -- broke down into:

Nonlinear parts -- Home page with four inside pages. The four parts are the quest (research), a bio (of Messina), the rocks (how they move), and the site of the dancing rocks, Death Valley's Racetrack Playa (its colorful history).
Video -- Anticipate video from the field trip: Messina mapping the rock trails, assembling her gear, the trip to and from the playa.
Audio -- Anticipate audio from the field trip: Messina explaining how she works, what the gear does, and why she does what she does. Maybe what the Racetrack Playa sounds like.
Still photos -- Available from Messina's Web site, and professional photographers, if necessary. Anticipate grabbing still photos from video of wide-angle shots of the playa, rocks and trails, maybe Death Valley National Park rangers.
Graphics -- Existing aerial photo, maps and rock trails.
Text -- History of research, history of the Racetrack Playa from interviews with Messina, other researchers, and the park rangers.

Sarah's Post

Some ideas I wanted to add to this blog (which I also added to the Angel discussion session):

Some reasons for using blogs include:

-Providing extra reading practice for students
-Online journals can be read by peers
-Help guide students to online sources appropriate for their level
-Increases a sense of community in a class
-Encourages shy students to participate
-Stimulates out of class discussions
-Encourages a process-writing approach
-Online portfolio of students' written work
-Builds a closer relationship between students in larger classes


How do I add myself as a contributor? I thought I set myself up for it, but my name is not there... can someone please help me?

Blogging in the Classroom

Technology is becoming more and more a part of our everyday life. It continues to grow and it is important as a teacher to not only to be familiar with the new technologies that we are being exposed to but also be able to educate our students as well and integrate them into the classroom. An example of a new and popular technology being used by many teachers is blogging. Blogging is a communication tool that is used through the internet to publish texts and artwork.

Schools are trying to incorporate more technology into the classrooms and student's learning . Blogs have been successful by combining the best of education with the best of technology, using them in creative ways to capture the attention of students. Not only do these blogs help students get accustomed to the demands that college courses and work environments place in front of them, but it also motivates the students. Teachers sometimes find that struggling readers are more motivated to participate in class because of the technology used. With technology rapidly growing, it is in the teachers’ best interest to include these teaching styles in their classrooms.

In the article, "Blog it: an innovative way to improve literacy," we can see how inspiring and beneficial blogging and technology are in the classrooms for young students. The article explains that blogs or web logs are creative websites that can be created and added to with little or no knowledge of hypertext markup. In other words, it is an easy way for those who do not totally understand the computer world to publish their work on the internet. As Linda Wells states in her article, the students in her classroom who publish their work on these blogs are excited and eager to read and write. The blogs also allow for increased communication with parents. These online blogs allow for the students to become actively engaged in their reading and writing through technology, and still allows for teachers to teach the fundamentals of writing.

The article is demonstrating what classrooms around the world are starting to do. In some schools almost are classes are "intelligent." Most of the classrooms have Promethean boards and document cameras. Technology is helping schools improve their classrooms because students can relate with technology rather then just reading a book out loud. They can go to a computer and read it online or put the book under the camera and read it. In some cases it is easier for the students to understand the teacher's lessons rather than listening to a 30-40 min. lecture. The hands on education is sometimes more effective over the norm textbooks and paper. Blogging helps teachers, students and parents. It's easier for everyone to be involved in what is going on in the classroom from home, school or work.

The idea of students blogging their written work, an amazing fixture of learning. Not only does the teacher have the ability to read the items but family members could join in, as well. Children are often excited about their writings and may want to share their accomplishments with those who are not close by. Not everyone lives near their grandparents, or parents may be separated and want to share their learning with their father, perhaps. It is a also a great way to critique and leave uplifting comments. Kids like to get involved and what better way to be hands on and innovative by setting something up on the web.

Blogging not only opens up a new way of learning that was not available in the past, but it also opens young childrens' minds to a whole new world. When we were younger we communicated to students at different schools through 'pen pals,' a process of that took about two-three weeks to communicate. Blogging can provide a more hands on and faster approach to communicating with other students all over the country. It also gives children something to have in common with the parents who are more than likely using the internet at work and home.

It is also quite fun for them to see how many people hit the page. As they see the number growing, it motivates them to keep posting because they know people are interested. The idea of book reports in a blog is a great idea. It is a great way for people outside the group or classroom to share in the children's learning and pick out books that may interest them. Peers often give the best impression of what they enjoy and it can give parents an idea of what books to get their children.

It is very important, these days, to get children started on the computer at a young age. Jobs are becoming more and more technology related. They will have to keep up with these improvements in order to survive with the growing technology. If they grow up working through computers, everything will come much easier to them when they are asked to work through computer programs. It is evident with the elderly of this day and age that they did not have the opportunity to work with computers. If you asked them to sit in front of a computer and turn it on, they may not even be able to complete that task. What job these days could you get that is not related with technology?

It is important to get children into writing and reading. Reading is the best way to expand a child's mind. If they have a fun way to get into it, why not promote it? I Who wants to sit at a desk all day? Get those kids involved!

Benefits of blogging in the classroom:

• Provides extra reading practice for students.
• Online journals can be read by peers and parents and the positive feed back encourages the students to participate even more.
• Helps guide students on how to use online sources appropriate for their age level.
• Creates a sense of community both inside and outside of the classroom.
• Encourages normally shy students to participate.
• Stimulates out of class discussions.
• Encourages a process-writing approach.
• Gives students an opportunity to build an online portfolio of works.
• Builds relationships between students in larger classes both inside and outside of the classroom.

Tips for blogging in the classroom:

• Inform parents of proper parental supervision and privacy controls when using the internet.
• Teach students proper behavior when using the internet and blogging as both authors and readers.
• Set and review guidelines for posts and student access.
• Show students fun and creative blog examples to help them understand the idea of blogging and get them motivated.