Candidates advocate for twenty-first century literacy skills to support the
learning needs of the school community.
Reflection
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” ~Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss was really on to something when he created the rhyme above. As educators, one of our most consistent challenges is to foster creative thinking within our students. As the world has changed, technology has become one of the best creative outlets available, and the media specialist is the schools tech. expert. During my internship, the most common question I was asked by teachers seeking help from the media center was "do you have any ideas on how I can use technology to do __________?" Teachers are constantly seeking new ways to use technology to engage and support their students. |
Artifacts
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When asked these questions, one of the first places I visited was the Web 2.0 Tool Wikispace that my group created for SLM 508. This assignment reviewed a variety of emerging web 2.0 tools and analyzed each to identify it's strengths and weaknesses. We also brainstormed different ways to use each technology with students. Finally, we created a reference database for later use. The wikispace provides a great starting point when answering these questions because we included a description of the tool in addition to a user video that can be shared with teachers. I am able to point the teacher to the tool that will fit his classroom needs.
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One emerging technology I learned about while working on the Wikispace was VoiceThread. The VoiceThread Screen-o-matic presentation is a great example of how emerging technologies can foster critical thinking in a creative way. The assignment was to create a tutorial on the use of an emerging technology. I chose VoiceThread because I liked the way it integrates images with discussion. My presentation walks the viewer through a lesson on an event in history and shows how students can gain a conceptual understanding of important events through images using VoiceThread..
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One of the things I really liked about this presentation was that I merged knowledge from different areas of my professional life. At the time I completed this assignment, I was participating in a cross-curricular workshop on creative ways to present information in the classroom. While this was not a media specific PD, I thought it would be good experience for me as a media specialist. I took one of the assignments we learned about in the "History Alive!" PD and I was amazed by how great it fit with the Voice Thread assignment. I was also impressed with the way VoiceThread helped to facilitate discussions. It is a program that can be used in any subject area at any grade/academic level. The Screen-o-matic assignment helped me to explore and become very comfortable with the technology, and I also have a great how-to video.
Since creating this assignment I have recommended VoiceThread to other teachers for a variety of purposes. I have recommended this program to teachers as a way to facilitate collaboration within clubs and group. One of our technology teachers used it as a final reflection for his classroom building project. I think if I was planning a lesson with it I would have the students create the presentations and use it as a final assessment of skill. As I collaborate with different members of the school community, it is nice to have some starting ideas coming into the meeting. Whatever the purpose, I fell ready to take my place as a font of knowledge on web 2.0 tools.
Since creating this assignment I have recommended VoiceThread to other teachers for a variety of purposes. I have recommended this program to teachers as a way to facilitate collaboration within clubs and group. One of our technology teachers used it as a final reflection for his classroom building project. I think if I was planning a lesson with it I would have the students create the presentations and use it as a final assessment of skill. As I collaborate with different members of the school community, it is nice to have some starting ideas coming into the meeting. Whatever the purpose, I fell ready to take my place as a font of knowledge on web 2.0 tools.