Following is the link to my Webquest for high school Photography students.
WEBQUEST: Photo Essay
Author’s note: I was extremely frustrated by my inability to control the font, font size and font color. Those characteristics shifted dramatically from my preview in DreamWeaver once the files were posted to the web. DreamWeaver tutorials are definitely in my future, but at least the information is functional. And I still have half my hair that hasn’t been pulled out.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Are your students BLOGGING?
How far can a school go in restricting student use of blogs on the internet? What can we as educators do to help our students use this technology appropriately?
Blogs are increasingly used as a method for students to communicate their thoughts publicly on the web, much like an online diary. “Of the 21 million teens online, 19% keep a blog (about 4 million), and 38% read blogs. “ Numerous cases are documented where students have been arrested because of threats posted publicly to a blog. The article, “Student Blogs Mark a New Frontier for School Discipline” looks at the benchmark cases that are currently used in suits involving blogging and First Amendment rights.
The article also cites two recent instances where schools have attempted to inhibit student blog use. The first is a private school who declared that any student maintaining a journal posted on the Internet would be risking disciplinary action. In the second instance, the Community High School Board of Education, in Libertyville, Illinois has set a policy that students involved in co-curricular activities “must sign a pledge agreeing that any illegal or inappropriate Internet postings could result in school disciplinary action.“ These cases have not yet reached the courts. Both of these incidents involve preventative actions taken by the school in an effort to avoid situations that could create conflict or even dangerous situations in the school. To date, blog postings not created with school equipment or on school time have been protected as free speech, unless the postings have created a specific situation that significantly disrupts the educational process.
I found the article both interesting and informative, and agree with the authors that it is essential that our schools create clear policies that spell out the appropriate use of school technology and the Internet, and clarify the disciplinary actions that will be taken when the policies have been violated. Additionally, this information must be communicated to both parents and students alike.
WORKS CITED:
Kirby, Elizabeth and Brenda Kaillio. “Student Blogs Mark a New Frontier for
School Discipline.” Education Digest, Jan 2007: Vol. 72 Issue 5, 16-23.
Blogs are increasingly used as a method for students to communicate their thoughts publicly on the web, much like an online diary. “Of the 21 million teens online, 19% keep a blog (about 4 million), and 38% read blogs. “ Numerous cases are documented where students have been arrested because of threats posted publicly to a blog. The article, “Student Blogs Mark a New Frontier for School Discipline” looks at the benchmark cases that are currently used in suits involving blogging and First Amendment rights.
The article also cites two recent instances where schools have attempted to inhibit student blog use. The first is a private school who declared that any student maintaining a journal posted on the Internet would be risking disciplinary action. In the second instance, the Community High School Board of Education, in Libertyville, Illinois has set a policy that students involved in co-curricular activities “must sign a pledge agreeing that any illegal or inappropriate Internet postings could result in school disciplinary action.“ These cases have not yet reached the courts. Both of these incidents involve preventative actions taken by the school in an effort to avoid situations that could create conflict or even dangerous situations in the school. To date, blog postings not created with school equipment or on school time have been protected as free speech, unless the postings have created a specific situation that significantly disrupts the educational process.
I found the article both interesting and informative, and agree with the authors that it is essential that our schools create clear policies that spell out the appropriate use of school technology and the Internet, and clarify the disciplinary actions that will be taken when the policies have been violated. Additionally, this information must be communicated to both parents and students alike.
WORKS CITED:
Kirby, Elizabeth and Brenda Kaillio. “Student Blogs Mark a New Frontier for
School Discipline.” Education Digest, Jan 2007: Vol. 72 Issue 5, 16-23.
Gender and the Internet
Who's using the Internet these days, and why has that been changing? Do women and men use the Internet for different purposes? Has the Internet changed how people interact in the world? Use the link below to access a brief PowerPoint presentation of the information I collected.
GenderInternet.ppt
GenderInternet.ppt
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Teaching Web Site of the Week for May 14th
Course: Interior Design (grades 9-12)
My site of the week is http://www.bhg.com
This is the home page for Better Homes & Gardens. The scope of the site
includes a wide variety of topics including Decorating, Remodeling,
Food & Recipes, Gardening, Holidays, Health, Family & Crafts. During
our Interior Design course, students learn to draw and design floor
plans, and select fabric, paint and furnishings. The BHG site includes
resources to research each of these topics, including an online floor
plan tool called “Arrange-A-Room” which can be found at:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/category.jsp?categoryid=/templatedata/bhg/category/data/arrangearoomtest.xml
NETS*S Standards 2, 3, 5 and 6.
My site of the week is http://www.bhg.com
This is the home page for Better Homes & Gardens. The scope of the site
includes a wide variety of topics including Decorating, Remodeling,
Food & Recipes, Gardening, Holidays, Health, Family & Crafts. During
our Interior Design course, students learn to draw and design floor
plans, and select fabric, paint and furnishings. The BHG site includes
resources to research each of these topics, including an online floor
plan tool called “Arrange-A-Room” which can be found at:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/category.jsp?categoryid=/templatedata/bhg/category/data/arrangearoomtest.xml
NETS*S Standards 2, 3, 5 and 6.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Should iPods be allowed in Schools?
For many school districts, this is just part of an ongoing technology policy discussion that keeps changing with each new technological development. This article picked up by the Associated Press focuses on the concern many schools have regarding the student use of digital media players to cheat on tests.
We’ve been focusing a great deal on additional ways to integrate technology and the Internet into our curriculum. Perhaps in addition to addressing safety concern on the Internet, we need to also talk about the ethical use of technology. One student is quoted in the article as saying that, “People who are going to cheat are still going to cheat, with or without them.” This may well be true, but I feel it is an issue that needs to be dealt with directly, putting a spotlight on the ethical issues. Sometimes the “cool factor” of new technology can obscure the line between its proper and improper use. It’s important to remind our students where that line is.
Sources:
“Schools banning iPods to thwart cheaters.” Detroit Free Press 27 April 2007. 6 May 2007.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/NEWS07/70427012/1019
/BUSINESS06
We’ve been focusing a great deal on additional ways to integrate technology and the Internet into our curriculum. Perhaps in addition to addressing safety concern on the Internet, we need to also talk about the ethical use of technology. One student is quoted in the article as saying that, “People who are going to cheat are still going to cheat, with or without them.” This may well be true, but I feel it is an issue that needs to be dealt with directly, putting a spotlight on the ethical issues. Sometimes the “cool factor” of new technology can obscure the line between its proper and improper use. It’s important to remind our students where that line is.
Sources:
“Schools banning iPods to thwart cheaters.” Detroit Free Press 27 April 2007. 6 May 2007.
/BUSINESS06
Hotlist of Web Sites
I've created a Hotlist of web sites that are useful in teaching the following high school courses: Art, Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Photography. You may find them useful!
http://cuip.net/~sverdon/VerdonHotlist.doc
http://cuip.net/~sverdon/VerdonHotlist.doc
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Website of the Week for April 30th
My site of the week is
are links to things I can use in my classroom.
Check it out!
This is an excellent resource for Internet and technology news and
tips.
The site's "host", Kim Komando, is among many things, an author and has
written eight books about the digital age; she writes a syndicated
newspaper column which also runs in USA Today.com, hosts a weekly
three-hour call-in radio show carried on over 425 stations, does a
Computer Minute radio feature five days a week, and sends out 5 million
e-mail newsletters weekly.
I use this site to keep connected to the latest technology news and
upcoming events. I am not a voracious reader, so this is a very
user-friendly way keep in touch with the latest news.
I subscribe to three items which I receive daily:
Cool Site of the Day
Tip of the Day
Daily News
are links to things I can use in my classroom.
Check it out!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Website of the week for teaching
Website of the week for April 16th:
http://www.About.com
The Computing & Technology section has resources and tutorials covering
a variety of topics including Software. I’ve used the site as a
resource in generating supplemental materials for my high school
Graphic Design Course, specifically giving instruction in the use of
various features of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Illinois Learning Standards: 25.A.4, 25.A.5, 26.A.5
NETS*S Standard 4
http://www.About.com
The Computing & Technology section has resources and tutorials covering
a variety of topics including Software. I’ve used the site as a
resource in generating supplemental materials for my high school
Graphic Design Course, specifically giving instruction in the use of
various features of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Illinois Learning Standards: 25.A.4, 25.A.5, 26.A.5
NETS*S Standard 4
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Teaching with the Internet: EBP 4.23.07
Recent research proposes that most often learning can be maximized when participants are interacting with each other in a cooperative framework, also know as socially mediated learning. Social learning is vital when navigating the ever-changing technologies currently used for information and communication. The variety of types of information available and the technologies used to access them are expanding faster than teachers can embrace them. As a graphic design instructor in a computer lab with 26 students, I am keenly aware that many of the students in the class possess an in-depth understanding of the internet and its navigation, and that the total umber of hours spent in front of a computer far exceeds my own. Each of them has had unique experiences in solving the problems ranging from "How do I find what I need?" to "If I download that file can I access it?" Additionally, those hours undoubtedly have involved technical troubleshooting issues, as well--again, unique to each user.
Thus, the teacher’s responsibility becomes one of effectively organizing learning experiences that match up students familiar with different methods of accessing information, or different new literacies. Part of that will involve taking the time to identify each student's experience level and type. In the end, utilizing this strategy will help to facilitate sharing this knowledge among members of the entire classroom, including the teacher.
Works Cited:
Leu, Donald J., Deborah Diadium Leu, and Julie Coiro. Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times, 4th ed. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 2004.
Thus, the teacher’s responsibility becomes one of effectively organizing learning experiences that match up students familiar with different methods of accessing information, or different new literacies. Part of that will involve taking the time to identify each student's experience level and type. In the end, utilizing this strategy will help to facilitate sharing this knowledge among members of the entire classroom, including the teacher.
Works Cited:
Leu, Donald J., Deborah Diadium Leu, and Julie Coiro. Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times, 4th ed. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 2004.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
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