PhotoStory

iPad App Review

THUD! Presidents:  This is a really cool app.  The whole objective of this app is to educate people more on presidential history, a subject that is very interesting to me.  If you want to learn about important, interesting, and just off-the-wall facts about our nation's leaders, this is a good resource as well as a fun one.  It is a game and has several levels.  THUD! Presidents was something that I found fun and I have no doubt that any generation would like it.  It costs $2.99 but it's well worth it.  I had bought it before I did the review as just something fun for myself.  I'd use it in my classroom every once in awhile.  It would be a great thing to do if you wanted to give your kids a break from working but still want them to be educated.

MyCongress:  This is another great app for a Social Studies class.  MyCongress has information on members of Congress.  It gives you news on them as well as contact information.  We elect members to Congress every two years, but many of the American public aren't aware of who they are giving the power.  I found the information to be very straight forward, so it could be used easily used and easily understood.My favorite things about the app are the Youtube section and the Twitter feed.  MyCongress gives you access to videos of people in Congress as well as their Twitter feed.  It's good for students to see who represents them in government.  I'd use it in my class as a reference to government.  I would especially use it during an election year.

Storyboard: Dedication

Dedication is one of the most important aspects of teaching. If you want to be a success, you have to work for it. The following quotes promote that.

 "A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on a cold iron." -Horace Mann

"The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer?" -Alice Wellington Rollins

"No man can be a good teacher unless he has feelings of warm affection toward his pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what he believes to be of value."    -Bertrand Russell

"If kids come to us [educators teachers] from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important."    -Barbara Colorose

"If you can read this, thank a teacher." -Harry S. Truman

Webquest Sample Project

Webquest: The Big Election

GahrWebQuest

Webquest: The Big Election-Rebric

A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests

The WebQuest format can be applied to a variety of teaching situations. If you take advantage of all the possibilities inherent in the format, your students will have a rich and powerful experience. This rubric will help you pinpoint the ways in which your WebQuest isn't doing everything it could do. If a page seems to fall between categories, feel free to score it with in-between points.

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Score
Overall Aesthetics (This refers to the WebQuest page itself, not the external resources linked to it.)
Overall Visual Appeal	0 points There are few or no graphic elements. No variation in layout or typography. OR Color is garish and/or typographic variations are overused and legibility suffers. Background interferes with the readability.	2 points Graphic elements sometimes, but not always, contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. There is some variation in type size, color, and layout.	4 points Appropriate and thematic graphic elements are used to make visual connections that contribute to the understanding of concepts, ideas and relationships. Differences in type size and/or color are used well and consistently.  See Fine Points Checklist.	2 points  There only a few graphics in the webquest. More would be better and could help better with a student's understanding.
Navigation & Flow	0 points Getting through the lesson is confusing and unconventional. Pages can't be found easily and/or the way back isn't clear.	2 points There are a few places where the learner can get lost and not know where to go next.	4 points Navigation is seamless. It is always clear to the learner what all the pieces are and how to get to them.	4 points    The process is well set up.  It is very straight forward.  Yes, on the surface it may look like each student will be completing their project in the same fashion, but in the long run they are required to make it their own.
Mechanical Aspects	0 points There are more than 5 broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	1 point There are some broken links, misplaced or missing images, badly sized tables, misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	2 points No mechanical problems noted.  See Fine Points Checklist.	2 points
Introduction
Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction	0 points The introduction is purely factual, with no appeal to relevance or social importance OR The scenario posed is transparently bogus and doesn't respect the media literacy of today's learners.	1 point The introduction relates somewhat to the learner's interests and/or describes a compelling question or problem.	2 points The introduction draws the reader into the lesson by relating to the learner's interests or goals and/or engagingly describing a compelling question or problem.	1 point The students may not particularly find this incredibly appealing especially if they don't like speaking in front of people.  However, if the students are interested in things going on in politics and the world, they will probably find this interesting.
Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction	0 points The introduction doesn't prepare the reader for what is to come, or build on what the learner already knows.	1 point The introduction makes some reference to learner's prior knowledge and previews to some extent what the lesson is about.	2 points The introduction builds on learner's prior knowledge and effectively prepares the learner by foreshadowing what the lesson is about.	2 points
Task (The task is the end result of student efforts... not the steps involved in getting there.)
Connection of Task to Standards	0 points The task is not related to standards.	2 point The task is referenced to standards but is not clearly connected to what students must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.	4 points The task is referenced to standards and is clearly connected to what students must know and be able to do to achieve proficiency of those standards.	4 points  It's straight forward and easy to understand.  The students will know what is expected.
Cognitive Level of the Task	0 points Task requires simply comprehending or retelling of information found on web pages and answering factual questions.	3 points Task is doable but is limited in its significance to students' lives. The task requires analysis of information and/or putting together information from several sources.	6 points Task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking that goes beyond rote comprehension. The task requires synthesis of multiple sources of information, and/or taking a position, and/or going beyond the data given and making a generalization or creative product. See WebQuest Taskonomy.	4 points  The task is doable and engaging.  It requires research, taking a position, and going on passed generalization.  Creativity is also required.
Process (The process is the step-by-step description of how students will accomplish the task.)
Clarity of Process	0 points Process is not clearly stated. Students would not know exactly what they were supposed to do just from reading this.	2 points Some directions are given, but there is missing information. Students might be confused.	4 points Every step is clearly stated. Most students would know exactly where they are at each step of the process and know what to do next.	4 points
Scaffolding of Process	0 points The process lacks strategies and organizational tools needed for students to gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Activities are of little significance to one another and/or to the accomplishment of the task.	3 points Strategies and organizational tools embedded in the process are insufficient to ensure that all students will gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Some of the activities do not relate specifically to the accomplishment of the task.	6 points The process provides students coming in at different entry levels with strategies and organizational tools to access and gain the knowledge needed to complete the task. Activities are clearly related and designed to take the students from basic knowledge to higher level thinking. Checks for understanding are built in to assess whether students are getting it. See: Process Guides A Taxonomy of Information Patterns Language Arts Standards and Technology WebQuest Enhancement Tools Reception, Transformation & Production Scaffolds	4 points
Richness of Process	0 points Few steps, no separate roles assigned.	1 points Some separate tasks or roles assigned. More complex activities required.	2 points Different roles are assigned to help students understand different perspectives and/or share responsibility in accomplishing the task.	0 points
Resources (Note: you should evaluate all resources linked to the page, even if they are in sections other than the Process block. Also note that books, video and other off-line resources can and should be used where appropriate.)
Relevance & Quantity of Resources	0 points Resources provided are not sufficient for students to accomplish the task. OR There are too many resources for learners to look at in a reasonable time.	2 point There is some connection between the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Some resources don't add anything new.	4 points There is a clear and meaningful connection between all the resources and the information needed for students to accomplish the task. Every resource carries its weight.	4 points
Quality of Resources	0 points Links are mundane. They lead to information that could be found in a classroom encyclopedia.	2 points Some links carry information not ordinarily found in a classroom.	4 points Links make excellent use of the Web's timeliness and colorfulness. Varied resources provide enough meaningful information for students to think deeply.	4 points Nice selection and useful.
Evaluation
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria	0 points Criteria for success are not described.	3 points Criteria for success are at least partially described.	6 points Criteria for success are clearly stated in the form of a rubric. Criteria include qualitative as well as quantitative descriptors. The evaluation instrument clearly measures what students must know and be able to do to accomplish the task. See Creating a Rubric.	3 points
Total Score

Things I would Change:

1.  Instead of everyone doing the same job and being a president, maybe more roles could be created (Speechwriter, etc.)

2.  I would add more graphics to the Webquest.
3. I think that a student evaluation would be kind of neat.

Webquest for Modification

The Big Election

WebQuest/High School/The Altitudinist

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Gorillas	There are several why and how questions which will make the students think more than just recalling info.  I also like that students can research about different organizations.  Being that their conclusion should be how they would save gorillas is impressive.	Some of the questions are just factual, simple answers.  However, that's not as much of a bad thing since there are other questions that make you think.
Shakespeare	This one is very good.  There is a lot of creativeness in this WebQuest which will make students think and more likely to be interested.  I like that the word 'analyze' is sprinkled through out the WebQuest.  Being responsible for researching information and then presenting it through the way of a play/scrapbook/PowerPoint presentation/etc. is nice.  It gives the children a wide range of options but still requires them to do a fair amount of work.	Can't find any major ones.
Earthquake	This allows students to create something on their own and I'm sure most students would find this activity pretty fun.  Students work together in groups and are responsible for different tasks.	I understand the building requirements and that they are a vital part of the activity.  However, this may cause groups to be less creative and play it safe.  There's also the possibility that groups will produce very similar projects because of this.
Foreign Country	I really like the overall idea and it does have some positive aspects to it.  I like that the students are trying to convince people why their trips were the best.  Choosing where they would go and how they will present the information are good.  It's good that they have a choice when it comes to certain parts of the project.	The actual information presented on the trips may be plain and simple.  I would see Wikipedia being used by many students.
Waves & Sound	In the Task section it points out that you are supposed to logic and high level thinking.  The process of the assignment requires a lot of thinking.  The word describe and solve pop up quite a lot.  Very good.	It would probably get pretty boring pretty fast.  That may prevent better work being done on the assignment.

Double Journal Entry #15

1. What is the purpose of this chapter? The purpose is to, yet again, try to get the term "Digital Natives" away from being associated with kids. This chapter specifically has to do with decision making. 2. What is the major finding from a review of studies that have looked at technology adoption of young people?. Does this finding seem to reflect your own use of technology? It shows that more students than not aren't constantly adopting new forms of technology and that it takes time for them to adopt it. In a way, yes, it reflects me because I usually wait before I try something new. I wait to see what others think of it. 3. How do the authors define Information Literacy? "The set of skills and knowledge that allows us to find, evaluate, and use the info. we need, as well as to filter out the info. we don't need." 4. What is the "clear message" from a review of the studies focused on college students information seeking behavior? Do these findings relfect your own information seeking behaviors? It says that sometimes students may be efficient and persistent while researching. However, they often tend to get bored and frustrated whenever they can't find something quickly. I agree. 5. What does the term "satisfcing" in the area of decision making mean? It is a term that reflects acceptability. It concerns finding the best possible solution to a problem. Satisfying + Suffice 6. What are the differences to deep and surface level approaches to a learning task? Deep concerns looking into the meaning of some material. Surface level just involves the main concept and it doesn't go into the meaning. 7. What should educators aim to do to improve the scripts student have for sophisticated online information seeking? Educators should train students to do better research and how to do it efficiently. 8. Why is Google's page rank system problematic for information seeking? They are satisfcied when it comes to google info. An example is Wikipedia. 9. Are you "digitally wise" when it comes to information seeking? Give an example of how you approached an information seeking task for one of your academic courses this semester (do not include this class). I am digitally wise. I haven't really had to do much research this semester in my other classes. However, it is important to check the info. you find and make sure it is valid. 10. Has the popularity of the Internet and the information contained on the Web created a new problem for undergraduate students research skills? Why of Why not? Yes, mainly because there is so much more to do on the internet that is fun. Students would much rather be anywhere else than researching.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving on Storybird

A Think Aloud

Double Entry Journal #14

1. What is the purpose of this chapter?

The purpose is to understand Digital Literacy even more by looking at how people relate to it.  It also looks at how a child's education can be enhancing their digital literacy.

2. Why did the author choose to focus on your people in the Nordic countries?

Technology is becoming advanced in these countries.  Digital Literacy is thought to be important.

3. How does education differ in Nordic countries from education in other parts of the world including the United States.

First, testing is emphasized much less than in America.  Also, projects are and more equal opportunity school work is emphasized much more. 

4. Why is more research needed about how young people use digital media in their lives outside of school?

The difference between generations when it comes to how technology has affected their lives is large.  Also, different generations use technology either more or less than generations before or after them.

1. Why is it important for there to be more opportunities for young people to use Digital Media in school?

It engages children.  It improves basic skills and allows children to do basic tasks much simpler.  Today we rely on technology so much that it's important for children to understand that.

2. What skills do people need in order to be considered digitally literate?
People must be able to effectively use technology, first.  Then, from the information they get by using technology, they have to be able to "filter" it.  So essentially, they have to know what is legitimate and what is not.

Double Entry Journal #13

Could the Solution to Global Warming Be More Chemicals?

This article gives the idea that maybe chemicals could help reverse the effects of global warming.  Things like aerosols are a reason we have global warming; they let sun light into the atmosphere but they won't let it out.  This idea is that if add more reflective aerosols, aerosols that will reflect the sun outward, then the effects of global warming may stop and/or reversed.  The potential problem is that you are messing with the atmosphere, the thing that contains the air we breathe. 

Value-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

Conservative Crusader

I chose to read this article on purpose.  I do not share the same political views as this site and this author but I wanted to go in to this with a level head.  I wanted to be able to read this with no opinion and just look at this literally.  However, it was really hard.  This wasn't really informative because the information given was exaggerated and not exactly factual.  I wasn't inspired by this but yet driven away from it.  I will say though that spelling and grammar were the least of this article's problem!

"Still, one could argue that the economic boom that rang out the 20th Century began in the early 1980s under Reagan, was interrupted by a mild, brief recession in 1990/91 and continued till the economic calamaties of the 2000s (nonetheless, most of George W. Bush's two terms saw steady economic growth and job creation). By the time of Clinton's '93 budget, Reagan had managed to lower top marginal tax rates from around 70% down to the 20s, so not even the increases of Bush 41 and Clinton could significantly slow America's roaring economic engine. Bill Clinton took a giant step to the center after his party was wiped out in the '94 midterms, so business was far more comfortable under his leadership than today under the more ideologically rigid Obama's."

^sample

Coverage-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

Conservative Crusader

Yes, on the surface the topic is being addressed but it's more of plea to get a Republican majority in Congress.  This was right before the midterm elections and I think that this was meant as a blow to the Democrats.  The argument isn't really detailed and it definitely isn't scholarly.  It's kind of like the author is saying a lot but when you actually read it you'll see that's it's more BS than anything.  The main argument is that while tax cuts alone won't help create enough jobs in this country, it is a necessary step towards the right direction.  The author also believes the Bush Tax Cuts should have been extended, which later they were.

Currency-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

Conservative Crusader

The site has been updated because it keeps up with the news.  Right now there is a lot of information on the upcoming presidential election.  The information presented is, of course, favoring Mitt Romney.  The article about tax cuts, however, has not been kept up to date.  It was published over two years ago and hasn't been rewritten.  It was published on 9-22-2010.

Double Journal Entry #12

1. Why do educators need to be careful about  terms like "Digital Native"?

It will group a whole generation together.  It' not good to generalize.

2. What outcome occurs when young people are encourage to transform their understanding of particular topics by designing a multimodal text?

Positive outcomes.  It's been shown that the learning process is enhanced.

3. You may skip the section titled "Context for the Project".

Can do

4. What was the goal of the project in terms of product?

It was to track the development of the participants' multimodal products that they generated.

5. What was the goal of the project in terms of process?

It was to gain a deeper understanding of how multimodal texts were created.

6. How were the participants for the study selected?

They were students who had worked collaboratively in pairs, who fully completed the task, and the video recordings were intact and complete.

7.  Describe the task students engage is for the purpose of this study?

In 2004, it required students to evaluate possible solutions in response to the affect of plastic bags on the environment.  In 2006, the study was done concerning global warming.

8. Explain how the researchers compared the student created multimodal texts?

They graded on the title slide, the grammar of the slides, and the overall expertise on the subject being presented.

9. What differences in Jenny's PowerPoint presentation do you find the most interesting?

I like the differences of her position on the topic from Year 8 to Year 10.

10. How is working together on a computer unlike working together using a pencil and paper?

It's unpredictable and the wait time from thought to typing is longer than from pencil to paper.

11. What was interesting about student's behavior as they collaborated on a task at the computer?

How students can work collaboratively while on a computer is interesting.  The discussion that is done is interesting.

12. What can teacher learn about designing learning activities that involve the creation of multimodal texts from this study?
Students will adapt over time.

13. According the the conclusion of this study, what do student need to learn in order to successful complete a multimodal text construction?

The need time to be able to do this efficiently.

14. Are you surprised by the conclusions drawn in this study?

Yeah, sort of.

Objectivity-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

Conservative Crusader

The author's point of view is conservative.  He is saying that tax cuts do create jobs, not alone, but have a large impact on job creation.  The site is meant to promote its ideology.  The writer may get personal recognition from this article as well as fame.  Conservatives, primarily Republicans, would support from people who believe this.  The author doesn't present any cited statistics or facts so it's hard to believe.  The argument is very one-sided and he is hostile towards the opposition.  The author is positive towards his own ideology.

Accuracy-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

 Conservative Crusader

Accuracy: Do you have good reason to believe that the information on the site is accurate? Are the facts documented? Give an example.

 David Bozeman doesn't provided much reason for us to believe that what he has to say is accurate.  He gives a few numbers in the article but they still seem biased.  He over exaggerates the successes of previous conservatives in office and he puts down the any success that a liberal achieved.

Authority-Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

 Conservative Crusader

Authority: Who are the authors, or who is responsible? What gives them their authority or expertise?

 David Bozeman

.com

"Born October 31, 1963 in Elizabethtown, NC. I'm the youngest of 5. My father was an accounts manager for an appliance store and my mother was a full-time homemaker. They both instilled in me a love of books, current affairs and politics.

I graduated from PARS Travel College in 1988. For over three decades I've worked in the newspaper circulation department and in a telecom warehouse, where I remain today. In 1984 I was a Libertarian Party state chairman, in 1982 and 83' I ran for the state house. In my late 30s, I decided to devote my political activism to my top passion, which is writing."

The site claims to be the most conservative site around and its main purpose is to promote the conservative ideology.  They claim to be honest responsible, and factual.  The the article I have read is very opinionated and one-sided.  The authors on the site each have either had experience in politics and/or have studied it.  The author of this article was involved in politics for a short period as well as in the media.  I personally believe that Mr. Bozeman has some authority in this being that he has studied and been involved in politics.  However, I don't believe that he gives an accurate account of the past, just pro-conservative.  Bozeman isn't an expert in taxes, but yet only has an interest in it.  He has a biased opinion and it's hard for me to believe what he says.

Do Tax Cuts Create Jobs?

Title of web page:


URL of the web page:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/so-do-tax-cuts-create-job_b_1943500.html
http://www.conservativecrusader.com/articles/do-tax-cuts-really-create-jobs

What can you tell about this web page from the URL?

Authority

Is there an author of the document or web page?  If yes, who is the author?

Are his/her affiliations and qualifications given?
If yes, list them.

Is contact information provided (address, phone
number, email)?

Who is the publisher or sponsoring organization for this web page?

Accuracy

Do you trust the information given on the web page?


Is it reliable and valid?


Does the web page document its sources?

In other words, does it tell you where the information comes from?


How does the information on the web page compare with what you already know?


Currency

Does the web page tell you when it was created and last revised?

Are there outdated (dead) links?

Coverage

What is the depth and breadth of the information on the web page?

Does it contain original information or just links to other sources?

Does the information have real value? Explain.

Objectivity

What is the web page's purpose or intent?

Why was it created?

Is the information biased? Is it designed to sway
opinion? From whose perspective is it given?

Double Journal Entry #11

1. Why are networks better than hierarchies?

It's because hierarchies fall short in complex and fast-moving times like today.  It takes longer for information to get to the top of the hierarchy.  Networks are more direct.

2. What is a nation state and how is it being threatened?

It's a territorial concept defined by a geographical border.  It's being threatened because the economic and environmental systems are drifting outside of the border.

3. How is civil society gaining legitimacy over government agencies? Give an example of a NGO (Non-Government Agency) whose goals and services you think are beneficial to solving a global problem. 

NGO's are doing work that the government isn't.  They know much more of what the world needs than governments do.

UMC Church

4. How can business be a helpful global enforcer?

They are spread out more all over the world.  It's easier for a business to know of an issue than the government.

5. What can too much economic and social change lead too?

It will cause polarization among different generations of people.  Everyone will be from a drastically different era than the person before them.

6. What Global Issue concerns you the most? Why?

I think starvation and selfishness bother me the most.  It's because our population is going up and our food levels are going down.  Sad thing is that there is enough food on the planet to feed everyone but there is still starvation.