Reflection #10

REFLECTION #10

Even though I have had experience working with computers a lot, it has always been under very strict guidelines in previous jobs and I had never really felt comfortable in front of one. I have also always worked on the Macintosh platform, and not the PC, so the idea of switching, was very strange to me. All of a sudden I am confronted with several websites and programs that I had never even heard of before and during the condensed Summer term, these assignments seemed formidable. I must say that the first day of class and the following day, I was not sure how I was going to make it through. I was asked to create a blog at blogger.com, when I had never blogged in my life. I was asked to buy LIVETEXT, which I had heard a lot about and had gotten the impression that it was terribly hard to use. I also was told that I had to submit all my work into TURNITIN.COM by going to yet another website to verify that I had not plagiarized. My first assignment, unbeknownst to me had a 41% plagiarism problem but I soon corrected it and carried on. All this was expected of me within the first 48 hours and I had a mental block about a few of these things mentioned and I felt that I had better swim fast or I would sink. I pushed myself to the limit and I learned that I could do it. The amount of work that was asked of us in EME2040 was astounding and so well worth it. I surprised myself on how well I wrote reflections and how I was able to maneuver the different programs all at the same time. I created a page for every program and jotted down all the id names and passwords used. Some had different requirements, so and I found myself with 5 different log ins and just as many passwords. What I feel I learned the most and the best was at creating a Digital story, which seemed daunting at first and in fact, it wasn’t at all. It turned out to be a very easy to use program. I was thrilled the way my PowerPoint presentation turned out. I had never used the program and was pleased to see how nice it turned out with the transitions and the music in the background that I chose. I was forced to keep on track and to not stay behind in any way because that would surely cost me with the amount of work being assigned to us every week. I learned to keep an open mind and to accept new challenges because looking back at the different programs mentioned here, I sometimes thought that I would not be able to handle them and get the projects done on time and of such good quality but I proved myself wrong. I read poems by authors that I had heard about my whole life and had never attempted to read and gave a critique on them afterwards. This class was eye opening and a wonderful experience. Besides the programs and websites utilized, what this class taught me the most was to keep an open mind, to persevere, and to not limit myself with narrow thinking.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Ernie Joya

Reflection #9

REFLECTION #9

Today the teacher is not alone, and works hand in hand with the latest technology. Even in schools where the funds are not what they should be, the methods used are a far cry from when we were all in school. Technology today helps the students stay focused and interested. The teacher today have at their fingertips, literally the world. They are able to utilize all the video resources and written report from decades past as well as images of any topic imaginable in a matter of seconds. Decades ago, the teacher would have to go to the library and seek, in an encyclopedia what a teacher is able to do today, in seconds. The imagery alone surpasses anything that teachers of the past would even dream of doing. Every day more and more advancements in the area of computer technology helps keep us all more connected & interested. Of course, while this makes it easier for the teacher to access information, in turn adds to the workload of the instructor. Just like we can’t imagine living without a microwave or cable TV with hundreds of channels, we cannot imagine not being able to research a topic using the World Wide Web. The possibilities are limitless and very exciting at the speed in which the information is brought to us and the methods in which it does.

In fact, some of the equipment used to today in the schools are not even things that the students actually use. A lot of the technology employed has to do with what is used for organizational purposes, record keeping, and keeping track of the schools progress. Better stride is being made to keep up technologically with the rest of the world when it comes to equipment being used by the students. There isn’t a single area of the school system that isn’t directly affected by technology. Students that have been away from the campus life for a few years will find astonishing, the number of programs and websites today catering to students, their classes and methods to check their work for plagiarism, accuracy and accountability. The American classroom by the same token is lagging behind when it comes to modern technology and unfortunately, often times more affluent neighborhoods are better equipped with the best equipment. A greater effort is being made to make certain that across the board, equal opportunity for all when it comes to the proper equipment. There are institutions that will not accept any work turned in by the student unless it is turned in electronically. There are others that will not accept any work turned in by the students unless it has been sent to Turnitin.com to verify that it has not been plagiarized and so on and so forth. Technology has made significant strides and there is no stopping it or slowing it down. Like technology we need to keep up because at the rate that it is progressing, we cannot afford to stay behind.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Ernie Joya

Reflection #8

There are 5 distinct Philosophies in Education, 2 falling under Teacher-Centered and 3 falling under Student –Centered, I was certain I fell under one particular philosophy exclusively. I learned that I strongly support the blending of several of the philosophies and would strongly urge others to do the same. I was pleased to find that I am more diverse and flexible and open-minded than I previously thought and that in having these philosophies on hand to serve as a guide or a tool, my teaching practices would benefit. My past experiences and personal beliefs played a roll in determining where I fell in the philosophies spectrum. I strongly feel that even though I may not feel inclined to use a certain philosophy, I should be open-minded and consider each classroom unique. The goal is to be a better teacher and even if I prefer a Philosophy over another, a particular class may benefit from a different one, and there is where one needs to analyze the classroom individually and choose accordingly. I support the philosophies of Essentialism because I was taught that way and the back-to-basics approach worked for me as a child. I feel that a core curriculum & traditional disciplines are vital and the very young need a blueprint or guide to help them along. I, on the other hand, being an open minded individual and an artist, prefer the Existentialist philosophies, because I feel that we aren’t all destined to be Mathematicians, Scientists, and English professors and therefore need to leave room for the self-exploration and the humanities that are prevalent in these philosophies. The Existentialism Philosophies are good to implement with certain students at certain points in their lives, especially those with inclinations towards the arts, music, and dramatic arts because of its' emphasis in the humanities. I need to mention my second choice, which is the Social Reconstructionism Philosophies, because I feel, that in small doses these can be very beneficial in K-8 as well, to promote early awareness of social ills. The beliefs are that the school is the ideal place to begin fixing social problems and I am particularly drawn to these philosophies because of my own personal experience of inaction and indifference during my K-12 experience. Except for the occasional paper drive, we lacked the knowledge and therefore genuine motivation and effort to improve society. In helping society and one’s community, students are helping and strengthening their own moral character. While reading, writing and arithmetic are inherent in both the Essentialism and the Perennialism Philosophies, the later stresses teaching values and character training, which I feel is important and very much lacking in today’s society overall. How does one choose one over the other and stick with it? I feel that one does not have to. If I were to sum it up, I would choose Existentialism above the rest and pepper the lessons with the core teachings, prevalent in Essentialism. The 3 R's seem destined to always be with us and we need to teach accordingly. Certain attributes in Perennialism are very attractive to me and I wish to instill in my students, some of the teachings of this Philosophy. Utilizing the very best each one has to offer.

Reflection #7

Reflection #7
I have had very little experience in creating photo stories utilizing the current technology In universities. I was unaware of the ease of use of some of these programs and the useful and creative way of conveying a point or a story as it is in this case. A digital story, I find to be very similar to PowerPoint and IMovie in the Macintosh operating system. The way I created mine is how I approach almost every project and that is to relate it to me and to my personal past experiences. I use association to make It Interesting to me and easy to remember and I do an outline in this case to convey my message clearly. The message and goal has to be thought out right away for everything else to flow. My message was to convey to the audience that Technology in the classroom is essential and without it we are not competitive with the rest of the world. Technology in the classroom is missing in a lot of instances around the country and that is very unfortunate. Children at an early age are very receptive and absorbe things like a sponge, waiting until middle school or high school to implement technology in the classroom is ineffective. Think of how difficult it is for grown ups now to adapt to the computer age. The same can happen to kids if they are made to wait too long when computers are not accessible. After having my message clearly defined, I went looking for my Images that would be compelling, attention grabbing and interesting. My goal was to have the audience stay focused, interested and possibly amused and enlightened. I chose to write notes on the side of my photo story to help me remember some of the key points. My images were very specific so I did not need the notes mentioned. I made sure that my images were of highest quality so they would not pixelize. I cropped them accordingly and began downloading images into my project in the order that I needed to see them. I moved images around if new ideas popped into my head and if I wanted to rework the storyline. I have a Mac at home but needed to work on it in a PC, so I brought along a cd of some music that I wanted to add to my story and worked on it in school. I wrote word per word what I wanted to say and made sure that I wanted the right transition and pacing of the changing of the slides/images. I chose different transitions so as to keep the audience on their toes. If the story is about technology, it is important to make sure that the finished product backs up your message. I added music to the background, after recording my voice and previewed the movie to make sure it’s what I wanted. It was my first project in Photo story 3, and I am pleased to say that the project came out very well.
The message being that technology in the classroom is essential to stay competitive, up to date, and current. This message was made very clear using compelling, interesting Images In a creative way plus using a soundtrack and a voicetrack over the entire project. As stated earlier, the notes on the side are an added benefit but are not mandatory, but recommended just the same. I highly recommend Photo story to anyone who wants to convey a message creatively and with ease of usage.

Reflection #6

REFLECTION #6

The Tele Collaborative learning method is like the Collaborative/Cooperative learning method comprised of 2 or more students working together towards a common goal. Since the method is rooted in Constructivism, the student’s past experiences, knowledge, background are taken under consideration and celebrated. In this learning method, it is taken to the next level where students are communicating with each other from possibly different parts of the world. Imagine how much a child learns when things are shared about the child’s background and family history? Now imagine the kids actually living and experiencing life in a different part of the world. From personal experience, I feel that students will not only learn and accept diverse cultures and customs, but also learn & accept their own and the customs of diverse people around them. The World Wide Web has been an integral part in making this happen. Many years ago, this was not possible, but now a student can have a real time conversation with another student clear across the globe. From personal experience, this method is very effective and life altering. There were a lot things I did not like about Miami back when I was in High school, but when I completed my first 2 years of college, I enrolled in a study broad program and headed to France. I had looked at other countries in Europe with rose-colored glasses and found everything to criticize about Miami, Florida. I came to realize all the wonderful things we have right here at home and how similar we all are. I learned that the little things that bothered me about Miami, especially the younger generation, I found evident in the young generation in France. We are all more similar than we think. I came back with a broader understanding of different cultures and customs and learned to appreciate everything a little more. It took traveling abroad for 5 months to learn all this. With TeleCollaborative learning, the learning can be done from home and it’s all encompassing. A student can travel all over the world without leaving their home, or classroom. The teachings are a group effort but individuality and personal achievement and expectations are emphasized. There are clear objective/objectives and every member is encouraged to participate, & is respected and given equal time to demonstrate their special skills, knowledge and contributions. In this case, another language may be thrown in the equation, possibly prompting a student to take up second language. This method of teaching takes diversity to another level. The advantages are the exposure to different cultures, languages, geography, world politics and the celebration of cultural differences. The cautions we must all take are the the strict regulating of sites visited by the students and the need to be set goals and expectations and have them be clearly defined. As we all know It is very easy to get distracted on the Internet and stray from our initial task at hand. Regardless of the debates, the advantages are many and it is a teaching technique that will continue to gain in popularity. Like the Collaborative teaching method, as long as any conflicts are resolved early on and rubrics are clearly defind and designed, excellence in results are to be

expected.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Reflection #5

REFLECTION #5

The Cooperative/Collaborative learning method is one that involves 2 or more students working together. I found this to be a very effective tool to utilize for an interpersonal way to get the lesson learned. In this day and age when students are very detached in their personal endeavors where they hide behind a computer screen and play video games, endlessly by themselves, group learning is very appealing. Cooperative learning can actually be achieved from different parts of the world or in a classroom, including a diverse group of different levels and gender and skills. The student is individually responsible for his/her contributions but they work as a group.

The students are able to share their particular strengths with each other and learn the other’s strengths and develop their own skills, including interpersonal skills as mentioned earlier. I learned that in these small groups, the learning must have a clear objective/objectives and every member is encouraged to participate, & is respected and given equal time to demonstrate their special skills, knowledge and contributions. This method of teaching is similar to the Constructivists method where there is great emphasis placed on the students personal experiences & past knowledge. Studies have shown that in a group learning environment, the student is often challenged and diversity is celebrated and this, in turn, helps the students with their self esteem. The goals are clearly identified by the teacher so the students have something to build on and the teacher is the learner once the goals are specified. A favorable aspect to cooperative learning is that students work together instead compete with each other, but I seem to think that a little competition is good, so interchanging this method with others is a healthy and diverse way to

teach. In the past 20 years this concept of small groups have taken off and is being employed ever more so. There has been considerable debate whether grouping students with similar abilities hinders the stronger students. Critics

seem to feel that the gifted students are held back and are baby sitters and in a group setting, some feel that the groups and/or the group leaders do all the work and the teacher gets off easy by not having to do as much. There is

also the debate whether Collaborative teaching heightens inequities of achievements for females & minorities etc. These finding have not been found to be rooted in facts but it is something to consider and debate. The pros, as mentiond earlier are the likelihood of diversity and the celebration of cultural differences. Regardless of the debates the advantages are many and it is a teaching technique that will continue to gain in popularity. And as long as any conflicts are resolved early on and rubrics are clearly defind and designed, excellence in results are to be expected.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182 Ernie Joya

for black arthur blythe

"for black arthur blythe" is a haunting telling of a young artist coming to terms with his need to be musically creative and at the same time push back the negativity that comes with wanting to be a musician.He knew that he had a lot to offer and the raw talent was obvious but he played in the shadows, afraid of further negativity and rejection. He had a life altering higher calling and came out of the shadows.The music was considered too out there for popular trends and culture but he persevered.As it must happen with creative individuals, there must be a time when they are stagnant and not creative and back to the shadows they go as it happened inhis case but he had an epiphany and realized that he had to aknowledge the past, regardless of how much negativity came with it, because the past had beautiful melodies that affected his music today, like jazz, post-pop, latin, etc. He eventually learned to live with the demons and came out of the shadows to play on the sweet sounds that he was born to play.