Final Education Portfolio

 

 

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is an exciting way for students to learn. Students are able to create a multimedia project explaining what they have learned showing that they understand the topic. It is also a fun way to get them involved. As a student, I would have gotten much more involved, had more fun, and retained more information with a project like digital storytelling.

This is such a wonderful way to get students to learn because they are so immersed in media everyday. Students today are growing up in an age where media is everywhere and everyone knows how to use and create it. Today's students consider technology a part of their everyday lives so a project like this is natural for them and something they would enjoy. "Digital stories provide powerful media literacy learning opportunities because students are involved in the creation and the analysis of the media in which they are immersed." They are able to be a part of the creation of the media that is in their lives everyday.

Digital Storytelling: Social Studies 7th Grade

This is a history project of a 7th grade student talking about George Washington Carver. You can tell that the students really learned a lot during this project and were able to use the pictures and audio to relay what they learned to their audience.

Becoming a Zookeeper WebQuest

Becoming A Zookeeper

What makes a good webquest?

A WebQuest is a wonderful tool for students to have a different way to go about learning something. It should use the internet in as many ways as possible for the student to research and create a final product. It should teach them how to collaborate and use reasoning skills and problem solving to think deeper about a topic than just what they read on the internet.

1. A Scaffolded Learning Structure: "We ask students to do what expert writers do—brainstorm, draw pictures, compile lists, or make free associations—and then help them think about an audience and descriptive details." In our webquest, we ask our students to take on the role of a zookeeper and as they choose the animal they are the caretaker of, they have to learn everything about it. They learn what it eats, where it lives and anything else they would need to know about it to take care of it. When they have got it all, we ask them to present the animal in its habitat and explain it to zoo goers that have never heard it.
2. Use of Essential Internet Resources: "A teacher’s gentle orchestration of Internet experiences like these helps students develop their active understanding of the problem." We have given our students resources to find information about their animal, but also fun activities that will help them learn about it in a different and exiciting way that uses internet resources.
3. Authentic Tasks That Motivate: "The best way to address attention and relevance is to choose a topic that students find compelling and then create an authentic learning task related to it." For the age of the students we made this webquest for, animals are a fun and exciting topic that will be something they want to learn about. Giving them the role of the zookeeper makes the project come alive and something they will really enjoy and want to participate in.

WebQuest Evaluation

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.

Becoming A Zookeeper WebQuest

	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.	4- Our WebQuest used very colorful text and had many pictures to go along with the theme and explain the topic.
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- The WebQuest was easy to navigate and showed clear direction of how the students should complete the activity.
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- Some links took students to places that would be confusing to navigate.
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.	0- The intro-duction  is very dry and does not appeal well to the reader.
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.	1- The intro-duction tells the reader what they will be doing but does not build on prior knowledge.
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- The task clearly describes what the student will be learning and doing.
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.	6- The task allows the student to research and creatively demonstrate what they have learned.
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.	2- Most of the steps are clear but some would need further instruction from the teacher.
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	6- Tools are given to allow the students to complete the task presented to them
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.	1- There should be more roles split between students.
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- All of the resources are great for the topics they are helping to find information on.
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.	2- Most of the links were good and useful, some opened to a site that was not helpful for the project.
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.	6- The rubric assesses the project well and is easy for the students to understand what is expected of them.
Total Score				42/50

Google Apps Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: Choose Your Own Adventure Story

West Virginia CSO

• Students will arrange thoughts and ideas in graphic representations to plan and write a product.

WebQuest Worksheet

 The Technophile: 

• You love this internet thang. To you, the best WebQuest is one that makes the best use of the technology of the Web. If a WebQuest has attractive colors, animated gifs, and lots of links to interesting sites, you love it. If it makes minimal use of the Web, you'd rather use a worksheet.

Your Impressions

WebQuest	Strengths	Weaknesses
Grow School Greens	fun gifs, many links to help with the project.	very bright but not much variation in color
Where is My Hero?	Very colorful, Some really good and fun links.	Pictures good, but nothing that pops.
Underground Railroad	Links to some cool interactive sites, Very fun and unique way of teaching the subject matter.	Could have some better pictures to describe the railroad and those involved.
Ice Cream	Very bright and appealing to the eye, fun and lot of hands-on activities.	Some links didn't open.
Ancient Egypt	Did a good job of putting links to help explain the subject.	Not much color, not many activities outside of just reading the resources.

Bernie Dodge, Department of Educational Technology, SDSU


Which two of example WebQuests listed below are the best ones? 

• I think that the webquests about the ice cream and the underground railroad are the best.

Which two are the worst? 

• I think that the worst webquests were the ones about ancient egypt and heros.

What do best and worst mean to you?

• The best ones caught my attention just by looking at them, had good interactive links and fun, hand-on activities that I feel the students would enjoy. The worst were more plain to look at and seemed like they would have a more difficult time getting the students involved.

Group Discussion

• All of us agreed that the Ancient Egypt webquest was the worst. It was least appealing to the eye, and seemed like it would not do a great job of keeping the students attention.
• We all thought that the We All Scream For Ice Cream webquest was the best. It included some fun activities and did a good job of using what is found on the web to describe the tasks.

Storybird Reflection

ISTE NETS-T Standard 3: 

• B. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

Storybird addresses the above standard by allowing the students to interact with people outside of their own classroom. Whether it be someone they already know, will soon meet, or a face they may never see creating a story with them, they are able to see how people who may be in different places can work together to accomplish a common goal.

In today's world, the way people work together is different than it has ever been in the past. With all of the technology available, people no longer all have to work in the same office building to be a part of the sasme company. People from all over the world are able to come together to work on projects, help one another troubleshoot, and collaborate or guide members to carry out certain tasks. In the article Technology Enhanced Collaborative Learning they said, "[a]fter working for over a year on the bulldozer, he posted the problem on the company's web forum and received an immediate solution from an engineer in California who had had the same problem." In this example, two employees that had never met were able to solve a problem together just by collaboration through technology. There are so many advantages to this useful tool and students should be learning ways now to use this in their future.

(2009). Technology Enhanced Collaborative Learning. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/

     document/d/11VN6R_yz4zPWMTWuNyrxB5oXwQsLrUcXkAnHI_sHDlA/edit

These resources that we have used, such as Skype, Storybird, and Edmodo, are wonderful ways to get students involved in the classroom. However, they will help them so much more than that. Our world is constantly changing, and to get ahead or even keep up, you have to be updated with the knowledge of the latest technology. Chances are that by the time the children we have in class get into the workplace, things will be completely different than they are now in ways unfathomable by our minds. Yet if we continue to keep ourselves and our students "in the know" of what is coming next and learning the new tools available to us, then it will make the transition into that new technology so much simpler.

Scratch Assignment

I find scratch a very useful and fun educational tool. I created a scratch depicting the Water Cycle that could be used for a school project to show that students understand the topic you are discussing but also is something that can make them more knowledgable about technology that they have available to them. In the 21st Century Learning Skills Article "Learning with Scratch," it says, "Scratch encourages creative thinking, an increasingly important skill in today’s rapidly changing world." I really like this statement because even as I look back at my years in school, the way I have done projects has drastically changed. Most classrooms and assignments have become more technology based and Scrach is an excellent tool for students to become more comfortable with the change and express their creativity. Each student has their own individual way of looking at things and Scratch is a great way to let them represent that.

Looking around on Scratch I found one about Telling Time. This scratch shows a clock and gives random times as it asks "What time is it?" Even for the teacher this is a great tool to use to get the students involved and excited about learning in a way that is different for how they would ordinarily do it.

21C.O.5-8.1.LS.2
Student interprets abstract visuals and creates products (e.g. digital storytelling) that reflect a growing understanding of visual language and require the effective use of tools (e.g. cropped photos, original charts and graphs, well-chosen images from databases, video clips).

• This CSO completely describes what the students are doing with scratch. They are learning how to piece things together to create a visual media presentaion.

Google Apps Lesson Plan on Prezzi

ISTE NETS -T Standard 2a: Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

• This Google Apps Lesson plan allows students to take advantage of a free online resource and use the technology they have available to them. They are still working on their writing skills, but in a new and different way that lets them learn how to use new technologies.

Video Conferencing in the Classroom

Standard III: Model Digital Age Work and Learning B. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

• Video conferencing is a great tool to get students more involved in and out of the classroom. They get to see the world outside of the four walls that surround them as they are enjoying the learning process in that same space. It gives them new opportunities to interact with others that they do not normally have the chance to come in contact with and see opportunities they have outside of the classroom. 

This lesson plan by Tina Brown titled "Fun with Dr. Suess"  is something that I feel would bring a lot of fun into the classroom with many educational benefits. Two classrooms, one full of bilingual Spanish speaking students and the other English only speaking students, come together through video conferencing to talk about their similar love for Dr. Suess, read books together in both languages, vote for their favorite book, graph the results, and ask questions about the results.  At this age (2nd grade) kids are enthralled with Dr. Suess, as well as anything that is new and different to them. These two mixed together automatically become exciting and, I feel, would make the kids want to come in and learn everyday. They get the chance to interact  with students that bring them new cultural experiences, but are also able to see the similar interests that they share.

Lesson Plan: Choose Your Own Adventure Story


West Virginia CSO

• RLA.O.5.3.4 Students will reate an age-appropriate media product that demonstrates format, purpose, and audience.

Video Games in the Classroom

Before watching these videos, I really did not have a strong view one way or another about the use of video games in the classroom. It is something that I have thought little about. However, now I think that games can be used as an incredible tool to aide in the learning process. It is something that children in today's world are so familiar with in their everyday lives and is something that they enjoy, so using them to help teach can be a wonderful tool. Games instill the learning practices and social skills we see in the 21st century. Today, we don't only have to teach english, math, history, etc. but we now are expected to teach how to use technology, media literacy, and proper social media conduct that students will use in everyday life. Games are a great way to combine the teaching of these skills to make the student enjoy learning both subjects. Many people see a negative effect that games have on the younger generation, but that is not the case. Kids, rather than being harmed from their constant video gaming, are excelling in many areas. Kids are expected to have many different skills while playing the games, and their multi-tasking skills are showing great improvement as they juggle all of these. Instead of lacking the ability to focus, children have a greater attention span and are less distracted. All of these, along with many others, show that video games are mostly helpful to the kids that are considered as "gamers."

In this lesson plan, students use a video game to learn about the eleven different cities visited in the game and about nonprofit organizations, as well as skills developed by play. They use a video game that's already created to better relate to the students about the subject.

Video Games and Learning

Your Brain of Video Games

In this video, Your Brain of Video Games, the major argument presented is that video games, in reasonable doses, have many powerful and positive effects on our behavior.

Claims

1.  Action video games, rather than harming your eyesight actually helps to improve your vision.
2. Playing action games does not lead to attention problems or greater distractibility. All attention contolling parts of the brain are much more efficient in people that play video games.
3. People that play action video games are better multi-taskers and can switch their attention from one thing to another more quickly.

Are Video Games Making Your Kids Smarter?

In this video, Are Video Games Making Your Kids Smarter?, the major argument presented is that our world is too slow for our children to appreciate rather than them being too distracted by the world.

Claims

1. Kids are expected in video games to require many skills and high amounts of multitasking.
2. Games are wired to produce pleasure, and you keep seeking that activity.
3. Gamification, the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audiences and solve problems, is being used by "generation G." 

Big Thinkers: Katie Salen on Learning with Games

In this video, Big Thinkers: Katie Salen on Learning with Games, the major argument is that games today are very important and influential in the learning process.

Claims

1. Games get at the kinds of learning experiences and social practices that we see important in the 21st century.
2. Games work in a way that good teachers work. Designers have to ask what does my player need in this moment in order to be successful.
3. Teachers should realize that the game does not need to be the entire curriculum, but just one aspect to better help kids in the learning process.

Picasso Head and Learning Styles

This is my Picasso head. I have musical intelligence.

As we have been discussing learning styles over the past week, I have had different views on how or even if they should be used in the classroom. However, looking over all the information we have been presented with, I think that they are valuable for helping students engage further into the learning process so that they get all they can out of the teaching, but that they can not be used in every lesson you teach. This is because grasping some concepts have to be solely based on the content of the subject matter rather than how a student learns best. "[W]e are all capable of learning under almost any style, no matter what our preference is," (Clark, 2012). What matters more than the way you learn best is the nature of the subject that is being discussed. For example, for a student to know what a song sounds like, it is better for them to listen to the song than to look at the sheet music. "[T]eachers should worry about matching their instruction to the content they are teaching. Some concepts are best taught through hands-on work, some are best taught through lectures, and some are best taught through group discussions," (Glenn, 2009). All students have the ability to learn in whatever way we present the information. It is true that some might learn better in a different way then how it is taught, but in that situation, I feel like it is best to individually present the information to that student differently rather than present the same information to the entire class for every different learning style. Where I feel it is best to integrate learning styes, make learning fun, and keep students engaged, we need to change the style of our teaching in different subjects and not teach for, as an example, visual learning all the time. Teach for all of the different learners you may have in your class.

Music Media Lesson Plan

• Have students creatively examine the role that music, sound effects, special effects and editing techniques have in holding our attention while watching TV or movies. Break the class into small groups and assign each of them to record a movie scene. Each group must do the same scene twice while varying one element. For example, one group should do the same scene with different music each time, while another groups tapes the same scene using differerent camera angles. After viewing each video, discuss the differences that exist between the two scenes.

David Glenn (2009, December 15). Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students.

     Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to-/49497/

Don Clark (2012, March 6). Learning Styles and Preferences. Retrieved from 

     http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html

Media Literacy Lesson Plan Ideas: TV and Movies. Retrieved from

     http://www.cmch.tv/mentors_teachers/lp_tv_movies.asp

Learning Styles

Claims: Learning Styles Don't Exist

1. You store information in three ways; visually, auditorally, and kinestheticly.

2. Teachers want students to learn on a basis of meaning rather than 1 of the 3 learning styles.

3. The way students learn is based on the nature of the question rather than how they recall things best.

• Learning Styles Don't Exist

Claims: Multiple Intelligence (Learning Styles do Exist)

1. It is a theory that was developed to show that humans have very different ways that ideas get through to their minds.

2. Education that treats everyone the same is very unfair education.

3. Everything that can be taught can be taught in more than one way, and everything that can be shown can be shown in more than one way.

• Howard Gardner of the Multiple Intelligence Theory

Learning styles are the idea that kids learn in different ways and that you should change your teaching styles to fit each child's particular learning habit. Multiple intelligence theory is the idea that everything can be taught in different ways and you should teach the way that the children would learn the subject best.

Magazine Cover

Develop a passion for learning. 

If you do, you will never cease to grow.
-Anthony J. D'Angelo 

Media Literacy Lesson Plan

Media Literacy Lesson Plan

This lesson plan allows the student to see how new and current technology systems work, and can warn them of the dangers of the internet. It can show them to be careful of what they do and put online because it can be transferred all over the world. ISTE Nets Standard 3A is demonstrated in this lesson.

Standard 3A:

• Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

Photo Analysis Assignment

Of the two photo options we were given, I feel that this photo gave me the most confidence in President Obama's leadership abilities. The first picture was a shot of just Pres. Obama with the caption saying that he was being briefed on the BP oil spill relief efforts. His face was very serious, but anyone has the ability to listen to what others are saying. That shows no leadership qualities. This photo however, with the caption of, "President Obama meets with National Incident Commander US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen for a briefing on the BP oil spill at Coast Guard Station Gulfport in Gulfport, Mississippi, on Monday," which I felt showed that he had more knowledge and understanding of the subject being discussed. He has his arms extended like he is explaining something in greater detail. His face has a look of concern, but also confidence that something is without a doubt going to be done to solve the problem. Also there is someone else in the picture, an older man, who is listening to what Obama has to say on the subject matter. Behind them are maps and pictures showing the area affected by the spill and workers trying to solve the problem, along with an American flag showing his authority and position. The photograph is spontaneous showing that he is working on the issue not just when there are photo opportunities. I believe that this photo is trying to say that President Obama is taking this issue into his own hands and jumping right into figuring out a solution for this problem before letting it get any farther.

The caption of a photo can be the determining factor of whether or not it has a positive or negative connotation. The caption on the above photo shows that Obama is meeting with the right people to begin working together on a crisis issue. It shows that he knows how to go about handling the situation and is doing able to work with others as a team in a difficult situation. However, if the caption were changed, the picture could say something much different. For example, if it were to say, "President Obama interrupts National Incident Commander US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen during a briefing on the BP oil spill without letting him discuss his clean up plan," it would show that he does not have the ability to work as a team, taking away his leadership qualities and showing that he does not listen to others, which is a scary quality to find in a president.

ThinkAloud Assignment

Eckleberry and harman from eharman

Standard I. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

B. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources

I found this ThinkAloud assignment very useful. ThinkAloud is a fun and innovative way to look at and assess what is going on in the world around you. I was able to use my knowledge of technology to look further that just the surface of the issue and find the meanings behind what is being discussed in the article. Jing is a great tool that can be used to look further into an issue and relay your thoughts over to those you share your project with. I used slideshare to upload my powerpoint and share it online. In my future classroom, I think that ThinkAloud would be a great tool to use to look further into issues going on in the world around us and a fun way to get students involved and let them form their own opinions on the matter.

Questions to Ask	Clues to Look For
Is there an author? Is the page signed?	Yes
Is the author qualified and/or reputable? An expert?	Yes
Who is the sponsor?	Houston Chronicle
Is the sponsor of the page reputable? How reputable?	Yes, it is a newspaper
Are there links that take you outside of the site?	Yes, there are links that take you to seaches on the topics discussed.

Is the information reliable and error-free?	Yes
Is there an editor or someone who verifies/checks the information?	Yes.
Where doubt exists, can the information be cross-checked with a reliable source?	No

Does the information show a minimum of bias?	Yes.
Is the page designed to sway opinion?	No.
Is there any advertising on the page?	Yes.

Is the page dated?	Yes
If so, when was the last update?	January 11, 2013
How current are the links? Have some expired or moved?	They are all very current.

Is there an indication that the page has been completed, and is not still under construction?	No.
What topics are covered? How in-depth is the material?	This article discusses Texas wanting to raise funds for teachers to carry concealed weapons and the issue of the mental health of the gun owners and lending help to those seen as "risky" and to train teachers on carrying weapons.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Dewhurst-wants-state-to-train-teachers-on-guns-4187896.php
Type of file (could say ftp:// or telnet://)	Domain name (computer file is on and its location on the Internet)	Path or directory on the computer to this file	Name of file, usually ending in .html or .htm
http://	www.chron.com/	news/houston-texas/houston/article/Dewhurst-wants-state-to-train-teachers-on-guns-	4187896.php

Wikipedia Reliability

Wikipedia Reliability Worksheet

User: Muboshgu
This editor is a baseball fan and loves U.S. history and politics. He basically edits only for fun and something to do, but you can tell he has a passion for it.

User: Y2kcrazyjoker4
This editor is also not a professional and just edits in spare time on topics he is interested in, mainly U2.

User: Fuzheado

This editor seems the most professional out of the three I looked at. He is a jounalist, author of The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia, and journalism professor.

 

The first two users I looked at made me feel a little more reluctant to believe everything on wikipedia because they are not professionals in the topics they are editing. However, even though the third was not a professional on the subject either, he had more credentials that seemed to give his words more honesty than the others.

Wikipedia Quiz

The Gettysburg Text

Wordle

Where do you want to live?

Digital Media Changing Language?

As I read this article on digital media's effects of our English language, I noticed that this language change is not something that has just started to happen. Grammar has been changing throughout the ages, and today that is just continuing. I do feel, however, that our generation is getting too lazy with our grammar rules and that this could have a negative effect on future generations. Many of us do not want to take the time to learn these rules and decide that it doesn't matter one way or the other. We have technology that will correct our mistakes, so why do we need to learn how to be grammatically correct?

 "[I]f you type a misspelled word (or phrase) into Google, chances are the search engine will land you pretty much at the same list of sites you would have reached had you been a finalist in the National Spelling Bee." This is something that, in my own experience, I have realized how lazy I become thanks to technology. Since I know that google will correct my spelling or give me the same results if the word I am searching is spelled wrong, I don't even try to spell correctly many times. There are some words that I have always had trouble spelling, but I don't bother learning because I know that it will be corrected for me.

"Whatever the benefits of digital media, it is destroying the ability of young people to construct the basic unit of the the English Language... the sentence." I do not find this statement to be true. The large majority of my friends will go crazy if they see a grammatical error or poor sentence structure, and every one of them has some sort of digital media that they use. It is not harming our youth, other than making them a little lazier, which can also be see as just making things easier, but rather just changing the way we go about doing things. The way we communicate with spoken and written language has changed over time and will continue to do that as we progress throught this technological age.


                                        

Poll Everywhere: Computer Response

Click here to take my poll about where you would live.

Poll Everywhere

The Future of Work

The future is an exciting place. Looking back ten, twenty, thirty years or more, you can see how far we have come as a country, a generation, and a global community. Technology has come so far and has become an influence in every part of our lives. This video, The Future of Work, has demonstrated that very point. As we grow and learn, we see technology changing, but many times we do not think of how it will effect our future and our careers. Many people go to college expecting to gain a lifetime career from their studies. The most astounding thing that I heard from this video was that no one can guarantee a lifetime career. The word career is as outdated as the word typewriter. This is something that sounded very strange to me. From the time we began school, we were told that we would someday choose what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, which now is something that is seen as much less attainable. I feel like although this may be true for some professions, others, like teaching, are occupations that are always going to be needed. In the video, the fact that location will not matter in the future also caught my attention. People from all over the world can work for the same company. Through new technology, communication has become more accessible for far distances. The last thing that stuch out to me was the fact that you won't be limited by where you are. This will make the workplace much more competitive. The more people fighting for jobs will mean fewer job opportunities.

A Reason to Teach

Hi! My name is Emily Harman and I am a freshman at Fairmont State University. I am from Farmington, West Virginia and am studying Elementary Education. I would love to teach 3rd through 6th grade and at sometime would love to teach music. I think that children learn best when you learn with them. As a teacher I plan to include my students and engage them in every part of the learning process. Children need to be encouraged and told that they are meant for a purpose. When they feel like they are worth something, they are so much more likely to grow and succeed. That is my main purpose for teaching and the goal I will strive to achieve.