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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.