Free Choice

If you have not yet seen this video, I suggest you do.

A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

http://www.dump.com/2011/02/12/a-day-made-of-glass-cornings-vision-for-the-f,uture-with-specialty-glass-at-the-heart-of-it-video/

I’m most impressed with the portable device instantly transferring data to larger work surfaces by just touching one another.  I foresee this invention being a useful tool used for speedy collaboration and communication in education.  The large touch surfaces push people closer to the work.  This video has really changed my perception on our current computer squinting habits.  The video showcases many large interactive surfaces that make the iMac look very small.  Electronic paper should also get recognition for its useful form and function.  Electronic paper is great because it is lightweight, space saving, and tree friendly.


Hand image from:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=future&origin=FX101741979#ai:MP900431702|

Wimba week 1

Our first Wimba session focused primarily on the scope and sequence of the course content.  Joe demonstrated the theory that exposing students to something three times will improve their chances of retaining the information.  Course requirements where communicated by: (1) watching embedded video, (2) reading, and (3) Wimba session.  I also learned that  “a letter from God” is the title given to critiquing emails given by professors to blossoming grads AR work.  The “letter from God” must be the Web 2.0 version of a “come-to-Jesus talk” (insert smile here).

I thought the most profound idea discussed tonight dealt with the leadership program.  I thought it was brilliant to have grads present their research to an audience a step above their current pay scale.  An example would be teachers present to a conference of principals, principals present to a conference of superintendants, and so on.  The purpose of the activity is to share what we have learned from Full Sail in addition to networking with professionals in leadership positions.  The additional reason for shoulder rubbing is to propel our current positions and more importantly education in general. 

Letter image from:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=letter&origin=FX101741979#ai:MC900441519|

Discussion Board: Topic #1

Topic #1: Briefly share an experience about using media (visual and/or auditory) in class or during a presentation, focus your comment on any work-arounds or solutions you used when the tech wasn’t quite working or when the tech wasn’t adequate to do what you had originally planned.

My high school painting students did a project this year that requires them to paint exacting values of different hues.  I’ve used the following technologies to compare and contrast the values in their paintings: human sight, photocopier, Photo Booth on student MacBooks, and smart phones. The downside to my human eyes is that others don’t readily see what I see.  Black and white photocopies are great at communicating values, but require a steady diet of paper and me leaving the classroom to scan the paintings.  Photo Booth on Macs can take an in-class black and white photo of the student’s colored painting.  The down side to the MacBook is that its large size makes it cumbersome as a camera. The most recent technology I’ve used, the smart phone, has been the most efficient assessment tool. Smart phones are light, readily accessible, and their small viewing screen stays out of view when comparing the colored painting to the black/white image.

Gray image from: 

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=gray&origin=FX101741979#ai:MP900439051|

Discussion Board: Topic #2

Topic #2: Tech in your workplace: How has your workplace kept up with tech or not kept up with tech? What kinds of tech things have you bought to use in your classroom/presentation?Please give examples (and have a little fun with the idea…).

Every student in grades 5th-12th at Spirit Lake received a MacBook in the fall of 2010. The community also blessed teachers with MacBooks and classroom projectors. I’m hoping that the school invests in a quality scanner everyone can use, makes Wi-Fi available, and installs Adobe Photoshop to a computer lab. I’ve purchased a green screen in order to make video presentations more interesting for the art students. I originally intended the purchase of my iPad for student use. Unfortunately my iPad retains its mint condition at home and misses the opportunity to assist student achievement. This discussion board entry has inspired me to bring my iPad to school as soon as possible. In addition to my teacher issued MacBook, students will also use the iPad for Google searches on visual reference materials related to their artwork and art software play.

Projector image from:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=projector#ai:MC900353340|