Web Album :o]

Personal Web Album!

I have pictures on various websites such as Facebook & Myspace, so finding photos for this Web Album assignment was not difficult; it was just a matter of gathering and finding an accessible host website [Google]. Web-based albums could help with classroom research, presentations, and illustration of group work. I highly respect Google, and previous this course I was unaware of its numerous capabilities. I will most likely continue to store photos via Google, however Photoshop Express has great editing tools.

Photoshopping Expressing!

This was my first time experimenting with Photoshop Express, and I found it to be quite the free editing software! It would be handy for personal/classroom use; students working on a presentation could upload/edit photos, while as an educator I could link/share albums relating to course material. I wish there were more graphics for decorating; however, I should not complain since it is free... I did enjoy playing around and 'popping' colors. Overall, the website was easy to navigate; I did have some initial difficultly saving edited pictures to my desktop.

amazing gallery!

'Not So' Crappy Graphics...

Turns out... "Crappy Graphics" is pretty darn good. As an English content major, it was a little difficult at first formulate an idea... but then numbers from my previous lesson plan entered my head! As Secondary Education, I would recommend this tool to students; I could have greatly used this for high school math/science presentations.... I could even use this website now to help display evidence for my Action Research Proposal. I could not figure out on the 'create' page how to 'undo' painting errors... I had to start a new graph each time. Although 'Crappy' is good, I still found Kid's Zone easier, since it's so straightforward. This exercise fulfills 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning: to "design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." It allowed for reflection & promoted my future recommendation of the website in the classroom.

kind of crappy?

Online Graphics - Kids Zone!

Lovely Chart One illustrates the 4th Grade National Math Score Average from 2000-2007 in comparison to West Virginia's 'progress.' While the Nation's scores are on the move upward, my home state's scores are not showing any definite positive trend.

Wonderful Graph Two compares the 4 lowest income states with the percentage of students with an IEP. Although all of the numbers are higher than wealthier regions, West Virginia's percentage is still significantly higher than the other low-income states.

The information was retrieved from IES: National Center for Educational Statistics, courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of Education. Here's link to the charts!!! Graphing with Kids Zone was actually quite simple; I found it to be a useful link!


http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfb9mt3s_9dmq49dgf

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfb9mt3s_11htq6q2d3

The AMAZING Prnt Scrn Button!!!!

After discovering the amazing "Prnt Scrn" Button, I used Paint and once again uploaded through PhotoBucket my desktop background image of the amazing Mr. Colin Firth [with my painted lips on his].... :o] Although this image is from the literary movie Pride & Prejudice, I don't believe it would serve much help in the classroom...haha. However, this capability would be great for teaching web-classes and illustrating how a particular page/image should successfully appear. I love new-found technology!

Desktop Graphic

[Desktop Graphic]

When asked to create a graphic... I immediately considered one of the first programs I became acquainted with on a computer... Paint. Being quite comfortable with Paint and using my new-found knowledge of photobucket, I uploaded the amazing graphic to my blog! Since I am a Secondary-English educator, I selected a famous nature poem by Sylvia Plath with the background of actual blackberries, giving readers more of a visual introduction to the poem. Plath fills her poetry with metaphors, amazing in depth; the physical picture of berries behind the poem also creates focus for first-time readers. The photograph is a picture I took on my farm. The only difficulty I found with Paint was the text format options are limited; black was the only color that did not get completely over-powered by the bright leaves. Next time I will experiment with PowerPoint, since there are more text options.

~*Still Images*~

The concept of the 'Cone of Experience' was fathered Edgar Dale, one of the initial visual-learning researchers. Although the cone itself is interesting, the popular misconceptions are far more intriguing.... Dale initially presented the cone as a visual metaphor which simply illustrated the different levels of learning, ranging from abstract - concrete. However, over time the placement of the 'actions' gained percentages, ranging from the least effective to the most substantial in learning retention. Although the lower levels are more 'physically orientated,' provoking the senses, and are commonly associated with 'learning is doing'...the idea of having respectable percentages in divisions of 'tens' immediately illustrates the lack of true scientific research.
Regardless of the visible errors and false crediting, my opinion on the overall notion of the levels of retention in regards to abstract [reading] - concrete [preforming] I think is a great educated guess. Current research does illustrate that different tools of learning are quite successful when combined...Nevertheless, the ways in which individuals process information is different; there are different types of learners. If the information twisting Dale's original cone was 100% accurate, then humans would have only one way of learning. Personally, I benefit more from hearing than looking, while 'hearing' is credited above 'looking' on the Cone; my sister is the exact opposite, she is a happy visual learner. :)

Coming Soon:
A completely amazing post on FTP....


Photo: [courtesy LIFE Magazine Archive] *The real man with a plan....

Web Publishing!

Prior this assignment, I was completely unaware of the capabilities of Google. I wish that I would have known about this FREE way to create & share word processor documents, spreadsheets, etc. I also have not completed a current resume for quite sometime [roughly 2-3 years] and as a graduate student, this assignment was in both ways beneficial.... However moderately depressing, since it reminded me of my current job situation. haha. *YAY! Valley Worlds of Fun.... I am almost 23- and completely ready for a 'grown-up job'. Knowledge from this course is pointing me in the right professional direction.

Here's My Exciting Resume:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfb9mt3s_3dh9kwzf3