FINALLY!!!! A completed Digital Story Book

I am so happy and relieved and ecstatic!!!! I finally remembered that PhotoStory3 can create power point slide shows and save them as a .wmv file which is required to upload to blogs, youtube, etc.



If it won't load, use this web address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1MDm5lnumY

Enjoy!

Week 5 Collaboration Experience

Describe your experience with group projects in the classroom, including the benefits achieved and the frustrations encountered.

I have never enjoyed working on projects with others for a variety of reasons.
1) In the past, I wanted a good grade, so to get it, I had to do most of the work myself.
2) Most of the time, the people in my group didn't understand what the teacher wanted, so to get things rolling, I would take on leading the group; it was nerve-racking.
3) I like to be viewed as dependable (who doesn't), but my life doesn't even feel dependable right now. So, I worry that I will let my team down. That part feels worse than me not being able to depend on someone else to come through with their contribution. I will come through, but it might be at 2 am when I get there.

How can online tools help?
1. The ability to type in a phrase such as, "How to create a blog", and have the answer in seconds is the best set of encyclopedias I have ever owned. I still respect the needs for books, libraries, etc., but when I moved to Taiwan, I couldn't take any of it with me due to space and weight. The next best thing was to scan in anything I wanted to take, even recipes b/c a recipe box was too big. I have really come to rely on Internet access; when it's down, I'm lost and sometimes even bored which shows how much I'm on it.
2. Email has become a part of my daily routine. I actually budget the first and last 30 minutes of the work day to respond to and send out emails; I remind people of upcoming events or communicate about issues in classes or the dorm, etc. Just recently, I got the email addresses of all my students and sent them their grades that way. It was private and I was able to encourage them in an individually focused way. It did take a lot of time, but it would've taken longer to talk with each of them face-to-face. What I like best is that I can communicate one idea to anyone at the same time and save myself so much time!
3. Google docs can help by providing a "meeting" place 24/7; we attend the meeting and contribute when we have our own free moment; it doesn't take me away from eating supper with my family or putting my kids to bed. As long as everyone knows the deadline for "meeting and contributing", it works perfectly.
4. Google wave, which is still in beta testing, Here are some ways to use Google Wave: Organize events (weekend activities with religious or student association activities), do group projects (classroom or ad com), share photos simply by dragging and dropping into google wave (yearbook contributions from staff), meeting notes (compling an agenda before a meeting and taking notes during a meeting), brainstorming (any meeting in which creativity is required), and interactive games (soduku, phone conference calling, planning an intinerary for a trip, determining the weather anywhere and viewing maps of any location without having to go to a seperate website. This is exciting!!!!
5. Mind-mapping using Bubbl.us that can be worked on, saved, and uploaded to something like Google Docs.

How to alleviate frustrations with online tools:
1. As the teacher, make sure we know what we expect, how to do what we expect, and to have reasonable expectations.
2. Inform the students of what our exact expectations are so they can suceed vs. putting a lot of work into what they thought we wanted vs. what we really wanted.
3. Create a system that gives both an individual grade as well as a team/group's grade to ensure participation from all team members.

A Digital Story Book about Thailand

I tried to create a podcast using my webcam and realized I actually had a video. So I tried to upload it to blip.tv and failed. (I really didn't become computer saavy until I turned 30, so I'm doing well for my age).

So, I changed my mini-project for week 4 to a digital story book. Since I had lots of photos from our recent trip to Thailand, I made it into a story. It has taken about 12 hours to complete around my full-time job, thus the reason is is being posted, essentially, Thursday morning, my time.

I had lots of fun making it. I plan to show this digital story in my ESL Religion class to show them what a digital story book is. Then, I will have them choose a topic within a category that I'll specify and they will have to collect the pictures, create the power point, write the script, record and re-record the narration, find and download a sound file and convert it to MP3 format, and figure how to make the song play throughout the whole presentation. Then, they will present it in class and I and their fellow students will evaluate it. I can't wait to get started! Yes, this digital story is very usable in my classes.

Digital Storytelling: Good or Bad Idea?!?

The Purpose of Digital Storytelling:

The purpose is to tell a story of one's choosing using technology, pictures, videos, narration, music, etc. It allows a person to use their technology and creative skills while telling a story about a specified subject. This type of storytelling brings to life what one is trying to convey--a picture speaks a 1,000 words--and makes it easy to help others understand the concept.

Appropriateness in the Classroom: ESL Religion in Taiwan

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Digital Storyboarding is VERY appropriate in an ESL Religion class.

1. Pictures can tell everyone so much which makes it easier for an ESL student to communicate and share with the class their ideas or background, etc.
2. My students are very technology inclined and have even asked me to give them technology-driven assignments.
3. They could use digital story booking to tell the class who they are by showing us pictures, what their religious background is, how God has affected them through out their life, how He interacts with them, how they view Him, etc.
4. The students will have to write the narration, give it to me for correction, record it multiple times until they get the pronunciation correct. The amount they will learn in the process will be phenomenal!
5. We can publish this to YouTube for the world to see and the students feelings will be three-fold:
A) They will try to do a REALLY good job so as to avoid loosing face on the public Internet
B) They will be so proud of what they have done
C) They will be more marketable in the future no matter what venue they pursue.

What I Thought of the Two Digital Stories I Watched:

Hit La Pinata:

This digital storyboard was very informative, short and easy to pay attention to, and looks simple to create because it used all still life pictures; and, it weaved in religion without bombarding anyone with God. I enjoyed listening to the girl talk because she had a Hispanic accent that was aesthetically pleasing. I would definitely use this as an example in my ESL Religion class to give them an idea of how to create a a digital story with still-life pictures and how slowly and distinctly and loudly they would need to speak in order for others to understand them.

Zen Buddhism:

This digital storyboard, again, was informative and used video versus still-life pictures; for this reason, it would be a good example to show in a classroom of what the end result of a video digital story should look like. However, I would have a hard time showing this in a Christian classroom because it made Buddhism look attractive and I would not want to be responsible for influencing someone away from Jesus; thus, I would not show this in a classroom of students who are "on the fence" about Christianity, but rather only to students who are grounded in their faith.

It was harder to hold my attention with this video because it focused on slow movements consistent with the idea of meditation.

Interfaith Dialogue:

This was an audio file. I would never play this in my classroom because it put me to sleep. The visual was very much so needed, I realized. If pictures or video are not used, then the person's voice needs to be animated so as to keep the listener's attention.

RSS

This was hard. May I have done it right...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/beach/

I love beaches and since I can't seem to get to real, live, white, sandy beaches, I relish pictures and relax through them.

http://delicious.com/search?p=cheap+travel+in+asia&chk=&fr=del_icio_us&lc=0&atags=&rtags=&context=userposts%7Cingoldjr%7C&context=all%7C%7C

We currently live in Taiwan. It has always been our goal to visit other countries, but it isn't easy when there are four people compared to just yourself. So, inexpensive travel and accomodations are important.

http://pjgalien.wordpress.com/feed/

I am an ESL Religion Teacher and I find it challenging to teach Bible subjects to students who are not Christian and who don't know English fluently; most of the Religion classes I teach have a lot of discussion which requires the ability to express yourself. Thus, I'm having to read the chapter with them, go through the words, give definitions and give example sentences. In order for them to buy into the class, I have to show them how the vocabulary in the chapter is used in everyday conversation and then they are motivated to learn it. It's a challenge, but this seems to be the best way.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ChineseLearnOnline

We live in Taiwan where Mandarin Chinese is the spoken and written language. It is popular for people to be in an English class, so many speak, but many more do not. So, I've had to learn a little Chinese to get around. It's fun, kind of like a puzzle. I've learned how to say most of the basic most needed phrases. Now, I'm learning vocabulary. Eventually, I'll learn how to express myself with feeling words. Learning another language is like a hobby here; if my "real" job demands my time, I have to put my hobby on the shelf for awhile. However, the beauty of this job is that I continually hear Chinese sounds, so it's not fully on the shelf; I'm learning even when I'm not focusing on it.

The SAMR Model and ESL

Class activities that illustrate the 4 levels of Peuntedura's SAMR model

Substitution – Substitute original

I currently review vocabulary in class using hand-made paper flash cards. I will do the same activity using online flash cards. There are many places online that already have pre-made flash cards. The Merriam Webster site is the only one in which I can customize which cards I want to be reviewed.

My rationale: The online flash cards are simply replacing the paper ones. There is no further effectiveness when using the online cards. It takes about the same amount of time to make both types of flash cards, but we save the trees by not making paper ones. Plus, the online ones will be there forever and not take up physical space or get lost.

Augmentation – Replace old model with a new model

Online flashcards can get boring, so to liven things up a bit, we’ll put a twist on reviewing vocabulary by playing online ESL games that make reviewing fun. Both my children and I are learning Chinese which is a difficult language to learn. On the weekends, we have fun with online games that challenge us on which ever topic we choose. Consequently, we remember those vocabulary words and the language learning is positive.

My rationale: Speaking from a language learning perspective, I fall asleep at times on my flash cards, but when I get to play a game, it makes it a little bit more fun and thus it holds my attention longer. Usually games include pictures which also cement the vocab in my brain more solidly.

Modification – Modify existing model

Have students play lots of online games and tell me which ones they like and what they like about them as well as what they would like to change about them and then allow them access to modify the games to make them better.

My rationale: To get the students play the games and thus reviewing, but giving them a chance to evaluate the tools I have introduced them to. Evaluating gives them a chance to express their opinion which always holds one’s attention.

Redefinition – Create new model
Have the students create their own types of review games whether they are on paper or online.

My rationale: When we create, we take ownership. So, if we let a student create a fun way to review something boring, they will be more likely to succeed.

Comments on21st Century Skills Week 2

My interpretation of Jay Matthew's columns is that teaching 21st Century Skills is just a fad. Technology companies are cashing in on school's insisting that parents put out the money for expensive technology requirements and that teachers have been teaching current-century skills for centuries. This is nothing new.

Yes, A) I think Jay Matthew's column headline, "The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad", definitly got people's attention and yes, B) I believe he has a valid point and yes, C) I also believe he is missing the point.

A) The headline is bold and confrontational; who wouldn't want to read it?
B) He has a valid point in that technology companies can sell an idea and if everyone doesn't think about how they could do it more inexpensively, too much money is spent.
C) He could be missing the point in that technology could give students different tools that would allow them to learn in the way they learn the best if teachers knew to suggest the opportunities.

My view of 21st-century skills before Tuesday was that I was all for utilizing technology in the classroom ASAP. So, I tried using it Tuesday and I feel like I failed. Granted, part of the issue was a language barrier; my students mother tongue is Chinese (Mandarin) and they are at my school learning to speak English. Many of them did not have the Google Toolbar with Google Translator downloaded on their computers, so they couldn't just translate the website from English to Chinese. So, the activity I had planned for them went belly up and I felt embarrassed. Next time I will have to take some time to ensure that everyone has the toolbar downloaded before I try to do an activity.

In my ESL class, I attempted cooperative learning that required people to work together and collaborate thoughts. I divided them into groups of three and they had to find definitions to the vocab words I gave. Each group had 7 words; the next day, they had to present the words and definitions and write them on the board. The first presentation along with writing on the board took so long that many of the students lost interest and I had to take control again.

I think that integrating these ideas is important, but I need to figure out how to do it successfully before I fail again. I need to figure out the stepping stones from the ground up and then teach.

Another thing holding me back from plowing forward with implementing 21st century skills is that I don't know how to use all the tools that the kids are adept at. I understand most things about cell phones, PDAs, and laptops; but dictionaries, ipods and MP3 players are foreign to me, so I'll need to learn about all their features and how to work them prior to asking the students to do anything with them. What other gadgets am I unaware of?

Twenty-first century skills have to be taught, but they'll be pointless if our students can't read, write, spell, and do math. So, teach the basics through cooperative learning and collaboration and critical thinking, etc. while using the technology to cement the knowledge into their brains. Knowledge is a form of power and if the Internet--a source of knowledge--is down, the people who know how to find the information will be clueless as to the answers and thus will have little power.