Week 11 OPEN SOURCE OR SIMULATION

Cool Math Games

When preparing for this assignment I spoke with my middle-school aged children. This year technology (especially Chromebooks) are being heavily used in their school. I wanted to learn more about their favorite apps that are being used in the classrooms.  One app in particular, Cool Math Games is often used during Math class or during downtime to reinforce the math concepts.

  The games that this app showcases include the use of strategies, numbers and various skill sets.  The educational component is cleverly disguised in these fun games and graphics that are kid friendly and approved.  The games are catchy, simple and entertaining which creates an inviting experience.

Algebra and Fractions are the forefront of our current curriculum this term.







The sections offered helpful tips and explanations to reinforce the subject matter. The explanations came equipped with their own graphics and a step by step detailed response.










After reviewing the instructions and helpful tips regarding fractions, I opted to try out the games in this category. I selected a game from the menu,  Lemonade Stand.

Lemonade Stand 

The ratio from ingredients, time, and money earned fluctuated based on what was spent and what was received. It was interesting to see how each component worked together to help the stand succeed or fail.  Weather was even factored in on the estimated amount of Lemonade that would be sold. 

Overall, the site was helpful. I found their explanations and tips regarding the subject matter to be more beneficial than the games themselves. This app relates well to the students and can be used as an additional tool in understanding concepts such as in this case, fractions. 

Journal Post #9 - Week 10

Social Media & Technology

What I learned when I interviewed an 8th grader regarding social media and technology was interesting.  Going into my interview I had an assumption that social media would be the forefront of their experience and that technology would be a high priority as a result. What I learned is that while it's a great tool and asset, there's still a slightly less dependency. While technology in their school is readily available with school issued Chromebooks, there is little technology used in school as a supplement. 

The student stated that they've found blogs to be beneficial to their overall learning experience. They've found that the information on these sites can assist them with their homework or help to better understand the subject content in which they're learning. However, blogs are an underutilized option within the classroom. Their teachers are not inclined to use sites such as blogs to reinforce the classroom curriculum. While it is used "sometimes" it is not consistent. 

In regards to social media, the student stated they're very social media aware and use numerous apps. The student enjoys seeing what is going on in the world through these apps but yet, they often find posts and/or pictures to be disturbing at times. They also stated that over-advertisements often gets in the way of the experience.  

With that said, the student did state that if more enhanced/updated technology was present in school and accompanied the use of more apps and online activities that they'd be more willing to pay attention in class and during instruction.  It's a necessity today and everyone, everywhere is using it for everyday life. It will be a skill that requires acquisition in order to maintain the pace of the world. 

Journal Post #4 - Week 8

I'm really in tune with the Google Classroom concept this year. I'm fascinated by the experience with my children and I'm curious to learn more, both pros and cons and see how this is reshaping the classroom and the use of technology within it. 

With my own personal experience, I see both sides of the coin. I see the positive outcomes and immediate feedback that it provides the students. I also see the cons where the use of technology is overriding the handwriting.  

I am intrigued with how this method is being implemented and used in the classrooms and what sort of outcomes it will provide for the future.  

Questions in the long term that I've wondered is if it will allow for students to be taught from home, similar to homeschooling curriculum. Will it replace the teacher interactions and most importantly, penmanship. As cursive is already phased out of most schools, traditional handwriting skills will lack as technology usage increases.  

The google classrooms can become the good, the bad and the ugly of technology usage in school. 

Journal Post #3

Remixing as Literacy

Remixing is swiftly becoming an essential part of curriculum and digital literacy. Remixing  "illustrates how young people today are involve in taking different media extracts and putting them together in new ways." (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p. 47)  It is through remixing that perception of literacy and learning in school relates to digital literacy and the expansion of this literacy within the classroom. (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p.47)

With remixing, the thoughts are moved away from the traditional writing and enhanced with the incorporation of digital and media.  This can include many things such as blogging, posting pictures, sharing music files and using a social network to communicate. 

In Case 3: Media Production in Media Education, the students were working on creating a film in Photoshop with regards to Blitz. Blitz was a story about young people who lived in a home in Oslo. (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p. 51) The students were using the tools presented in Photoshop to create the film, including its title page.  When the fonts were lack luster, the students turned their attention to an internet search for additional fonts to download. Their intent was to create a title that not only nabbed attention but also set the mood for their film and the story they were about to tell.  A standard font already in Photoshop just wasn't going to do it justice.  (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p.51) 

In this example, the students were keen on creating the setting and atmosphere of their piece while the Teacher was more concerned with the journalism aspect.  The Teacher felt that the students were focusing too much of their attention on the font detail and not enough on the piece itself. The students however argued that the fonts "are important because they express their understanding of the 'blitz' concept." (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p. 51)  They felt that their creativity was just as valuable as their writing. 

What is interesting as a whole when thinking about digital literacy is how each generation views it differently. The older generation is more traditional. They believe in the need for pen and paper to create their words and get their points across. The younger crowd feel they can do the same and become even more impact with their social reach online to include but not exclude the use of media files, pictures, music and more.  Marrying the two concepts together is the tricky part but if done correctly, it can open a door and tap into some great creative thoughts.  

Remixing involves "selecting, organizing, reflecting, evaluating, creating and communicating." (Lankshear & Knobel, 2013, p. 53)  An advantage to this style of literacy is that it allows everyone to tap into their creative nature.  It allows each individual to create and write their words within what is comfortable to them and without limitations. Having these digital tools available to students provides growth. It enhances the thought process, creates a creative space, improves literacy as a whole and provokes critical thinking. 

Journal Post 2 - What Counts As Literacy?

 “What counts as literacy, how literacy changes in response to the new media landscape, and what value we should ascribe to the new forms of communication that continue to emerge and evolve online (Jenkins, 2009)."

What counts as literacy?  That is a question that seems to be at the forefront of the hot topic button of literacy and what is acceptable in our world today.  Literacy was often thought of thus from reading written words from within a book, magazine, newspaper and other like sources.  Today however, literacy has evolved into much more. The reach of literacy has expanded to the digital world, which is vast in and of itself.

Gone are the days where checking out library books to read was exciting. Now, books are a swift click away online as are magazines, newspapers and articles.  These stories can now be narrowed down to an interest point or page. It trims out the excess and focuses in on the topic you’re seeking. 

Youth today have ample access to the digital universe. Their phones, iPad, computers and even TV’s all grant them access to the infinite world of knowledge contained within it.  While the screen time is not ideal nor often recommended, it is a solid tool that can be used to an advantage if used properly.

Children are exploring many avenues digitally in their literacy. Their school books and library books can all be accessed through the online catalogs.  Magazine and news articles, blogs and papers are also readily available.  What takes it a step further is the amateur writings and books published, in large part by their peers.  As the article points out:

But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write (Rich, 2008)

As the world changes into a digitized literacy, it will cause us all to reevaluate our literacy skills and require us to adapt to maintain a steady pace.  While this literacy is unconventional, it is a positive step. Reading a book provides a point of view, a sole point of view. Reading the same book online changes the game. The additional pieces connected to a book, which is often written by other authors and people, can vastly expand critical thinking. The points of view are multiplied and new concepts can be introduced; “The Web is more about a conversation,” he said. “Books are more one-way.” (Rich, 2008) Suddenly thoughts and opinions are abundant allowing for open dialogue that they could not get directly from a book itself. 

In closure, online literacy should count. It should matter. It’s a part of our world whether we like it or not and it’s only going to continue to grow in popularity. This style of literacy is a tool that can be beneficial in also reinforcing literacy of written words. It enhances what is read and allows it to grow and take on a life of its own.  It opens topics up for discussions and expands thinking beyond measure.   Using it to their and our advantage, in a positive way is what will make the difference in how the literacy is attained and retained. 

  

Journal Post #1

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

Our perspectives are unique. It is these precise perspectives that connect what we are reading to what we are learning. The various ways information is relayed to us and in their contexts, contributes to the way we process the information and perceive and apply the knowledge.

In the past, literacy was focused in on written words in both books and papers. This was our method of learning.  As our world, has changed and evolved, the way we take in information and apply it to our everyday lives has also changed.  We are living in a digitized world now. Books, articles, journals, even textbooks are now easily accessible from around the world with the tap of a screen or swipe of a finger.  We've had to adapt and broaden the spectrum of learning by utilizing what is accessible to us through these various channels.

Technology has also added a new type of literacy to consider. Sometimes referred to as digital fluency, this type of literacy refers to the ways people become comfortable using technology as they would any other natural language (Huffaker, 2004). Some scholars suggest digital fluency will be another prerequisite for sociability, lifelong learning and employment opportunities (Resnick, 2002). The uses of educational technologies have a two–fold advantage: They can promote the types of literacy traditionally encouraged in learning, as well as the digital fluency needed to prosper in the digital age. (Huffaker, 2004)

These channels can be used as vital tools to the learning process and to literacy.  Technology is no longer a new addition to the curriculum but more of an inclusion to the whole piece of the pie. It's becoming a necessity to have this tool in your pocket to become a strong learner. Without it, it is possible to fall behind or worse ... be left behind.

With the adaptation of new technology and the ever-changing world around us, our learning abilities need to become flexible and bend with the times. Our boundaries are being challenged and expanded and as such, the mind needs to remain open minded to the endless possibilities.

Reference

Huffaker, D. (2004, June 7). The educated blogger: Using Weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom | Huffaker | First Monday. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1156/1076https://www.thefreelibrary.com/literacy and the new technologies in school education%3a meeting the...-a063132991

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