Week 3, Group 6 Assignment

My online group experience for this week was great! Chris and I got to finish designing our website. We didn’t know where to start at first, but we were able to figure it out. We both worked very closely to do a good job and create a nice and helpful website for students to navigate. He did part of the work and I did the other part. When we were confused we would email each other and we would figure it out. Our communication was good because we would get a response very quickly by frequently checking our mail on blackboard.

I think we did a great job. Our website looks great and is easy to navigate the site. I think anyone should be able to find what they are looking for and if they are confused they can just click on the tab that corresponds to their subject. Overall I think we did a great job.

Week 2 - Group 6

This week has been good. There is only 2 of us in my group, but is been good because we seem to be ahead. We are now working on our website and we have been communicating back and forth with each other. Our website seems to be going great! Is new to me because is my first time creating a website, so I'm excited. We are hoping to finish early to have extra time to work on other assignments.

Week 1, Group 6

My online group experience for Week 1 was okay. I was able to communicate with one of my group members, but unable to communicate with the other member at all. We are wondering if she is still in this class or not. Just in case she is not in class anymore, Christopher and I decided that we are not going to wait on her to respond.

We started working together just us two and we hope to do it right. I like group assignment as long as we each do what we are supppose to do. We were able to discuss our assignment and talk about it. My only concern was that Blackboard kept messing up very frequently. Hope we do good and we do it right!

Podcast

As a student I have always prefer to read about the topic being covered versus listening to a podcast. Reading has an advantage for me because I am able to see what it is that I have to learn. I can always go back and read it again if I don’t understand something and I know that hearing a podcast will sometimes make me understand something totally different and get me distracted. I was getting distracted while I was listening to the podcasts. I find it harder to just listen without visual modality and processing the information that I have to learn. When I read something I always go back to make sure I understand what I’m suppose to do. Reading the text is my choice because this is the way I learn and I am able to focus on the words better to process the information.



If I had to prepare for a class or an exam and the topic is being delivered to me via podcast I think I would make sure that I have no distractions to really focus on the topic that I need to learn. Listening to the text without visual modality will be harder for me, but I would have to take notes to go back and review the information. I would definitely make sure that I have a pen and paper to write what I’m listening just in case I forget something. Reading the text allows me to go back and make sure I cover everything I need to cover, but listening will sometimes make me forget some points. By taking notes I can make sure I focus on the main points and review it later to prepare for an exam or for a lesson. Taking notes of what I’m listening would be the way I would prepare myself if the topic is delivered to me via podcast.



I agree that perhaps we have to change how we evaluate students or evaluate in general because everything is changing and will continue to change, especially because of technology. We have to make sure we remember that everyone learns differently and we cover everyone and not just the majority.

Huckabee - Sir Ken Robinson, Author of The Element

I chose this video because I think that Ken Robinson has a very strong point about creativity being fundamental in our lives and kids should be learning about arts as well. I like the way he argues that most people have no idea what their real talents are. As a matter of fact, I don’t really know what my real talent is. I also agree that you really have to look very deep to determine what you are good at so you can do something you feel comfortable doing and you know you are going to enjoy it. Like he mentions, more and more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD and their solution for this “epidemic” is having the kids take medicine to control it. We are not focusing on the kid’s talent to see if maybe he is just good at what he is doing and is okay for him to do that.

3 Videos: Designing instruction and Integrating technology in instruction.

The first video talks about how creativity should be as essential in education as literacy, but is not being valued in our schools. The speaker mentions that our creativity is fading away as we are becoming adults and “getting educated.” Our education system doesn’t acknowledge our creativity and I do agree that they underestimate the ones that are gifted in the arts. As we grow, we can’t continue to do what we are good at, because we are being forced into our own school system that diminishes our skills and creativity. As a result, art classes are being put at the bottom in every school system around the world. He really emphasizes why creativity is so important in society today and why we should start paying more attention to it because everything is changing, especially technology. Most of the stuff that we are learning in school will probably not be use after we graduate. Because of technology today, it is easier for anyone to get an education and get a degree. It interests me to know that more people are getting a degree than ever before. What will this do to society and to us? I think that creativity will distinguish us from others and we need to realize it to prepare our students for the future. By allowing our students to be creative, a solution can be found to what something can be called “a problem” and will allow them to prepare themselves to succeed in life.

The second video talks about students not being taught what they need to know to prepare them in life because they are reading information that is not relevant to their lives. Most of the stuff that we are learning in school will probably not be use after we graduate. Why are we not doing hands-on and still learning straight from the expensive textbooks we have to buy? Most of our research and reading that we do comes from web pages. We have to pay high cost for tuition and end up in a classroom with a large number of students. It is interesting because the video shows how with technology there is so much we can do and we are creating a schedule that keeps us busy and we don’t have enough time in a day to do it all. With all the technology that we have, and in order for us to accomplish something we have to know how to multi-task. Technology is creating a new era and we are not being taught what we need to know to be ready. What we are using it for is not relevant to what we will need it in the future. We need to implement technology in teaching to allow our students to know how to use this resource for the right reason.


Web 2.0 allows people to stay connected and share information around the world. It allows us to use our creativity to design web pages and add anything like pictures, charts, graphs, etc. It is very easy to explore and hypertext can link everywhere with just one click. The title defines the content to allow the data to be exported. We are the ones to organize and create the data with our ideas. Web 2.0 is linking people, so we are able to put together technology in teaching. We can create a blog and follow a course to stay in touch with everyone in our class. We can view others ideas and creativity and they can view ours.

Favorite Video: A Vision of Students Today

All are great videos, but this one is my favorite out of all because it gave an opportunity for students to express how they feel about our education.

Computerized Mind-Map

Mind-mapping

Mind mapping is a great way to start brainstorming for any event or project. I was not too familiar with mind mapping, but I found out that is an awesome way to plan or work on something. What you are doing is bringing all of your ideas together and you can categorize them the way you want.

Using this visual technique has more benefits for several reasons. One reason is that it allows you to brainstorm and put all of your ideas together as you are getting them. It gives you the opportunity to put all your thoughts together and categorize them as you go. Is a great way to start when you have a project or event going on. It makes it easier for you to write about any topic once you have an idea of what you want to talk about. It covers the main points you want to discuss and explain. This technique puts together what’s in your mind and gives you the freedom to just write down anything that comes to you.


Using pen and paper allows you to write your ideas as you’re getting them. You might have to go back and erase or scratch out anything that you want, but you don’t have to worry about not being familiar with the software or not having access to a computer to log on. Is an advantage to use pen and paper because you can write any ideas that you get so you won’t forget.

The computerized version allows you to make it more professional. It has many features that you can use and is better to read and understand. Is more presentable when you want to share it with others.






My link to the computerized version is below:
http://www.mindomo.com/edit.htm?m=4bc7946fea91460598965f8ae59725d6

Blog and Twitter

Based on Bloom’s taxonomy, twitter and blogging may be used to accomplish learning objectives by allowing the students to post what they have learned. The students are able to use the thinking process when they need to blog for any specific topic and their classmates are able to go in there and look at each others blog. They can apply all the concepts that Bloom describes; remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating. The students have the opportunity to use these concepts and start in order from low to high. When the students twitter or blog, they need to know their assignments and understand the material they are talking or writing about. The also get an opportunity to look at their classmates work and analyze it.

Designing for learners

It is good to know that our group finally came together and we all know what we’re supposed to do. We will be discussing our answers later. Can’t wait to see what we all think of the scenario and discuss the different opinions we have.

The scenario seems to be quite interested. It was a great idea to bring other professors to Dr. Linden class to determine what the problem is and who owned the problem. The instructor or the students? Many accounts should be taken into consideration. We had the new instructor coming in and trying to teach differently from everyone else. The students were used to being teach one way and they did not want to change, especially during their last few years. The instructor can definitely use some suggestions as far as changing some of her teaching methods and the way she introduces a topic to the class. We can see that the students and instructor had a lack of respect for each other. A couple of suggestions should be given to the instructor so she can have a better communication with her students.

My Own ‘Myths’

About 3 years ago I decided to take my first online course. I thought it was a great idea specially after having my daughter. I was under the impression that it was not going to be hard. I was wrong... This class required me to do a lot of interviews and case studies. It was very time consuming and required me to spend a lot of time out in the field in order for me to complete my assignments. I also had to communicate with my classmates frequently and reply to their postings. I had assignments due as well as tests and the final.

It was a good experience for me and it was great to find out that online learning is not any easier than face-to-face learning. You learn the same if not more because unlike in a classroom, everyone is required to submit a response for each question. We all give our input, get feedback and we also get a chance to see what others think as well. Not only do we do the same amount of work, but we also learn and cover all the material as a face-to-face course would.

The student has to discipline themselves and must be motivated in order for them to succeed in an online course. The students also have the advantages of getting more familiar with the computer and many other resources available to them while taking the online classes. I think we learn so much more when we take online courses. Is interesting having to figure out what and what needs to be created by us in order for us to have all the tools necessary to start our online class.

Blog about "The 3 Test"

Taking these test helped me discovered my learning style. I am a visual learner and that’s why I have to see charts, pictures, words, and anything that will help me understand what I need to do and learn. By reading all the information helped me get organized and do what I’m suppose to do. Taking the 3 test was a lot of reading, but I know that it helps me in many ways to find different strategies that will help me in my academic and daily life. It was hard going from one link to another because I needed to go back to the previous link to remember where I read the information. It got a little bit boring after a while, but taking the tests/quizzes kept me motivated. Glad is over!

Copyright Issues that relates to Fair Use - Online Resources

Copyright is a way to protect someone’s works and it gives them the right to not allow others to use their work without giving them credit. Now a day, most people have access to the internet. The internet allows anyone to search for any information they might need. It is very easy for many people to get information online and use it as their own without giving credit to the author. It is very important to know the limits to copyright and the most important is fair use.

Fair use gives credit to the original artists or authors. For example, if someone copies a song or a movie script from someone else without giving them credit and using it as their own for their benefit, then they are found to infringe. The article “Woman sues Tyler Perry for copyright infringement,” 2008 talks about a woman, Donna West suing an actor-screenwriter, Tyler Perry for stealing her material from a play for his blockbuster movie “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” She argues that the material that Perry used on his movie was based on her own experiences. Because of this she is asking the jury to award her the profits made from the movie, which is about $50 million. A sibling of West testified and said that when he saw the movie, he already knew what was going to happened because of the play that West wrote and was performed in 1991. This is an example of copyright issues and violations. We should be able to use the information that is accessible to us, but use it the proper way. It is very important to know that there are rules and limitations when using someone else’s work. We cannot just go on using someone else’s work and try to give ourselves credit for their hard work. We all work very hard to find the information that we need and is good to use others work, but is only fair to give them credit for their hard work. Is a great thing to have information available to use when we need it by having access to the internet. Citing the information that we use is a way to acknowledge other’s great work. By not citing your work leads to creating many problems and issues. This is when we see all the lawsuits with different people, organizations, companies, etc.

To me is a good idea to have copyright laws in place. I would not like for someone to use by work and benefit from it without giving me the credit that I deserve. I plan to be a teacher and I would not like for someone else to steal my ideas and introduce them like if they came up with them. Copyright is only a way to help everyone protect their work. Anyone can use the information because the information is available to them, but as long as they cite it correctly. For a project in school to me is always better to start from scratch and as I need information, research it and cite it accurately.

Reference:

Jones, B. (2008, December). Woman sues Tyler Perry for copyright infringement. USA Today. [Newspaper, selected stories on line]. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-12-03-perry-copyright_N.htm

Copyright is a way to protect someone’s works and it gives them the right to not allow others to use their work without giving them credit. Now a day, most people have access to the internet. The internet allows anyone to search for any information they might need. It is very easy for many people to get information online and use it as their own without giving credit to the author. It is very important to know the limits to copyright and the most important is fair use.

Fair use gives credit to the original artists or authors. For example, if someone copies a song or a movie script from someone else without giving them credit and using it as their own for their benefit, then they are found to infringe. The article “Woman sues Tyler Perry for copyright infringement,” 2008 talks about a woman, Donna West suing an actor-screenwriter, Tyler Perry for stealing her material from a play for his blockbuster movie “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” She argues that the material that Perry used on his movie was based on her own experiences. Because of this she is asking the jury to award her the profits made from the movie, which is about $50 million. A sibling of West testified and said that when he saw the movie, he already knew what was going to happened because of the play that West wrote and was performed in 1991. This is an example of copyright issues and violations. We should be able to use the information that is accessible to us, but use it the proper way. It is very important to know that there are rules and limitations when using someone else’s work. We cannot just go on using someone else’s work and try to give ourselves credit for their hard work. We all work very hard to find the information that we need and is good to use others work, but is only fair to give them credit for their hard work. Is a great thing to have information available to use when we need it by having access to the internet. Citing the information that we use is a way to acknowledge other’s great work. By not citing your work leads to creating many problems and issues. This is when we see all the lawsuits with different people, organizations, companies, etc.

To me is a good idea to have copyright laws in place. I would not like for someone to use by work and benefit from it without giving me the credit that I deserve. I plan to be a teacher and I would not like for someone else to steal my ideas and introduce them like if they came up with them. Copyright is only a way to help everyone protect their work. Anyone can use the information because the information is available to them, but as long as they cite it correctly. For a project in school to me is always better to start from scratch and as I need information, research it and cite it accurately.

Reference:

Jones, B. (2008, December). Woman sues Tyler Perry for copyright infringement. USA Today. [Newspaper, selected stories on line]. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-12-03-perry-copyright_N.htm

a typical day online day

A typical day online day for me is to check my blackboard to familiarize with the online assignments. I have to check and see what we have to do each week. The first two weeks have been a challenge for me. Getting to know what to do and how to do is sometimes a little bit different than a regular classroom. I was not too sure if I were doing it right. I still think that the first week I might have posted my blog in a different place. I hope I learn very well how to do everything that is expected of me.

My Expectations

My expectations of LTEC 3440 are very high. I want to be able to know how to communicate with others and complete my assigments knowing what to do and what to expect. This is an experience for me because is my first time taking an online class that requires me to creat a twitter account and a blog to communicate with my classmates as well as with my instructor. I think that communication is very important as well as doing all the assigned readings. I just hope to be doing it correctly and on time.