To Everyone!!!

 It was really great getting to know all of you! Thanks for all the great comments and sharing of ideas!!! I know that have learned so many new things from all of you that I will be able to use in the classroom in the future!!!It was a great semester working with you!!!:)
 

Double Entry Journal #10

“As the blog numbers increase, so too does the difficulty in attracting attention.”

I think that this is a very true statement that makes perfect sense. It makes me think of the dating scene! After all, if there were only two girls for a guy to choose from, the decision would be much easier than if there were twenty girls trying to get his attention!!! 

“In the drive for attention, the media culture pushes into private space and individuals push the trivial and intimate aspects of their lives into the public sphere.”

I have seen this first hand on so many facebook pages it’s not funny!!!! I think that people often share information that needs kept to themselves or feelings that need to be addressed privately through a message, not put out for the world to see!!! This quote really sums up what is going on in the world of the internet!

“A view of blogging informed by a new literacies perspective shows us that blogs are becoming an increasingly important force within the world of the early 21st century.”

This quote seemed too perfect! It really describes this course!!! The use of blogging has helped all of us communicate, share, learn, “listen”, etc…throughout this semester!

Double Entry Journal #9

 “I have come to realize that it is necessary for all 

news organizations to go through a selection process on

what to present to the public.”

This quote is so very true. News organizations need to make sure 

that the information they present to the public is true, valid, 

and from reliable sources.The importance of the subject matter 

should also be taken into consideration.

“I think the viewing public often does not consider the mass 

amounts of information that news networks are leaving out.”

Another great and true to the point quote! I often find myself 

questioning some of the things that I see on television or read

in the newspapers. Maybe I am one of few that feel like there is

sometimes something missing in the “story”. I think that if 

we, all viewers and readers, start to question such information 

then the networks will have to become more responsible and make 

sure they are telling the “whole Story”!

“We are the future of our world. We therefore need to fully 

understand what is going on in it”

After reading this quote about what other young people had to say 

about the various issues that the world is facing, this part really

struck a chord with me! This is the truth! As the young people in 

the world, if we do not know what is going on in it, them how will

we ever be able to fix things!!! It is up to us to make a better world

 for tomorrow, our future!!!

WebQuest Product Example

For one of the activities in my webquest, students are to research an artist or art movement that they are interested in that in some way inspires them and can inspire their final product. For this activity, I am asking that students create a glogster that contains information, images, etc...about the artist or art movement they have chosen. I thought this would not only be a fun activity for them do, but one that was media based. I also thought this would be a good way for me to make sure that they had done the required research!!! Because I only have a limited time to complete this assignment, I decided to create a glogster as my example product. Completing a piece of artwork would not have been possible!!!

Please click HERE to view my example.

I hope that everyone enjoys!!!:)

Double Entry Journal #8

IDEA 1:  Right brain thinkers will rule the future

After watching the videos, I believe that this is the main point that Daniel Pink is trying to make. He talks about how technology is changing the way things are done around the world and that if we want to be competitive and stop the outsourcing of jobs, then we need to be creative. Schools must teach to the right brain and creative side of students or this will never happen. I hope that this means that as an art teacher, my job will become more important and not put on the back burner anymore!!!

IDEA 2: Class rank: stacking people up according to grades

This has to be the most unfair thing about high school!!! I hated this!!! I was the student that took all honors classes while my friends took the least challenging ones they could. Needless to say, they were ranked higher than I was because I would have B’s in my honors classes and they would have A’s in their “easy” classes. However, I was glad to find out that a college was more likely to accept you because you had that little H  typed beside a course and a B in an honors class meant more than an A in another. I am also a firm believer that if students are going to be ranked, then upper level classes should be weighted!!! I was so happy when this happened in my former high school while my niece was attending. This meant that she didn’t have to go through what I did (having her friend rub their “better” grades in her face!)!!!

IDEA 3: Three key elements of good speeches: brevity, levity, repetition

As teachers, I think that we must look at all of our lectures as small speeches. If we keep them short and to the point, humorous, and make sure to repeat or stress the important information we will be doing what is best for our students. Even as a college student it was easy for me to drift off or lose interest if a lecture was long, boring, or the information did not seem important! If we use these simple ideas, then our student shouldn’t lose interest and will learn the needed information!!!

WebQuest Step 2

Please Click HERE To View Web Quest!

I have chosen this particular Web Quest because I really liked the overall task that students were to complete. However, there are a few things that I would change based on the rubric given to grade the Web Quest. According to the rubric and the scores that I gave the Web Quest I would add more graphics and change the layout and fonts to the introduction. I would also change the actual introduction so that it was more appealing and relevant to the task the students were asked to do. This will also better prepare the reader for what is to come, as well as, build on what they already know. One of the lower scores I gave was for the Richness of Process. Though I gave this low score, I would not change this because I want students to create their own piece of work, thus meaning it would NOT be a group assignment. As a contemporary artist, I would like for students to also look at pieces that are current and what is happening in the world of art right now. Therefore, I will add to the resources that are already on the Web Quest. I would also like for students to be able to discuss and defend their piece. In other words, I want them to be able to believe in what they do, why they do, how they do, as well as, be able to talk about these aspects using correct terms that they already know. For this, I would add a class discussion at the end of the lesson/task.

The added links Include:  

The Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA

CAM-Contemporary Art Museum in ST. Louis, MO

Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA

WebQuest About WebQuest Activity

WebQuest Review from the position of:

The Efficiency Expert: You value time a great deal. You believe that too much time is wasted in today's classrooms on unfocused activity and learners not knowing what they should be doing at a given moment. To you, a good WebQuest is one that delivers the most learning bang for the buck. If it's a short, unambitious activity that teaches a small thing well, then you like it. If it's a long term activity, it had better deliver a deep understanding of the topic it covers, in your view.

Which two of example WebQuests listed below are the best ones? Why?

The Problem with Landfills deals with a prolific societal problem. The work students do on this webquest could be very helpful as they move into adulthood and become good citizens.

Poetry of War allows the student to have a visceral idea of war and both the poignant and terrifying aspects of it. While this webquest is much different than the first one, the learning provides a deep understanding.

Which two are the worst? Why?

Creative Encounters made my head spin! As a math impaired student, I need a set of directions/processes that CLEARLY outline the learning. However, the further I went into the process, the more confused I became.

The Diary of John Wilkes Booth webquest didn’t present itself as a problem solving activity to me. While students were asked to research JWB and then fill in the missing journal, I couldn’t see the collaboration or the value of writing only.

What do best and worst mean to you?

Best – I believe that to be the “best” webquest all areas of the Rubric for Evaluating a WebQuest must be easily met.

Worst – I believe that the “worst” webquest would only satisfy the bare minimum on the WebQuest Rubric and would require little from students.