BHS Art History Wiki Project

I Introduction - Goals and Objectives

II Needs Assessment

III Learner Analysis

IV Instructional Strategies and Sequencing

V Evaluation

VI Development Process

VII Appendix

http://bhsarthistory.wetpaint.com/

I. Introduction

One of our most important missions in the Fine Arts Department at BHS is to connect students to the greater world of art. All Fine Art's programs in the district have the self-imposed mandate to include a base-line art history project using career technology during the year. Our mission at BHS is to pilot a new type of technology enabled research project leveraging Web 2.0 technologies. The vision for original District the project was to create a common assessment tool for the whole district - but the assessment is based upon using Power Point. After having taught this Power Point project over the last three years, we've found parts of the research tasks that need to be better prepared to allow for student learning, and opportunities to use new technologies for a more enriching and interesting project for the students.

Due to changes in the nature of the Internet, computing is moving more and more to an online format. Formats such as Wiki, Blogs, online social networking and moodles, as well as suites of Internet productivity applications are becoming the norm in many educational and business settings. Teaching our students to use these tools not only better prepares them for their future careers and education, but starts to harness the potential of doing complicated tasks with the school computer labs without having to buy our own specialized software at the local site.

By students creating a resource that can be used in subsequent years, we are also adding a new element to the existing project objectives.

Goal

Students will work in a collaborative setting to create a school wide art History Wiki using a number of web 2.0 technologies.

Objectives

• Students will work collaboratively on an art history research project using web 2.0 applications such as iGoogle docs
• Students will create video projects and learn how to post them online and place them in a Wiki
• Students will contribute to a course Wiki and critique other entries in the Wiki
• Students will practice good design skills in their Wiki page construction
• Students will make clear connections between different art styles, and how historical events and art interplay
  

II. Needs Assessment

The current common assessment Art history research project decided by the district is a PowerPoint research assignment. At BHS we have determined that this assignment fails to meet the needs of students, and that it is in need of updating for new technology opportunities. There is a big push for Career Technology skills in schools, and although Power Point is a useful technology, there are many newer technologies that students need to be capable of using.

The previous curriculum for the project revolved around an artist list, a slide list, and a brief introduction to Internet search and Power Point(appendix 2a). Students would be shown examples of previous assignments, we would go over the slide list, and students would be shown how to use google to do web searches. In a previous research assignment students had already experienced using a search engine, copying pictures from the web to a Power Point file, and proper citation of their sources.

In order to meet our instructional objectives there are several shortcomings to this curriculum that need to be expanded. In researching past student projects and looking at students who achieved high, medium and low grades it became apparent that many students were not prepared to either find high quality resources, or to make inferences about connections between artists and historical events or time periods(appendix 1a).

In addition to teacher dissatisfaction with student achievement, student satisfaction with the project was low. Many felt that the project was not interesting, that information was hard to find, and that teachers did not adequately prepare them to achieve top marks on the assignment(appendix 1b).

III. Learner Analysis

• 9-12 Grade public High School Students
• Currently enrolled in either Ceramics 1-2 Art 1-4, Digital Multimedia Art and Design 1-2, or Drawing 1-4
• High variety in learning styles, previous experience and aptitude (need to preselect groups?)
• Some students receive IEP or 504 accommodations and need special grouping and support
  
• Base line level of Internet experience allows most students to do basic web tasks. It is very rare that students are unfamiliar with computing

Context Analysis

• IMac lab on campus that can be used for video editing and computing
• IMac in the Art classroom that can be used for video editing
• Need to procure a digital video camera for each classroom or borrow from video classes
• Ceramics classroom should have an IMac for editing

IV. Instructional Strategies and Sequencing

In order create an effective strategy and sequence the instruction each objective should be considered. For each objective I have outlined new steps that will aid students in successfully completing the objective

• Students will work collaboratively on an art history research project using web 2.0 applications such as iGoogle docs
• Using online formats allow us to use any of the three computer labs at the school or school classroom computers to work on research and wiki building. This will greatly reduce problems we've had with students not communicating with partners or having access to their work.
  
• By focusing on web applications we will be introducing many students to skills they will utilize more and more in todays higher learning and careers
  
• Students will create video projects and learn how to post them online and place them in a Wiki
• Our research suggests the students would be more engaged in making connections between an artist or style and history by creating a short film
• By using video we can incorporate new technologies into our curriculum including online editing like jumpcut.com
  
• Students will contribute to a course Wiki and critique other entries in the Wiki
• This will allow subsequent generations of students to add, monitor and critique the resource. this will be a vast improvement over merely showing examples from previous semesters
• Students will practice good design skills in their Wiki page construction
• A big part of this project is how students use font, images, spacing and organization to effectively communicate knowledge
• C.R.A.P. elements of design by author Robin Williams will be used as a simplified set of design principles for graphic design. The current art curriculum uses a similar but broader set of principles that the students will be familiar with.
  
• Students will make clear connections between different art styles, and how historical events and art interplay
• By having an online resource where students can critique others work and watch it progress they will have more opportunity to see connections between the different subjects
• By pre-screening websites for content, and creating a set of essential questions for each topic students will be giving enough guidance to effectively complete this objective
  

Prerequisite Knowledge Required

Basic computing skills include

opening applications,
familiarity with a web browser,
ability to copy and paste images,
ability to use search engines and follow web links


Other prerequisite knowledge and skills

Fundamental understanding of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design

Strategies

Based on observation and student survey, it is clear that we need to create more emphasis on the making connections portion of the assignment, use better collaborative tools in groups, making the project more engaging, and create a series of resources so students will be using at least one excellent resource for every research topic.

In addition, Power Point is only one of many career technology applications, and although we plan on using Power Point in other projects, we have decided to use iGoogle power point and Google docs in concert with del.icio.us to share information between partners in groups as more effective applications. By adding a video segment to the assignment as a requirement and tying it to the making connections portion, the project will be more engaging and harness yet another set of career technology skills.

In terms of instructional theory, in these art classes students are used to working in a hands on and social format. There-fore, a research project also needs to be carefully crafted to not contradict their assumptions about what the class day will hold for them. Students react with obduracy to class days that focus on more 'mainstream' type of work commonly found in academic course. One tenet of a studio lab class is that students learn by 'by observing and copying the behavior of others' (Bandura 1970). This sort of social/situated learning concept relates also in the sense that motivation is a key ingredient in the process that needs to be nurtured by structuring work time to match student expectation of what the course will be.

Sequencing

Some additions to curriculum planning will need to include introducing students to videography tools and techniques. One possibility is to have students film each other working on projects and create short videos. Students will also need introduction to iGoogle docs, using social bookmarking, and training in the use and purpose of a Wiki. The entire sequence of these steps, how to fit it into vertical planning for the arts classes, and actual lessons are in the development stage.

V. Evaluation

Summative Evaluation

Summative evaluation consisted of surveying students using an exit survey regarding the Power Point project (appendix 1b). Student work was evaluated to see what objectives we were meeting, and which goals needed improvement or needed to be added. Instructors also held a number of curriculum meetings where we discussed the project and what we could do to improve it (appendix 1a).

Formative Evaluation

At this point, pre-instruction, we are determining how to evaluate the success of the student work that will be produced. OUr teaching team is creating a rubric that we can bring to the District Art Meeting in early January. A new exit survey, review of the finished projects by the district art teachers, and further instructor discussion will all play a role in our evaluation.

VI. Development Process

Content Review

The content review process if complete in Stage 1, including SME evaluation from school faculty, survey data analysis, and assessment of needed improvements. We will be continuing our Summative Evaluation through the school District Arts Meeting in January.

Document Design

The structure of the basic project is taking shape on Wetpaint at http://bhsarthistory.wetpaint.com/. Further design will be ongoing throughout the months of January and February. Teachers will be creating online resources for students. The majority of the work will be going towards organizing research areas into topics, creating Focus Questions for topics, and creating a rubric for the project. The full design document will be elaborated as instructional strategies and sequencing are determined and formative evaluation is designed.

Alpha

An alpha version of the project will be completed by the District Arts Faculty meeting on January 24th. SME critique of the project and the revised learning objectives will be assessed and discussed.

Beta

The final version of the project needs to be completed by March 2008 to be used by the students from the various art courses. The final version will encompass the completed Wiki.

Deployment and Evaluation

In order for deployment to be complete, all considerations into learning context must be addressed. The appropriate computing and videography equipment will need to be purchased or it's use arranged for. Also, in the deployment phase students will be given access to the Wiki for editing and posting purposes and it will become a live document.

Deliverable	Activity	Due Date
Content Review Stage 1	Review surveys, teacher round table to refine objectives. Discuss new possible technologies	November 2007
Document Design Stage 1	Elaborate project scope and stage in Design Document Stage 1	Decmeber 2007
Alpha	Produce most of the topic areas and focus questions for the Wiki. Finalize Wiki templates and 'look'. Instructional sections complete	January 24, 2008
Beta	All topic areas and focus questions completed. Calendar posted. Students access created for the live Wiki	February 28, 2008
Deployment and Evaluation	Have students produce their Wiki projects. Give students exit survey and hold a Stage 2 Round Table	March 2008

VII. Appendix

1a) Teacher Round-table

Teacher agreements based on our experience teaching this assignment, observing student performance, and evaluating the outcome include:

Students often use poor resources

• Students often find poor or questionable resources

Students need to collaborate more effectively

• Students do not share access to resources (one student alone has the power point saved to their network drive or USB thumb drive)

Most groups do not form connections between their research and other world events or art movements

• This higher order thinking is possibly the most critical component of the research.
  
• We need to do something more active that can appeal and be accessible to the widest assortment of students
• Only the highest achieving students seem to be acceptably performing at this level
• Teachers need to give focus questions, essential questions, that can be used as the basis for students to make the connections

Power Points are not really useful except for the class in which they are made

• Students may work harder if they know their work is publicly viewable
• Students will continue to build up the resource and it will be a 'living' document
• Students will have a rich assortment of examples to see from previous years
• Wiki can leverage all of the other resources on the Internet to add to the student content
  

1b) Student Surveys

Survey Results from Ceramics 1

Note: Students who elected to sign up for Advanced ceramics had a notably higher level of engagement and Connections. This trend continued in other classes

2a) Previous Assignment Resources

Artist Research Project Guidelines: This is your FINAL project for ceramics 1/2 It is worth 100 points You may work alone, or with a single partner (no groups of three) 1) With your partner chose an artist from the list. Before making your final selection make sure that you can find enough information and artwork online. 2) Before starting your slides, review the slide list and find all (or most) of the information  and pictures you will use to support your presentation. 3) You can (and should!) save images and information either to your Schoolloop digital locker and to your personal network space. 4) You will be graded on the quality of your information FIRST and then the quality of the presentation SECOND. You can not make up for poor research with a flashy presentation 5) We will have 4-5 class sessions to work in the library or computer lab. It is expected that you will spend 2 or more hours outside of class time finishing the project. RUBRIC All information required from the slide list is presented effectively: 10 (Above requirements. The students show additional information and draw personal inferences about the artwork that they support with evidence) 8 (Most information is presented, is properly cited, and is accurate) 6   (Most information is presented, but there are many inaccuracies or poor research) 3 (Most slides not completed) Presentation clearly communicates information and shows good slide design 10   (Slide presentation reflects the artist’s style and compliments all information) 8 (Slide design effectively communicates information) 6 (In general slide layout does not effectively aid in communicating ideas and information) 3 (Communication of information is lost by poor slide design on most slides)

Minimum Slide Requirements List Each student or pair of students will create a multimedia presentation (Microsoft’s “PowerPoint”). Each group is required to create a minimum of 15 or more slides in the following suggested sequence: Slide #1. Title: Art Research and Multimedia Project Include: Name of artist or a title that represents them and their work Slide #2. Members of Group Slide #3. Biography: The name of the artist List the date of birth List the place of birth Suggested: Picture of the artist Slide #4. An example of the artist’s artwork Include: The title of Artwork Media or Materials used Size or Dimensions Date Artwork was created Picture of the artwork à Try to pick an artwork that represents BEST what this artist creates Slide #5. Education: How did the artist learn art techniques? Be specific about art schools attended, whether taught by a master, self –taught, and so on. If the artist is unknown, what cultural style and production was used? Optional: Photo of the young artist. A map of the country, picture of a school or flag Slide #6 - 8. Other Works: What were this artist’s most famous works and where are they today? If the artist is unknown, discuss other similar works from the time period (this would be for a slide show on a culture rather than an artist). Required: 3 slide minimum of other artwork Include: Title, date, media, and current location Slide #9. &nbsp; Element of Art: Looking at your primary artwork from slide 4 identify one element of art, where the artist used it, and how the materials and techniques were used to express that element in the work. Required: Picture of the artwork à Use an arrow or other PowerPoint drawing tools to identify one element of art Slide #10. Principle of Design: Look at this artwork and identify where the artist used one principle of design and describe how the materials or techniques were used to express that principle in the work. Required: Picture of the artwork à Use an arrow or other PowerPoint drawing tools to identify one principle of design Slide #11. What techniques, tools and materials did the artist use to create the artwork? Suggested: An extra slide that goes over processes in detail, especially if the artist uses techniques we have not studied in class Slide #12. Which style, time or culture does this work belong to? Suggested: A map of the country, historical or cultural image Slide #13. What cultural or historical event may have influenced this work? Suggested: Look at other artwork from the same time period or look for references in critiques or articles about the artist’s work. If you are having trouble isolating a cultural/historical influence, does the artist’s work have a theme you can discuss? Slide #14. Evaluation: Your opinion of whether or not the piece of art is successful based upon what you have explored in description, analysis, and interpretation. &nbsp; Defend your answer being candid as possible to the specific strengths or weaknesses of the work. Required: Picture of the artwork Suggested: Arrow to identify strengths or weaknesses Slide #15. Credits: Information/Picture/Sources/ Required: Make sure to include all your MLA Citations here! Slide #16. Optional: Special Thanks Optional slide ideas – To get the best grade possible it is HIGHLY recommended that you include at least one of the following: · Discuss other contemporary art movements or interactions with other famous artists Show examples of artwork or artists that influenced your artist Show other artwork of your artist and discuss its connection to the artist or time period Show how the political or cultural climate of the time effect the artwork you show Discuss a debate or conflict in the art community regarding your artist or one of their artworks MLA Citation: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/mlastyle.htm#documents A typical citation my look like: Dawe, James. The Jane Austen Page. 16 Sept. 2003 <http://jamesdawe.com/austen.html>.

Career and web 2.0 technologies that may be used:

WIKI site - http://bhsarthistory.wetpaint.com/
jumpcut.com (pwnoyes) - online video editing
voicethread.com - online photo show with voice over (possibility insteadof/in addition to video)
youtube.com - online video hosting
igoogle (docs) - online collaborative document processing (Power point, excel and Word)
google earth - online satellite imaging AND information gathering/displaying by geographical search
flickr.com - online photo sharing and creative commons photos
http://del.icio.us/ - online social book marking
Secondlife - online 3D virtual community with many educational resources and art displays
IMVU -
Camstudio/snapz - screen capture recording)



Bandura, A. (1971). Social learning theory. NeW York: General Learning Press.

Second Life Presentation

Interesting Factoids

• About SecondLife
• 125 schools, colleges, and universities have used Second Life°
• Over one million real American crisp and shiny dollars are spent every day by the over ten million residents in Second Life.(http://www.finextra.com/community/fullblog.aspx?id=660)
• Symantec warned authorities with the possibility of criminals using online games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life for money laundering purposes.
• 10$/month leases you a small piece of land to create stuff

Applications to Education

• Advantages over standard distance education°
• "create a sense of class community — something that develops fairly naturally in a face-to-face class" -Rebecca Nesson
• English Language learners can take their time to read and type discussions
• Less likelihood of having people dominate the discussion
• Easier for less outgoing people to contribute
  
• Being able to do reconstructions of real places and times
• Sistine Chapel at Vassar Island in 2ndlife
• http://www.sloodle.org/
  
• virtual reality moodle!
  
  

Online Gaming

• America's Army
• America's Army (also known as AA or Army Game Project) is a tactical multiplayer first-person shooter owned by the United States Government and released as a global public relations initiative to help with U.S. Army recruitment.
• Chris Chambers, the deputy director of development for America's Army, admits it is a recruitment tool,^[16] and "the Army readily admits [America's Army] is a propaganda device," wrote Chris Morris, a CNN/Money columnist and director of content development.^[17]
• Social Aspects
• "Many MM ORPG gamers play with a romantic partner or a family member. About 16% of male players and 60% of female players play with a romantic partner, and about 25% of male players and 40% of female players play with a family member."
• "About 40% of players feel that their online friends are comparable or even better than their real life friends"
• "People are more willing to talk about personal issues when they can maintain their anonymity, and about 30% of MMORPG players have told personal issues or secrets to online friends that they have never told anyone else. These environments also encourage people to form trusting bonds with each other by repeatedly placing players in spontaneous and stressful crises that require players to work together in order to survive. And most importantly, players are pre-selected to be compatible with each other because MMORPGs are a very specific form of entertainment. People who enjoy gradual advancement in a fantasy world where they take on roles as ogres and elves are not a random slice of the population."
• Status Reversal
• Young people are more likely to take leadership roles than older people in MMORPGs. In fact, the younger age groups are the most active in 'leadership roles' in the online gaming community (under 25)
  
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott CArd
• Plays virtual reality interactive games on his computer to learn military theory
• Brother and Sister use the Web (net) and act like to rival political wonks to basically take over the Earth government
• Instanced Encounters in MMORPGs can take up to 20 minutes long and require near flawless execution of 40 players working cooperatively
  

Places to Learn about Education in SL

• Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Library on Info Island
  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/50/199/33/?title=Info%20Island

°http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/5122
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_critiques.html
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Top_20_Educational_Locations_in_Second_Life

2nd life

WOW! and Daedalus project!

Education in a Flattened World

The book The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman poses a lot of things to think about for the upcoming American generation. In his book, he emphasizes how technological forces are reshaping economies. It got me to thinking, how do his 10 flattener's, and his 3 convergences relate to the field of education?

For some time now, I've felt that our public school system is stuck in a deep rut. In fact, our society as a whole has not adopted the concept of what the world is becoming. To some extent we adopt the devices and conveniences of the flat world, but when confronted with the world wide developments I feel that most Americans prefer to either gripe or close their eyes.

For example, as we embrace the cheap prices at Walmart, we also mock the off shoring of call centers and manufacturing moving to China. Our schools would rather ban electronic devices for fears of cheating or distraction, rather than embrace the educational potential of these devices.

Although the human interaction of school is vital to student development, I can't help but feel the 32 student classroom and lecture followed by text book homework is hurting our education system. With information being so easy to mine, why are we still testing on meaningless facts, dates, and hundreds of abstract formulas and letting the concepts hopefully fit into the cracks left?

What do we tell our kids?

Something educators need to consider is that we are as much a part of the destiny of America as corporations. In a flat world, educators must "reach for a shovel and dig inside ourselves", we can't afford to build walls and try to protect old ways that make no sense. As time passes, what we teach is less important than how we teach it - what experiences we are bringing to our students. Friedman states that the small need to act big; it is every teachers job to be the 'value add' to our curriculum and teach our students to be the innovative thinkers that will propel them to success in the new America.

Story in 5 Frames

frame 1
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

Story in 5 Frames - link to flickr

Picasso Myth

Project management

Concrete begin middle and end within a defined time frame

Defined sets of tasks
Defined time frame
Defined milestones

Grease-Glue-Ring leader

"everyone is jumping through the right hoops at the right time and not getting burned"

"Scope-creep"
- the bane of the self employed and my downfall as an independent designer!

Money is a big issue for many people in the world

(Good) communication is the most important thing in the process of project management

Key Stakeholders ->
Person who signs the check
Person who certifies that the job is done

Needs Assessment ->
What needs to be done (not necessarily what the client may think or ask for initially)
'Change management training' - often the solution is a change in processes at the company or incentives rather than training

Statement of Work ->

Photos from my class

I don't really know what to write this week. I've been working on a lot of curriculum and sort of letting the theory rest for the week. I decided to create my Flickr account and take a few pictures from the kids work at my ceramics class to get warmed up for our Story in 5 Frames. I hope you enjoy them =D

Death and Decay

Death and Decay
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

Demo project for an advanced class. Dealt with visual metaphor and duality in art. The concept for this piece was to have one half of the pot look 'healthy' and symmetrical, and the other be disintegrating and being eaten by worms (Dali was my inspiration for that idea). The white portion painted with underglaze will be used to create a china painted section.

Blue Yellow

Blue
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

Another student with an excellent sense of design. Madison's work tends to be more classical in it's organization, with an elegant use of space and simple forms.

Inside

Inside
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

Inside of a kiln full of first semester student pottery

Suzan's Pot

Suzan's Pot
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

Suzan is an advanced student who is alot of fun to work with. She's got tons of ideas and talent and takes criticism and suggestions very well. She is in the process of translating her excellent design sense with more advanced techniques to create better contrast and balance

YAR

YAR
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

YARRRRRR

Heart Box

Heart Box
Originally uploaded by majornoyes

First year student box that I felt had a very successful design. It is pretty large, probably 15" x 15"

Chapter 2 of TDoEDT leads in by describing some common mishaps when using devices. He focused on "naive physics", whereby a user will tend to make incorrect assumptions about how things work. Also, he discussed how people tend to blame themselves for their misconceptions (even if by all available evidence they were correct). There was also the concepts of helplessness. In learned helplessness the user, after many failures, concludes that something cannot be done. In taught helplessness however, Donald asserts that poor design teaches users to be helpless by not allowing them to access the correct function of a device.

Next, he explores the "7 stages of action" broken down from 3 stages. You create a goal, and then in a circular feedback loop system of response and action execute actions and evaulate results.

Some quotes that made me go hmmmmm:

"Opportunistic actions are less precise and certain than specified goals, and intentions, but they result in less mental effort, less inconvenience, and perhaps more interest."

Norman, TDoEDT pg46

This could explain partially why students often exceed expectations on creative projects where they get interested. I've noticed many times when I teach a project in art class a kid may not do good work, but then will do an awesome job on something they thought to do themselves, even though they received no directed instruction.

"We may respond to the the events of the world...rather than to think out plans and goals"

This makes sense from the constructivist or collaborative stand points as an educator. Our job as instructor is to create an immersive environment and give things to respond to and gain interest in?

Norman, TDoEDT pg46

"Well in a little while, it won't matter. There won't be any film, just videotape"

Norman, TDoEDT pg51

Don't projectors in theaters still use reels of film, but have auto loaders?

On an aside, I started creating play lists in youtube to add to my class webpages for "how-to" stuff!. Like below, which I will then put into a webpage with descriptions. Ain't modern technology great?

http://noyesfamily.com/phil/BGHS/videos.htm

My microwave

Let me first say: I like my Microwave. It works very well and for the most part is easy to use. There is however, one fundamental flaw to its design that has led to me forming a slightly unusual habit.

It has a great feature, the add 30 second button. You hit it, it beeps, it not only adds 30 seconds to the timer but starts the microwave. It also has a hot water and popcorn preset. I use this button 95% of the time with the microwave.

The problem: I will even use this when it is a 10 minute timer (at 20 button clicks). Why you may ask?

Simple, otherwise you have to remember to hit power to set the power, before you can set the timer (or is it the other way? See I forget again). Since I never remember, and I end up hitting the wrong button first EVERY time (5 or 6 times really since it doesn't register to me at first why it is not beeping) I've just formed the habit of setting the time with the 30 second button.

Conceptually this is such an easy fix it is laughable to consider. Just make it so that either the power or timer button can be the first one to press and then be able to set the other. Thank goodness the defrost control makes sense, because I use that most of the time for long time settings!

Ok so in the lingo of the Book:

In terms of mapping it is reasonably clear and organized assuming you have used a microwave before. If I were a first time user I might have trouble figuring out how to open it. the open button is very large and allows you to push it in more deeply with gives some idea of what you are supposed to do.

There is clear text to explain usage and there is feedback when you hit a button and it does something (BEEP) and feedback when you open the door. There is an absence of feedback when you hit a button that has no effect, which is probably why I hit it like 5 times before I realize I am using the wrong one first.

I tried 3 other microwaves at work today. They all worked this same way! Clearly I need to design one that doesn't do this and have the world beat a path to my door...

Whole New Mind

I really enjoyed this book - ended up reading the whole thing and even brought parts of it in to the classroom to see what my students thought.

One thing in particular I did was to give them the multiple choice question from the book on page 58:

According to the latest research, IQ as accounts for what portion of career success?

a. 50 to 60 percent
b. 35 to 45
c. 23 to 29
d. 15 to 20

And of course the real answer was 4 to 10, so sneaky.

The average percentage taken from a fairly even distribution between the 4 possible answers was 35% for my students. This was the starting point for a quick 10 minute discussion about what they saw as Right/Left brain activities and whether they felt that school was preparing them for the future.

Interestingly, most students were well aware of outsourcing, and India and China, and yet also felt that the college track and knowledge sector jobs were still the most secure.

another tid bit I found shocking, less than half the class knew what their grandparents did for work. Only 3 or 4 in the classes generally could say what their great grandparents did!

At the end of the discussion I put up another poll (this is done on my course website):

The ideas presented in class regarding Left/Right brain thinking, and in particular how right brain thinking is more important than ever were


Confusing 21.7 %
Does not make sense with what I know about what colleges want from me 17.3%
Interesting and something to think about 43.4 %
A waste of class time 17.3 %

The whole discussion came on the heels of a 'Stressed Out Students' speaker (the founder of the program from Stanford) coming to the school a few weeks ago. What I found most interesting about THAT, was a small core community amongst the teachers that found disturbing the notion that any hint that rigorous AP courses and SAT scores were not the most laudable goal for any student. This is even though it has been pretty well proven a lot of the kids are cheating or not retaining the information OR doing better in their careers. One teacher started yelling how hard the AP kids work for their test scores and credits and that the speaker was crazy when she mentioned the possibility that listing where students go to college create a community of competition to go to the 'best' schools. He felt they deserved the top recognition for their achievement and alot of others agreed.

This reminded me of 3 years ago when a star athlete graduated. 15 minutes of the 40 minute 'Senior Farewell' at the end of the year was ALL about this one student. He was a great kid, but this was patently ridiculous and talk about sending bad messages to student. From what we publicize and applaud from the top down at our school site if you are not going to Stanford/Berkeley or better or a star athlete you are basically nobody. Nice.

Notes from the Group 1 readings

(a trifle of other research first)
Another rather dated article said 18% of teens had an Ipod in 2004,
http://www.news.com/Its-all-about-the-iPod/2100-1041_3-5406519.html

In a newer survey "78 percent of high school students own a portable media
player, and of those 82 percent are iPods" which if my math is correct is
about 63%
http://www.macobserver.com/stockwatch/2007/04/10.1.shtml

Clearly, things have changed and this article we read and its statistics
may be more relevant than the 1999, but they are terribly outdated.

>From my anecdotal experience, the use of Ipods and MySpace etc. has
increased dramatically since I started teaching high school 5 years ago.
At the same time I think alot of kids watch TV while using the
computer/video ipod/text msg so the information in this article about
multitasking makes sense. Alot of students carry portable USB drives with
portable browsers that often allow them to get by some filtering at
schools (works in our library to get on myspace for example). this is
tied to the fact that the filtering software is tied to I.E., not our
district servers. (yes, from my teacher workstation I can comfortably
peruse myspace)



Other things being equal,
race is related to substantial
differences in the amount of
exposure to screen media
– especially TV.

24

Percentage of children with TV-related rules
Household income
Under $35,ooo 47 38 11 14
$35,000 – $50,ooo 47 40 17 13
Over $50,ooo 42 31 12 12

16

The likelihood of using a computer on any given day
is related to both of our measures of socioeconomic status
(see Appendix 4.6). Forty-seven percent (47%) of kids whose parents
completed no more than a high school education, compared
to 51% of those whose parents completed some college, and 62%
of those whose parents completed college report using a computer
the previous day.

Similarly, 47% of kids classified as
low income, 50% of those classified as middle income, and 63%
of those classified as high income, used a computer the preceding
day

Kids whose parents finished college
spend 17 minutes more daily than kids whose parents completed
no more than high school

31

iving in a home where the TV plays
constantly is positively related to exposure
to each of the electronic media and
negatively related to print exposure.

45


Except for time spent reading, the least
contented kids report more media exposure
than those classified as belonging to either the
moderately or highly contented groups.

48


In homes where there is some attempt to control
amount of viewing, content viewed, or both, kids
watch less TV, play video games less, listen to
less music, and spend less time on the computer.
They also read more.

58


The negative relationship
is significant for video game playing.
In line with earlier research, the relationship
between academic performance and
time spent reading is positive and significant.
That is, kids who report the lowest
grades read substantially less than those
who report the highest grades.

60

highly contented kids report 8:07 of overall media exposure,
moderately contented kids report 8:22, and the least contented
kids report 9:44 of overall media exposure.

60

Pat Donohue visit and lecture

How we learn and what technology can do to help that.

Psycho physiological measures in the classroom:
Psycho physiological measures = interfacing with signals from the learner to assess how they are using the software/tool/curiculum
Facial Analysis
Heat thermo sensitive skin
Pressure sensitive mice/input tools

Affective learning

Qualitative study-> Use of graphing calculators in class (often few students do the actual work) sharing results?



Collaborative learning: Work together on what you are looking at and learn from each other as you progress towards a goal

as opposed to cooperative learning where tasks are divided


http://affect.media.mit.edu/

Learn more when a conversation causes feedback or discussion rather than agreement

Grounding our understanding: people negotiate how each other thinks/what they know about a topic (assesses overlap)

What's going on socially that effects learning?

Qualitative and quantitative analysis examples

Last minute post!

I've been slowly working my way through the article Bloggers: Portrait of America’s new storytellers. I actually took a bunch of notes and jotted down some thoughts (no not on paper, in notepad of course). then I started reading the new Harry Potter book Saturday night, which I finished last night at 1am. So, that's my excuse for posting so late: Harry Potter.

One thing that struck me about the article was the apparent lack of understanding that bloggers have regarding the nature of their craft. It is so public, and in my mind exposes the blogger so openly that I find it hard to understand. The new generation growing up obviously has a higher tolerance for personal sharing than I have.

52% of those surveyed said that they blogged to 'express themselves creatively'. I would like to see some statistics as to whether those same people do any kind of journaling. 76% said they want to share their personal experiences (particularly amongst younger users). I found this rather staggering because the internet is SO public. I was really mad at my father when he posted wedding pictures from my wedding on his web site. My students always come across them and I personally felt it was an invasion of my privacy.

What I think I find so bewildering is how so many people use blogs to 'stay in touch', and mostly with people they know in physical not digital world. To use such a exposed medium has a semblance of naivety to me. The only fact that makes me somewhat relax at this thought is the quote "In fact, a bit more than half of bloggers (55%) surveyed say they blog under a pseudonym or made-up name". So do the real life friends know who is behind the pseudonym? I assume they must.

Where does all this sharing fit in where you expose someone else, or upload photos of them online? Sharing can be a dangerous thing in a medium that you instantly lose control of. Someone else can inadvertantly threaten your safety and then what is your recourse? An online safety website, http://look-both-ways.com/stayingsafe/blogging.htm says,

"A blog is a great way to express yourself and broadcast your opinions. Unfortunately, public blogs are also used by criminals as a way to collect information that can be used to steal your identity, rob your home, harass or physically harm you, your children, or your friends."

This sharing community also becomes an issue for online bullying or harassment. People can troll your public blog, or post absurdities about you online. Where is your recourse for self protection?

I don't think the risks make using the internet for sharing information a bad idea. However, I think as a teacher or instructional designer we need to be hyper aware when we use the internet as a tool with students, or have them post there. So many kids use the internet to post intimate details about themselves and others. It seems like the new 'regrettable tattoo' of mistakes.

I liked this quote from an article written about blog bullying:

"Worse still, there's a degree of suspended reality involved in Internet communication. Without face-to-face interaction, we can't actually experience the consequences of our words"
http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2007/06/11/Columns/Emmarie.Huetteman.Blog.Bullies-2913726.shtml

The term 'suspended reality' is perfect when speaking of the digital world. It is not unreal, and yet, it is not real. People do form lasting meaningful relationships online. However, they always need to meet in person, in the real world to broaden and expand those relationships.

Pottery Video

I teach ceramics in High School and wanted to try posting a video clip demo online (not mine, just one from utube)

Listening to the radio this morning there was a very interesting story on the search for Steve Fosset that jives with some of the content of the 21st Century article.

In particular, it struck me how with a minimal expense (100k for the satellite images), online sharing community allowed thousands to participate in looking through thousands upon thousands of images to search for the missing plane.

I feel this story illustrated some of the potential for web 2.0

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6987358.stm

More to come, I just wanted to mark this thought down before it went **poof**

Something bothers me about this story and its relationship to ways that web2.0 can be used in education: Are we training students to be the 'worker bees', who sift through photos to send questionable ones to the real experts, or are we preparing students to be the innovative thinkers who create the tools and methodology to efficiently parse data? In my experience technology education in High School is so piece meal and unfocused that it does very little to actually educate kids. Most teachers are not the technology leaders in the classroom, but are at an experience and skill level that puts them about at the middle ground. In this case, do we need to train teachers (who often are not interested in adopting new techniques and ideas) or perhaps have a whole new curriculum area that is focused on these 21st century skills?

From my personal experience I simply don't see public education embracing widespread paradigm shifts without a generational shift becoming more complete in who is doing the teaching. Particularly with NCLB making so many demands on teachers, this 21st century plan, no matter how laudable, is just another layer laid upon an over burdened system.

I think if NCLB could be drastically changed to minimize the high stakes testing (testing is important, but having it determine so much funding undermines the real world skills we need to teach), than Educators would embrace many of the points from this article. Until it is overhauled, the solutions to making our education fit the needs of the 21st century will be piecemeal and most students will only be getting the lower order skills for basic computer use.

Back to school night and Web 2.0

These are actually two separate thoughts lumped into one post, which for me begs the question is that proper etiquette (or n-etiquette) for a blog? I wouldn't know. I thought I was pretty cool when I could write HTML and and use command line FTP and all that. It seems that technology keeps leaping forward, so I am glad that I am teaching technology courses at my school site, and in the graduate program so that I don't fall completely behind. I still use the DOS prompt on windows. I am old school :P

I couldn't attend my first day of Itec830 class due to Back to School night at Burlingame High School. One thing I spoke about with the parents was how I have their kids use computers and the internet. I didn't SAY web2.0, but I explained how Schoolloop works (created by a SED credential student at SFSU Mark Gross), and how we use the online discussion features, email and online drop boxes.

In my Computer Graphics class the students use our website forum to do assignments and post critiques, they host their own website and load their assignments onto a gallery web page for critiques. It's a great set up and means that it is a paperless environment.

So is that web2.0? Forums, galleries and traditional web pages seem to me 1st generation ideas. So is online dropboxes and the like. When I think of web2.0 I think of sophisticated web applications that allow communication and sharing across a broad area of subjects, that is linkable to other resources, and portable (viewable via any internet connective device).