Flickr Slideshow-Final Assignment

My final lesson plan will focus on a unit of photojournalism and Flickr.  The following slideshow includes pictures with different photography elements (leading lines, foreground framing, repeating pattern, dual focal point, texture) students will have to incorporate into some of their shots.

 

Flickr Fun

If you are looking for a Web 2.0 app that allows you to incorporate photography into your lessons, than Flickr is the tool for you.  Flickr is an image and video hosting website that allows users to share photos and videos, essentially creating an online community of digital photographers.  Like with any of the tools I have discussed this semester, it is important to first explore the components of Flickr to assure its compatibility to your classroom.  From an educational perspective, this app has the potential to really raise the levels creativity of our students.

Since Flickr has millions of photographs on their site already, a great introductory lesson for middle and high school students can deal with the issues of intellectual property and Creative Commons licensing.  Before I started using Flickr, I had never heard of Creative Commons, and that may also be the case for certain students.  Teaching them about the importance of Copyright and about having the ability to refine it on their terms, so that others may expand on their ideas, is a valuable lesson to teach in this day and age.  We can't assume students know all the facts, and while it may not be a riveting lesson, it is important for students to be aware of Copyright and understand that giving credit where it's due is the right thing. 

Another way to utilize Flickr with students is by using photos to tell a digital story.  What's great about a lesson like this is its flexibility to work with almost any grade level.  For instance, in a 2nd or 3rd grade classroom, teachers can log in to Flickr and find 5 or more photos to show to the class.  Each student can then write a story to go along with the images presented.  It's a way to work on spelling and sentence structure, but with a little more imagination.  If you teach a higher-grade level, the lesson can become more complex.  Students can create their own Flickr accounts to find photos to write a story, or if you want to turn it into a larger end of semester project, you might consider allowing students to use Photo Story software with the pictures they choose to enhance the elements of storytelling by adding sound effects, narration and even music.         
 
Flickr also allows students to create virtual field trips.  By creating a Flickr page for the entire class, each student can by allowed to upload a certain number of pictures and collaboratively, as a whole, students can organize, tag, map and share what they experienced at the local museum or wherever it was the class went for the day.  Parents and other members of the school's faculty can then view your trip to see that a day out of the classroom can still be educational. 

Because of the ease of smart phones, taking pictures has become a habit.  Even kids are fascinated with taking pictures (my niece is always grabbing my phone to take pictures of things she sees at the park).  Why not apply something our students like into the assignments we present to them in class.    

Book Review Podcast

One of our assignments this week was to create a podcast.  This is what I came up with.  Hope you enjoy.

Social Media and Digital Citizenship

A couple of weeks ago I came across a post on Free Tech for Teachers discussing the importance of knowing what happens when someone does a Google search of your name.  It literally made me laugh out loud.  Not because I thought it was funny, it simply reminded me of the first time someone told me they had done a Google search on me.  It was my boss, and while I didn't panic or worry, the only thing he found were the articles I had written for my college newspaper, I was a bit taken aback.  This was something I hadn't given much thought about when I was doing the interview rounds, and it made me realize how the evolution of technology has made this a part of the process.
 
At that time, the only social media network I belonged to was Facebook, and I'm one of those people that uses the available security options to the max.  For example, if people search my name the only thing that appears is my profile picture or if a friend tags me in a post, I receive a notification to approve it before it shows up on wall.  However, if I Google search my name today, the first thing that pops up is my Twitter account (I'm more lax with Twitter since I only tweet about twice a week).  The reason I point this out is not only should we as teachers be aware of our social media postings, I'm sure most of us are already careful, but we should also remind our students about being careful with what they post and help them build good digital citizenship habits, especially if they're applying to colleges or getting ready for job interviews.  Having them conduct social media audits is a great starting point.  In addition, displaying this great infographic recently released on Edudemic on how to determine if something is really share-worthy can
serve as a friendly reminder. 

At the end of the day, it's really up to each student to take care and control of their social media accounts.  The best we can do is to give them good advice and not be negligent ourselves

Podcasts in the Classroom

From a journalism standpoint, podcasting is the best idea I've come across this semester.  This is right up my alley.  Although I have limited experience using recording software like Audacity, because my past experience is focused on the newsprint aspect of journalism, podcasting brings a whole new dimension to the journalism classroom.  As Will Richardson presents in our textbook, podcasts are a form of amateur radio, and in a high school multimedia class, what better tool to incorporate when introducing a unit on radio broadcasting.  Students not only have the opportunity to be more hands on with their work, but they also get a glimpse of what the multimedia publishing life is like.
  
One of the topics covered during lessons on broadcast radio is the importance of advertisements.  Advertisements play an integral role in the world of radio.  Like magazines, most of the revenue generated by broadcast companies comes from the ads that are played on the air.  A particular element that is often stressed upon is the time limit of these ads.  A great way to get students to be creative with an assignment is by using the components of a podcast to create a 60 to 90 second advertisement that could potentially be played on the radio.  Students can use background music with their dialogue, record a jingle they create or use a combination of different effects to produce a well rounded commercial.  Even though podcast usually deal with more than a few seconds of dialogue, a lesson like this is better than having students turn in a piece of paper with written radio advertisements.

Another focus of broadcast radio in a multimedia class is the impact made by Orson Welles and his 1938 radio drama adaptation of the novel The War of the Worlds.  His 60-minute broadcast of the story caused many listeners to panic because they actually believed an alien invasion was occurring.  Even if we live in a time where radio dramas are no longer produced, students can still apply elements of the past into their work.  They can use 21st century tools to gain insight to what the world was like before television and cinema.  By placing students in groups to create a podcast centered on a fictional story, they can learn the importance of language, the power of words and the fun of imagination.      

Students on the staff of the high school newspaper can also use podcast with their work.  Depending on how often the school paper is published, section editors can meet around the time of distribution and record a news roundup podcast that can be posted onto the school's website.  Not only are students gaining experience using a different multimedia tool, but this also allows parents and the surrounding community to be up to date with recent news and events surrounding the school.  In addition, students writing for the sports section can cover high school athletic events by podcasting and posting to the school's website as well.  This way parents who are unable to attend their child's game at least have an opportunity to listen to the game later.  Perhaps even university recruiters who have an interest on a certain athlete may come across the podcast and determine if a trip to see them play is really worthwhile.

By incorporating podcasts into the classroom, we are providing students with the ability to create and contribute ideas, something that I think should always be used to their advantage. 

More Fun with Wikis

Collaboration, community and the creation of knowledge as a group are three fundamental elements of wikis that help foster their success.  As this week went by, I had the chance to explore and discover on my own why wikis in education are becoming increasingly popular.  Students are able to contribute their knowledge and understanding on a larger scale and to a larger audience, which can be a really neat experience for them.  One way to introduce students to the world of collaboration is by using a site like Wikispaces to create book reviews.  Wikispaces allows students to be more creative with their work.  Instead of typing out and posting a regular text opinion, students can use videos, photos and links to supporting sites, for instance a link to the author's Web page, to bring more color and life to the book they are reviewing.  The audience can be exposed to more information, and can therefore decide if a certain book really meets their interest. 

During my research I also came across an idea that I think can help enhance the use of Wikipedia in the classroom.  This idea is WikiTube.  WikiTube is a Chrome extension that adds YouTube videos to Wikipedia pages.  Once you install it, anytime you open a Wikipedia page videos will automatically be embedded at the top of each site.  Even though teachers are hesitant in allowing their students to use the data they find on Wikipedia for their projects or reports, WikiTube offers quick and easy access to videos that may be useful to show during class presentations.  A step is essentially eliminated for students. They no longer have to search for an appropriate and interesting video because WikiTube picks out the most relevant videos available on YouTube for them.

As I mentioned earlier this week, there is more to wikis than one may think.  The goal is to educate ourselves better about its possibilities so that we may use them with our students. 

The Potential and Reality of Wikis in the Classroom

Wikis are the most misunderstood tool of Web 2.0.  Part of the reason why I think that is true is because people are misinformed and fail to see the potential of wikis.  Educators especially have a hard time deciphering their purpose.  Take for instance my current situation.  I'm in an education technology class learning about how Wikipedia works and how to incorporate wikis in the classroom, yet in another class the mere utter of the word "Wikipedia" invokes a 10 minute lecture of legitimate sites of information by my professor.  I understand the importance of research and being able to discover sources on my own, but that doesn't mean Wikipedia can't be a point for inspiration.  There is more to it than one may expect. 

The neutrality and versatility of wikis is what makes it a unique collaborative tool.  As Will Richardson points out in his book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcast and other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom, more often than not people making contributions to a wiki page want the information to be right.  There is no personal agenda.  There is just collaboration towards the storage of knowledge in a timely fashion, and in an educational setting, wikis have the potential to change the system.  As Richardson goes on to illustrate, an entire high school curriculum can be organized within an wiki to ease communication amongst teachers or students from all over the world can connect and work on projects together, such as the case with "Flat Classroom."  Even textbook companies are beginning to fear what wikis can do as they become more reliable sources.  When applied in the classroom, wikis become part of the learning environment and not just a site to look up information.

However, the reality is that while many teachers are beginning to seize the benefits of collaboration and negotiation skills that wikis offer students, the playing field is not level.  In a recent study of wiki usage in K-12 classrooms, Justin Reich, Richard Murnane and John Willett discovered that even in the Web 2.0 era a digital divide continues to exists, and students attending more affluent schools are the ones reaping most of the benefits.  This isn't to say that teachers in schools serving low income families don't try to incorporate wikis or other Web 2.0 tools, they are just not as successful and terminate their development.  As Reich, Murnane and Willet demonstrate, teachers lack support in using technology for innovation.  These tools are simply being used to make everyday routines easier to complete.

While some wiki pages may be more innovative than the others, we cannot loose sight of the impact they bring because the ability for students to develop 21st-century skills is highly present.