I was commenting on Sara’s blog today about CBC’s excellent techie radio programs, and I decided I should peruse some of their websites today. However, the websites never have as much information as you get from listening to the program live. I have never subscribed to a podcast before but after reading Sara’s experience, I am inspired to start. I often miss my favourite CBC programs because I am working. Do those of you who subscribe to podcasts use Google Reader…I can’t remember if we were shown a website or tool to subscribe to podcasts- can anyone help me out?
I saw this advertisement on television many months ago, and then, a few days ago when I was watching youtube videos on cyber bullying. This video’s message is, “Words hurt, don’t be a part of it”. This video doesn’t directly address cyber bullying or written insults. However, verbal insults can be directly related to written/online bullying. I think this video is worth watching to educate students on the impact of online or face to face bullying.
This video shows the effects of verbal assaults, on the victim, by associating verbal attacks with physical attacks. Each insult is personified as a person physically assaulting the victim on screen. I think this video gives students a strong visual image about the impact of these hurtful words and an awareness of emotional pain. This video creates powerful visual imagery and clearly communicates the effects of bullying on the victim.
Another aspect to cyber bullying, which is not covered in the above video, is the ability to spread hurtful messages to a wider audience. The internet allows people to spread messages to so many more people, thus increasing the trauma felt by the victim. The next video, found at Open Thinking WIki, presents a comparison to spreading hurtful words on the internet. A student degrades a another student at a talent show- in front of the entire school.
I think both of these videos try to make students aware of their actions, and how harmful cyber bullying can be. However, there will always be people who do not have this awareness or understanding, so it is important to teach students what to do if this happens to them. After searching through Open Thinking Wiki, I found a website with many resources for teachers and students on cyber bullying. On this page of the website, there are resources for students to deal with cyber bullying.
I was searching youtube with my nieces yesterday, and found an excellent video for 3 and 4 year olds. It is called The Elephant Song by Eric Herman. He adds a neat dimension to the song because he sings and interacts with his 3 year old. The song is about animals: their habitat, characteristics, and typical behaviour. In the song, he assigns habitat and characteristics to the wrong animal. Really engaging for this age group because they are organizing this kind of information in their mind, so the mixing allows them to critically think about what they hear and check their own knowledge. The video includes colourful pictures. Also, the visual images are an engaging aspect of the video because the animals are drawn and erased as he sings about them.
For Tech Task #4, we were to critique the design of a presentation on Slideshare. I found one called Future of Education created by Jay Cross. I was interested in the title of the presentation and was attracted to the design and photographs. Photographs were used on the slides rather than cartoon pictures or animations. Although, one slide had a cartoon but the slide it self was very informative. On the first and last slide, a picture of a bright blue sky appeared-very cheery and optimistic. The content of the slides included pictorial analogies and visual comparisons using pictures, webs, charts, and graphs. The slides were visually appealing and not too cluttered with information. Some of the slides contained a lot of written information-maybe too much, and some of the pictures and charts were hard to see- could have been larger. I thought the repetition of the same slides, (webs and charts) with new information, was very effective in drawing comparisons and introducing new and different ways to view similar ideas.
I really enjoyed viewing this Slideshare presentation; it was easy to read with the white background. I wish I could have been at the presentation!!
A few weeks earlier, Jordan posted an entry about ustream, and he discussed the different ways it could be used in schools and in teaching. So, when I saw Kathy Cassidy’s post yesterday, I immediately thought of Jordan’s post. Kathy is using ustream to record the hatching of the painted lady butterflys in her classroom. What a great way to utilize technology! It gives the students an opportunity to check-in on the butterflies when they are not in school and keep tabs on the progress of the butterflies. I think this is an excellent example of how ustream can be used to accentuate a lesson or unit of study in the classroom. Also, not only are the students able to experience the excitement of the butterflies emerging but their parents and the rest of the world can too.
I am a pre-service teacher at the University of Regina, and I am currently in my third year. This weblog, which began as an education computer's assignment, will now become a space to record my reflections, ideas, and emerging portfolio. Let me know what you think!
