What is media literacy and why is it important?

          Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. Media literacy skills are also included in educational standards such as: language arts, social studies, science, health and other standards. Media literacy has become an important skill to have in the 21^st century. Students who are media literate will be able to better understand the complex messages they receive from the internet, video games, and all other forms of media. Media literacy has even been endorsed by the President, teachers, and different organizational groups. Many studies suggest that if students know about media literacy they will be less vulnerable to negative media in the world.

            Media literacy is important because it is essential for schools. Many young children are growing up with technology and media in their lives. Children that are very young up unto age eight are spending hours looking at a screen. A lot of children’s ideas and behavior are controlled by what they see and do on that screen which is a program created by an individual. Schools should include media literacy education for their children because it is an effective way to engage students in critical thinking skills for optimal learning. Media literacy can also protect students from the unhealthy aspects of it so they will have the knowledge to know right from wrong. Educators have to be trained greatly on media literacy as well so they can develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of media literacy on a child’s learning. Teachers will be able to use their strategies to help families become more media literate so they can deal successfully with the media in their children’s lives. 

Here are three live links to this topic:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-levin/media-literacy-for-young-_b_4263888.html

http://medialiteracy.net/media-literacy/

http://medialiteracyproject.org/learn/media-literacy

Reflections on my "Second Life" Experience!

                The “Second Life” website describes it as, “a 3D world where everyone you see is real person and every place you visit is built by people just like me and you.” I think this statement is very true because “Second Life” is an extremely realistic virtual world. “Second Life” reminds me of a game I use to play called “The Sims.”  This game allowed me to make families and take care of children. I really enjoyed playing this game. I would stay on the computer for hours and hours playing this game.  “The Sims” was similar to “Second Life” because you could create yourself and build homes.

            My experience in “Second Life” has been fun and interesting. I was able to create myself into a digital avatar. My avatar was first as a woman. But, in “Second Life” you can change into an animal, car, or even a vampire. I have my own avatar “name” as well. I thought it was cool that in “Second Life” it gives you an opportunity to meet new people and explore different worlds. There are worlds in “Second Life” that are very beautiful, peaceful, and educational at the same time. “Second Life” allows a person to experience real life situations which is very cool and exciting. In “Second Life,” I was able to chat with my fellow classmates and explore different museums. I had a good experience in “Second Life” and I look forward to browsing it even more to get familiar with everything.

Here are three live links that relate to this topic:

http://secondlife.com/?gclid=CLWI97SN2bwCFecRMwodKlYAhQ

http://secondlife.com/whatis/?lang=en-US

http://secondlife.com/community/

What is the meaning of technology "affordances" and "constraints" in terms of education?

       The meaning of technology “affordances” is used to expresses properties of an environment which interaction with a user can enhance the learning of potential of an individual. Technology “affordances” are the ways in which technology offers or supports certain things in relation to teaching and learning. Technology used for education purposes must be based on a knowledgeable pedagogy with a strong attention to the course learning objectives, instructional strategies and assessment methods. Teachers have to be aware of the varied “affordances” of any technology that could be leveraged to support teaching and learning effectively. Some “affordances” of technology are information, automation, representation, and communication/collaboration with peers and experts. These “affordances” of technology can help the educator treat their technology for the classroom as a knowledge base related to their pedagogy.

            The meanings of technology “constraints” in terms of education are the things that limit the “affordances” and the properties of action associated with them. For example, time and access issues could be some technology "constraints" in education because the teachers have to set time aside to incorporate the technology into their lesson plan and curriculum activities to utilize technology effectively in the classroom. Another technology “constraint” is that teacher’s learning objectives must be clear and accept that the technology device could break down and fail. Also, some teachers may come across glitches in their technology being used in their classroom and can hold up the lecture. Technology can be a complex teaching tool but teachers must remain vigilant and set the appropriate tasks for students to maximize the benefits of using the technology tool.

I have included three live links in relationship to this topic:
 http://centres.smu.edu.sg/cte/innovative-development/affordance-of-technology/
 http://www.tel-thesaurus.net/wiki/index.php/Educational_affordance
 http://www.isteconference.org/2012/uploads/KEY_70232305/M_Taylor_ISTE2012_RP.pdf

 

   

How I would use the concept of flipped classrooms in my teaching?

            The concept of “Flipped Classrooms” is very interesting for teachers and students. It is when the traditional classroom is flipped into an interactive classroom for teachers and students. Many students sit in classrooms all day listening to a professor lecture about a subject matter. This can be very boring for a lot of students and sometimes they don’t even understand the lecture after it is over. But in the “Flipped Classrooms” concept the students are given videos of lectures by their professors that they can watch at home or somewhere where they can access a computer. The students are able to take their time while watching the lectures, really get a chance to understand the material, and are able to communicate with their peers and teachers via online discussions about the lectures. After the students watch the videos, the next day in the classroom they engage in activities with their teacher about the concepts in the videos.

            I would use the concept of “Flipped Classrooms” in my teaching by having my students watch learning videos from me at home and then when they get to class we can do the homework because they will have already mastered the concept from watching the videos. I will have the opportunity to spend more time with the students so they can ask me any questions about the content material. Also, I can use the concept of “Flipped Classrooms” in my teaching to do a lesson plan using TPACK on a video so the children can watch outside the classroom and when they come to class and complete the homework from the lesson.

Here are three live links that relate to this topic:

http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/

http://www.flippedclassroom.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/flipping-classrooms-does-it-make-sense/2012/06/06/gJQAk50vJV_blog.html