Manipulated Digital Image

This image started as an experiment in the manipulation of digital photography using Fotoflexer, a free online image editing tool. I began with a sample photograph of a forest, available on the site, and converted the color to sepia. I then overlaid another sample photograph of waterlilies and used the opacity feature to make it 50% opaque. I then added a photo I found online of the Dalai Lama using the overlay feature, also making this image 50% opaque. I blurred the edges of all pictures to add to the ethereal quality, so that the end result appears peaceful and meditative.

In contemplating how the manipulation of digital imagery might be effectively used educationally in my content area of world languages, frankly, nothing immediately came to mind. I am very cognisant of the importance of adding educational value with technology, not just adding glamour with no substance. However, a part of the world languages curriculum concerns learning about the geography and cultures around the world where the languages are spoken. This would be a very appropriate use for image editing. Students are more likely to retain information they have learned through an image they have spent time manipulating, rather than one they have merely looked at online or in a book. Therefore, I think using such online tools as Fotoflexer.com and Piknik.com in conjunction with a lesson on, for example, the Francophone countries of the world would make the lesson more meaningful, as long as the tools were used appropriately and respectfully by the students (no putting Groucho Marks glasses and moustache on Charles de Gaulle).

Universal Design for Learning Inspiration Concept Map

Creating an Inspiration concept map to outline the reading on Universal Design for Learning was, in itself, an illustration of one of the techniques recommended therein - using multiple representations of data. This exercise accomplished three objectives for me. First, I better understand the tenets of Universal Design for Learning. Also, I now have hands-on experience with Inspiration as a teaching tool, and finally, I can see other applications for Inspiration in the classroom.

This reading on Universal Design for Learning points out that UDL is, first and foremost, a mindset, a way to approach education in order that it may be accessible and effective for all children, including those with various types of disabilities. Because the principles and recommendations of UDL are founded upon research about how the brain learns, the implementation of UDL techniques will very likely improve the effectiveness of teaching for all students. For example, using strategies that support various representations of data addresses the different ways that all students may learn - visually, auditorially, kinesthetically - which may, incidentally, improve learning for students without disabilities as well.

Inspiration, itself, is an example of a technology which can help students organize their thoughts in an outline manner, and may be more effective for some students than the traditional 5-paragraph essay pillar, because it is more visually oriented. Both of my children have used Inspiration in the classroom and give it high marks for ease of use and "fun factor." I found Inspiration very user-friendly. It was easy to grasp the basics and get quickly underway - not a big learning curve. This is important, as we have been hearing from the many teachers in our class. When tech support is scarce, software that is easy to learn and teach is surely beneficial.

As I was getting my feet wet with my first Inspiration concept map, I was simultaneously brainstorming ways to use this software in the World Languages content area. I think it could be effectively used to demonstrate comprehension of a piece of fiction in another language. My son has repeatedly had to produce something called a "story web," in language arts, which is essentially a concept map of a fictional story, showing such literary aspects as setting, characters, and plot. This could definitely work in other languages as well. Alternatively, Inspiration could be used to aid in comprehension of vocabulary relating to family relationships (aunt, grandmother, son, etc.) by using it to create family trees.

Linking Visual Learning with an Interpretive Content Standard

The content standard I chose to focus on this semester is concerned with written and oral comprehension and interpretation. As I was reading through the many standards, this one really jumped out at me and screamed its relevance to this course. The technologies we have discussed so far: the use of digital cameras to create a tableau; blogging; and Inspiration, all have obvious applications in the area of foreign language comprehension.

For example, students could be asked to create a tableau to demonstrate basic comprehension of a passage which uses new vocabulary. Alternatively, at a more advanced level, the tableau idea could be employed to have students interpret literature which is more complex and abstract, such as Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Le Petit Prince. Blogging could be effectively used as a form of interactive journaling - a great, creative way to force regular writing practice at any level. Finally, Inspiration could add value as a technique to help students demonstrate comprehension of the "bones" of written passages, such as the characters, plot, and setting of a story.

I can honestly say that I think these applications of technology really would add value - not just glitter - to the learning process. I can't wait to learn about podcasting...

Content Standard for World Languages

I have decided to focus on the following content standard for World Languages:

CONTENT STANDARD (9-12): Communication (Interpretive Mode)

How do I understand what others are trying to communicate in another language?

· Understand the main ideas and relevant details of extended discussions, lectures and formal presentations on topics related to daily life and/or historical or contemporary themes in the target culture.
· Understand the main idea or plot and relevant details or subplots of radio or television programs, films or other forms of media designed primarily by native speakers of the target language.
· Comprehend the main ideas and relevant details of live and recorded presentations of culturally significant songs, folk tales, plays, comedies and anecdotes.
· Recognize the characters and the significance of their roles when reading authentic literary texts and comprehend the main plot and relevant subplot(s).
· Comprehend the main ideas and significant details of full-length feature articles in newspapers, magazines and websites on topics of current or historical importance in the target culture.

The woodland creatures that ate my garden

A Reflection on my Technological Capabilities and Expectations

No one will accuse me of being particularly technologically advanced or capable, and yet I have no fear of technology. In fact, quite the opposite - I look for opportunities to learn more, and I resent being pigeon-holed as a crypt-keeper soccer-mom who couldn't possibly grasp the intricacies of Facebook or iChat (okay, this is my 15-year old daughter talking - I digress...).

In my life as a stay-at-home mom, my use of technology is generally limited to the usual: researching on the internet; sending/receiving email; editing/printing digital photos; creating spreadsheets and elementary desktop publishing projects; and DVRing the TV programs my kids are not allowed to watch on school nights. Last semester, I had to produce my first Powerpoint presentation for a class - in French, and on my daughter's brand-new Apple MacBook. I was excited about the challenge, but the constraints of time caused quite a lot of stress throughout the project. I had to quickly learn about exporting and its associated glitches. I ended up needing to use the exported version for my presentation, in which some of the titles overwrote the text (although everything looked fine in the Apple version). On the whole, however, I was totally impressed with my first effort at Powerpoint, and my presentation on the history of the Black Plague in France was riveting (if I do say so myself...).

Originally, I had not planned to take this course this semester. I was hoping to upgrade my home computer first (which runs Windows ME - yes, I know...). Also, I really think this class will be fun for me, because I am so looking forward to learning some new things, so I was sort of saving it for later - kind of the way you save dessert until after you've finished your vegetables. My biggest concern about this course (other than my home computer exploding from the strain) is that web design and other technology that requires visual effects have a creative aspect, which is not my strong suit. I have a math brain, so I am good at replicating things, but not at creating or thinking "outside of the box." This will be my personal challenge in this course.

As for expectations, as I mentioned in my previous post, the term "technology" in my children's schools has become synonymous with Smart Boards, and I was hoping to learn a little about the capabilities of this technology and how it can add value to learning, but that is probably outside of the scope of this course. I am hoping, as the course progresses, to brainstorm specific applications for the skills we learn to my particular content area - world languages. I will be on the lookout for any relevant resources, and I plan to start a file.

The Colosseum

Are we having fun yet?

eTIPS Reader Response

My reference point for the degree to which schools are successfully integrating technology into curriculum tends to be my children's own educational experience. Currently, I have a 7th grader in public middle school (in a fairly affluent town) and a 10th grader in a Catholic (diocesan) high school. These two environments couldn't be more different, both in their access to funding and in their general philosophical approach to education. Easton, although a small town with a limited tax base, generally throws money indiscriminately at the educational system, all the while pressuring parents to participate in endless fundraisers. On the other hand, diocesan schools are subject to a very tight budget which is controlled by the Catholic Diocese and influenced by the desire to control tuition. Philosophically, public schools tend to be more open to experimental methods, whereas Catholic schools have long had the reputation of being "old school" in their approach to education.

Despite their differences, both of my children's school systems seem to have "gotten the memo" on the importance of technological advancement, and both seem to be adhering to the principle that the school environment should support teachers by providing adequate technology, support, and training. Unfortunately, technology seems to have become a badge of honor for school systems, complete with bragging rights. Oddly, as a result of massive fundraising campaigns in both cases, my children's (completely unrelated) school systems now both boast proudly of "a smart board in every classroom." Neither school system eased into this very expensive technology, testing the waters to assess applicability or the risk of obsolescence. Both schools provided training and seem to have adequate ongoing support.

The integration of this very fancy piece of equipment into classroom instruction is showing that perhaps the set of eTIPS principles pertaining to implementation was inadequately addressed. This is evidenced by the uneven usage and application of the smart boards across content areas. Those teachers (generally younger) who are predisposed to favor technology have embraced the smart boards, using them to make class notes available to absent students and animate scientific principles to make them come alive for the students. Others, however, are using the smart board as an expensive overhead projector or television.

Dexter's comment, "Educational technology does not possess inherent instructional value" is key here. School systems should not assume that all teachers can "make the leap" on their own and find the value that technology can add to their instructional environment. It should be generally acknowledged that this, too, is an area where support is needed. My mother, a retired high school and college chemistry professor, assures me that textbook publishers make resources available which support the content of the text with appropriate technology. Perhaps this would be a good jumping-off point for teachers looking for that value-added. No need to reinvent the wheel.