This week we were asked to create an about.me page. I thought this was an interesting way to compact our many digital identities into a single space. I placed three different tags on the website, but I may add more if I start using the other available websites.
Check out my page at http://about.me/lindseychow
Thanks!
For this week’s assignment, we are to choose a specific outcome from the Saskatchewan curriculum and create plans using smartboards to meet that outcome. I chose a Grade 1 mathematics shape and space requirement (SS1.4), as the visual aspect of the smartboard will be useful in the students’ learning:
“Compare 2-D shapes to parts of 3-D objects in the environment.”
I think the lesson plans involving smartboards for this outcome would be more interesting and engaging for the students than learning from a textbook. I think the teacher could use a move to reveal type of slide to “make the shapes 3-D”. For example, a simple flat circle could conceal a ball, which is a 3-D version of that shape. Or a square could be removed to reveal a toy block.
Use this in order to conceal...
This! The 3-D version!
A second way to use smartboards for this would be for the teacher to do a similar exercise in reverse. Instead of showing the 3-D version on the 2-D shapes that the students are accustomed to as the answer to the question, the teacher could instead show the 3-D object first, leaving the students to identify the corresponding 2-D shape. I think putting the result in white writing and then having a colored block placed over top of this answer that reveals it would be an interesting visual for the students. When the answer “magically” appears, I think the students will be engaged and excited. Or, similarly, the teacher could use a pull tab to drag the answer from off-screen, which is also an interesting way to reveal an answer. I think that the students will enjoy this learning when there is a visual and sometimes magical aspect to it (but the magic is all in the technology.)
Picture Bibliography:
– (February 9, 2011) “Line as Value” 130 Hannah Allgeier
http://hcallgeier02.blogspot.com/2011/02/line-as-value-6.html
(November 14, 2011)
– (2009) “Stability Balls” Fitness Source
http://www.fitnesssource.ca/fs/accessories/stability-balls.html
(November 14, 2011)
For this week’s task, I was to add a information sharing widget to my blog. I decided to add twitter, because I had not added it yet, and maybe putting it on my blog would motivate me to use it more often. I got a twitter account for this class, because I used to think it was a place for bored people to write about whatever happened to pop up in their brains. Every time I heard someone mention twitter, it was to giggle at the boring or weird things that people would tweet about. For example:
“I just ate a sandwich. It was amazing.”
“Just finished my workout and I felt the buuurn!”
“My personality test results came back. They’re negative.”
Did I really need to know about any of this? But then there are people that actually write about things that are relevant and not just the fluff that they crop out of their speech that they decide has to be published on the internet. Twitter can be useful and informative depending on the people you follow. I’m starting to see this now.
http://www.twitter.com @LindseyChow
Our tech task this week is to find and play an educational game and to write a short review on it. I was one step ahead in this case, as one of my favorite games for my Nintendo DS is Super Scribblenauts.
If you have never heard of this game, it is essentially a puzzle game with nearly endless possibilities. You play as a character named Maxwell. The main objective of every puzzle is to obtain the starite, which I personally believe is a ripoff of Mario. Sometimes to obtain the starite, you simply have to physically move Maxwell to come in contact with it. Other times, you obtain the starite by completing a puzzle given to you. The puzzles vary from completing logic sequences to creating zombies. And physically obtaining the puzzle can be as easy as climbing a tree or as difficult as navigating a naval-mine-infested ninja-shark-filled lake surrounded by spikes and tripwires.
This is not the classic “jump on your enemies until they die” type of game. In order to complete the puzzles, you need to click on a keyboard and write names of objects. Anything you write down will appear on the screen and may be used by (or against) Maxwell. I have written things like pterodactyls, cthulus, black holes, winged shoes and even God, and they all appeared on-screen. Yes, this game is that awesome. You can even add adjectives to your creations. This means that instead of making a boring tyrannosaurus rex, you can create a gargantuan shy purple tyrannosaurus rex! You know, if the need ever arises…
This, to me, is an amazing outlet for demonstrating creativity. Sometimes, the solutions to various puzzles are simple, but you are using the wrong train of thought to solve it. It is amazing how my solutions and my friends’ solutions differ so greatly. I may yank the starite from a tree with a fishing rod, while someone else will create a ladder, someone else a trampoline, and someone else a set of wings to fly up the tree! There is no limit to the solutions to these puzzles, and I think it makes any player really think outside the box.
Picture Bibliography:
– (2010) “Super Scribblenauts” Nintendo
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/nds/super_scribblenauts_18209.html
(November 1, 2011)
This week, for our online session, we had Silvia Tolisano join us for a presentation about global learning. She explained how sharing students’ work with others around the globe gives these students the motivation to create better work. When the children know that someone other than their teachers are going to appreciate their work, they want to create work that is worth appreciating.
Silvia explained that there are often students that are only aware of the situation of their own country. Because of economical and social reasons, the world is becoming more and more globally interconnected. Speaking a foreign language and being globally aware are now very important in today’s society.
For my own classroom in the future, I would want my students to communicate with other students around the world. Besides learning about the interesting differences in culture, I think the students will be amazed at the differences in the value of learning and education in other parts of the world.
Maybe there needs to be a type of social media meant specifically for education, where students worldwide can see and compare their work with others. Perhaps this exists already, but I have not heard about anything like that…
Picture Bibliography:
– (Undated) “Global Competence and the Afterschool Hours” Asia Society
http://asiasociety.org/education/afterschool/global-competence-and-afterschool-hours
(October 23, 2011)
This week for my ECMP 355 class, we have to post a one minute video on our blog. I chose to do “The Life of a U of R Student” with Kaylyn Wallen. We decided to do a bit of a parody instead of being overly serious. Who wants to watch a video of us sitting in our desks, anyway? I had a ton of fun filming this. We had to do several takes of me running through the halls and being a creeper. Needless to say, half the university population now thinks I’m completely insane. But a quarter already thought that, so I don’t really mind.
Since Kaylyn had an injury, she had the talking roles in our video, while I acted out her explanations. We used her computer to edit the movie. She had the IMovie program, which made editing really simple. I couldn’t believe how simple it was to crop out copious amounts of laughter and turn an elevator ride into a scene from Paranormal Activity.
Michelle Phan cosplaying as Sailor Moon
@ellefowler
@juicystar007
@bubzbeauty
@RiceBunny
@GregoryGorgeous
@MakeupGeek
@jimathers
@shanedawson
@TheRealRyanHiga
@Pyrobooby
These are all people I watch regularly on YouTube. The first 6 are all beauty gurus, and I often get ideas and inspiration for my makeup art watching these people, particularly @RiceBunny (Michelle Phan on YouTube). Her work is absolutely amazing. The first two are sisters that do very similar work, mostly everyday wearable looks. @bubzbeauty I tend to watch more for hair tutorials. The fifth, @GregoryGorgeous, is half beauty, half comedy. The last 4 twitter accounts are all people I watch to get a laugh. My absolute favorite is @shanedawson. His videos generally comprise of him playing every character in multiple costumes and personas. It sounds stupid, I know, but he is completely hilarious. I check on these channels almost every day!
http://luluaddict.blogspot.com/
I was addicted to Lululemon clothes a couple of years ago, and my collection is fairly extensive now. It is comfortable and functional. This blog gives frequent updates and reviews about new pieces that come in.
This is one of my favorite beauty blogs. There is information about an insane variety of products.
This is a huge mascara review archive and blog. Being a makeup addict, I like to read about what to buy before I buy it. The blogger has a nice, easy to read way of writing too.
http://shanedawsonblog.tumblr.com/
I just found out my favorite YouTuber has a blog! I will be definitely exploring this further!
http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/
I loved the movie Julie and Julia, which revolves around Julie’s blog about cooking. I figure it will be a fun blog to keep an eye on!
Picture Bibliography:
– (May 14, 2010) “Michelle Phan Cosplaying as Sailor Moon”. Up-Video.
(October 2, 2011)
lindseychow 