Technology Rich Schools UP CLOSE

Levin, B., & Schrum, L. (2013). Technology-Rich Schools UP CLOSE. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 51-55.

1. I found this article by using the Rutgers University searchlight resource. I typed the words, "education technology," into the search bar and this article came up. I choose to read and respond to this article because I thought the title seemed interesting and I thought it might have some good tips and ideas for implementing technology within the classroom.

2. The main points of this article:

• The research questions that guided this article were, "
• "How do school districts with long track records of successfully using technology approach technology integration? What can schools that are trying practices like 1:1 laptop programs or flipped classes learn from districts that have long implemented such practices?" (Levin & Schrum, 2013).
• Interestingly enough...
• the school districts that were observed -> their goals were not to simply implement technology BUT  to increase 21st century skills
• college/career readiness
• improving graduation rates
• closing achievement gaps
• schools followed a problem based learning pedagogy
• Strategies to implement technology:
• "Establish the vision and culture. The schools we studied have provided ongoing, differentiated professional development for their teachers and have worked to improve their school's culture and climate and transform their curriculum and instruction. They did so nearly simultaneously with implementing 1:1 computing environments. Leaders established a clear vision and mission and figured out how to fund these initiatives.
  Bring technology into assessment. These schools use technology systematically for ongoing formative assessment. Once assessment data are collected and analyzed, technology is one of the main tools principals and teachers use to differentiate instruction during reteaching and to offer individual remediation and additional practice. Several schools have robust learning management systems in place. At New Tech High School, it isn't just teachers who look at data; students use the learning management system to track their own progress on achieving the school's eight learning goals.
  Establish partnerships. New Tech's leaders, for instance, partnered with the Napa Valley business community to secure ongoing support for the school's unique curriculum and technology infrastructure. As a result of the Napa district's success with New Tech High, there is now a New Tech Network (www.newtechnetwork.org) that supports schools around the United States that focus on project-based learning and education technology. These schools have a 98 percent graduation rate and a 96 percent college acceptance rate" (Schrum & Levin, 2013).
  3. This article was relevant to our course study because it provides a look into educational technology programs that have been successful and that are being used in creative ways. This article also delves into strategies that can be used when implementing technology into a school- that will achieve results! The most important takeaway from this article is the idea, that you should not implement technology just for the sake of using it -- technology shouldn't be your main goal. You should reach your main goal by using technology. I think this article and it's goal aligns with the takeaways from the course. We shouldn't just use technology in simple ways that are not meaningful and relevant; we should make it relevant and meaningful for students and use technology as a vehicle to improve learning. 
  
  

Reflections

I have been responding to feedback throughout the course on my blog. I have found the responses that I have received to be very helpful in the creation of my blog as well as the development of my knowledge about multimedia and creating instructional tools. I have found the feedback to very useful because others bring up valid points that I do not necessary think of while I create my posts. The feedback enhances my learning experience and allows me to reflect more deeply upon my work.

I have found the mini art school to be extremely helpful in the development of my knowledge of this course. Rather, than just reading about design principles and elements, it was super useful to actually use and manipulate software to learn about the elements for myself. It was so much more helpful to actually do the assignments that the books discussed rather than just read about the principles. I enjoyed creating my own pieces of "art" that demonstrated the concepts discussed in this course and it will prolong my learning as well as enhance my instruction. I would like to apply these concepts to my teaching to ensure that my students are receiving the best instruction possible. 

I found this graphic on pinterest that I thought would be of note to this class:

Mini Art School 4

I had a lot of technological glitches with this post :(
This is my storyboard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gOWnTfhv0E

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cIennaVo8A

Mini Art School #3

I felt that the theme for this week's mini-art school revolved around perspective.  I created three various projects for this week that reflect my various thoughts and perspectives with regards to these assignments. 
For the first part of Mini Art School, I completed the cropping activity from the book, Design Basic Index. I took six photographs that I had previously taken and cropped them to create different photos. The differences among the photos were very interesting in that they all contained the same subjects but contained different perspectives. 
Here is a sample of my work:

The above photos are of my dog, Sebastian. I tried to crop the photo so that I would remove my friend's arm from it as well as focus more upon him as my subject.

The above photos are of my boyfriend's father's dogs. He has nine Chihuahuas, and it was almost impossible to garner a good photo of them all at once. Cropping came very much in handy with these pictures.

The above photos were taken during my vacation over the summer to Florida. I felt that the effects of this photo changed dramatically when I cropped it in various angles, and it created a variety of designs that emphasized different parts.

The above photos were also taken during my vacation in Florida. I felt that when I cropped these photos, I was able to change the photo into a panoramic photo of a street. These tools could definitely be useful when creating designs because the crops can completely change a photo.

 The above photos were taken at Lake Wallenpaupack in the Pocono Mountains. I love this picture because of how clear it's focal point is and the way that light plays upon the image.  In this case, I like the original photo best because it is just so beautiful to begin with.

This last photo was taken at a park by my home in New Jersey. I took this photo because it is a really beautiful scene that could be taken for granted if perhaps a photo was not taken of this site. In this case, I believe the cropping does not do the photo justice and it is perfect in it's natural state. The pictures were all cropped above using Fotoflexer software.

For the next part of this assignment, I created two book covers. I have a slight obsession with my dog and I wondered what would happen if we wrote a book together (crazy, I know.)

I am a bit torn about which cover I like better. The focal point of my cover is my dog, Sebastian. (I gave him credit for the book also, because they are his thoughts.) I tried to stay true to one color palette for both photos to create a theme in which the photos went well together with the type and it was not too distracting. This cover as well as the work below was created using Microsoft Publisher.

Above, I created the conveyance exercise. I tried to write the words that I was feeling in  a natural order to convey the thoughts that I were feeling at the time to the audience. I feel that there is a flow and a movement to these words due to the directions that they are facing.

Thank you for reading my blog! 

Mini Art School #2

For my second assignment for Mini art school, I decided to focus on two aspects of effective graphic design and graphic design layout. Mini Art School has really helped to broaden my conscious into being more aware of graphic design and how I receive it in my daily life. 

1. For the first part of this assignment, I decided to complete a word portrait, based upon the exercise suggested on p. 241 of the book, Design Basics Index.  For this assignment, I had to use a variety of fonts and think about their meaning. This project really made me think about how we perceive various fonts for various messages. For this, I had to write words that I thought would represent the message that the font would convey and then I wrote a word that was the opposite of what the font was trying to convey. (As shown in the example below.)  This was a very interesting assignment because I had never previously thought about the sub-conscious messages that fonts attempt to convey through their style. As our text book, White Space is not your Enemy suggests, "The best designers are experts in type and typesetting because they understand that well-styled type not only sets the document's tone but also directly impacts it's readability, legibility, and visual hierarchy" (Golombisky & Hagen,  2010, 86). This assignment was important to me as someone who is beginning to learn about design and the fundamental power and knowledge that one should obtain with regards to working with fonts. Below is my example of my word portrait: (ps. I created my word portrait with Microsoft Publisher.)

2. For the second part of this assignment, I decided to try this! exercise on page 56 in our book,  White Space is not your Enemy.  "Put your hands on a high-end magazine. Find a feature story layout that you believe really works. Then, use the elements and principles of design to explain why the layout works. Now do the same thing with an advertisement from the same issue" (Golombisky & Hagen, 2010, 56).
Luckily for me, this assignment was right up my alley. I am like the magazine queen of New Jersey and I receive so many magazines on a daily basis, that I really can't even keep up. Today, I just happened to receive my new issue of W magazine for March 2013: "Spring Fashion in Full Bloom." W magazine is an extremely upscale magazine that caters to upscale consumers of fashion; like one who will purchase a $2,500 Chanel pocketbook. I like to read these magazines and dream about the fashion that I will not be able to purchase for a very long time; if ever; but I love to peruse these magazines and look at the gorgeous photos. 
For the layout that I felt that worked was this:

This layout reminds me of the works every time layout. This layout has a main focal point of the picture of the woman on top. This picture draws my eye in and then down to the larger font, then following a progression, my eye exits through the right side of the page. The white background of the negative space in this layout allows for a contrast that enables my eye to clearly view the picture on the top of this layout and then follow the progression of the page. The two columns underneath the picture create a balance for this layout that is both aesthetically pleasing, simple, and easy to follow along.  The movement  that exists in this layout is extremely obvious and easy to follow (as previously mentioned). The desired pattern for one's eye is extremely obvious, simple, and makes the layout very strong. I believe that the principle of movement is the strongest point of this layout and it makes this layout as successful as it is. This layout demonstrates the importance of movement and how it can make or break an artifact of design.

Next, it seemed like an obvious choice for me to analyze a Michael Kors advertisement for its graphic design elements. I am a huuugeee  fan of this designer and of his style. Michael Kors is known for making his products to be simply made but beautiful and this advertisement is no exception.

The main focal point of this advertisement is the gorgeous leather MK bag that the model is holding. As soon as I saw this ad, my eye went right to the pocketbook. There is definitely a major implementation of the contrast principle at play in this advertisement. The colors of the clothing that the model is wearing allow for the whiteness of the bag to stick out in contrast. Mr. Kors also uses the white for his logo to appear on this advertisement because of the stark brown background of the desert scenery. The white in this advertisement really pops against the background and the diversity of colors that exists.  There is also the element of balance at play during the conveyance of this message on this advertisement. The model is holding the bag on an angle because she is sitting on an angle. This idea represents the unity that exists within this advertisement. This advertisement is very simple but it manages to transmit its' message to me, "BUY THIS BEAUTIFUL WHITE LEATHER MICHAEL KORS BAG."  

Mini Art School #1

Hi everyone!

I had a lot of fun creating the visual and design aspects of this blog that you will get to see. It was great for me to actually use the software and create visuals using the design rules that I have read about in the texts for this week's class.
Assignment 1
For the first part of this blog post, I went to one of my favorite blogging websites, Hellogiggles.com and critiqued it's graphic design according to the "Ten Web Design Rules that You Can Break," from the website Webdesigner Depot that was linked to our eCollege course page. I created a screen-cast, using the software "Screencast o matic." I  have previously used this software and find it very easy to operate and access.

Here is the link to my screen cast!
http://screencast-o-matic.com/u/MDp/hellogigglescreencastly

Assignment 2
For the second part of this week's blog post, I decided to do the assignment, "Design Basics Index: Decisive Design Presentation exercise"  on page 71 in the text. For this assignment, I had to draw a variety of borders and within those borders create sketches using geographic designs. I created my drawing on my iPad using the application, "Doodle Buddy." I experimented with the type of brush I used (size, type...etc.) and the effects that were available in the program (glitter and smudge.) Experimenting with this program provided me with a wonderful activity to see how my iPad can be used to create various aspects of graphic design, especially the initial stages. (Unfortunately, I am not the most artistic individual so please excuse my drawing if it looks like it was done by a five year old---it was me.)

It was very interesting to see how I could use the various tools within this program to create a graphic design. It was also very easy to export and send, which is something very important that I would like in a design software. This aspect of the assignment allowed me to be creative and use my iPad for a different purpose (rather than browsing on Facebook or pinning on Pinterest)

Assignment 3
For the third section of this blog post, I decided to create the "Design Basic Index: Harmony Exercise,"  which was listed on page 58-9 of the text. For this section, I decided to create three various posters for a summer music festival. I chose my type of music to be techno or house music because it carries a stigma for using bold graphic design in it's advertisements and shows. I used the program, Microsoft Publisher, to create my posters. I have not had too much experience using design software so I was not comfortable using other software products. (I tried to use the software Gimp, but as I was very confused.) I am hoping to be able to use other types of software to create more designs in the future. As I started creating with this software, I became very comfortable with the idea of creating design and I started becoming more creative with my work. As one can see, as my progression of designs grows, so does my creativity (I hope.)

Thinkfinity Groups

When thinking about my upcoming Multimedia Montage Project, I have joined two additional groups on the thinkfinity.org website that I think will enhance my project. The two groups that I have joined include: Technology Integration K-5 and Reaching English Language Learners.

I have decided to join the technology integration group because I believe my participation in this group will help me answer the essential question from week 1, "What are 21st century skills and why are they important?" I hope that that my membership in this group will prove to be fruitful; in that I will gain a practical insight into how (specifically) technology is being integrated into elementary classrooms. I chose to focus on elementary because I think that my project will focus on the audience of elementary students (since I student taught K-5 ESL- I have some experience teaching and appealing to this audience.) When I think about the implementation of  21st century skills in an elementary classroom, the idea from the "Curriculum and Instruction: A 21st Century Skills Implementation Guide," and how it addressed the manners in which schools can meet the needs of these learners in a time when "pen and paper" methods of teaching are becoming obsolete. "To meet the needs of twenty first century learners schools need to adapt a twenty first century skills  curriculum and employ methods of instruction that integrate innovative research proven teaching strategies, modern learning technologies, and real world resources and contexts" (Partnership for 21st century skills). I am hoping that my membership in this group will enable me to learn how to teach to students who have grown up with today's digital tools and access to multimedia and smartphones.

I also have decided to join the group, "Reaching English Language Learners," because I hope that this group will be able to provide me valuable insight into how to teach my specific my specific content subject matter of ESL.I am hoping my participation in this group will help me create my "toolbox," full of teaching resources and strategies that I will be able to use during my future teaching career.