Web+Design+Course

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Final Reflection:

==Last week’s collaborative activity in which we worked as a team via the web to create a website to promote technology in education reminded me of how important it is to learn to work together as a team. I don’t think that any of my teammates are within a fifty mile radius of my home or work nor would our extremely busy schedules allow us to meet. As educators, we must understand that our learners will come from all different types of homes and levels of technology expertise. If we utilize social media and simple to follow directions for today’s more user friendly programs and applications, we can provide many equitable opportunities for our learners. Today’s K-12 students are very different from even their recently graduated peers. These students are digital natives. They live in a world in which digital technology is part of the texture of their daily lives. They have never known a world without technology. Technology is their ―native language and they expect to use technology in school (Understanding Multimedia Learning). We would be letting down our students if we don’t live up to their expectations and those that society has placed upon us.==

==The introduction of the acronym, CRAP, was rather ironic. It is a word typically not viewed in a positive manner on school campuses and seems like something we would want to avoid using in front of students. CRAP is useful because it allows students and teachers alike to present information in a manner that is easy on the eyes and organized. I’ve always known to follow the bullet point rules when creating a powerpoint yet it never dawned on me that the same rules would apply to social media, posters, websites, business cards, etc… It is funny how sometimes one can be enlightened by such a simple AHA moment.==

==I am a procrastinator by nature, and I have learned that my personality “weakness” won’t really keep me from using some of the more modern web 2.0 tools. Many students, believe it or not, are just like me in the fact that they do not mind putting things off because the simplicity and ease of use for creating and designing using tools such as Google Sites or Wikispaces. If you are trying to edit or upload a video to your site, there is an app or YouTube video that will show you how. Gone are the days where you have to use HTML language to create a site. All one has to do is click and type.==

==Anytime that I find a tool that I could find as a potential use, I share it immediately with my coworkers who have a similar passion for technology in the classroom. I shared the animation software with my fourth grade counterparts who are uploading in the computer lab now so the upper grade students can utilize the free program. I mostly learn through action and reflection, as do most students. I continue to test and evaluate learning tools to see whether or not they are going to successfully prepare our 21st century learners for life after elementary school. I blog and collaborate, and according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, I complete work at an analyzing and evaluating level. I want to continue this trend with my students and fellow teachers. It is a much harder task than it looks.==

==I thoroughly enjoy the addition of websites into our everyday lessons and learning. I try to add a new site each week where the first graders in my classroom can find extra help on their math and reading as well as keyboarding and typing skills. Every student is given at least one hour each week to explore the sites that we have visited and learned from. At this age, it is better to keep things simple and not get too far in depth in the creation of a new site. I say that only because I have quite a few students and not enough time in the day to cover websites the way I really want to. Also, funding for technology isn’t really that large on my campus either.==

==Churches, A. (2007, April). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Retrieved from [|http:// www.techlearning.com/article/blooms-taxonomy-blooms-digitally/44988]==

==__Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating Multimedia in the K12 Classroom__. (2008, September). Retrieved from []==


A look into the history of Graphic Communication...

My first impression of Baybar’s Magnificent Qur’an was one of amazement. The colors and thickness of the print had me yearning to read on and on. Of course, I don’t know the language, but the contrast of the print had me wanting to learn another language. Each page has six lines of text, which makes for a repeated pattern that is wonderful on the eyes. The print is justified so that each page looks uniform. He uses red ink to denote headings and uses a blue dot to denote the vowels. There are symbols located near text that needs them which makes this Qur’an a wonderfully easy read (if you know the language) or a beautiful piece of artwork (for those of us who can’t read the language but enjoy a good book).