Pecha Kucha – Nicole Gross

A Walk Through A Slide: I decided to choose this picture because it shows the reality of anonymous online bullying. This image is from a website called Formspring. I, like most people, have had accounts with Formspring and many other social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. They are just addicting to be on.

This picture fit in perfectly with my narrative because throughout the whole narrative, bullying and cyberbullying were the main topics. In this particular picture, cyberbullying is occurring because people are saying mean things such as “you are fat”, “do you try to look ugly or do you always look like that?” and “they would never like you”, which are all hurtful comments. For this slide in my pecha kucha presentation, Kevin Kelly acknowledged how social media would expand beyond what they originally thought. Formspring really took over in 2006-2010. This was not like any other social media website like Facebook or Twitter. This was just anonymous comments from people. I chose Kevin Kelly’s article, We Are the Web because it made me think of the various amounts of social media websites there actually are. When I think social media, I think Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The more social media, the more cyberbullying occurs.

I felt as if this picture fit in perfectly with my slides because it shows a real life example of cyberbullying. I think this picture stood out to most people because of the hurtful comments that people do make and can relate to it, even if it hasn’t happened to them. This picture builds on my argument by giving proof. Anyone can say things like “I hate you” or “go away” but those are different. Cyberbullying has to go a little deeper and has to impact a person. For example, in the picture the second response says, “I try to look pretty but…” which shows it has impacted this person’s confidence. Overall, I’m very glad I found this picture because I think it helped describe and prove our point about how bullying and cyberbullying affect people.

If I were to change one thing, I would have changed the order in which we discussed things. For example, I think Facebook should have been included and the first topic of discussion since it is one of the biggest social media cites with a lot of bullying.

What I learned about my blog topic: My blog topic was future teachers of America. I thought this was a very fitting topic for my group since we are all aspiring to become teachers. I have been learning all about the teaching process throughout my years in college, whether at Rowan or another school. I felt as if this was an easy topic to relate anything to because we are always learning new things.

Each article in the readings, I was able to relate to the topic of teaching. For example, Bolter’s article and the Memex article. Bolter’s article was about the technology in writing so I related it to teaching writing in the classroom multiple ways. For the memex article, I was able to compare how technology helps our writing today and how the memex was used back then. These articles gave me a new perspective on writing and ideas that I didn’t even know were possible. It showed me how we can still get by even with the use of little technology or tons of technology.

For my outside readings, I found it very interesting because there were so many topics I could choose from. My favorite, however, was the Ellen Degeneres blog post. I have been watching The Ellen Show for many years, it is my favorite daytime talk show. Constantly, Ellen and her team have been helping teachers because they understand how difficult it can be. Just the little things can go such a long way. I felt as if this was a great opportunity to give credit to Ellen because some day I hope I get recognized as an outstanding teacher.

Overall, my blog topic was perfect for me. I enjoyed reading these articles whether required or not because they were pertaining to my future. It impacted me in a way that many people won’t understand because of their choice of career. Education is such an important thing that people should not take for granted. Also, I hope as a future educator that people start to see what a different we truly make in student’s lives.

Tweet Tweet Tweet – Nicole Gross

I have always had a love for Twitter. I think it is incredibly cool how you can tweet at famous people directly. That was my main reason for starting a Twitter account in the first place. However, Twitter can be used for an educational purpose if you follow the right people. For module 3 in my Introduction to Writing Arts class, I think that it really opened my eyes to a whole new world of Twitter.

During this Twitter assignment, I would live tweet about reading assignments or even a story being shared in class. I enjoy live tweeting when I am able to because it is something to capture in the moment. For example, my professor shared a story about the police, which I thoroughly enjoyed so I “live tweeted” (see below).

Really enjoyed the story about the police. So funny. #tfw2

— Nicole Gross (@nicole_gross3) April 15, 2015

 

If you check out my Twitter account (@nicole_gross3), you will see every time I would live tweet when my tweets start with “*live tweeting*”. Also, we had several readings to blog about for this module. Although the readings were sometimes long, they were always interesting and showed me something new. It was difficult for me to live tweet while reading because I would end up getting distracted and looking around on Twitter. I ended up embedding a few tweets in previous blogs from the Huffington Post Educational twitter account since I found them to have the most recent information open for discussion. Personally, from all of the accounts I followed in the Educational    community, @HuffPostEdu was my favorite. This account has some very informative tweets along with links to their article about the topic. I found myself replying to this account mainly because as a future teacher, I can relate to their articles. Unfortunately, no one ever replied to these tweets. Although that was a little discouraging, I didn’t let it stop me from tweeting to them again. Since the Huffington Post Educational is a news source for all people in the field of education, their account is following many editors of magazines and newspapers. Also, they are being followed by workers in schools such as librarians, art teachers, etc. This account tweets several times a day, each post being a relative tweet to today’s news. This account is up to date with their posts and articles. Their tweets mention what their attached article is about. I think that is smart because it hooks your followers right away. Check out the tweet below from Huffington Post Educational’s account. This particular tweet caught my attention right away because bullying is a big problem in schools, which is something I need to be aware of as a future teacher. This is one tweet I replied to, but got no response.

 

@HuffPostEdu These laws need to be proven they’re effective. There is constant bullying going on not only in schools but outside too. #tfw2

— Nicole Gross (@nicole_gross3) April 28, 2015

Overall, this Twitter assignment was something different, something I had never been asked to do for a class. I think that it was a great way to get yourself in your professional community. Social media is a great way to network yourself, if you network yourself with the right people.

Challenge Accepted – Nicole Gross

Everyone is on Facebook these days, it seems to be the social norm. Personally, I use Facebook to connect with friends in other countries and to stay updated with events going on during school. It was difficult to decide whether or not to give Facebook up or something else. I felt as if I would miss too much about what is going on if I were to not go on Facebook for a week, so I chose to give up Instagram instead.

Instagram (for those who might not know) is another social media app where you can post pictures or videos. You have, like Twitter, followers and you follow others. Personally, it took me a long time to start enjoying Instagram because I felt as if it were like another Twitter. Of the three social medias, Twitter is my favorite. This “experiment” to not use Instagram for a week was challenging. There were times where I would accidentally got on it out of habit since I’m so used to having it. The first two or three days were the hardest because it had just gotten taken away, almost like a child being punished and not being able to watch television. 

I have had a similar experience when I would go on vacation out of the country and wasn’t able to use my phone at all. I had to go from one hundrend to zero in a blink of an eye for a week. I wasn’t able to send or receive text messages, use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This was very tough for me. I always felt that after the first day of feeling empty without your phone was done, it only got easier. The only difference between this vacation and this assignment was that I was constantly busy on vacation and didn’t think about it too often, whereas during school, it’s all about socializing so it’s more of a necessity.

Overall, this assignment opened my eyes to how much we are dependent and addicted to social media. It has become a part of our everyday lives, which we are used to. Instagram isn’t such a big deal like Facebook is, however they are alike in the way that our minds work around social media. People jump from one social media to another all day long trying to stay updated. I felt as if this was a refresher for most people and had them focus on something different for a change.

“The best teachers I’ve ever had have used technology to enhance learning.”—H.S. student Katie Benmar http://t.co/qGTNF406c1 #ewopinion

— Education Week (@educationweek) April 28, 2015

One In a Million – Nicole Gross

I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate Ellen Degeneres. Her daytime talk show is one of my favorites for several reasons. However, the main reason is that she helps teachers all around the world who try their very best to provide as much as they can for their students. I enjoy finding these videos because I know they are going to get a surprise of a lifetime. Recently, I saw a video that really touched my heart. It’s truly amazing how much something as small as money can do to someones life.

In this video, Sonya Romero is a kindergarten teacher in New Mexico who makes sure her students are all fed and wearing clean clothes before she starts her lessons for the day. This is a quality so rare that teachers have. One day, I will strive to be just like Sonya who is a true inspiration to not only me but to all teachers. This video really shows her passion for teaching and compassion as a teacher (honestly, I did not make it through this video without tearing up). She feels as if she is a “first responder” for these students. She became a foster parent to former students because they had no where else to go. She took on the responsibility because she puts others before herself. Sonya is a hero to all children and look upon as a fantastic role model at her elementary school.

The video shows how Target donated $10,000 to Sonya and $10,000 to the elementary school. This amazing gift will go a long way for both the school and Sonya. Sonya already has a son of her own plus foster children, so I’m sure she very much appreciated this surprise. Teachers in general, don’t make a lot of money (which should be changed since teachers make a huge difference in the world) so this donation is genuinely humbling, even from an outsiders point of view. I hope one day that more teachers will be recognized for their amazing job and difference that they make in a student’s life. Teachers are more impactful on children than you might think.

I have tweeted several times (@nicole_gross3) about how the Ellen Degeneres show changes teachers lives. I hope to one day impact students the way that Sonya does. Sonya is one in a million teachers. School administration should be looking for these qualities before hiring teachers because of the impact that they will make on potential students.

So incredibly amazing how much @TheEllenShow helps teachers. It really warms my heart that there are great people in the world still. #tfw2

— Nicole Gross (@nicole_gross3) April 16, 2015

Screen Shot – Nicole Gross

In Kevin Kelly’s New York Times article, “Idea Lab – Becoming Screen Literate” opens up our eyes to a whole new vision of screens in technology. The first thing that I thought was super interesting was how he explains to us how screens are everywhere. When you think of screens, you probably think about a computer screen or a television screen. I never considered the ATM (see picture below) to have a screen or the supermarkets self check out machines (see picture to the right), but in fact, Kelly is right when he says this. “We are becoming people of the screen” (Kelly). This is true because it is fast and reliable. There is a lot less wait time with these screens. We cannot escape from these screens. No matter what, more and more screens are going to appear in our everyday lives. For example, traveling by airplane can have a screen for the passengers to watch a movie on during a long flight.

However, there is another type of screen that Kelly mentions, film screens. For example, Hollywood film screens make a ton of money and are a huge success. On the other hand, films on YouTube are being produced by normal human begins like you. These films can be original movies or homemade videos. Either way, film screens are widely known and can be a big success. As a future educator, I think that making films is a good way of students to express themselves. For instance, the student can record themselves playing the guitar and singing. This can show you a lot about that student. Also, a student can be given a choice of movies to watch and do a creative assignment on that movie. This allows the student to express themselves through art.

We need the liberal arts more than ever in today's digital world, Fareed Zakaria says http://t.co/gcnFWSK8oj

— HuffPostEducation (@HuffPostEdu) April 21, 2015

Lastly, cinematography is key when writing and producing screen films. Cinematograhy is “a film [that] is planned out in scenes; the scenes are filmed (usually more than once); and from a surfeit of these captured scenes, a movie is assembled” (Kelly). With the development of screen technology, movie making is a little bit easier. Kelly says, “it is like a writer’s paragraph, constantly being revised. Scenes are not captured (as in a photo) but built up incrementally”.

There are many types of screens, today. Technology is taking over many screens such as computers, tablets, television, movies, and even everyday errands. Kelly discusses with us his reasoning for how we need to adapt to the screens around us. Screens are everywhere.

Red Light Green Light – Nicole Gross

In my previous blog, I talked a little bit about technology in the classroom. As future educators, I find this to be a very important topic of discussion since technology isn’t going anywhere so quickly. Kinjo Kiema wrote “As Schools Lift Bans on Cell Phones, Educators Weigh Pros and Cons” which talks a lot about the use of cell phones in the classroom. There are many ways to make the classroom interactive and engaging with technology.

As tablets and technology become more prevalent in schools, experts are examining their pluses and minuses. http://t.co/eNNrGMh91W

— Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) April 3, 2015

This article was exactly what I would have written. First, many students already do have cell phones, more specifically, smartphones. These devices are capable of more than just calling, texting, and games. There are applications made to help students with school. For example, there are notebook apps which allow students to stay organized. This would actually help many students. Also, there are applications such as word searches or crossword puzzles that can help expand a student’s vocabulary and spelling. These can be easily applied to any lesson plan.

Second, we need to embrace the use of smartphones by making them part of the lesson. This can be used as a great review game. For example, there is a great interactive website, Kahoot, that allows students to log in on their phones and connect to the review game. This would give the students that opportunity to use their phones, but for an educational purpose.

Lastly, some schools have “cell phone zones” where you are only allowed to use your cell phone in that identified area. Another way to use these “zones” inside your classroom could be “signs indicating whether the students can use their devices. A green stoplight means they can use them; red means no” (Kiema). Using a stoplight is a way of guidance yet there are expectations. If you are using this in your classroom, it has to be monitored. If the students are not using their time appropriately, cell phones should go away for the rest of the day.

There are many other resources teachers could use to incorporate cell phones into their lessons. Again, we need to embrace the technology since it’s going to continue to expand and grow. As a future teacher, I understand that the majority of my students will have a cell phone, but why should we scold them to put it away when it can be used as a part of instruction? Teachers need to provide an lesson that utilizes these devices.

Technological Literacy – Nicole Gross

As a student in the field of Education, technology has always been a topic of discussion with many pros and cons. From past discussions, many people think that technology, specifically in the classroom is a bad thing. However, I think that is wrong. Since technology has become a big part of today’s world, we need to embrace it. When you walk into a classroom, you’ll mostly always find a computer in that room. Technology is something that even teachers need to learn. 

In the essay, “What is Technological Literacy?” by Cynthia Selfe, she mentions how “the technological literacy practices and skills characterize official schooling environments often affect technological literacy practices at home (e.g., the use of a home computer and the WWW to complete homework assignments or to practice approved literacy skills)[…] (Selfe 14). As a future teacher, I find that to be completely true. Skills being used in the classroom have a direct impact on skills being used at home. If a student isn’t using those skills in the classroom, such as reading and writing, then the student wouldn’t know how to use them at home. This is a big reason why students need resources inside the classroom. This is where homework plays a big role in a child’s education. Their homework is an indicator if they are learning and applying the skills that have been taught. Technological literacy has several definitions according to Selfe, but the one that stood out to me the most as a future educator was, “Technological literacy involves computer skills and the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity, and performance” (Selfe 10). Selfe explains how there are many components that impact a student’s education.

Even Harry Keller, who wrote “Technological Literacy: The Key to Education Reform” agrees with Selfe about technological literacy. This article is very similar in the way they discuss how these definitions “overlap” yet they are different. I thought that since these two articles were very similar that it guaranteed Selfe’s accuracy on the topic.

Overall, Selfe and Keller both make great points when talking about technological literacy. This is an important topic to recognize, espeically for someone like me, who aspires to become a teacher. As a whole, technology has direct impacts on students, but in a positive way if the resources are available. Since technology isn’t going away, yet growing larger and larger, we need to realize the importance of technology and literacy together, but also seperated.

Memex is the new memory? – Nicole Gross

Since this article is taking place in the year 1945, technology wasn’t around like it is today. “Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, “memex” will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. [This is similar to a computer in todays world.] It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory (Bush 4)”. This must have been the coolest invention back then. Now that the Memex is taking over, there is a plethera of information out there and organized by material and mircofilm.

You might think that a memex is just a desk. But you thought wrong. “On the top are slanting translucent screens, on which material can be projected for convenient reading. There is a keyboard, and sets of buttons and levers. Otherwise it looks like an ordinary desk” (Bush 4). Keyboards have really evolved so much over the years. You can see that in the first picture is a typewriter compared to the picture below of an standard MacBook keyboard. There are signifcant differences such as the size and layout of the two keyboards. The Memex stores so much information like an encyclopedia. To store these items in view, the other can be instantly remembered by pressing a button below on the Memex, using the corresponding code space provided.

I’m so glad that technology has evolved over the years. Growing up with computers makes me realize how much typing is a second nature to people my age. Thinking back to when the memex was invented, people must have been in awe. For people to have information in books, spending hours and hours researching where as now, people can use the memex and get answers much more efficiently. Compared to todays world where people can get information at the touch of their fingertips. If I were put back in the time of when people were using a memex, I would get frustrated very easily. The only good I would find out of the memex today, would be the capability of memory. Also, anything you want to know, you will find an answer to on the internet almost instantly. It’s truely amazing to compare the two and see how similar, yet different they are and how much time has improved each type of technology.

Bolter’s View on Technology in Writing – Nicole Gross

Bolter has many good ideas about writing and writing technologies in his article. One thing that he mentioned that caught my attention right away was about the pen. “Despite its apparent immediacy, however, oral poetry is no more natural than writing, just as writing with a pen and paper is no more natural, no less technological, than writing on a computer screen” (Bolter 17).This is true in my life. I find that typing on a computer is now as technological as writing free handedly.

With the rise of technology today, writing has multiple meaning, not just writing with a pen and paper. Writing can be different genres and written in several fashions, such as through a computer. “Each technology of writing involves different materials or different ways of deploying the writing materials, and these differences are significant” (Bolter 19). This is very important, especially in the classroom. Students need to be aware of the necessary materials required for class whether it is a pen and paper for in class activities or tablets to type their assignments on.

It’s important to remember that each culture has their ownstyle of writing. People come from all around the world with different knowledge about writing, so it is important to figure out the proper tools needed to write and write with technology.

Towards the end of Bolter’s article, in Chapter 3, hypertext is mentioned. I find that hypertexts are an important part of technological writing. For example, this can help expand a readers mind and open their minds up to something new. Also, hypertexts can help develop someone’s writing with new ideas and tools. This can help you verify information that is being expressed. Even though this part of Bolter’s article is cut off, I think it is importnat to recognize it.

Lastly, Bolter explains to us about remediation in writing. He explains how “in Western Europe the shift from handwritten codex to printed book was another such refashioning, and the shift to electronic wrting is yet another” (Bolter 23). This explains how such a change takes place from shift to shift. It must have been difficult for people to adapt to each change in writing. I know that today, it takes time to get used to different keyboards because we get used to a specific one and others can have different features. For example, the keys are be spaced further or closer apart. Bolter makes great points about his view on technology in writing.