Digital Stories

Digital stories are a great way to get students engaged by either watching a story that teaches content, or by the students physically creating one. Digital stories would be a great way to introduce new material before a lesson to get the students interested. When a class makes their own digital story, it can help students organize ideas as they learn to create stories for an audience, and present their ideas and knowledge in a meaningful way.

We watched a plethora of digital stories in class, but there are two that stick out in my mind. There was a digital story that I really liked, and one that I did not care for all that much. The digital story that I really liked was about animals in the rainforest. Students each drew a picture of an animal in the rainforest and read an interesting fact about each animal. This video was full of intriguing details and creative illustrations. I felt like this was a very unique way for students to do research.

The other digital story was about a letter to the president. This video was definitely made to express the opinions of those who do not support our president and his decisions. Although I did not agree with this video, I saw that digital storytelling is an excellent way to invoke feelings, and express opinions/thoughts/ideas of others.

Martin Scorese: The Importance of Visual Literacy

As a future teacher, I feel very convicted about meeting the needs of all students. To do this, teachers need to be aware of all the different learning styles, and how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students. This video about the importance of visual literacy helped me to see that not only do the visual learners need to be exposed to images and develop skills to interpret them, but all learners need to be able to make meaning from an image. Martin Scorsese states that it is very important to reach young children at an early age to look at images and interpret them. Visual literacy is another type of intelligence that is beneficial for students to possess. Visual literacy allows students to see how ideas and emotions are expressed through a visual form the same as grammar or vocabulary. Before watching this video, I was unaware of how strong visual literacy is, and how powerful it can be for students to develop. By teaching visual literacy to my students, I will be enabling them to express themselves through visual images.

Day 1 Teaching Perceptions

1. Who are you and what are you going to teach/do as a result of the degree you're currently seeking?

My name is Alexis Outlaw. I am an Early Childhood Education major, and I will be teaching kindergarten at Canongate Elementary in the fall.

2. Why are you taking this class and how do you feel about that?

I am taking this class so I can become more familiar and comfortable using technology. I look forward to integrating technology in my own classroom. I am excited about being able to use the tools I learn from this class to become a more efficient and effective teacher.

3. What do teachers/others need to know about supporting learning with technology and why do think they need to know it?

It is very important to support learning with technology. So many things are done on the computer today, and that is not going to change. The computer allows us to find information instantly. Another great form of technology in the classrooms is Promethean boards. The students absolutely love being able to learn while doing. They are actively engaged while using the activ board.

4. What do you hope to get out of this class?

By the end of this course, I hope to be able to develop tools that I will be able to put in my toolbox to help incorporate technology in my classroom. I think it would be wonderful for me to feel comfortable enough to create a blog for my classroom for the parents and students.

5. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to using technology?

A weakness of mine when using technology is becoming anxious. I get frustrated really easily when I can not figure out my mistake. A strength of mine when it comes to using technology is I always like to try new things, and I like to get my students actively involved in learning. Technology will allow me to do so.