CHAPTER 7 RESPONSE
What I found interesting about tonight's session was that no one seemed interested in trying different devices to play with the images. It just seemed a natural choice to go with the device that pulled it all together - your smartphone. As you'll see in one of my questions below, I'd like you to think about how this might work in an educational setting. What if you don't have a network to automatically upload photos to? What if you want kids to capture the images?Create a comment below and share your thoughts about the potential uses of images and web albums in your teaching. I also have a challenge - can you figure out how to integrate an image or web album to illustrate text? [Note: replies or comments don't come with a WYSIWYG formatting bar. Hint - HTML].
Hint - you cannot embed an actual picture into a Comment or Reply. However, you can link to a picture or web album on the web. Here's the HTML Code to do this:
<a href="http://www.example.com">Link Text</a >
And here's my example: <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113313076007755257203/TechClass?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-ppuX5gdunbw&feat=directlink"> Picasa Web Album</a> which shows up like this: Picasa Web Album link. You can also see how it looks in the Reply I created below.
In your response: Speak to some specific activities or uses that you might implement. What devices do you think you would need in the classroom to give all of your students access? What are some barriers or opportunities you imagine?
I did a little research and it seems you cannot embed an actual picture to a Comment. However, you can link to a picture on the web. Here's the HTML Code to insert a link: [a href="http://www.example.com">Test link< >
ReplyDeleteAnd here's my example: Picase Web Album link
I really like the idea of using images and web albums while teaching but I'm obviously not going to let the kids use my smartphone to to it. In the school district I work for, the 5th graders all have their own iPad to use while they are at school and some of the younger kids have iPod touches available to them which are all capable of capturing images and video. I can see these being a great tool for the kids to use for presentations. I have also noticed that our kids are getting less opportunities to go out on field trips due to budget cuts and I think that a teacher could use web albums to offer their class a virtual tour of many different places.
ReplyDeleteI decided to share the link to one of my Picasa albums that shows a few pictures I took at work:
Picasa Web Album Link
Thanks Sierra - glad to see you got the HTML code to work.
DeleteYou raise a point that I wonder about when you say "I really like the idea of using images and web albums while teaching I'm obviously not going to let the kids use my smartphone to to it" It's great that kids have iPads or iPod touches to use to capture things like images and video, but my question is how well prepared will you all be as teachers to help the kids keep this data organized? This is a question I would like all of you to consider in terms of coordinating, organizing and using digital products productively to either reflect or support student learning. Now that we've had a first session on multimedia, I wonder how many of you have been thinking about what a plan for this might look like?
Coming from a perspective of someone who works in a school with classrooms each having their own sets of iPads and Chromebooks, there are a multitude of ideas that come to mind while thinking specifically about taking and publishing images in the classroom. Something that I thought of recently on a field trip with a group of fourth graders, was the potential to document our trip and be able to share it with people outside our classroom. The fact that our fourth graders have access to mobile devices, and are more savvy with them than myself, I starting thinking about the possibilities. Thinking back to our class on blogs, I thought it would be a really cool idea to send a select few students out in the field (Gales Creek Watershed) to take pictures, then come back and be able to share those images whether on a class blog, website, or simply teaching them how to upload the images and send them in an e-mail. Facilitating a lesson like this would be easier in the classroom I am in currently because we already have access to mobile devices. There could potentially be some barriers in schools that couldn't afford to have sets of mobile devices for the students, or even finding devices that were suitable for students with varying needs. I think that an activity like this would be really awesome and beneficial for students because it could teach them different facets of utilizing technology in the classroom. They can learn to take images on a mobile device (if they don't already!), upload them/ save them in a folder, and post them to a sharing website or blog.
ReplyDeleteLink Text
As I was thinking about my response to Tuesday class, I thought about using the iPod and iPad in our classrooms in an updated version of the Nature walks I used to take my children on. I thought the devices could be used to visually record the changes that happen. Pick a deciduous plant and visually record what happens to it each week during the school year. In schools that have a school garden, keep a visual record of what happens in one segment of the garden. The report could be part of the classroom blog or the school’s Facebook page. This information could also be used for writing prompt: compare two weeks and describe the differences. As far as organizing the data, this is a big challenge for me personally and I would need a lot more growth in this area to adequately teach it, especially to the younger grades. In brainstorming about this, I thought of paring up the 4th and 5th graders with a k/1 buddy and have the older students help their buddy organize the data they have collected. This would not only help the teachers with data organization, it would have the added bonus of building connections in the school community. In our school, this would be a good thing as the 4th and 5th graders are in a different wing of the building from the K, 1, 2 and there is not a lot of interaction between them.
ReplyDeleteI went outside of my house to take a short video of something in my garden as a starting place for my idea and was surprised by one of the more regular visitors to my yard. Four Legged Friends
A picture is worth 1000 words! I find this to be especially true in the world of special education. Now that more and more is understood about the power of visual supports, images play a huge roll in the daily life of a special educator. As an assistant, I currently use a visual schedule, a “first/then” visual and a visual token system to encourage positive reinforcement. The use of these online photo tools is an effective way to create meaningful visual supports. I also love the idea of documenting the school year with photo albums. Photos are a way to present information that is more accessible to most, regardless of ability level.
ReplyDeleteI would agree Natalie. It is a medium we all respond to, but then for those who are non verbal I imagine using images must be huge
DeleteMy first thoughts about using pictures in a math classroom are not very positive. In a traditional sense how or why would we need to have images in a math classroom? Then I thought about how students could collaborate their notes or ideas with others online via sharing a picture. I also thought that maybe a student could see other examples from other educators that may cover the topic slightly differently. Since most students have devices that are capable of taking and uploading pictures I don’t think it would be a huge deal to implement something like this for extra support. For students who don’t have a device most school have devices in classrooms that the student could use if needed.
ReplyDeleteRandom Pic From Class
Like how you're thinking this through Caleb. Providing multiple representations of information, as well as allowing students to represent their understanding in multiple ways, is an effective strategy for reaching a wide range of learning needs [SPED, ELL...]
DeleteSo my comment just got erased when I hit preview-so I will try this again! I think images are powerful no matter the content area. So much of our experience is a visula connection or picture. I love all this as I am an amateur photographer who is currently on hiatus. So many projects can be built upon teaching technique, techology, learing to communicate and broaden experiences. Histories, science projects, writing, story telling and building of math ideas with visual topics and applications would be super!
ReplyDeleteHere is a view from my desk in Tech Class: [a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AoTaA8iaHKaAL7Vw3Rt-DfAoFVHRzVnp1FuGajEKdHw?feat=directlink">Test link< >
Ok- I am going to try and put in the photo again...
DeletePicasa Web Album
You got it! HTML is very picky, and I see that you had square brackets [ ] instead of < >
DeleteBut when you get it right, magic happens :0)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the previous deleted comments. Anyways... Obviously in a Special Ed. setting we use a lot of pictures to work with and teach our students. I currently have a student who loves to take pictures of herself and look at them over and over again. The pictures are simply of her and some of her many facial expressions. She uses it as a calming mechanism whenever she is feeling agitated or unsettled. My 22 year old nephew who also has autism does the same thing. However, he takes pictures of things that he sees and comes home and loads them on to the computer to look at over and over again. He has done this his whole life. Another interesting way we use images in our classroom and something that I would do in my own classroom is as part of a daily home report. We have a number of images available for our kids to choose from to glue onto a "Home Report" template that communicates in a very simple manner what their kids have been doing that day. Choices range from lunch, recess to various academics and specials. It is very successful and our parents really seem to enjoy seeing what their children are doing on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteNow worries about the deleted comments - I can take them out.
DeleteYou describe some interesting uses of images at your school. I'm fascinated by the student who likes to take selfies. As a parent of 4 girls, I have been amazed at how they are constantly taking pictures of themselves and posting them. It seems like a means of figuring out who they are. I'm reminded of the reference in the Sensoy Ch2 Socialization reading to the "Looking Glass Self" and the notion of how we come come to know who we are through what others reflect back to us. With the proliferation of video logs, selfies and the like that young people seem obsessed with these days, I wonder how these social media - which both reflect back to self as well as to others - influence personal identity?
I have read some things about selfies and narcissism. Some people may think that this is the case, but the intial research into selfies points to something different than egocentrism. It is pointing to more of a development of self awareness and identity. People explore their personality and differnt "hats" that they may wish to experiement with in the use of "selfie". On a different note- if you want a "selfish" and narcissistic take on selfies checkout the electonic dance track by Chainsmoker, "Selfie". Once you hear this song you will be forever tainted-just a warning!
DeleteI like the idea of giving students simple digital cameras and memory card to use for a week or two at a time. I would then have them make a photo journal of their experiences from their points of view. This would give them some journalism experience as well as practice uploading and editing images. Another good idea from the book that resonated with me was the idea of doing virtual field trips using images of places and landscapes found on the web. This would be great practice in both searching out the images and doing research, and also editing and manipulating images found on the web or uploaded. In my classroom this would work great because some of my students cant get out in the community as much because of behaviors or medical issues. We also try and use real images when doing picture schedules for students instead of just the generic Board Maker images. I think that this will help make a better connection for some students and can be more specific.I have been taking pictures of all of our activities and community outings during the entire year so I can make a yearbook and slideshow for our end of the year graduation and BBQ. I think that it is important for the parents to see the fun things that their children do at school. Especially for the parents who have nonverbal children.
ReplyDeleteJames I think you raise a good point about taking authentic pictures vs. using clip art or images in programs like board maker. As it can be difficult to determine the full extent of some of the processing challenges students are facing, I believe capturing images true to the student's authentic environment may help them to make better connections. I actually think that would make a fascinating research study.
DeleteFor me, I stayed with my smartphone for this lesson because I've worked with digital cameras in my own education to understand how to upload them and put them online that way. It was new to be able to try and do it from my smartphone and because Ipads are very similar I figured if I could do it on my phone, I could do it on an Ipad too. I think it is more practical to use digital cameras in the classroom because usually that is what is offered to classes. I love the idea though of investing in my own classroom Ipad that students could use in rotations to take and add photos.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem that arises with using a smartphone is that for me it doesn't seem like the place to incorporate a personal phone in a professional setting so I'd like to keep those seperate which is why I think a designated classroom Ipad or tablet would make more sense because they are able to do all the same apps and wifi connections as my smartphone.
In my professional setting I could see using images as ways of enhances student projects especially presentations. I could envision my students either using images from the internet or taking their own photos (using classroom cameras or Ipad) and incorporating them into slideshows to present to the class. I made a slideshow about rabbits as if I were a student presenting a lesson about rabbits and their eating habits and habitats. You can view that at the link below if you are interested.
Quick Rabbit Lesson
I hear what you are saying about the using of one's personal phone to work with images in the classroom. It does feel like some line has been crossed. For educators working in settings that have few resources or are not networked, however, one could easily imagine how tempting it would be to use a smartphone. The other thing I was also thinking was that the smartphone is handy on field trips. Of course, one could always go the 'old fashioned' way - take pictures and then upload them to a computer later. I just found it curious in class the other day, how many people went straight to their phones. I wonder how many teachers still end up using them for the sake of convenience?
DeletePhones are so convenient, it is hard to give up on that convenience to even consider other sources. However, I've taught at a lot of schools, Hillsboro school used to hire me to teach science to the TAG kids, back when there was enough TAG money to do this. Even five years ago I found that most schools had easy access to digital cameras. I would guess this is still true, maybe even more true because digital cameras are not that popular anymore which makes them an easy donation to the school and also means you might not have much competition for the ones that the school has available. I think its really valuable to have the students take pictures. I've used my phone for this but really, that's risky. I would be pretty upset with myself for taking that risk, but not with the child, if they dropped my phone. A better plan is to check out the school resource and have the students use it. Its really not hard to do.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link for my Venus pictures, Venus Transit
Phones are so convenient, it is hard to give up on that convenience to even consider other sources. However, I've taught at a lot of schools, Hillsboro school used to hire me to teach science to the TAG kids, back when there was enough TAG money to do this. Even five years ago I found that most schools had easy access to digital cameras. I would guess this is still true, maybe even more true because digital cameras are not that popular anymore which makes them an easy donation to the school and also means you might not have much competition for the ones that the school has available. I think its really valuable to have the students take pictures. I've used my phone for this but really, that's risky. I would be pretty upset with myself for taking that risk, but not with the child, if they dropped my phone. A better plan is to check out the school resource and have the students use it. Its really not hard to do.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link for my Venus pictures, Venus Transit
Photos are a great way for students to express themselves. In the community transition program I currently work in, students enjoy being able to use our smartphones in order to take photos. Many of them LOVE taking selfies, but they also enjoy taking photos of the other students. Not only do they love taking photos, but they love getting their picture taken. Our students who are non-verbal are able to show their emotion which I think is a great opportunity for them. In the classroom aspect I can see how using smartphones, especially our personal ones, could raise an issue. In the classroom I hope to one day have, I will use disposable and digital cameras. Students are able to use their phones every day, but they don't always get a chance to use an actual camera. I am a sucker for disposable cameras. There is something about looking through a lens, pushing a button, hearing that click sound, and not know how my picture turned out. You get to use your instincts when using a camera that does not automatically show you the photo. You get to then take the camera in, and wait to see what amazing unique images you captured. I feel with a smartphone, you cannot create as unique photos as you can with a camera. However, for the sake of being easy and available, they are a great thing to have in a classroom to capture moments.
ReplyDeleteI would be hesitant to let a student use my own iPhone to take pictures, but I could use it myself and upload them to a site that could be viewed by everyone. I coach at a high school level right now and the team was given an iPad with apps like "Coach's Eye" where you can watch things in slow motion and point things out on the screen with arrows, etc. I want to teach in early elementary, so I would probably look into getting a classroom iPad if I could, and the kids could be allowed to take pictures on that instead of something like my personal phone. They make pretty sturdy cases to prevent damages from young kids, so if the school didn't supply iPads for each student like some schools do now, I would look into one designated classroom iPad.
ReplyDeleteThe use of photos in Transition has been used to create a collection of photos over 3 years of each student and displayed in a slideshow at the year end celebration. I would love for students to be involved in the process from taking photos, editing , creating albums and a slideshow. It would be a great opportunity for students if the district would budget for some cameras. Technology will continue to grow in classrooms. https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Te5HEcbg0rRTEQSLRLkz-y2T0VS0knC1ktTIIVHy8MA?feat=directlink
ReplyDeleteImages are another avenue for learning in the classroom. I think I would use images to show a process of what we are learning for my students. For example, use images to teach students the routine of going to your locker or washing your hands. Sometimes words are too much for some of the students I work with. Images can be another way of explaining what the students are trying to learn rather than using verbal language. I would also use images to exposed and help my students learn and discuss feelings. For example, if I have an image of a beach I would ask, how does this image make you feel? Many times, students in special education have a hard time working, understanding, and dealing with emotions. I think by using images to work through social feelings can help students use something concrete and visual to describe something abstract. A project I had in mind for my students would be to use images to describe themselves. Many students can be shy or not be able to use words to share who they are. I would encourage my students to be expressive by taking pictures to explain themselves.
ReplyDeleteI would prefer not to use any of my personal devices for school work. I don't want to be in a situation where I am mixing the personal and professional boundaries, especially if I am taking pictures of a student. I would hope the school would have access to cameras, tablets, etc. I would also hope my student would have access to the same devices, so they can take photos. I know for the project I explained above, not having a device at home would make taking/sharing images in class difficult. These would be challenges I will need to address how to solve.
Image Practice Album
DeleteI found an app when we were researching called Seesaw that I know I will use in the classroom to take video and pictures with either ipads or ipods or on older students directly from their iphones. Each student (even young kindergarteners) can quickly upload their photos or video on a shared device and can add drawing or captions directly over the picture or can make comments and text to their pictures. They can comment on others work, as well as reflectively comment on their own. Pictures can also quickly be transferred from a camera roll on their I-devices. Each students has their own "account" that is easy to edit, and parents can also easily see what their students has been doing in class. This is a realistic, easy, and quick way for students to capture digital images. It is free and there is unlimited storage space. I know that in a busy class, time is essential and this is a quick way to add photos!
ReplyDeleteThe potential uses of pictures and web albums can be extremely beneficial to teachers in an educational environment. Not only will it enable students to visually engage within the topic/subject that is being taught, teachers can optimize within the endless applications available to provide a robust curriculum to follow. Some specific activities that come to mind that teachers can use is documenting and community work, or projects, that the classrooms are working on and embedding it within a website that students can follow. It doesn’t have to be limited to specific topics, math science and other subjects can be creative as well. An important barrier to be mindful of are any confidential and private disclosures as well as having students pictures being publicly published.
ReplyDeleteI am still enjoying the comments regarding photos and online access in blogs and photo streams. The visual medium is powerful and I think fairly accessible for many students. On a recent trip through Goodwill I saw several inexpensive digital cameras. The technology is getting cheaper and if students are to use the cameras for the sole purpose of photos or video. Even if the cameras themselves are realatively cheap-the students still can edit the photos on computers to make them artisitic and interesting. For example, if the photo taken shows an image that is too small and the lense on the camer doesn't telescope enough it might be edited in the compter software to bring it more to the foreground.
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ReplyDeleteI can foresee picture taking most easily in a Biology classroom (which I am also pursuing accreditation for). It could be used by students to produce and publish their own work/findings as well as in researching for the work of others.
ReplyDeleteHere goes nothing:
Jeff & Dogs!