Journal 4

The article “If You Give a Kid a Videocamera,” explores the idea that if you teach a child how to use a piece of technology they will continue to explore that medium and create new ways to use it.  In teaching kids how to use pieces of technology, it creates a student centered environment and gives the kids a project that they will actually be interested in.  In addition, these skills can transcend beyond the classroom into outside hobbies and interests. Video presentations can be used in English, math, science, and social studies in a variety of different ways that allow the students to work together or individually and foster problem solving skills.  Videos can be used in all subject matters of teaching, including math and science which may have previously been seen as incompatible with these techniques as teaching aids.  The videos may incorporate student reflection, community involvement, documenting current events, or re-enactments.  Through all of these, the student is actively participating in his or her learning and can achieve a much greater understanding of the task at hand, and will most likely create a memory that won't soon be forgotten. 

Question 1:  Why might video be an important tool in the classroom? 

Videos allow for creativity when students are preparing a presentation and can really allow for the students personalities to shine through.  Depending on the project, it can also be a great way for students to get out into their community and interview members of their neighborhood that they perhaps do not know too well.  They can also be used as revision tools to help the students reflect on past work, such as oral presentations, by watching themselves back and analyzing their performance for corrections.  Sometimes the clearest way to see something about ourselves is through the eyes of another person.

Question 2:  How can video go beyond the classroom?

Learning how to use video can go beyond the classroom in a variety of ways.  The students may develop a real interest in this area of technology and take it towards a career path.  It can also become a fun way for them to document time with friends, family, vacations, and any other personal memories they would like to keep for the future.  

Campbell, L. O. (2012). If you give a kid a video camera .. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(5), 30-33. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/February-2012.aspx

Journal 3

Infographics are an interesting way to incorporate visual cues to represent data and spark problem solving skills. Infographics help to strike a balance between the linguistic and nonlinguistic elements of a presentation or demonstration by allowing the mind of the viewer to look between the graphics and data and make a connection between the two.  According to Robert Marzano, the more students are able to use both of these elements together, the better they are able to store that material, and recall upon it later to apply to new situations.  In asking the students to create these graphics in their presentations, it not only allows to the students to gain a better understanding of their collected data, but it also places an emphasis on the importance of presentation as well as information. Visual graphics are essential to presentations because they bring the viewer in as a part of the project and shows an extra effort to be more professional.  These are skills that will help them later their careers of choice, as well as in future classroom presentations.

Question 1: How might infographics enhance a presentation?

Infographics may enhance a presentation by making it more visually pleasing. According to the article, 70% of our body’s receptors are in our eyes, which may mean that by adding infograhics the viewer will actually get more from the presentation just by looking at it more in depth.  They also organize the information in a way that can be clearer to understand than if it was just presented in a flat word format.  In addition, graphics make a presentation more fun and break up the monotony of text, and can be used to add color for further depth.

Question 2: How might infographics be used in the classroom?

The article gives some sample lesson plan ideas that include interactive maps and graphs. These infographics can be used throughout all subject matters and levels of education in a creative and inclusive way. They can be used to in math to demonstrate knowledge of statistics, or in English to help create visuals to tell a story. Perhaps the class can take a poll on common interests among students and construct the results in a graph of some sort.

Krauss, J. (2012, February).  Infographics:More than words can say. Learning & Leading with Technology, 10-14.  Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201202?pg=14&pm=2&fs=1