Media (is) the Message?

After reading the debate between Richard Clark and Robert Kozma, I realized that this is a topic or discussion that can literally go on and on.  Clark believes that media will never influence learning.  He believes that media is just a way to deliver the instruction.  Kozma partially agrees with Clark but he emphasizes that there is a relationship between media and learning. 
Technology, to me, changes everything and us as educators need to consider how it impacts learning.  These new tools available to us for communication have become a part of our 21st century and they are contributing to our thinking and learning. 
I have to agree with Kozma that stated, "technology can make a particularly significant contribution when coordinated with the training of teachers to integrate technology into their teaching, with applications that draw on the unique capabilities of technology and with supportive curricular, assessment, and school contexts that advance complex problem solving, creative thinking, and life-long learning skills that are needed to support an information society and knowledge economy."
It is our duty as educators and leaders to our patrons to think about how and when to incorporate technology into our instruction.  As Kozma explains that if we do not strive to understand the potential relationship between media and learning, then one will never be made and we are unlikely to ever understand the prospective for such a relationship (Kozma, 1994). 
I truly believe Kozma has great points and I too, believe technology does influence learning.  Technology impacts the way we learn, when we learn, and what we learn.  We need to be open minded to be able to see the many possibilities to see the connection between technology and learning. 
In conclusion, we as educators  need to understand the educational need, the educational problem, or gap to be able to choose which type of technology could enhance learning.  Just as the debate will continue on how every new advantage a new technology has to offer, there will be a contrary one to the disadvantage as well.  Thus this cycle will continue.


Sources:
http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate#Kozma.27s_arguments
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future
https://thejournal.com/articles/2007/11/08/the-great-debate-effectiveness-of-technology-in-education.aspx
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/edchoice/SLMQ_InfluenceofMediaonLearning_InfoPower.pdf

PODCASTS

      




This week, I had the opportunity to explore the concept of podcasting.  I looked at several websites to learn more about podcasts and how they are being utilized in education.  I recommend you visiting the following websites....
podcasting-in-education,

readwritethink

somers.k12.

quickanddirtytips

Podcasting is the ability to create and listen to audio or video content either live or downloading it for later use.  After listening to some podcasts myself, I understand why podcasting is something that is trending in education and why it's so popular among students. 

As I experimented with Soundcloud, Audioboom, and Podomatic, I was happy to see you could make free accounts after signing up.  They were all pretty easy to use and navigate.  Most of the work involved uploading the recorded file, add a picture if you wanted, and add your title and description.  If you don't have your prerecorded audio, no problem, you record as you go.  The only drawback about the free accounts, is the allotted time was restricted.  You always have the option to upgrade when needed. 

Podcasts are great, fun ways for students to get involved with technology and share with others what they know about their topic.  Podcasts can be used by students for book talks to give brief overviews of books.  Students can recommend their favorite books.  They can also be used as diaries.  Students can provide reactions and perspectives to historical events and people.  Another idea would be for students to create science logs.  Students can gather their data during their investigation and use it later for reflection and review by the teacher or peers.  The possibilities are numerous on how podcasts can help students become better learners.
As for librarians and teachers, I could see us using podcasts to provide lessons and students having access to these podcasts outside of the classroom whenever they needed for re-teach or review.  In addition, I could see having literature circles where I can provide a list of several books and let students sign up for a discussion group.  The groups may read different books by the same author and then compare the recordings to find similarities or patterns.  We could also utilize them to inform our parents and community of upcoming school events, promoting library services, or just providing daily motivational quotes.  I really enjoyed learning and creating a podcast. 


Here is mine.....hope you enjoy it. 
http://soundcloud.com/menchaca-tv/ debra-menchaca-5391-podcast-on

Cartoons and Comics

Creating Cartoons and Comics this week has been fun and interesting as I used the three different websites, ToonDoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix.  This assignment helped me distress during this busy week of STAAR.  All the websites were fun and inventive.  These are excellent tools to help extend your patrons learning in the library and classroom.  Now, my creativity in developing these comics lack much humor, so bare with me.  I say enjoy, or at least humor me. 

Toon Doo
The things I liked about this site was how easy it was to navigate.  I could see elementary students totally grasp it very quickly and take off with their sense of humor.  The cute characters it provided plus the ability to upload your own pictures and manipulate them however you like was a plus.  The add drawing function was helpful for me. 

One thing I wasn't too happy about was having to register for the account and if you would like student account, you would do the same.  I know many sites, require registration, but for a teacher, it's time consuming.

Overall, this was my favorite because of the flexibility it has and its user friendliness.  Regardless of the registration process, I would recommend it to my colleagues. 

Below is my comic on ToonDoo :)

http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/11056318


Pixton
The pros on this tool were the backgrounds it provided and the the add-ons. It allows you to make comics for almost any classroom subject area.  I also appreciate that you could change the appearance of the characters.  You could change the skin tones, hairstyle, body shapes, and features.  Great for a diverse, culture classroom to use.  One big plus about Pixton was that they offer you 50 free accounts for registering as a teacher.  Hi-five to Pixton for that!!

The one thing it didn't allow me to do was save my comic with my free account.  You would have to upgrade and pay of course.  They provided you with a link to your comic, which is below for you to enjoy.  No permanent image to keep..sorry.  Also, the 50 free accounts for the teacher really benefits elementary teachers, but not so much middle school and secondary teachers.

Over all, if you can afford the upgraded package, I would say this would also be a great site to use.  Students would truly enjoy all the capabilities it has.

https://Pixton.com/ic:vvju9jf5



Make Beliefs Comix

Wow, no registration required!  Very rare of a website to do that.  Kudos to Make Beliefs Comix.  Now, it was a fairly basic site.  Provided limited choices for characters, backgrounds, etc.  I made the comic that follows, saved and moved on.
One thing through the process that I learned was that once you're done with your comic and close it, you won't be able to edit it anymore.  You can't go back to it and change it.  So, you just need to make sure that all spelling, colors, characters, and other added things are exactly what you want.

Comics and cartoons have really evolved in the best possible way for the benefit of teaching in the classroom.  Teaching with pictures allows students not only to read the words given, but also the pictures that come with them.  The reader has to discern much information from the images.  Identifying the setting is simple, but more difficult would be answering questions such as...What are the character's actions and reactions?, What is their body language saying?  Cartoons can seem silly and babyish, but they can serve a big purpose in a classroom.  They are perfect for teaching inferencing, a skill many students struggle with.  With the use of these websites, we can allow our students to become the creators and have them create some of their own.  I'm sure they would enjoy it very much and at the same time learn a lot from them.