Alex's+page

This is alex's page...which will one day be awesome. Video Portfolio Piece; video link

Photoshop portfolio piece:

Office portfolio piece: [|alexsclub-4.ppt] [|alexbudget.xls] [|alexcalendar.doc] [|alexfundraising.xls]

Internet: widow's project

media type="youtube" key="Luj6BZ13hZo&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" This is my friend Kinski's band...the video was produced and directed by my friend Aaron.

[|Kinski Gallo-Rodriguez]

This is an image of silk embroidery done by Angelo Filomeno. Check out his collections!

Journal Entry 1: I know I can use the internet for the various research projects I want to do in my classes. I fully intend on extending my love of Latin-American literature, folklore, art, music, etc to my students. The internet will make these things readily available for me to download, buy, research, etc. However, I also want to use the internet to create videos (I guess, you tube?) that my students can post. I was in theatre all through high school and think that drama is and should be an integral part of all English classes. I don't need to do anything really fancy-schmancy...just the ability to put them up there and do some basic editing of stuff without crashing the computer. Also, downloading music would be something I need to know...I don't know how to download (or even search) for music...I don't own an Ipod or whatever and all of those sites people throw around do not mean anything to me. Kazaa? Napster? What the???

A few comments: In most classes (philosophy, English, etc) I get whatever the teacher/professor is saying in like 10 seconds...when it comes to technology, math, physics, or anything practical...I need someone to point out what I'm supposed to do or write it down so I can follow instructions. What has frustrated me in the past with professors/other students/etc..is that when I get lost, the teacher/student/whoever is helping me just does it for me so I never learn. They think they are helping but it doesn't help. And I know I CAN use computers, I'm just not as quick as everyone else with the auditory instructions. I get easily confused with multiple instructions coming at me at once. Especially when I can't find the link or whatever it is I need and then I fall behind while the teacher continues. Thanks for taking a few seconds to rewind the instructions for me. It helps alot. Also, I noticed the teacher technique of having me teach Margaret what I had just learned. Clever, clever. You didn't fool me :)

One thing I need you to review again is how you got around "proxy servers"...I didn't get that at all...

 Journal Entry 2: Reflect upon the process of learning and using the web as a classroom tool. First, you may check my online Wiki..I'm pretty sure I'm done. If you think I need to add something, let me know! Second, the process of learning...ohh the process. I'm pretty sure that you learn the basics then fill in the rest with assumptive knowledge. Then, when we get stuck, we look to someone who knows what they are doing and ask questions. This is probably not the most efficient way to learn, but it is how most people go about it. Think about a guy who doesn't look at the directions to put together say...a coffee table. He knows that basically, the legs go on each corner and there are four of them. But wait! He puts them all on and two of them are shorter than the others. What happened? Ahah! The end tables came in the same package and have different lengths of legs! So, he undoes two of the legs and puts on two more that match. But wait! There are not enough of the same sized legs to fit both end tables. Only then does he realize that there are four short legs for the coffee table and 8 long legs for the two end tables. So, he has to take them all off and start again. This could have easily been avoided by looking at the legs and making sure they were identical or not. :) Oh...and by "he"...I really mean "me." This is a true story of trial and error...which is how most people learn. However, if I had just taken the dang 4 seconds to look at the legs, I would have been done in half the time.

This is how most students (in my opinion) go about learning. It is my job as a teacher to make them back and up and actually read the instructions first. And on top of that, most TEACHERS aren't that organized -and THEY jump in without any real organization and then ...well, at this point we've all gone to hell in a handbasket. This is why teachers really really really need to be organized. The worst and least effective classes I have ever been in could easily have been better if the teacher was organized.

Now, how to use the web as a classroom tool. A lot of times, the amount of info on the web increases confusion instead of alleviating it, which is unfortunate because the web can be used to organize things very well- given the right tools. I think that using the web to update lesson plans, bulletins, post ongoing questions and problems can REALLY help students. I know it is so much easier to put up a link to "how to avoid proxy servers" rather than explain it ten thousand times.

Also, the web is great for gaining access to things most kids(and adults) don't know anything about- like Colombian warfare. In 5 seconds I can have 17 you tube videos about Colombian hostages on my screen. Pretty nifty. The problem is that many adults are just as scared to admit they don't know something as students. As a teacher, you have to open to learning things ALONG WITH your students, otherwise, all of the information they are going to get is going to be old and stagnant. And besides, you will get really bored rehashing the same things over and over again. :) I know nothing about Colombian warfare, but I'm willing to watch videos on it and read articles and then you know what- my students and I BOTH benefit.

Oh and a question I just came up with...when you mentioned ESPN it made me think...I know nothing about sports...I wonder if I could find a way to use ESPN and sports in an English class...any suggestions?

Journal Entry #3: What are some effective methods of using office in your classroom? Well, of course there is the obvious online gradebooking. However, as a teacher that will probably be in charge of some club or another- Excel will also be a great way to keep track of fundraising and budgeting. Also, as an English teacher, it will be helpful for me to actually TEACH office, power point, and word to my students. I know that my lack of knowledge about office has kept me from applying to a lot of jobs b/c the post will always say 'Must be Microsoft office proficient'....or something like that. And I always thought- well, why don't they just train me. BUT they don't. :) So, I know it would be a good skill to teach my students the Office suite even for the sole purpose of them putting the knowledge on a resume.

Also, power point will be great for days when I have substitutes. If I know I am going on vacay I can easily put my lectures/assignments on power point format and leave them for the substitute. That way the class can't get away with sitting around. All the sub has to do is turn it on and click. Word of course is important for typing documents and such. I would also like to learn about publisher because I think it would be neat to put out a newspaper as a class project...or for part of a larger project about a book or something. Anyways- I've used power point and word before but I've only glanced at excel once or twice b/c it looks a little scary. Ok, on to the project! [|alexsclub-4.ppt] [|alexbudget.xls] [|alexcalendar.doc] [|alexfundraising.xls]

Journal Entry #4 : Reflecting on the process of learning and using Microsoft Office as an effective tool. Ok, so basically what I learned with my project was how to link both outside files and inside slides to other slides. This will be helpful if I ever need to do a power point with an outside resource (ie...often). However, it might be just as easy to email everyone the files as an attachment, rather than make this elaborate power point just to email it as one piece. Time will tell..either way, I used it as a learning opportunity to try linking stuff. Oh yes, and practicing excel. I still really don't get all the short cuts, but I figure that will come with use. Though, I kind of wish now that I had done a gradebook b/c I think that might have been a little more helpful for me to learn. HOWEVER, I figure I will get a lot of practice on gradebooks within the next year or two...so...I mean...I guess I chose the right project.

Choosing a project is also part of the learning process. I was given a choice to decide what would be more beneficial to me as a teacher and I had to weigh the pros and cons of choosing to do this project. I don't know if I chose correctly, but I do think I benefited from what I did do since I can always just go through the Excel functions to figure out how to average things, or move the columns, etc. Besides, now I have several friends who can show me how to do gradebooks :) Teamwork! I think Microsoft office will be really beneficial to me because I am a chronic list maker and will probably use excel all the time to organize my class projects, assignments, fundraising, whatever. Also, power point will be a great way to do "cliff's notes" of literature that we are going over in class (instead of writing it out ALL the time). One question- Every time I went to save a newer version of my Power Point, it automatically saved to the desktop. So that I had like 5 icons for my power point. Why didn't the computer just replace the old version with the new version? On another note, I am really glad that Vandy is making me take this class. I was dragging my feet and complaining because I don't really like computers, but actually...this isn't so bad. I'll probably never love computers, but at least taking this class is giving me more confidence in using them. :) PS: Hope you are enjoying the book.

Journal entry #5: What are some effective methods of using digital imagery and video in my classroom? Well, I can think of so many things... First of all, giving kids the opportunity to be familiar with technology is extremely helpful for their future- whether they are going to school or getting a job. Secondly, like you said, Jake, it will give kids who are not comfortable with hands on art and creative projects, a way to get interested and involved in the creative process. I think that technology used in these programs really promotes creativity more than you know...excel...and is going to be extremely beneficial to me as a future English teacher.

I can use photoshop to make classroom posters, do homework assignments, etc. Video will be great for drama, script writing, performance, all sorts of things that are integrated into English classes. Also, it is a way to step away from the pen and book and make the literature come alive. If students can re-write Romeo and Juliet, act it out and make it their own, they are 1) more likely to understand it 2) more likely to appreciate it and 3) more likely to remember it for state mandated tests :) Students could also practice news broadcasting and video journalism which would be fun and great experience for future talk show hosts in my classroom. Also, so many kids like to TALK and goof around..being on video gives the class clowns and the chatty cathys a chance to really shine. All of this is really new to me. I've never video taped anything, though I have been in drama and on stage and have had other people video tape me. I also didn't even know photoshop existed, so that's all new to me. I really think its interesting but probably too complicated for me to deal with for very long with out getting a headache. It seems like one of those programs that has TOO MANY functions. Like, it tries to do way too much and will end up frustrating a lot of students. I think even the "elements" is too hard and maybe developers should come up with a high-school friendly version for teachers who want to teach the basics to their students to give them experience with digital imaging. Photo Shop Lesson Plan: [|2040movieposter.doc] Photo Shop actual poster: [|alexsphotoshop.jpg]

Journal #6 Ok so this is extremely late. I totally forgot I hadn't journaled. But if I had to reflect on the process of learning digital imaging and video I would have to say that it's a rather interesting process. First of all, with Photoshop, I know we did not have a whole lot of time to go through it, but I think it is really a program designed for "hit and miss" learning. And I know that trial and error is part of the learning process, but I think that Photoshop leaves too many options open. Instead of 2 different leg lengths for the coffee tables there is like a million.(Refer to earlier journal discussion about trial and error learning). I think it is hard to navigate for someone like me..and I really just think that they should take out a lot of the stuff we don't need to use. I mean, they design it for experts, but so few people are experts at it. AND people that might be interested in it, get to discouraged because it is so confusing to navigate. However, I do realize that I am just a spaz anyways- and a lot of people probably don't agree with me about it being "too much" but instead think its way cool that it has all those functions. The same thing happened with Myspace...I could never understand WHY you had to go and mess up a totally good online profile with surveys, applications, backgrounds that made it hard to read your page, quizzes, random pictures, etc etc. Why couldn't use just have the basics? I got so frustrated trying to read peoples' profiles that I just lost interest. That's the way I felt about photoshop. There was no discernible link for me between what was on the page, why it was there, what it was for, and why it was in place it was.

As to video, I really like writing and acting so I think this was way more fun for me. Though, I have not yet LEARNED about actual videoing so to speak. It's easy enough to push record...it's the editing I'm concerned about learning. So, I'm not sure I could say that I've learned a whole lot about videoing yet except how to put in the battery and charge it, turn it on, how to rewind...stuff like that...I think that for kids that like to be in the limelight (like me) learning about video will be fun. So, what I'm saying is-the reason we are learning how to use these different technologies is because 1) kids interests differ 2) this means kids learn better with different mediums 3) it is my job to tap into the natural creativity and ambition they possess and find an out let for it. So, the process of learning video and photoshop is the same as anything else. 1) if you are interested in it, it makes it easier to learn 2) it's a process of trial and error 3) you can always push yourself further.

INTRO PARAGRAPH TO PHOTOSHOP AND VIDEO: It's all new with photoshop. :) The acting/writing/staging/directing for video I've done a lot since i was in drama. And I've been filmed before...I guess I have had experience filming but I've never OPERATED the video camera before...or edited. See journal entries for applicable information. :)

Journal #7: Other effective uses of technology not discussed here. Well, I know that there are some new advances in testing- where the kids each have a clicker hooked up to the tv monitor and they take multiple choice quizzes or worksheets that way and the answers are tabulated and show on the screen immediately. That way the teacher knows how many students got a question correct/wrong and can discuss it then. That would be really cool for formative assessments to see what kids know or don't k now. Also, I know that there is that new smart pen that records lectures and notes and stuff and can help you finish a math problem and stuff like that. I think that would be really cool -especially with math because there was always that ONE STEP I would forget. Other than that...I'm not really sure...

Journal #8 Reflect on the class's effectiveness, content and my place in it. Well, I think the class was very effective- especially since you left the projects so openended. So people like Kim and John could do massively crazy projects and I can do my paint. :) I mean, how much will I retain? I have no clue. But at least I've been introduced to it and know that I can do somethings. AND I know that there are students/teachers out there who DO know this stuff and can always help me on class projects and stuff. :) I think that the content was also pretty great- I mean you did a good job of giving us an all-over view...especially with the time constraints. I wish I could have more FORMAL training in these softwares- but who am I kidding? In five years these will probably be obsolete anyways. :) As to my place in the class...well, there always has to be one person like me in every class. Enthusiastic and semi-hopeless. I really did enjoy this class a lot more than I anticipated though. I was really dreading it and kind of pissed off that they made me take it...but in the end it was actually pretty cool. Link to Video: video link

Extra FEEDBACK Since this was a summer course, the pacing was skewed already. So, I would say that we needed like 1 extra week or a couple extra class periods. I would like to have more time to go in-depth with the softwares and their functions- so yeah, I think that 1 software idea/week with a day for instruction and one for work would be great. See afore-mentioned "technology not discussed here" in Journal #7. I really want those clicky-things for quizzes! Ummm...actually, the way the class was kept open-ended kind of deleted a lot of unnecessary material since we were all able to work at our own skill level. Usually, unnecessary instruction comes when everyone has to move at the same pace. Maybe a little more actual instruction on the softwares like photoshop and video editing- just because they can get fairly complicated. You gave us the basics an d said "here, go for it..." which was good, but maybe I could've done something cooler if I'd had a little more time and practical instruction.
 * 1) How would you change the pacing of the course?
 * 1) How would you change the basic schedule of the course (one software idea a week, with one day for instruction and one for work)?
 * 1) What material should have been included, but wasn't?
 * 1) What material do you think was unnecessary?
 * 1) How would you have taught the material itself differently?