Review of “Universal Design for Learning Guidelines”

This chart presents learning guidelines including multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement. The multiple means of representation provides options for perception, use of language and symbols, and options to improve comprehension. Multiple means of expression include expression by physical action, expressive skills and fluency, as well as options for implementing the strategies. It also provides multiple means of engagement including options for creating interest, staining effort, and self-regulation. This is a well-organized chart that could be useful in implementing teaching strategies.
References:
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. (2008). Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjd3UzMTZlZHRlY2h8Z3g6NDNjOTgzNTJkZjVlNjM3Ng

Review of “Universal Design of Web Pages in Class Projects”

This article was written to inform web designer of the need to make websites accessible to everyone. Some people who use the web have visual impairments, hearing impairments, cannot operate a mouse, have slow internet connections, have difficulty navigating the web due to a learning disability, speak English as a second language, are younger than the average user, or are senior citizens. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that web pages produced by federal agencies adhere to accessibility standards.
Some tips that were given to help make websites accessible to everyone were to maintain a simple and consistent layout of the webpage, keep the background of the webpage simple and make sure there is enough contrast in coloring. Make link text descriptive so that it can be understood out of context, and include a note about accessibility.
This article was helpful to me. I had never thought too much about the need for making webpage accessible to people with disabilities.
References:
Burgstahler, S. (2005). Universal Design of Web Pages in Class Projects. Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjd3UzMTZlZHRlY2h8Z3g6NzJjZjE1YTNlN2QyODI5NA

Review of “Design Your Web Site from the Bottom Up”

This article gave very helpful tips on developing a high quality website. The author gave many good suggestions along with his reasoning behind those suggestions. One of his suggestions was that when developing a website, the web designer should start with the last page of the website and work his/her way up. At first this seemed counter-intuitive, but after reading further, this idea makes sense. The author goes on to suggest that web designers brainstorm to come up with a table of contents on how they are going to group their pages, decide who their audience is, and what is most important to their audience.
Mr. Pappas goes on to suggest that a web designer develop a flow chart of how the web pages will flow. When designing a navigational plan it is important to remember that some of your audience might have disabilities, and to make your website accessible to these viewers as well. Finally, it is important to keep your website uncluttered.
I think the tips given in this article were presented in a very logical sequence and were very helpful. I have developed a website before, but many of the tips given were new to me.
Reference:
Pappas, P. (2000). Design You Web Site from the Bottom Up. Retrieved from
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjd3UzMTZlZHRlY2h8Z3g6NjMxYjkxMGZlZGMwOWQ4Yw&pli=1

Review of “Five Rules for Writing a Great WebQuest”

The author of the article provides five general pieces of advise on how to create a quality web quest. He gives the acronym, FOCUS, to aid in recalling the steps to making a great web quest. FOCUS stands for finding great sites, Orchestrate your learners and resources, Challenge your learners to think, Use the medium, and Scaffold high expectations. Knowledge of cooperative learning strategies is also useful for web designers. A cooperative learning environment should include: positive interdependence, promotive interaction, individual and group accountability, interpersonal and small group skills and group processing.

I think Bernie’s five rules for developing a great web quest could aid both teachers and students by giving a clear template to follow.

Reference:

Dodge, B. (2001). Five Rules for Writing a Great WebQuest. Learning & Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9. Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjd3UzMTZlZHRlY2h8Z3g6MzU0OWQwZGVmZjY3Yzhk

Review of “The student Web Quest”

The article “The Student Web Quest” informs teachers about what a web quest is and how it can be useful within the classroom. The author claims that web quests promote problem-solving and decision-making skills. She goes on to give tips and advise on how to set up a web quest. Maureen gives many examples of how teachers have used web quests to further their curriculum and to promote student interest and critical thinking skills for their students in their lessons.

As a future teacher, I can see where web quests could be a valuable tool for student learning. I can see myself using web quests for topics like math and science. For example, in a calculus class, the students could do a web quest on the design and engineering of a bridge. This would give them a better idea of how math can be used within the real world.

Reference:
Yoder, M. B. The student Web Quest. Retrieved from http://wikitraining.acsd.wikispaces.net/file/view/5+The+Student+Web+Quest.pdf

Review of “Family Guide to Child Safety on the Internet”

This article is a guide on how to help parents advise their children and keep them safe on the Internet. There are many resources listed as well as tips on how to avoid problems. The article also informs parents of the need to teach their children about intellectual property, and how to validate the information they find on the Internet. There is also a helpful safety checklist.

Reference:
Retrieved January 15, 2010,
from www.marylandfamilymagazine-internetsafety.com

Review of “Teaching Zack to Think”

In this article, the author suggests that students often believe that all information that is on the Internet is valid. The author gave an example of a student who was researching the holocaust for a history paper. The student found information on the Internet claiming that the holocaust never happened. The student did not question the information since it was from a website with the name “Northwestern University” and the author of the website claimed to be a history professor. Mr. November goes on to explain some useful tips to teach student how to determine if a website’s information is valid.
I think that it is very important that we as teachers teach our students how to find accurate information on the Internet. As the Internet becomes more and more a part of our lives, students will need to be able to know skills for evaluating information given on the Internet. The more we teach students about these skills, the better they will be able to think critically.

Reference:
November, A., Retrieved January 15, 2010,
from novemberlearning.com

Review of "Developing Ethical Direction"

In the article “Developing Ethical Direction” the authors explain that children need to be taught that stealing copyrighted items from the Internet is illegal and unethical. They go on to suggest that students will not always agree on what is right, and often will argue that there are shades of grey when it come to copyrighted material on the internet. Another prevailing belief that young people hold is that if no one knows that they are taking copyrighted material it is acceptable. The authors suggest that the best way to help young people understand what is right is through discussion, self-reflection, and role modeling.
I agree with the author that when it comes to the Internet, people often believe that everything is “fair game.” For several years, musicians were loosing a vast amount of money by people downloading their music for free. It was not until the government started to crackdown on the crime that people stopped the illegal activity. If other media forms are not also regulated and people are not taught to be more conscientious, I believe that this activity will continue.

Reference:
Ribble, M. S., & Bailey, G. D. (2005). Developing Ethical Direction. Learing & Leading with Technology, 32, 36-38.

Review of Digital Kids. Analog Schools.

The article presented different opinions regarding the use of technology in the classroom.
We are living in a digital age, but we are also living in an age where a key to success will be able to learn new tasks quickly and independently. As educators our primary goal is to teach students the basics including being able to read and write proficiently. If students have these basic skills, they will be able to quickly learn the new technology that is available.Reference:
Digital Kids. Analog Schools. Retrieved January 8, 2010, from http://www.scottmcleod.net/storage/digitalkids.pdf

Review of Tools for the Mind

In the article “Tools for the Mind” the author argues that computers are not being used to their full potential to promote higher order thinking. I agree that computers can be a very useful component in helping students with higher order thinking skills. When I was taking an online math class, I found the interactive computer software more helpful in learning concepts than most of my college professors. I liked that I could view 3D graphs from multiple perspectives as well as see how the graph would change by entering new data into the software. As a result, I believe the more we can integrate technology into our classrooms the more successful a student will be.Reference:Burns, M. (2006). Tools for the Mind. Educational Leadership, 63 48-53.

Review of Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Article

In this article, the author is describing how the world is different from the world of previous generations. Mr. Prensky goes on to describe how the people of the pre-millennial and the millennial generations think and how they perform tasks differently. He states that even the way the millennial generations talk is different from the previous generations. Today’s students generally are able to multi task and have little patience for slow paced lectures.
I felt that the he author of “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” had a rather harsh view of the pre-millennial generations. It seemed as though the author was belittling the skills of earlier generations. The earlier generation’s skills could be viewed as just as important as the computer and technology skills of the millennialists. I also disagreed with the author in that he believed that the millennialists are able to multi-task better than prior generations. While it would appear that they are able to multi-task better, it is my belief that humans can only attend to one task at a time. Yes, we can multi-task, but not well. Texting and talking on the cell phone while driving a car has become a major problem. As a result there have been many car accidents. New laws are being written to prevent the use of cell phones while driving.Reference:Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon (Vol. 9 No. 5).NCB University Press.