Traditional animation vs. Computer animation

Technology is clearly influencing the world all around us. An article I recently read was discussing the role of technology in popular culture. It talked about the changes that have occured in animation. Back when Disney made "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," the artist's designed each frame by hand. Each one was hand drawn and painted. Now most animated movies are computer animated. Major studios like Disney are focusing on technology when making movies. Some people still prefer traditional animation, although current trends seem to suggest that the era of hand-drawn animation is ending. The box office success of recent computer animated movies prehaps indicates a growing preference for computer animation. Perhaps these changes should encourage teachers to consider implementing technology into their arts ed. courses. I believe that traditional methods of animation are very valuable but a lot of art can clearly be created with technological assistance.

I'd like to know what kind of animation you prefer? Are you a fan of traditional animation or do you prefer computer animation.

YouTube video

I found this interesting video that shows a great example of the value of technology in the classroom. Students in this school are using podcasts to demonstrate their learning. I was especially interested to see the pride that these students showed in their work. They seemed to really be enthusiastic about sharing their work with others over the Internet because they realized that other people were reading and enjoying it. I also liked that the teacher explained that they do not use technology for technology's sake. There is really educational value in using these tools at school.

Evaluating Online Information

I recently read an article that described some of the uses of technology in the classroom. This includes things like online research, online assessment, and creating web pages. It also discussed some of the problems of using technology in the classroom. One of the problems that I have the most experience with is finding accurate information online. As a teacher, it is easy to tell students to do research for essays and papers on the Internet. However, students can often find information that is biased or even flat out wrong. Anyone can put information on the Internet with very little regulation. No one is ensuring that the information on the Internet is correct.

I believe that we need to teach our students how to evaluate the information they see on the Internet. Students need to be able to distinguish between accurate and inaccurate material. They cannot always use the first source they come across.

It can also be very time consuming to sift through resources trying to find appropriate material. Trying to find an obscure topic online can take a lot of time, especially if you don't know how to evaluate online resources.

Teachers can help students develop their ability to analyze the usefulness of information that they find online. This website has several suggestions for how to review websites, including evaluating accuracy, currency, fairness, adequacy, etc.

http://www.fno.org/jun97/eval.html

Online dangers

Last day in class we had a presentation on media awareness. This really hit home with me. Technology has much to offer us and we have seen so many ways that it can be valuable in the classroom and yet it has the potential to be very harmful at the same time. At very young ages kids can access these things. They can see images and read messages that are inappropriate and sometimes dangerous.

Bullying on the Internet is also a real concern. As pointed out, a child cannot move away to escape cyber bullying. Websites do not disappear and they can be viewed all over the world.
This form of bullying will follow them wherever they go. This makes cyber bullying a very real concern for students, teachers and parents.

As teachers, I think we need to be aware of what is out there so that we can inform out students about the dangers. We cannot simply ignore the fact that there is inappropriate content on the Internet, because our students will find it. Closing our eyes to the problem will not help anyone. If we are informed we can teach our students to be critical of what they see online and how to take precautions to protect themselves. People who are informed will be equipped to make decisions about what to do and think when they encounter inappropriate material.

Therefore, although the Internet can be dangerous, we as teachers can help our students to avoid the dangers and use the Internet in positive ways. There is too much value in technology to abandon it due to danger. Education is the best way to ensure that the Internet benefits our students and doesn't cause them harm.

Inclusion and Technology

In class today we watched a video about inclusion and how technology can assist teachers who are attempting to create inclusive classrooms. I am a strong believer in the power of inclusion. I feel that school does more than help students with academic learning. A child develops holistically while attending school. Dealing with peers is as a very important part of school. Students who are included in the classroom develop friendships, problem solving skills, cooperative skills and more. However, some students simply cannot attend a classroom with their peers. In this case, how can they benefit from inclusion. As the video showed, technology can help. By using a computer a student who cannot come to class can talk with her peers and see her peers. Even though the little girl in the video was unable to attend school, she could still maintain her friendships and interact with her classmates. Because of technology, this little girl was able to receive a well-rounded education with the help of her teacher and peers.

If you missed the video or would like to watch it again go to this website:
http://learningismessy.com/Inclusion.mov

It is certainly worth watching.

Help for Busy Teachers

Teachers never seem to have enough time. Having access to the Internet can help us when we are pressed for ideas or in a hurry. There are so many great ideas out there that range from lesson plans, craft ideas, interactive games, bulletin board designs, rubric creators, etc. However, during my internship I sometimes found that it was even more time consuming to find things online. Not everything is high quality. Sometimes I had to sift through many things that were not useful to find what I wanted. Therefore, I decided to include some websites here that can be very valuable when you need ideas when teaching. These are mostly aimed st early elementary grades.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
http://www.billybear4kids.com/
http://www.starfall.com/
http://www.bulletinboardpro.com/
http://canada.kidsdomain.com/craft/

I hope you can find something useful on these sites. I know I used some of them during my internship and found them really useful.