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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Digital Image Project

I feel a little bit better about this project now. At first, I didn't think that it was very relevant for a math curriculum, but now I see how it can be. I decided to do my project as a field trip of arches around the world. After looking at all of the different types of arches, I could go over the geometric formula for arches and show how each formula applies to each arch.

Digital Images

This week was a very good week I think, I am very excited about this project. I think it's cool that we are creating projects using digital images, I think it might be tough to find images for my project but not impossible. I am a very visual learner so I think it's cool to include images into lessons. My project includes two visual stimuli, the pictures and words to help students read along but they can also listen during the presentation. I wish my teachers had incorporated more visual cues for me while I was in school.
There are many more resources than I had realized, such as ARTstor and such. There are so many quality resources online that I've never heard of and had no previous knowledge of, that it's a shame it almost seems like some good websites go to waste because people are unaware of them. I can easily see how digital images can be incorporated into the classroom through both lessons and projects for the students, and I can't wait to get into the field and incorporate such projects!

Digital Images

So it is time to prepare for another project. The use of images in the classroom is very handy when teaching new subject matters and just in general to help students to engage themselves in the lesson. The project that we are developing (consisting of combining digital images to create a project) is unique and intriguing because there is a lot to do with images. As we learned, there are virtual tours, creative writing, math skills, and many other chances to combine imagery with lessons.

I know as a student it is always nice to see teachers combine both written, verbal, and visionary aspects to a lesson. I am a visual person so seeing pictures/words always helps me remember information longer as opposed to just lectures. I also feel using digital images, the students will enjoy the classroom more because it is a different aspect every time.

Digital Images

At first, I was a little hesitant with digital images. I didn't know how I was going to be able to incorporate images into a math lesson. I mean, besides finding pictures of great mathematicians, I really had no clue what to do. After seeing the sample projects, I began to think outside the box. Images don't have to directly relate to the subject. It is the job of the teacher to be creative and to figure out a way to incorporate images into the lesson. I realized that geometry is everywhere in the world. All you have to do is look a little deeper. I now know how important it is to be creative and incorporate images into the classroom.

As far as the article goes, I still am a little unsure about it. I still feel that it is important to go to a computer lab to do a project instead of using a computer in the classroom. I think having one computer in a class is more of an elementary idea instead of a high school situation. I think there are other ways to incorporate technology into the classroom and we should focus on those.

Ditigital Divide

I think there is a concern about digital divide in all classrooms. Many teachers in today's educational system understand the importance of technology in the classroom and fear falling behind in the world of technology. There is, more than ever, a need for more computers and technology in the classroom. Many of us today talked about the fact that there may be only one computer in a high school classroom with about twenty five students. This creates an obvious problem and creates a need for more computers. Even if schools have computer labs, they will be constantly utilized if every class is trying to use its resources. Also, in lower income schools, computers and other technologies are completely out of the question as funding is needed elsewhere. Again, this is problematic because students who attend these lower income schools suffer and fall behind in a world that is dominated by technology.

People should start taking action to remedy this problem by donating time, money, and resources. However, the need for other resources such as books and adequate supplies is, sadly, still extremely high for some schools and is a much more pressing need.

Digital Images

I am excited for this project because I feel like I can put a lot of creativity behind it. Pictures are always a lot of fun to work with and relating them to math will be very useful in the future. I believe that students will be more interested in a subject if there are visuals to go along with the topic. A photo essay, virtual field trip, etc are great ways to keep their attention while discussing and important subject. Especially for geometry, I feel that being able to work with digital images will be helpful in the classroom. I think there are many ways to incorporate images into a geometry lesson, making it easy for the students to relate to the topic. I feel like this project will be a lot of work and I hope that I can give it the appropriate time to make it worth while.

Going Digital

I thought that the article about Digital Divide was very interesting because it made me think back to my personal experiences in high school with computer activities. My family did not have access to the Internet in our house until I got into the later years of school and it was very hard on me to do some projects at home that would use the Internet because I was unable to do them and had to go into school early or do an alternate project because of this. I always felt as though I was the outsider because I was the only person in my classes to be at the disadvantage and not many of my teachers would think about this before they would give the assignments out. I was always shocked that no one would ask before making up the project if there was anyone who would not have this capability at home of using the Internet. From these experiences, I know that I will always ask someone before assuming they have this access so they would not have to feel in the same way that I did when I was in classes.

When it comes to the project about digital images, I am very excited for this one and think it will be the most fun one I have done yet. This allows for my personal creative side to come out more and use pictures and ideas that I am familiar with and want to use. It will also give people in the class a chance to know me a little bit better than they do. I also feel that it will be very relateable to my profession and with the idea I have come up with, I could honestly see myself using it one day with a child.