Overview on Media literacy

Let’s know together about media literacy. If anyone is unfamiliar with the concept, it is the practice of critically thinking about the media one consumes for example, (Television & Radio programs, Newspapers, commercials and the internet, etc.) Many peers are talking and writing about media literacy as a process of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide variety of media modes. Media literacy offers teachers opportunities to integrate pictures, sound and animations together to deliver lessons in classroom and get their students more engaged in the activities. Media literacy educates public and disseminates information to users. It’s very important to know media literacy as people of all ages absorb hundreds of mediated messages every day, especially our kids. We have to protect and immunize them against the commercial media which is inappropriate for them to learn new things related to their ages. Literacy is widely spread so it could contribute to bridging the digital divide, if it’s effectively employed. If we are to maximize the digital opportunity, we will need to ensure a population that is confident and empowered to access, use and create digital media. See this exciting websites for kids, getting them aware of some media at the same time media helps to learn kids in an interesting and exciting way. It’s necessary to screen what is the best media to integrate into learning. Watch and see how media makes this kid is exciting and involving in learning new words. See the link below for more information.
http://www.yourbabycanread.com/default.aspx?adid=yahybr.yah6125&OVRAW=NULL&OVKEY=NULL&OVMTC=content&OVADID=53818824511&OVKWID=0
Excerpted from writtoreply,”keeping children and young people safe from harm must be the priority and responsibility of us all. While children need to be able to learn, have new experiences and enjoy their childhoods, we need to help families strike the right balance between keeping children safe and allowing them the freedom they need”. Many websites found on Internet can be of low educational value and shouldn't be used in a classroom setting. If the educational website to be used in the classroom, the content should be without particular commercial, political, gender or racial bias, the teacher must address the bias in a classroom. I concluded my input with the following quotation and I feel this topic is evoking more discussions to find out what experts said. “The current statutory and specific remit on media literacy is contained within s.11 of the Communications Act 2003. As this report makes clear, since 2003 there have been significant market changes in the availability of digital technologies and how they are used. We will ask Ofcom to make an assessment of its current responsibilities in relation to media literacy and, working with the BBC and others, to recommend a new definition and ambition for a National Media Literacy Plan.
Reference:
http://writetoreply.org/digitalbritain/2009/01/29/section-51-education-and-skills/

http://www.yourbabycanread.com/default.aspx?adid=yahybr.yah6125&OVRAW=NULL&OVKEY=NULL&OVMTC=content&OVADID=53818824511&OVKWID=0






The above video is media literacy related to Religious literacy and it contributes to teach peoples the morals which important tto learn as it organize the way people deal with each other.

The Effectiveness of Using Technologies in Teaching & learning Language.

Abstract:
The increasing availability of technologies here refers to as (technological tools) in the classroom is promoting discussions among educators concerning the best way to teach students and how can instructors effectively utilize the available technologies to enhance learning? What instructors need to utilize such technologies? The research will demonstrate different technological tools and the effective use of each tool to enhance students’ learning experience. Nowadays instructors & students both use different technologies in teaching and learning, starting from using computers, and surfing on internet and doing assignments on black boards, and creating animations on smart boards and writing daily input in weblogs, then ending by Wikis & portable devices. The effective use of these technologies should include:- Designing suitable curriculum for teaching and learning online, developing methods that help integrate these technologies into curriculum, and competence in applying such technologies & equal distribution of technologies among schools, regardless of location, ethnicity, origin or socio-economic of students.
Introduction:
Just Iam making a reflection on my topic and I concisely give some information about the research and how using different technologies might help meet the needs of different learners’ styles and bridge the digital divide. I will be searching on the Effectiveness of using Technologies in Teaching & Learning Languages. I will review some Learning Theories that might support my research, especially John Dewey and Piaget. Instructors who are considering integrating technologies into teaching & learning should ask the following essential questions (Why/How/what) as follows:
Research questions:
1- Why instructors use technologies in teaching & leaning language?
2- How instructors use and apply technologies in teaching & learning language?
3 – What is required to use & apply technologies in teaching & learning language?
4 - How does equal distribution of technologies help bridge the digital divide? The research is an attempt to find out the effectiveness of using technologies according to below difinition of effectivemss in teaching and learning and how technologies enhance students’ learning experience, as well as planning some strategies that might contribute to bridging the digital inequities. In my research, I will try to use Dewey Theory of experience and interaction and Piaget’s Theory on collaborative learning and interactions both Theories emphasized on Experience, interaction and collaboration. How technologies can be integrated into these theories to build a virtual community through online interaction and within a discussion board that empowering the virtual community past and present experience to make learning happens.

Objectives:
-Finding out the answers of the research questions.
-Demonstrating an understanding of the use of technologies in teaching/learning language.
- Reviewing of research on Digital equity & ways to bridge digital inequities

Definition of the term Effectiveness:
It may includes:
Authentic and multi tasks
Addresses different learners’ styles. ( considering individual differences)
Performance-based assessment.
Interactive models of instruction. ( Dewey)
Collaboration. (Piaget)
Students’ exploration of knowledge.
Teacher as facilitator

Section: 1
Educational Theories:
Dewey: Theory of Experience
The theory based on the interaction of two principles:-– Continuity: is that each experience a person has will influence the person’s future for better or worse.– Interaction: refers to the situational influence on one's experience. One's present experience is a function of the interaction between one's past experience and the present situation, for example, my experience of lesson will depend on how the teacher arranges and facilitates the lesson, as well my past experience of similar lessons and teachers. Dewey says that “once we have a theory of experience, then as educators can set about progressively organizing our subject matter in a way that it takes accounts of students' past experiences, and then provides them with experiences which will help to open up, rather than shut down, a person's access to future growth experiences, thereby expanding the person's likely contribution to society. Learning by interaction with society in order to acquire main ideas and the experience is an important tool to unify mind and body.” Therefore, how instructor applies technologies on Dewey’s equation (Continuity+ experience+ interaction to prepare an exciting learning situation for students.References:-http://www.siu.edu/~deweyctr/
- http://www.davidsonfilmsstore.com/Giants.htm#DEW
- Democracy and Education, 1966
- Experience and Education, 1963
- Experience and Nature, 1958

Piaget: Theory of Collaborative Learning, 1928-1932:

The collaborative learning offers learners opportunities to cooperatively learn and work on assignments/ projects in groups, thus enhances the interactions among the group members to build a cooperative learning community. Every one as part of learning community is assigned to complete his/ her work. Piaget pointed out” collaborative learning has a major role in constructive cognitive development. His theory is consistent with the other popular learning theories Vygotsky 1978, Fox, & Karen; Thomas & Funaro 1990 all are emphasizing in the importance of collaboration. Piaget felt that interaction between peers is equally shared. This contrasts adult-child or a teacher-student interaction, where usually the former is in control and the latter characteristically follows what the former professes, thus not following his/her own natural learning process.” The theory also enhances the notion of student- centered. I concluded that collaborative learning will help build a virtual community, consequently promotes accessibility to online distance learning. Accordingly, digital service can be conveyed to a large number of students in remote areas. It could be also another way of bridging the digital divide.

References:
http://www.cs.usask.ca/grads/vsk719/academic/890/project2/node2.html http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~Dongjoo_Lee/IRD/
http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/teie.html

Section: 2
Literature review:
Students Engagement & Digital Equity:
Digital Equity is just like Multicultural Education; it’s a way to identify and eliminate all kind of inequities and injustices that negatively impact our schools and society. The main target of digital equity is an instructor and student for their important roles in learning process.

Professional Development:
Both instructors and students should get the required training that enables them to use and apply school technologies, budget for tech supplies, as well as a well designed electronic classroom that equipped with reliable set of teaching tools.

Conclusion:

Digital Divide

Digital divide is challenging policy-makers and educators. Realizing equity is not something beyond reach. It's obtainable. Education in America has continuous battle against inequities, unjustices, unfairness , segregation and racism. Eduction is full of problems aroused from domination of mainstream culture over other minorities sub- cultures. The divide started from curriculum itself , it is not representing the society make up. Many students do not see themselves in the curriculum. They feel isolated from the school society. This feeling has generated negative impacts on their academic acheivement resulted in to achievement gap, dropout.

watch the video

owatch the video above and make your comments.

Open Source & Equity

I think that Open Source is contributing in reducing the inequities in the use of technologies among schools regardles of the location or who are the studets. It offers universally free software to anyone as well as no restrictions to modify and update. many people use open source softwarefreely. Since is given freely it can easily reach to disadvantaged schools. open Sourcesoftware is compatible to Microsoft Office with operating system, Windows/ Vista , Apple system and linux.

watch this video more about OpenSource

Overview on Portfolio & Google sites

During the course Eduu563, I prepared three websites from Google. Using Google sites is very easy and convenient. However; sometimes it’s hard to organize the navigation bar or even make some changes by adding/delete items. The most remarkable thing in using Google sites and helpful in adding podcast is the accession of YouTube to put Videos, (HTML) Picasa Web album for uploading pictures. I started creating my electronic portfolio on Google sites and organized it to include the following:
v Home Page
v Resume
v Technology
v Blogs
v Wikis

Under the Home page I wrote a welcome to my portfolio then all the above items lead to the page where you can read more about it. For example if you click on Technology the link leads you to open a new page which include the eight standards, each standard takes user to artifacts and reflection. Users can navigate to round the pages without going back to the Home page.
I always use Microsoft Office / Word Document for editing and some other software for Pictures, videos, animations and sound (graphics & podcasting).

I think that I met the requirements for Standards one through four. I have to spare time to learn other standards within this course Eduu 564 and catch up what I have missed in the previous Course Eduu 563. I need to learn some skills that help me to prepare a rubric for assessment and evaluation, instead of using the online ready made one.

In the real life experience at Defense Language Institute, Arabic School one, teachers use black board and smart board both of them have some kind of assessment, for example, we use the black board ( Grade book to score our students home work or assignment. The Smart board gives a quick feedback to students if a student makes a mistake by sending a message try again or gives the correct answer.

I prepared some artifacts for Standards one through six with reflection why I chose this standard. Digitizing the artifacts could be a reflection on the chosen standard and skills that a student mastered to do assignment (showcase what you learned).

According to my portfolio I think it should include:
ü The Home page, giving introduction & about us
ü Resume and C.V. which contain personal data, academic background and experience…
ü Technology, a list of all tech standards with artifacts and reflections
ü Blogs that show the user your contributions in Education Technology
ü Wikis displaying the topics you wrote during the previous tech courses such as Eduu: 551, 552, 563, & 564.
You can navigate on my 563 Electronic portfolios which Iam preparing now and making daily update to make it looks better. http://sites.google.com/site/563electronicportfolio/

Equity in the use of Technology

Let’s break the ice and say, when any school or college decides to implement education technology into curriculum, the main goal should be to create a plan and policy for all audience to have equitable access and use of such a technology. Technology has become an important tool in teaching and learning process. Technology makes teaching and learning fun and more exciting. It also makes the learners more involved and engaged in lesson activities. It can be said that technology is living within the people as parents at homes recognize the importance of technology. Educators are more enthusiastic in integrating technologies into education. Employers seek workers who have skills in communication, problem solving and production. Therefore, the policy makers, educators, teacher and administrators should be aware of critical need for wider technology access to help make learning and teaching environment more convenient and interesting for both teachers and students. Since the technology became an integral part in learning process, it must be equally provided for all learners, though making this to happen needs big budget allotment. One computer or software might need many hundreds of dollars to buy. Learners should have equal opportunities, for example, to access internet and use the other educational technologies. None existing of such equities might result in the information gap amongst students. Technology integrated into curriculum can help remove the inequities between inner-city schools and suburbs, rich and poor area schools, thus it becomes a means that equalizes the educational opportunities for all learners regardless of their ethnicity or socio-economic status.
Reference:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm