The World of Digital Storytelling

Quote: "Digital stories provide powerful media literacy learning opportunities because students are involved in the creation and analysis of the media in which they are immersed."
Reaction: I agree with the quote.  I think digital stories will provide wonderful learning opportunities for students.  They will learn a new form of writing and be able too express themselves through it.  Digital storytelling is another way for students too get to know one another and too share what they've learned in class.  For example, if they learned what happened during the Cival War, they can easily put pictures up and narrate what happened and share with the rest of the class.  It's a great way too get students involved and it makes learning fun for them.  Getting an education is more than just sitting in a classroom and doing book work.  It's about showing students that learning can be fun and informative.  Students don't want to come too school because they think it's boring, but if students were allowed too use digital stories too show what they have learned they will probably enjoy it more and want too actually learn it.
References:
Ohler, J. (2005). 44-47. Retrieved from http://www.jasonohler.com/pdfs/digitalStorytellingArticle1-2006.pdf
New, J. How to use digital storytelling in your classroom [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-storytelling-classroom
Related Sources:These are different ways you can use digital storytelling in your classroom

A Comic Strip about Texting!

The Keypad Solution

Quote: David Crystal, the author of “Txtng: The Gr8 Db8,” told me in an e-mail message that “there’s nothing in texting to suggest spelling reform,” noting that texting relies heavily on abbreviations, which he sees as creative stylings, not systematic improvements. He added that there is very little that is new about most of the abbreviations and lexical shortenings that make texting so maddening to so many. In fact, he said, with the exception of a few recent coinages like LOL, “virtually all the commonly used ones can be found in English a century ago.”
Reaction:  I agree with the quote.  There is nothing too suggest spelling reform.  People use abbreviations everyday.  The new generation just added a few more.  Today's abbreviations are not a new language.  When you see ASAP you know that means As Soon As Possible.  That's not any different then seeing LOL or TTYL.  We haven't changed the way we spell and why should we now just because we're abbreviating the words.  There are going to be more abbreviations as the years go on and we need to get accustomed to it. People text all the time and abbreviate words, so does that mean they can't spell?  Over the years we have survived new technology and new ways of communicating, so why change it? I understand that there are words that are confusing such as comb and tomb but f you change the spelling,  it's not going to prevent abbreviations from occuring. 
References:

Shea, A. (2010, January 22). The keypad solution. MM22. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html

English language spelling reform. (2010, June 1). Retrieved from http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=800

Related Sources: English Language Spelling Reform
This article gives the pros and cons of a spelling reform

My Learning Style

As a learner I have learned that I am more of a Aural learner.  This means that I learn better when I hear something.  As a learner I feel as if i need too use all the learning styles to be able to succeed.  This test is accurate because I do learn better when I hear things because I'm able to remember it better then if I was a visual, kinesthetic, or read/write learner.  Everybody has there own way of learning they just have too know how they learn best.

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

What is the difference between Wordle and Poll Everywhere?  Wordle is a text analysis tool that helps studnets show their creativity by letting them express themselves using a fun tool. You can make learning fun using wordle by putting spelling words and math problems on it.  It also allows students too learn new vocabulary words in a more fun way then just getting a worksheet with them on it. 

Poll Eveywhere is an audience response system that allows students too express their opinion.  It  allows students too get too know each other by seeing their peers opinions.  It allows students to ask questions and get feedback from other people and gets them thinking about seeing things in new ways.

Teachers can use Wordle and Poll Everywhere because it's creative, fun, and it helps students be able too learn better.  It helps students get new ideas and differents oppinions.  It allows students too collobrate and get too know one another instead of just sitting in the classroom.  Every student is different and Poll Everywhere and Wordle lets students see that.

The Kind of Teacher I Want To Become

Is Digital Media Changing Language?

Quote:

Yes, young people sometimes accidentally slip a btw (by the way) into a school essay. But a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that middle school and high school students understand what kind of language is appropriate in what context (Lenhart, Smith, & Macgill, 2008). What's more, scholars of new media language, such as David Crystal and Beverly Plester, remind us that the new technologies encourage creativity, which can spill over into school writing (Crystal, 2008; Plester, Wood, & Bell, 2008).

Reaction:

I agree that middle and high school students know what language is appropriate for their phones and who they're talking too in person.  I also agree that technology has a contol of us.  As the article says, we don't have too visit the person too wish them a Happy Birthday because we can write it on Facebook, or we don't have too answer the phone if we don't want too talk to the person that's calling because we have id.  Students are no longer caring about learning how too spell or  grammer because computers fix their mistakes for them. Cell phones and computers are great but it's not allowing students too interacts with each other. When you get on an elevator with people you don't know, how many of those people pull out their cell phones and start playing with it?  Technology is changing the way we communicate.  One of my former teachers told me that when she went too a wedding, everything was chaotic because nobody was talking in person and it was all texting so nobody knew what was going on.  There's nothing wrong with cell phones and computers but we can't loose contact with the real world.

References:

Belleghem, SV. (Producer). (2009, October 12). [Video Podcast]. Conversation Revolution. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fshZCWLxzeQ&feature=related

Baron, NS. (2009). Are digital media changing language?. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 42-46.

Related Source:

This video show how people spend more time social networking then actually interacting.