My logo for the lesson this week contains seven stars and the number 7 for my seven children. They pretty much define my life right now and I am sure will influence my activities for a long time into the future.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
My new Logo - What fun to create!
My logo for the lesson this week contains seven stars and the number 7 for my seven children. They pretty much define my life right now and I am sure will influence my activities for a long time into the future.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
EDLD 5366 Graphic Design
Assignment 1.2
This week’s assignment in EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics required us to look at ancient texts online and analyze them in terms of their graphic communication. The book I first looked at was the Bible from Ethiopia. This is found in the British Library website. I must say the British library website is awesome. The ability to view these texts while turning the pages as if they were in front of you places them in your lap. The website is found at www.bl.uk.
This Bible was written on sheep skin and has wooden covers embellished with patterned leather. My first impressions are that those that created this Bible desired to work hard to give as many details about the script as possible in the designs and pictures within the text. The pictures were just as important as the words of the text. It all appears so tedious and precise. The narration stated that the text would take eight months to create. The colors used were all found within Ethiopia except the indigo, which was imported from India.
The four principles of design were evident within the Bible from Ethiopia.
Contrast: Two different colors of ink are used for the text itself. Black is used for the main text and red is used for section titles and numberings. On some page pairs, the text on one page contrasts with the illustration on the other. In the drawing of Moses on page 3, the blue and red robe contrast with the orange background. In each illustration, where people are standing, their feet are often on top of the lower portion of the frame drawn. To contrast the “good people” drawn in the illustrations, the shepherd and the thieves on the cross do not have the gold halo.
Repetition: The leather of the cover is dyed red and the inside lining has red stripes. Illustrations are repeatedly given their own page. Elaborate embellishments surround the text on most pages. The same colors are used throughout the illustrations: green, black, blue, red, and gold. All of the birds drawn in the illustrations are drawn as if they were standing without their wings outstretched. This is true even when the birds are upside down. Each illustration in the text is surrounded by a frame of gold with the background color. Most individuals drawn in the book have a yellow circle behind their heads. This may be to signify the holiness of the individuals drawn.
Alignment: On the leather cover, four ribbons of patterns in the leather surround a stamped cross in the center. The cross is in the center to emphasize its importance. The cross tells the future person who finds this text its purpose - to tell about the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ.
Proximity: The cross on the cover is in the very center to show you the cross is central to the message of the text. Mary is standing with Joseph at Jesus’ death shown on page 24. In this picture, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea – the men who followed Jesus – are together on the right side of the page. Mary and Joseph are together in the center grieving over Jesus. Two mourning women are together on the left side. And each upper corner contains angels Gabriel and Michael, who are showing their grief by peeking through their fingers to watch Jesus’ death as if it is too hard to watch.
The creator of this Bible made the effort to use very durable parchment that survived centuries of weathering and movement. The transcriber used charts, text, illustrations and framing all to emphasize and give value to the accounts given in the text. The transcriber also was very selective in his choice of scripture to write out. He chose the first eight books of the Old Testament which give the creation of man and the establishment of the Hebrew nation. He also chose the four gospels to give the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This week’s assignment in EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics required us to look at ancient texts online and analyze them in terms of their graphic communication. The book I first looked at was the Bible from Ethiopia. This is found in the British Library website. I must say the British library website is awesome. The ability to view these texts while turning the pages as if they were in front of you places them in your lap. The website is found at www.bl.uk.
This Bible was written on sheep skin and has wooden covers embellished with patterned leather. My first impressions are that those that created this Bible desired to work hard to give as many details about the script as possible in the designs and pictures within the text. The pictures were just as important as the words of the text. It all appears so tedious and precise. The narration stated that the text would take eight months to create. The colors used were all found within Ethiopia except the indigo, which was imported from India.
The four principles of design were evident within the Bible from Ethiopia.
Contrast: Two different colors of ink are used for the text itself. Black is used for the main text and red is used for section titles and numberings. On some page pairs, the text on one page contrasts with the illustration on the other. In the drawing of Moses on page 3, the blue and red robe contrast with the orange background. In each illustration, where people are standing, their feet are often on top of the lower portion of the frame drawn. To contrast the “good people” drawn in the illustrations, the shepherd and the thieves on the cross do not have the gold halo.
Repetition: The leather of the cover is dyed red and the inside lining has red stripes. Illustrations are repeatedly given their own page. Elaborate embellishments surround the text on most pages. The same colors are used throughout the illustrations: green, black, blue, red, and gold. All of the birds drawn in the illustrations are drawn as if they were standing without their wings outstretched. This is true even when the birds are upside down. Each illustration in the text is surrounded by a frame of gold with the background color. Most individuals drawn in the book have a yellow circle behind their heads. This may be to signify the holiness of the individuals drawn.
Alignment: On the leather cover, four ribbons of patterns in the leather surround a stamped cross in the center. The cross is in the center to emphasize its importance. The cross tells the future person who finds this text its purpose - to tell about the resurrection and life of Jesus Christ.
Proximity: The cross on the cover is in the very center to show you the cross is central to the message of the text. Mary is standing with Joseph at Jesus’ death shown on page 24. In this picture, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea – the men who followed Jesus – are together on the right side of the page. Mary and Joseph are together in the center grieving over Jesus. Two mourning women are together on the left side. And each upper corner contains angels Gabriel and Michael, who are showing their grief by peeking through their fingers to watch Jesus’ death as if it is too hard to watch.
The creator of this Bible made the effort to use very durable parchment that survived centuries of weathering and movement. The transcriber used charts, text, illustrations and framing all to emphasize and give value to the accounts given in the text. The transcriber also was very selective in his choice of scripture to write out. He chose the first eight books of the Old Testament which give the creation of man and the establishment of the Hebrew nation. He also chose the four gospels to give the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Friday, November 5, 2010
October 2010 Field Based Reflection
October was an exceptionally busy month for my family. In addition to football games, university visits, sports events, performances, driving tests, flu shots, Bible studies, prayer meetings, and church activities – we also got a new puppy! “Rev” is a sheltie, a type of mini-collie. “Rev’’ is short for Reveillito – a mini Texas A&M mascot.
Anyway, all this is to say, that besides my school law class I have done little on my field based work. I did watch a tutorial on the internet detailing Epsilen: Project Share. The program will be an asset for teachers with all the resources available. This program allows teachers to complete online professional development, collaborate and share resources, and access digital content such as online repositories and state owned instructional materials. The platform also supports several web 2.0 tools such as e-portfolios, professional networking, work groups, peer review features and a learning Matrix available to create rubrics for assignments. I hope to check out the professional development opportunities soon.
I have also chatted with my mentor on non-specific topics. If I can just keep my head above water through New Years, I hope that I can get a bunch of internship work done in the spring semester.
Anyway, all this is to say, that besides my school law class I have done little on my field based work. I did watch a tutorial on the internet detailing Epsilen: Project Share. The program will be an asset for teachers with all the resources available. This program allows teachers to complete online professional development, collaborate and share resources, and access digital content such as online repositories and state owned instructional materials. The platform also supports several web 2.0 tools such as e-portfolios, professional networking, work groups, peer review features and a learning Matrix available to create rubrics for assignments. I hope to check out the professional development opportunities soon.
I have also chatted with my mentor on non-specific topics. If I can just keep my head above water through New Years, I hope that I can get a bunch of internship work done in the spring semester.
SCHOOL LAW - EDLD 5344
Course Embedded Reflection
Student Management
The student management issue that I found most relevant was student use of the internet. The internet is now a necessary education tool that all students need to access, but it also poses unknown threats to students through criminal activity and misuse. It also effects a student’s (and their family’s) privacy and safety.
In the book Cyber Law, the author states, “Schools need to help students understand the long-term effect of today’s blogging, postings, and practical jokes. Talking to students and educating them about appropriate Internet conduct not only will help prevent student free speech disputes and potential school liability but will help students become better Internet citizens.” (Bissonette, p. 27)
The knowledge gained in understanding the law regarding student free speech rights and the liability of schools to respond to bullying, will guide me as I try to discern problems faced in the schools. I hope to use this knowledge to create an internet manners unit that can teach both teachers and students proper internet behavior. I think students will really be helped just by understanding how permanent and long lasting the postings they make on Facebook really are.
Bissonette, A. (2009) Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin.
Personnel Management
This course has taught me about the different kinds of contracts that teachers may possess. I have also learned that these contracts are the teacher’s property and that they cannot be broken arbitrarily. When teachers are performing poorly in the classroom or are showing a lack of conscientiousness toward their jobs, it is very important for the campus principal to start documenting the undesirable behavior and placing it in a file for reference later. If the teacher is poor at his/her job, under a provisional contract or at the end of a term contract, they can be non-renewed at the end of the year as long as they are given 45 days notice. If the teacher is on a term contract, it would be necessary for the principal to document the problems and incidences and then confront the teacher with the problems identified - that they are not measuring up. If the teacher feels the documentation accumulated is enough to support a termination, they may choose to ask for the ability to resign. If you and the teacher think that they might improve through a growth plan to develop better teaching strategies and skills - that is one option. And then again, the teacher may protest and they can appeal your attempt to terminate them to the superintendent and then school board and beyond. In the lecture for week 3, Dr. Hopson states, “The teacher has a right to appeal to the state level, but only if he or she can prove that the board decision was arbitrary, unlawful, or not supported by evidence. So the lower legal bar to support a teacher’s non-renewal makes it a considerably easier process than terminating that same teacher during his or her contract term.”
One area of teacher management that I would like to know more about is the options for creating a growth plan for a teacher. Is it just more professional development or is it a mentor that follows you around? How can a growth plan help a teacher who just has a bad attitude or dislikes their job, but are trapped in it?
Hopson, Michael. (2010) EDLD 5344 Lecture Series, Lamar University, Beaumont retrieved November 5, 2010 from Epic Courseware online.
Improving Professional Practice
Cyber ethics is a topic that will need greater emphasis as technology changes and becomes more advanced and varied. Ethical treatment of other persons and their property is what defines us as people of integrity. Integrity is a characteristic that is necessary for all those working in and associated with education to have. Since we are instilling in students the values and mores of our society, we must choose the high road or higher ground in our behavior. Whether it is in person or on the internet, our behavior is being modeled to our students. Aimee Bissonette, in her book Cyber Law, writes “the cyber pitfalls associated with technology confronting today’s students are numerous. They include cyber bullying; misrepresenting one’s age or identity on social-networking sites, in chat rooms, or to access pornography; misrepresenting oneself or others by doctoring and posing digital photos; plagiarism and cheating (often with the assistance of electronic devices like cell phones and iPods); and overuse of the Internet to the extent that it affects one’s social and physical well-being (sometimes referred to as Internet addiction)” (pg. 85)
To train students to be responsible citizens on the internet, we must begin at an early age. I do like the “Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics” given in the Cyber Law book. (pg. 85) These ideas could be used to come up with a Cyber Manners Unit that could be taught in age appropriate ways beginning in Pre-K. If Texas is going to write Pre-K TEKS for computer introduction, it should expect that these students are thinking about how they can use the internet and technology in social settings. And we need to start early telling kids “play nice”.
Bissonette, A. (2009) Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin.
Student Management
The student management issue that I found most relevant was student use of the internet. The internet is now a necessary education tool that all students need to access, but it also poses unknown threats to students through criminal activity and misuse. It also effects a student’s (and their family’s) privacy and safety.
In the book Cyber Law, the author states, “Schools need to help students understand the long-term effect of today’s blogging, postings, and practical jokes. Talking to students and educating them about appropriate Internet conduct not only will help prevent student free speech disputes and potential school liability but will help students become better Internet citizens.” (Bissonette, p. 27)
The knowledge gained in understanding the law regarding student free speech rights and the liability of schools to respond to bullying, will guide me as I try to discern problems faced in the schools. I hope to use this knowledge to create an internet manners unit that can teach both teachers and students proper internet behavior. I think students will really be helped just by understanding how permanent and long lasting the postings they make on Facebook really are.
Bissonette, A. (2009) Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin.
Personnel Management
This course has taught me about the different kinds of contracts that teachers may possess. I have also learned that these contracts are the teacher’s property and that they cannot be broken arbitrarily. When teachers are performing poorly in the classroom or are showing a lack of conscientiousness toward their jobs, it is very important for the campus principal to start documenting the undesirable behavior and placing it in a file for reference later. If the teacher is poor at his/her job, under a provisional contract or at the end of a term contract, they can be non-renewed at the end of the year as long as they are given 45 days notice. If the teacher is on a term contract, it would be necessary for the principal to document the problems and incidences and then confront the teacher with the problems identified - that they are not measuring up. If the teacher feels the documentation accumulated is enough to support a termination, they may choose to ask for the ability to resign. If you and the teacher think that they might improve through a growth plan to develop better teaching strategies and skills - that is one option. And then again, the teacher may protest and they can appeal your attempt to terminate them to the superintendent and then school board and beyond. In the lecture for week 3, Dr. Hopson states, “The teacher has a right to appeal to the state level, but only if he or she can prove that the board decision was arbitrary, unlawful, or not supported by evidence. So the lower legal bar to support a teacher’s non-renewal makes it a considerably easier process than terminating that same teacher during his or her contract term.”
One area of teacher management that I would like to know more about is the options for creating a growth plan for a teacher. Is it just more professional development or is it a mentor that follows you around? How can a growth plan help a teacher who just has a bad attitude or dislikes their job, but are trapped in it?
Hopson, Michael. (2010) EDLD 5344 Lecture Series, Lamar University, Beaumont retrieved November 5, 2010 from Epic Courseware online.
Improving Professional Practice
Cyber ethics is a topic that will need greater emphasis as technology changes and becomes more advanced and varied. Ethical treatment of other persons and their property is what defines us as people of integrity. Integrity is a characteristic that is necessary for all those working in and associated with education to have. Since we are instilling in students the values and mores of our society, we must choose the high road or higher ground in our behavior. Whether it is in person or on the internet, our behavior is being modeled to our students. Aimee Bissonette, in her book Cyber Law, writes “the cyber pitfalls associated with technology confronting today’s students are numerous. They include cyber bullying; misrepresenting one’s age or identity on social-networking sites, in chat rooms, or to access pornography; misrepresenting oneself or others by doctoring and posing digital photos; plagiarism and cheating (often with the assistance of electronic devices like cell phones and iPods); and overuse of the Internet to the extent that it affects one’s social and physical well-being (sometimes referred to as Internet addiction)” (pg. 85)
To train students to be responsible citizens on the internet, we must begin at an early age. I do like the “Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics” given in the Cyber Law book. (pg. 85) These ideas could be used to come up with a Cyber Manners Unit that could be taught in age appropriate ways beginning in Pre-K. If Texas is going to write Pre-K TEKS for computer introduction, it should expect that these students are thinking about how they can use the internet and technology in social settings. And we need to start early telling kids “play nice”.
Bissonette, A. (2009) Cyber Law: Maximizing Safety and Minimizing Risk in Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
