20PointPage

Twenty-point assignment page
As described in class, if you want to get to 20 points rather than the standard 18, you need to complete an additional assignment. There are two ways to go. The first is to come up with and describe a **new resource** for our Societal Issues Threaded Discussion. That means that you must locate and describe a resource that is available on-line and that addresses a substantial societal issue involving technology and schools. The description does not need to be any more (or less) complete or complex than those you find currently on our Societal Issues Threaded Discussion page. In fact you can use those entries as models. As described in class you can link this from the top page of your portfolio. If, however, you want to make it available to the whole class, you can place your entries on //this// page. Please be sure to put your name (or your initials if you prefer) on your effort and separate yours from others with a horizontal line above and below your entry.

The other option is to create an **original digital video** that could be used to address some educational topic. The video needs to be less than or equal to two minutes in length. You must provide an annotated (a one or two-sentence description of its educational use) link on this page. Your video can be hosted on YouTube, your own portfolio site, or elsewhere. (Let me know if you have questions about how to make it available.) As with the Societal Issues resource option, be sure to put your name (or your initials, etc.) on your effort and separate yours from others with a horizontal line above and below your entry. I have two learning targets for this exercise: a.) develop your understanding of how digital video may be used to enhance teaching and learning, and b.) develop your understanding of some issue or aspect of content in the realm of k-12 education.

Civil War Video This video gives you a glimpse into what I learned at a Civil War reenactment. It would be something to use as a hook at the beginning of an elementary unit on this topic. (Stephanie Wallen)

China Adventures This video shows photos of some very famous places in China. It also has some basic vocab on the Chinese language.

Owl Pellets! This video describes what an owl pellet is, how they are formed, and gets the class excited about how revoltingly awesome it is to dissect them!

Similar Triangle Application This video is an example of why I am not a videographer. The video shows how I taught my daughter to calculate the height of the tree in front of our house using similar triangles.

[|Eating Disorders] This video is an example of how students can use technology to address difficult subject matter in a way that is meaningful, supportive, and educational.

Tools at Schools Very cool initiative to bring art, math, and technology together to introduce students to design. Check out my tech portfolio for more information and a link to the site! (Amy Chapman)

Aimee Kanemori's New Societal Issues Discussion Resource: Quest to Learn Quest to Learn is a New York City public school that aims to teach systems thinking and 21st century skills through the lens of video games (units are called "Missions," synthesis units are "Boss" units, etc.). Visit my tech portfolio for a more detailed description!

Amber Swim's New Societal Issues Discussion Resource: Boys, Gaming, and School In her talk, Ali Carr-Chellman states that boys are behind girls in academic achievement; that there is a gender achievement gap. She claims that this is due to boy's culture (mainly video games) being discriminated against by school policy and teacher attitude. She also sites a decline in male elementary teachers as a factor. All of these things are contributing to boys receiving the implicit message that school is not for them. For a more detailed description and the video of her talk, visit my tech portfolio.

[|Lindsay Quinn Shares a Grassroots Micro-finance Non- Profit Organization That Changes Lives....] "We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of micro-finance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world." This organization was started by young people who wanted to unify people in their home country to make change in the system of giving. Their idea has become a web of Partnership. This organization is dear to my heart. I hope to involve my future classes so they begin to get a sense of how good it feels to help people. The initial donation is repaid, and partners can re-donate to a new business to keep the cycle of giving in motion.[| (See my Tech Portfolio for a full overview.)]

[|Josh Tuggle's New Societal Issues Resource: Somali Community Services of Seattle] One of the largest and most immediate issues that plagues our school's is the inability to properly serve the immigrant communities that find themselves settling in Seattle. Somali Community Services of Seattle provides supplemental education, community development, job skills and more for Somali immigrants. Since Seattle School District is home to one of the largest populations of Somali refugees and immigrants in the nation, students, families, and schools need as much help as possible.

[|Tiffany McReynolds' New Societal Issues Resource: The Hunger Site and The Literacy Site] The Hunger Site is a website that donates 1.1 cups of food per click each day. They partner with artisans who also donate food when any of their crafts are purchased. There are six sites linked at the top of the page that operate similarly, but for other causes. One of these causes is literacy and a click on that site helps donate a book. Both The Hunger Site and The Literacy Site have a tab on the lower right-hand side of their respective pages for teacher resources. These resources include a couple of lesson plans, in addition to links to other helpful websites.

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Hannah Guldin's New Societal Issues Resource: Gender Schemas- a cognititive explanation of discrimination of women in technology.pdf=====
 * Gender Schemas: A Cognitive Explanation of Discrimination of Women in Technology**
 * By: Mary A. Lemons and Monica Parzinger **

Lemons and Parzinger’s research study look at the IT industry and how gender schemas may be an explanation to why so little women enter and stay in the IT field. The gender schemes are mental models that develop in children to help them organize their experiences in such a way that they will understand how their gender should act and process information in their culture. This study proposes that women entering the IT field possess a “nonconformist” view of their gender schema, and compares the gender schemas of women and men in IT to those of the general public.

Carlito Umali's Societal Issue: College INC. The Sales and Marketing Story "..my next book is called, 'How to Run a College by a Guy That Never Went to One.'" I hope this gets you to watch the movie.

__A documentary about the dangers of for-profit colleges and universities__

I think that Frontline creates so many great documentaries for high school classes. I picked one in particular called //College, INC.: The Sales and Marketing Story//. As many of our students leave high school, they will look into the possibilities of higher education. One of the many options out there are for-profit colleges and universities. They promise degrees through online programs and/or business campuses. I do not have to say any names.


 * __This documentary exposes many of the dangers of for-profit colleges and universities.__** Many of our students are getting heavy advertisements on TV, radio, and social media from these colleges and universities. I know that many of us have seen the commercials for online degrees. We may even know some students interested in these schools. It is time to ask: **who are these commercials targeting**?**Why are there so many of these ads-everywhere**? **How can I equip my students with information that will help them make informed decisions**? **Are these companies preying on venerable student demographics**? I think this power documentary will empower our students to make better higher education choices.

Laura Schefter's New Societal Issues Resource: Cyberbullying Research Center It is commonly known that cyber bullying is a significant issue facing students today. Defined as bullying through e-mail, instant messages, chat rooms, website posts or text messages, cyber bullying can have very harmful effects on kids. Because of its prominence in schools today, it is important that students, parents and educators have resources to combat this issue. The Cyberbullying Research Center is an organization devoted to educating people about cyber bullying's negative impacts and provides possible responses. Katie Fredlund's New Societal Issue Discussion: TAF Academy TAF Academy is a current local example of a public school that integrates technology into its curriculum to enhance learning and prepare students with 21st century skills. For more information and to see the school's video, visit my tech portfolio!

Rachel K. Sreebny's Societal Issues Resource: [|Netsmartz - Teaching Kids and Parents about Internet Risks] The NetSmartz Workshop is a website that hosts videos and information for parents, teachers and children about possible risks of an online generation. The website includes information for children ages 5-17 and is also a great resource for teachers, parents and just about anyone interested in keeping safe online. NetSmartz is constructed to inform and prevent internet threats such as cyberbullying, exploitation or victimization of children and teenagers. The site is entertaining, too! You can access great videos (like [|this one]on the potential risks of sending private images over a cell phone), games or useful teaching resources. This is an indefensible source of educational tools set to inform and empower the current generation of students and parents.

Noah Kent's societal issue resourse

Chapter Six of "[|Fools Gold]" is titled Conclusions and Recommendation concerning the use of computer technology and children from a Waldorf Education perspective. It is a little dated, and presents some 'straw' arguments to knock down, but I think it brings up some important points to discuss. I am not trying to be hostile towards the technology strand of the program, but rather to get people to consider the trade off of computer use with other activities, especially in elementary education. It also suggests some of the costs, developmental, economic and social, that are rarely discussed in our culture today concerning technology and children.

[|Jon Stern's new societal issues resource: Insight Schools (on-line high school)] The above link is to an on-line high school, where students can take courses over the internet and obtain a high school diploma. The State of Washington has approved this type of school. Apparently, the school even offers courses up to the AP level. It states that it also offers individual programs. Additionally, they offer a prom and organized social events. While I am sure that all of the tools that a computer provides can make it so a student can get some decent lessons over the computer, I am not sure that "online school" is such a great idea. I think it is allowing for an over-reliance on computers for everything and can lead to social interaction issues.

[|TED Talk by Eli Praiser] Posted by Kat Behrend This TED talk by author Eli Praiser, author of "The Filter Bubble," explains how internet-giants like Facebook, Google, and Yahoo are selective about what information they share with you, based on personal information they have gathered through your past internet activity. They filter your queries based on your link-clicking histories, hiding specific links that they don't think you would be interested in.

 Both the TED talk and his book raise the question about whether the internet is in fact a democratic, open portal of information if we don't know what's not being shown to us. The issue is pertinent to our job as educators, as we will be teaching students how to conduct meaningful, legitimate research. The more literate we are as teachers about media democracy and the type of corporate selectivity of information that Praiser discusses, the better equipped we will be at raising these issues of social and informational justice with our students. What internet sources will students rely on for neutral, internet-based research? He also has a list of 10 things you can do to “pop the filter bubble” and see the neutral, un-personalized, un-filtered web. []

Are Videos (like those on Kahn Academy) Effective for Teaching Science? Posted by Eleonor Schneider <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding: 0in; widows: 2;">Derek Muller, a Physics educator and science video blogger, relates the findings from his PhD thesis in a Kahn-type video. He explains that although Kahn is an excellent teacher who presents clear explanations of content and encourages mastery - students often do not learn science concepts from watching him, or others like him. Extensive inteviews with students in Muller's studies, led the author to conclude that often students think they "already know this stuff," so are not as engaged in the videos, and do not internalize the content being taught. However, often their "knowledge" is not fact-based, and is wrong - but similar enough to the truth that they don't learn the lesson as presented. He contends that common misconceptions must be presented in the video - and rebuked - before the student can begin to learn the correct explanation for scientific phenomena.