Projects 1-10 Digital Photos

For more photos go to my flickr site!

Web 2.0 and Photography Reflection

Pam Coats – Web 2.0 Reflection

Why is Web 2.0 so popular today? It is simple, cheap and easy to use?

My students are more technologically advanced than I am often times, I am ashamed to say. They have grown up with technology. I can remember when PacMan was introduced!

What two Web 2.0 tools have you found of value to you in your classroom?

Video clips, podcasting, scrapblog, cameras in general. I am not sure if all my students have used cameras before.

How would you use the tools identified above?

I would use podcasting for my auditory learners or students who need extra time and help on certain projects. Video clips could be used in the same way, for remediation or instruction. Both could also be used as a creation project for gifted --which is what I am planning to do.

Photography and Diversity Reflection

Pam Coats

Multiculturalism Responses

1. Why is it so important that teachers understand and promote multiculturalism?

Teachers must understand many cultures in order to understand where their student’s attitudes and beliefs originate. For a teacher to truly respect others cultures, she must first understand it.

2. Do you see many teachers promoting multiculturalism in the schools today?

Yes, all the teachers at BMS are great about trying to get to know their students and their parents. We do not have many cultures in our small school. The end of last year a student enrolled from Japan and speaks very little English. We are all working hard to make her transition a positive one.

3. How can you promote multiculturalism?

I can promote multiculturalism by first understanding it myself. I can survey and try to find out how many different cultures I have daily in my classroom. Then, I will be more prepared to serve my students daily needs. For instance, my new student from Japan could be allowed to share some of her traditions and beliefs. I think this would be a great way to get students to open up and understand that different is really okay.

4. How can you use photography to promote a multicultural perspective in the schools today?

In Reading, I can use photography to show the many different cultures from around the world. In a small rural town such as Bremen, many students have never been to other parts of the world. They don’t know that other cultures sometimes will not look you in the eye or that women wear different clothes or head wraps at times. Just because it is different from what they see everyday, doesn’t mean it is wrong. Once they see that children play just as they play and children smile just as they smile, I think they will be better prepared for their challenging world ahead.

Another way to promote cultures is to survey students and see which cultures they would like to learn about. They could then be allowed to research and report their findings to the class.

Photography Integration Reflection

Pam Coats – Photography Integration Reflection

Integrating photography into the classroom is an ongoing task. As educators, we must be prepared to keep up with technology and be able to better educate the students as to what they will be doing when they enter the work force. Today, you can watch almost anything on Utube. Everyday, students come into my class and ask did I see something on Utube, etc. They even post their videos on there from time to time and are more than will to share.

As a teacher of 7th grade students, I plan to teach my students how to do podcasts and use photography to give better visuals. Until this year, our system has not been able to use this type of technology because we have not had it. Our lab had 20 computers in it, but several would be down at any given time. We had to share this lab with the high school. It became such a chore that no one bothered to schedule it for use. This year, we will have all new Apple computers at our disposal. I will have 3 in my classroom and I am elated! I hope to assign students many lessons and have them create ppts, podcasts, video clips, anything and everything we can get our hands on.

I think this will be a positive experience for our students because it will show them what is out there at their disposal and with a little help, they can create all sorts of new and exciting projects.

Composition Reflection

Pam Coats - Composition Reflection

http://www.scphoto.com/html/composition.html

I posted the URL above because this is a great site for people like me who have not had this type of class or technology to work with before this class. The article talks about the composition of a photo being the starting point from the creative side. The technical side has to do with lighting. It gives a great example of the rule of thirds. This article also discusses lines and how they create mood, tone and feelings. The lines mentioned are diagonal, leading and curved.

If you have time, go to the URL I have provided and take a peak at this one. It made me look at lighting and lines in a whole new way.

Photography Book Reflection

Photography Book Reflection

Kinghorn, J (2005). Perfect Digital Photography. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

This book is written by photography experts. It included photos from National Geographic and has many exciting topics for newcomers. This full-color book is a must-have for amateur photographers like myself serious about improving both the quality of their photographs and perfecting their skills. It also has chapters on the elements of the digital darkroom that I found helpful. The book is the perfect combination of the technical aspect, yet not forgeting the true artistic quality of digital photography. Using voice that even amateurs can understand, the author give scompeling advice on how to perfect and become an accomplished photographer. I highly recommed this book not only for its aesthetic qualities, but also for its beautiful copy.

Bardosh, K (2007). The Complete Idiots Guide to Digital Video. Alpha Books.

When saw this book, I knew it was for me. This book gives step by step information for even the most terrible video tech and photography person out there. From information on creating mini-films on a PDA to making low-budget, full-length digital movies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Digital Video provide all the information you need to turn your idea into reality without feeling like a complete idiot. I have been terrified with some of the assignments that we must do for this degree, but this book seems to have all the topics that we will need to make and complete awesome projects to even wow our professors.