Lisbon Hebrew Bible reading

1.    Describe your first impression of these ancient works in respect to design

2.    Identify examples of each of the four principles of design

What  techniques did the authors/artists employ to help us  understand the importance of those manuscripts/books

The Lisbon Hebrew Bible, at first glance, looks like any other set of holy manuscripts.  This is quite the contrary, as this particular work is the most accomplished codex version of the Hebrew Bible.  This work was copied from the scrolls to text form by Samuel the Scribe and designed beautifully by a team of Portuguese artists.  With this knowledge, I took a look inside the book to see for myself this manuscript.  My first impression was to be quite impressed, both by the history but also by the design of the bible.  The calligraphic designs on the border are incredible, and definitely a good display of Portuguese culture, which focuses a lot on nature and art.  In some ways, it reminds me of designs seen inside Mosques and in Islamic art, as it is against their beliefs to re-create living creatures in their art, so they focus a lot on garden scenes and the like.  As the Iberian Peninsula was heavily populated by the Moors until 1492, this isn’t surprising.  It looks as if the ancient world also placed a large importance on repetitive and/or contrasting design in order to make the pages stand out.  Since I do not read Hebrew and there are no translations available, I can only guess that the more detailed the designs and contrasting the colors, the more important the page.  When something is important, it is important for it to stand out, so the contrasting designs would make sense.

In terms of the four principals of design, contrast is found everywhere.  The colors of the border around each page of scripture contrast with the color of both the text and the page, thereby making it stand out from everything else.  The borders are also augmented by gray and gold areas, such as the ones found on pages 16 and 17, and the darker ones found on 18 and 19.  These contrasting designs actually are also repetitive a well.  By this, I mean that each page has some sort of border, and the gold and red borders all have different meanings (red for a prophet, for example).  This adds to the overall design by establishing a pattern, of meaning and of highlighting text.  Also, the text itself is all gold, which I believe signifies the value in the words of the scripture itself.  The gold words against green, red and darker gold border really establish a pleasing pattern and makes everything stand out.  The alignment of the text is what stands out about the design, as well as the careful placement.  Samuel copied the text in one column, making it easier to read and also neater to even the most untrained eye.  In terms of the proximity, the text is tight and close together, which makes sense since all of the text is scripture, and the borders are close to the text as well, which gives the impression the colors denote the different sections of the Hebrew Bible.

 Samuel the Scribe and his partner artists use more contrast and repetition than anything else in order to convey the importance of the various parts of scripture.  He also uses these elements to convey the Portuguese influence in this work.  The designs within the pages are prime examples of the culture, and they also serve to separate the Torah from the Prophets.  These contrasts and repetitions are key in understanding not only the work itself, but also the cultural importance of this work as one of the most important from the Iberian Peninsula.  

Action Research Plan

Goals:
The overall goal of this action research plan is to develop a series of lessons which will inform the students of the characteristics, dangers, potential consequences, and ways to prevent cyber bullying.  The goal of action portion of the research project will be to gain insight into how others view the subject of cyber bullying.  The actual action portion of the action research will center on conducting interviews and surveys among the students and administrators at each level, focusing on views on, opinions of, and information regarding cyber bullying.  There will also be a reflection period as I put together the lessons/presentations

Activities:
The activities that will be involved in this project will be done with the students and teachers/administrators in their advisory classes.  Students and administrators will answer surveys focused on cyber bullying characteristics, consequences, and the like. In addition to the surveys, the action researcher will use cyber bullying web sites, recent newspaper articles, and information on cyber bullying from other districts to compile references.  These student surveys and references gathered in passive research will, ostensibly, be used to complete this project.

 
Resources and research tools needed for data gathering:
During the time period of this research, students will be surveyed, and the data gathered will be used in conjunction with information gathered from cyber-bullying awareness web sites, newspaper articles from over the last year regarding cyber bullying incidents and consequences, focusing on the state of Texas. Reflection on answers given by the students and found on the web sites will be a major part of the research for this project, as directed by the various articles assigned by the instructors for the action research class.

Timeline for completion or implementation of activities:
This research project will be conducted over a period one calendar year.
Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan:
Colin Shannon is the one responsible for the implementation of the action research plan.
Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives:
The process for monitoring achievement of goals and objectives will involve receiving a final result which meets the criteria for EDLD 5301.

Assessment instrument(s) to evaluate the effectiveness of the action research study:
Assessment instruments will include a survey to be taken be the selected classes who view the finished lesson, with questions aimed at finding out what percentage of students felt the presentation was relevant to them, affected them, and what could be done to improve the lesson.  If a student focused lesson has no input from the students before or after viewing a lesson created specifically for them, one of the most significant aspects of action research has not been fulfilled: that of constructing research with opinions from the people “in the trenches.”

Reflections on administrative blogging

Blogs have a number of educational advantages which I could use as an administrator.  First, and perhaps most important of all, blog entries allow for educated discussions and debates to take place online.  Every blog has an area for comments, and in that area, responses to what has been posted more often than not quickly turn into debates on a subject.  Debates are an important part of education, as learners get to express their opinions on a given subject, and have the opportunity to learn a great deal about the subject which is being discussed.  These discussions can take place online in a respectful manner and serve to educate a wide range of people.  Students, teachers, and concerned citizens can comment on issues without fear of any backlash. 

Blogs also allow for information to be posted and shared.  If someone finds a piece of information especially interesting, or has an opinion on a subject (such as the change in the Social Studies TEKS), they can post a link to the article online and then share their opinion on it, allowing others to see it and respond to their opinion.  Not everyone who visits a blog is a member of that blog and can respond to the comments, but they can visit and read the entry and the comments, and they will learn something about a subject they had little or no idea about.  Blogging allows for information to be spread to a larger number of people and, in turn, educate more people.  Blogging in education has major advantages.  As an administrator, I would use them to keep the students, teachers, parents and other citizens informed not only of school business, but also of developments in education which may or may not affect the school. 

Reflections on active research

During my short time in this course, I have learned much about conducting research and asking questions as an administrator rather than as an academic.  As an action researcher, I would be basically studying myself and my own practices.  Action research is very involved and very important, because it is based on posing questions to the people around you, gathering their responses, gathering data to further understand those answers and then reflecting on those findings and making changes if necessary.  Basically, action research allows for administrators to gain insight into what is going on and allows for personal reflection.

Action research is also important for improvement due to the unique challenges faced every year, every semester, even every day, by administrators.  These challenges are faced every day not just by the administrators, but by classroom educators, who seem to see them much more often than do the administrators.  By involving those who work most closely with the students in research, not only is unit cohesion built throughout the staff, but the administrator can gain new insight into educational theories and their own issues, which is a critical part of action research. 

I feel that I could use action research in a number of ways.  The most significant way, which popped into my mind almost as soon as I saw the question, is using this type of research to get to know a new school that I have just taken over as head principal.  I would ask the entire staff to answer five questions anonymously: What is our job, how well are we doing it, what practices should we stop, what should we start doing, and what should we continue to do?  Upon receiving their responses, I would categorize them, read some recent articles which fit closely to the majority of their answers, and then reflect on my own practice.  This research and process would allow me not only to gain an understanding of how my new school functions, it would also allow me to become a part of the process to make the school and, to a lesser extent my own practices, as strong as possible.  This action research process is important on so many levels, not the least of which is the allowance for constant professional self-improvement based on the opinions and needs of the people in the trenches: the teachers.  

Course Reflections

When I started EDLD 5306 just a few weeks ago, I was definitely excited to start.  I actually had little to no experience with or knowledge of technology when I began just over a month ago.  I honestly thought that this would be a course which introduced me to learning technology, but through Microsoft Office features, with a little leadership thrown in.  I definitely had no idea that there would be so many learning outcomes.  My thoughts about learning outcomes were simple: to understand how to use the latest technology, as well as how to be a leader or a Technology Information Specialist.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Not only did all of the learning outcomes I expected occur, but also many others, much deeper than I had expected.  For instance, I did not expect a technology literacy test on the first class day!  I quickly learned that I had a long way to go in learning about educational technology. 

I had developed leadership skills as a Boy Scout leader, but this course’s standards introduced me to leading in a classroom and leading the way in implementing technology standards and my district’s Long Range Plan.  This has proved both interesting and difficult, as has learning and, in some cases, relearning the legal, social and ethical issues that are involved in educational technology.

I did achieve the outcomes which I set out to achieve, along with several more.  The course outcomes did align with the ones I envisioned, but it also tested me with all of the other learning outcomes which I did not envision, particularly in learning how to evaluate different data sources and professional development activities.  This course certainly tested my resolve and stretched my mind, but I feel I mastered the learning outcomes, both the ones I envisioned and the ones which the course syllabus listed.

In all honesty, the learning outcomes are not yet relevant to the work I do in my school.  This is not due to a limited mastery of the learning outcomes, but to my current job status.  At this time, I am a part-time teacher, and am not granted access to the internet or other learning technology during school hours unless permission is given by the full-time teacher for whom I am covering.  However, these competencies will be relevant as I begin doing my internship and when I finally do get into the classroom full time.  I have been brainstorming projects and activities for students to do in class which would require a requisite knowledge of leadership and how to use technology effectively and legally.  To the extent which I have achieved these outcomes, I could conceivably implement the K-12 technology standards in my classroom right now, but until I have my own classroom, all I can do is continue to work on these outcomes as I undertake my internship.

Of the learning outcomes listed, there were two or three which I did not achieve.  One of them was to become knowledgeable of the key concepts in current technology and leadership books.  There were two reasons why I did not achieve this outcome.  First of all, I do not feel that reading one book on technology and concepts allows a person to become familiar with many different key concepts.  Additionally, the book I read, Thomas Friedman’s “The World Is Flat,” deals more technology than it does leadership, and the references to education were seen between the lines.  I feel that I should read multiple books on different subjects within educational technology and leadership before I consider this outcome mastered.

Secondly, I do not feel that I accomplished fully the learning outcome “Recognize the needs of digital-age students, and acquire strategies and tools to meet those needs.”  While I have recognized the needs of digital-age students, as highlighted by the “Digital Natives” series, I have not yet fully acquired the strategies and tools to meet their needs.  I only have the basic skills that the course has taught, and since this technology was totally new to me when I started, I do not feel as if I have fully acquired all of the strategies and tools to meet those needs.” I believe that this is what not only my internship is for, but also what the rest of the course and independent study is for.  So, while I have not fully mastered these two learning outcomes, I have accomplished them to an extent and am well on my way to fully mastering these learning outcomes.

The course assignments were very challenging and time consuming, confusing at times, but I finished each one, without exception.  I believe I was able to finish each of these because I would allocate 2-3 hours each day, and dedicate one to two full days to working on them.  I know from experience in online courses that the work can quickly pile up, so a study and work plan has to be implemented and followed from Day 1.  There are some people that thrive on procrastination, but they would not do well in this course, as it seems to me the assignments are designed to be completed in one week, no more, no less.  This means if you put it off until Day 6, you will not sleep for 48 hours, and still may not finish.  I have also been very encouraged by the feedback I have gotten on these assignments, particularly he high grades.  To be honest, I did not expect to be doing this well, since I had little-no technology knowledge upon entering this class.  I have been pleased that the assignments walk me through a process step by step and it sets me up to succeed.  I have been discouraged sometimes by the difficulty of the assignments, but it quickly passes as I get into it and I feel very accomplished when I hit “submit” on Monday nights.

This course taught me the significant need for technology use in the classroom. As my colleagues and I have discussed on the class discussion board, teachers today are trying to make students learn in the same way they did, and for this new, highly technical generation, this doesn’t work.  They need some kind of technological stimulation, a learning environment where they do not have to “power down” when they come to school.  With this course, I’ve learned not only the need for it, but the specific programs and features that can be used to help enhance the students’ learning experiences.

I also learned that some districts, other teachers, and administrators may not feel the same way about technology as others do,  and I must be a leader for this cause, furthering the use of technology in schools and making sure the EC-12 TEKS are implemented so the students can have the best education tools possible.  I learned that I may have to take the lead on getting a technology plan created and implemented, and I think after going through this course that, while I may not have the skills to craft a technology plan for a district, I have gained the insight and leadership skills to lead a development.  Educational technology implementation is too important for someone to sit idly by and think that someone else will take the lead.  That someone should be me.

My attitude towards technology has gone from indifference to being almost a crusader for expanded use of technology.  I wholeheartedly believe in the use of technology in education and believe that if at all possible, all classrooms should be equipped with laptops for students’ use.  We as educators need to concentrate not only on this expanded use, but also on how to use it, as it is a foreign language to us.  I feel that if we learn how to do it, we will be more effective as educators, because we will speak the students’ language and have the knowledge of how to instruct them in the ways they learn best: on the computer.  As teachers, we constantly search for a common teaching style that will reach every student.  Technology provides us with as close a medium as we are ever going to find. 

National Educational Technology Plan

The National Educational Technology plan was developed in 2009 by the Department of Education (DOE), reflecting the Obama Administration’s academic goals, which reflect the urgent priority given to the improvement of education. The plan centers around two main goals. First of all, by 2020, the United States will raise the proportion of college graduates from 39% of the population to 60%. The second goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in society, either in college or right away in a career. In order to meet these goals, the DOE focuses on improving teaching and learning techniques by using technology. It urges the country’s education system, at all levels, to be clear about outcomes, check for effectiveness, and hold ourselves accountable for results and the process. It sets out ways to accomplish this by planned changes to learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, productivity, and research and development. These changes are extremely thorough, revolutionary in some ways, and require much time and resources to be allocated to implement these changes. These amendments to the education system are very rigorous and demanding, but are all learner outcome driven and focused on improving the quality of education and quality of life in the United States.




The new technology plan focuses on teaching as a collaborative, connective effort, rather than the isolated activity it has been in years past and, in many schools, continues to be. The reason behind this goal is twofold. First, connective teaching connects teachers to professional development which is effective and readily available to teachers. Secondly, connective teaching allows for multiple opportunities to personalize learning. Connective teaching offers more expanded resources to teachers to use in the instrumentive classroom, as well as expanding their knowledge of how to use technology effectively in teaching. Many teachers now have the opportunity to set up online learning communities with students and their peers in order to work together to learn and grow at all levels. Classroom educators should have around the clock access to learning tools and activities, and technology allows them this. Technology also allows teachers help connect their lessons to students’ personal goals and achievements, which allows students to take ownership of their learning and makes it more relevant to them. Additionally, technology allows students to share their work online, which is an effective creative outlet for them and will make them more aware of the content of their work and the work of others.

Teachers cannot keep up with the latest teaching styles or improve in weak areas without professional development. In the new plan, teachers’ professional development will interweave face to face classes with online instruction. This allows them to experience connective teaching, as that is the best way for them to learn how to do it themselves. While younger teachers have grown up with technology, some still do not know how to incorporate it into the classroom, while the veteran teachers do not know how to do it at all. There are changes that must take place in the technological classroom, particularly in the way the teachers are prepared. Learning institutions must begin preparing new teachers to use technology at a high level, in order to improve learning and instructional practices, as well as improve their own learning. Another implied goal is to have teachers use more time for personal professional development. The plan states that in the US, teachers have less time for professional development than do teachers in other countries where the students’ test scores are higher. Teachers should also look for professional development opportunities not only in formal classes, but also in every day teaching, as using technology in instruction has the potential to teach teachers about technologies and methods that can be directly applied to students. Overall, professional development should be constant and happen every day, according to this plan, and should play a major role in a constantly learning society.

The goal that the plan has for technology in learning seems to be to make it easier and more relevant. Technology provides ready access to a wider range of learning resources and connects to a larger world. This also causes the learners to be able to personalize their learning and make it more relevant to them. Additionally, the plan for technology in learning calls for adaptive learning, that is, blending content with the ability to learn new things. This is what many school districts are doing now, specifically in Texas, where the K-12 Technology TEKS has been blended across all content areas. This blending would require a deeper and more hands-on knowledge of technology applications and how to use them in education, so the states need to focus on both teachers and students learning how to use technology effectively. Knowledge of how to use technology would lead to personalized learning, motivation to be a life-long learner, and improve secondary and post-secondary success rates.

I have seen firsthand how an expanded use of technology can greatly benefit a school and its students and faculty. The school in which I did my student teaching has the good fortune to have a head principal who understands the needs of the modern school and encourages the use of and experimenting with technology in the classroom, and he is very encouraging when it comes to professional development and new ways of learning. Many districts, both in Texas and in the United States, are already conducting assessments and implementing technology standards which are very similar to the standards the DOE’s plan presents. However, there is one major flaw in the plan: money. The plan does explain that to implement this plan, districts should spend their money more wisely and adopt a set budget to do this. While this all well and good, it is presented as if every district in the nation has the same access to the funds which would allow this expanded use of technology to occur, with no attention given to the areas of the country where they spend extremely wisely on education, but just do not have the access to funds to keep up with the new technology, which makes it impossible to meet these standards. Additionally, federal law dictates that special education programs receive an equal or proportionate amount of funding, and this causes other students not to have the opportunities to keep up with the latest technology. It is absolutely not acceptable to divert funds from special education just to try and keep up with Europe. While the concepts and plans of action for increased technology learning are exactly what we need in this country today, the reality is that some schools and school districts are simply not as privileged as others, and all the responsible spending in the world will not allow them to significantly improve their technology education. Until more government funds are earmarked for education, this plan cannot be fully implemented.

*Note: The information presented in this blog posting was found online at:
National Educational Technology Plan (2009).  Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/erate.html

Technology Assessments

Technology’s role in education is rapidly expanding and has been doing so for some time. Schools at all levels today are either rapidly implementing new learning technologies into the classroom or are leading the push to expand technology’s role in their school. Either way, technology is quickly becoming a major aspect of learning, with the state of Texas requiring technology standards to be implemented in all subjects and assessments of students’ grasp of technology is to be conducted in 5th and 8th grade. Because of this, it is imperative that the students are taught by teachers who have a strong understanding of how to educational technology.


A modern teacher should have high knowledge of their area of teaching as well as educational technology, due not only to the requirement that the Technology TEKS be implemented across all learning subjects, but also due to the fact that students are expected to have mastered those TEKS by the end of 8th grade. Therefore, it is imperative that educators continuously have their technology leadership knowledge and skills assessed, as teachers who are strong in these areas can better focus on areas where they might be weak, and those that are very weak can begin improving immediately through professional development and hands-on experience. A teacher who is weak in technology knowledge will not be very effective in the modern classroom. With many students falling further behind and eventually dropping out due to lack of knowledge or understanding, a teacher needs to understand how to use educational technology to help make learning easier and more engaging for students

Not only is it necessary for teacher’s technology knowledge to be continually assessed, it is also necessary for student’s knowledge to be assessed as well. All students have different ways of learning, and the new and developing learning technologies enable most, if not all, different learning styles to be addressed in one lesson. If the students are shown to be weak in their use or understanding of how to use learning technology, they face the prospect of not learning very effectively and falling further and further behind their fellow students who are stronger in their knowledge of how to use technology. If, for example, a student is a visual learner, but does not know how to access educational videos or interactive maps, there is a strong possibility that they will not learn nearly as effectively as they would if they had this knowledge.

Advantages of conducting these assessments are numerous. By doing them, a school or district can see where their teachers and students are lacking in technology and take steps to improve these weaknesses, such as making professional development available for teachers and adjusting curriculums for students to include more technology application. They can also see where students’ perceived learning needs are and adjust the curriculums to suit those needs as well. These assessments are very good at highlighting areas for improvement.

However, there are also disadvantages in conducting these assessments. Namely, it could be very inaccurate. For example, if a school is extremely financially unstable, it probably will not be able to afford to have the latest technology. The assessment will likely not take that into account and show the school’s teachers and students to be “technologically weak” and not meeting the state’s technology standards. Additionally, the assessments may prove to be inaccurate due to false answers given by students and teachers out of fear of what might happen if the assessments show them to be technologically weak.

The main can of these assessments is the question of accuracy. However, in this age of advanced technology, the pros of the assessments outweigh the cons, as students need to learn and be able to learn how to interact with educational technology

Web Conference Reflection

The first web conference which I attended in this course was held on Wednesday evening, September 1st. I had never been to one before, and it was rather interesting. I had never used a web-cam before, and although I never could get mine to work (and when I thought I had, I ended up opening the microphone), it was interesting to see the people that had webcams. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it made it seem more personal than would a typical chat room. This became particularly apparent when one of the students said “I just turned on Tom and Jerry for my kids. That should buy me an hour.”


I noticed right away the relative calm and patience of Dr. Borel. As I and most of my fellow students had many questions and little idea of how to access the class web site, this was most appreciated. I was very apprehensive when she mentioned a class web site, since it has been more than six years since I have created or edited one, but she made me, and I believe all of us, feel at ease as she explained how to use it and what she wanted done. She made me feel that this class was not going to be that difficult, but that we needed to be sure to keep up with the coursework on a daily basis.

The coursework and internship rules were discussed in depth, and since I am currently employed only as a part-time teacher, I was relieved to find out that my dad could serve as my mentor, as he works in HISD’s Technology Department. Since I had started Lamar’s Master’s in Administration and was not able to finish the introduction course due to my lack of employment, this was welcome news. I also appreciated the time that was taken to explain the rest of the coursework, as well as the upcoming web conferences. Dr. Borel ended the conference by saying that this particular web conference was the longest that would be held, which was a relief to me, and I’m sure the others as well, due to the busy lives all of us lead.