Philosophy Quote and Magazine Cover

Love this quote!

To me, this is about the limitless possibilities of a curious and imaginative mind. Our world, and beyond, is full of mysteries waiting to be discovered, beauty to be appreciated and universal truths to be learned! 
Caution: this does not apply to a zombie horde breaking into my house at 2am



The Mission: Create a magazine cover showing myself as Teacher Of The Year. Requirements: 3 headlines, 2 pictures, barcode, date and price. Focus on ideas relevant to my teaching style and what future students could expect to see in my classroom.


Mission Complete. Hope you like it ~

Concept: "Science Review" is a quarterly magazine marketed primarily to High School Science educators.

Lesson Plan in Content Area Activity

The lesson plan I chose for this activity is Adding Creativity to Science Inquiry

The iste.nets.t standard I believe this addresses:

2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that
incorporate digital tools and resources to promote
student learning and creativity

This lesson style involves the student actively engaging in the learning process because they would develop their own questions, research and design their experiments accordingly and finally, create a video of their work. I would initially discuss the topic and be available to help guide their work however, they would be developing and strengthening a variety of skills individually and collaboratively, including working with digital media for research and presentation, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.

Photo Analysis activity

Activity #2
In a blog posting: Download the photo that gives you the most confidence in President Obama’s leadership abilities. Explain your choice by connecting what you you see and read in the caption (connotation)  in the picture with what you feel (denotation). Then answer the questions.

Of the two photos, this is the picture that would give me the most confidence in President Obama's leadership abilities because he is portrayed as an active participant in the briefing. He looks like he is in charge and speaking with authority. The caption reinforces this idea by saying he is meeting with the incident commander rather than passively being updated, as is portrayed in the other picture.

WHAT DO YOU SEE? (Observations) Nonverbal gestures (arms, hands, fingers) Facial expression (head, eyes, mouth) Body language (distances, code matching) People (age, gender, ethnicity) Clothing (type, color) Background (objects, setting) Camera angle

What does it mean? Consider the following questions: Is the photograph posed or spontaneous? What message is this photograph trying to convey? What questions does this photograph raise? What if a new caption was written? Write one. Does the new caption change the way the photo was viewed?

1. The photo appears to be spontaneous because it was taken at a briefing and the president is in the middle of discussing/explaining something.
2. The message I get is that the president is in control and things are progressing. The pictures in the background say that he is knowledgeable of and involved in the containment/clean up process, which is organized and moving forward. Both he and the official overseeing the efforts look calm and concerned. The president's casual, professional clothing style adds to the calm and in control look. 
3. This picture makes me wonder why the official in charge is not doing the speaking. Seeing the president doing the talking in this snapshot politicizes the disaster for me. I would prefer to see the person actually overseeing operations do the speaking with the president actively listening.
4. See image below with my new caption.

my suggested caption : Say what? President draws criticism from top official when he declares the Gulf Coast off limits to everyone forever in response to the Deepwater Horizon fiasco..

The new caption changes the dynamic between the president and Thad Allen as well as the the audience's opinion of the president. Adm. Allen is now looking toward the president in subtle surprise over the announcement, his gestures appear closed, guarded, as if he doesn't want to disagree with the Commander in Chief in public view but does not agree with what is being said.

The president is causing shock around the country because he looks so serious when making an irrational, blanket statement.

Think Aloud Presentation

Think Aloud Reflection Assignment:

iste.nets.t standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning
and Creativity
C:  Promote student reflection using collaborative
tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual
understanding and thinking, planning, and
creative processes


I find the Think Aloud project helps to address the first standard of iste.nets.t:, specifically 1c. This project was an interesting example of providing a creative way to help students develop their data research and information literacy skills, which is very necessary in today’s digital environment, working in a collaborative setting or alone. Through this process, I would be able to guide my students research using media such as Jing to help them sift through the overabundance of information. They can work together using media such as slideshare to put together presentations based on their findings. It is a new and innovative way to engage students in the use of digital media, which is already such a large aspect of their lives.

Information Literacy Part 2: 

My responses are blue.

My reference article for the Q/A below is "Let's stick to the facts when discussing gun control"

Bias is when a statement reflects a partiality, preference, or prejudice for or against a person, object, or idea. Much of what you read and hear expresses a bias. Bias is when a writer or speaker uses a selection of facts, choice of words, and the quality and tone of description, to convey a particular feeling or attitude. Its purpose is to convey a certain attitude or point of view toward the subject. As you read or listen to biased materials, keep the following questions in mind:

• What facts has the author omitted?

• What additional information is necessary?
• This article should have included links to other sources regarding the Saddam Hussein claims as well as links to Obama's proposal or government page that lays out the facts of his proposal.

• What words create positive or negative impressions? My article examples are negative toward the more extreme elements of the pro-gun position.
• 'frenzy of almost true facts', 'hideous misinformation campaigns', 'not even remotely', 'red-faced vein bulging histrionics and threats'

• What impression would I have if different words had been used?
• I disagree with the pro gun control position so I would be more willing to listen to what the author has to say without feeling defensive if the tone were more neutral. That said, the article was not as vitriolic as others out there.

Biased information tries to change your mind, how you think. Being aware of bias and knowing how to identify, analyze, and assimilate biased information properly is a skill to be treasured. It puts you in charge of how you think instead of the print and media world. (Cuesta College Critically Evaluating the Logic and Validity of Information)

What are some indicators of bias on a web page?

• The language of the document is often extreme; statements have all or nothing connotations.
• The argument appeals more to the emotions than to logic.
• Things are worded with the intent to oversimplify or over generalize.
• The author wishes to present a limited view of the topic.

Questions to keep in mind as you seek indicators of bias:

• What is the author's political point of view?
• I am unable to find anything specifically stating this author's political affiliation however, in reviewing some of his other pieces, I would say he's a democrat.
• What does the author stand to gain?
• His piece rally's the pro gun control movement as well as attempts to persuade those that may be undecided.
• Who is paying for the website? DallasNews.com
• Does the author present alternate points of view?
• If so, are those views presented objectively, or with scorn
• The author does not present an alternate point of view. This piece was written to address what he perceives as emotional, irrational arguments that have no factual support. There is definitely some scorn.

Website Analysis

Here is the article I used for my website analysis.

Website Analysis Assignment

Wikipedia Editors

This is the follow up assignment to the Wikipedia Reliability Worksheet in which we provide feedback on the article editors.

The 3 editors I selected from my article all seem to believe in Wikipedia and it's goals. They have concerns about the Wikipedia community:

• bringing in new editors to sustain and improve Wikipedia well into the future
• particular biases and squabbles among editors 
• pecking orders among various editors

Overall, seeing their pages increases the validity of the article because I can see their credentials. Knowing there are these disputes/concerns in the background as editors work to apply the foundation of neutrality helps me to see them as individuals working toward a common goal rather than a conspiracy. Freedom.

It is a little disconcerting because I do find myself wondering about their biases and whether that would taint their articles but everything I've seen so far has been, by far, neutral.

Less Wrong is a wiki page link from a Wikipedia editor.  It's full of hyperlinks to tons of reading on increasing one's rational and logical thought processes. It's definitely something I plan to read!

Wikipedia Reliability Assignment

Here is the link to my completed Wikipedia Reliability Worksheet