Project Plan

·        Site title – 6^th Grade Math

I would like to create a website for my 6^th grade math class where I currently teach.  A customizeable website would be helpful in organizing content and relay important information about the class. Also, students and parents would be able to view the website from home

·        Developer – Mr. Yu

·        Rational or focus – I would like the site to have a calendar of important dates, such as exams and project due dates.  Also, I would like a section for homework announcements and additional math resources. 

·        Main features outline – Homepage, About the Class, Homework Announcements, Additional support.   

·        Content – I might want to embed a calendar into my website.  Also, I would like to place pictures on my website for the background.  I want to place links on the website for additional student support. 

·        Target audience – The website will be for students and parents. 

·        Design considerations. I would like a simple homepage with tabs to get to the other pages (About the Class, Homework Announcements, Additional Math Support)

·        Limiting factors – I am worried about the structure of the webpage and how to integrate everything together. It seems like a very big task and I am worried that everything will not link properly.  

Social Media is too Commercialized

Social media is a great tool for students.  It is an excellent way to communicate, collaborate, and find research on important topics.  However, with today’s commercialized social media sites, a lack of privacy and corporate tracking systems, it is not completely safe for young people to be using social media.  Businesses are using websites and applications for profit and do not have the user’s best interest in mind.  In the article by Norm Friesen, he states “Just as commercialism has rendered television beyond the reach of education, commercial pressures threaten to seriously limit the potential of the social Web for education and learning.” I completely agree with his analysis.  From the outside, social media and other applications are useful for communication and information, it has turned into a place filled with advertisements.  I remember when Facebook was not filled with advertisements and it was used mainly for communication and branching out to meet new people.  There is no site where it is not filled with advertisement.

Q1.  How have you seen social media change over the past years in terms of advertisement?

A1: I have seen many social media outlets become less about the user.  Instead, I see side bars on the webpage filled with ads and ‘information’ offering various services.  I do believe that social media has use in education, but we have to be very careful that we are not being shown or taught what advertisers what us to know.

Q2: Do you feel that your privacy is safe on social media?

A2: I feel that I have no privacy online.  Social media platforms are able to track everything that I click and view, so I feel that my every tendencies are being watched and tracked.  

Affinity Groups

Classroom 2.0 is a great affinity group resource.  I really like how it has different forums for groups of educators and students.  It is a great way to communicate and look up different ideas.  I also enjoyed looking at the different forums that have many topics related to education.

After a few weeks of looking through the Digg Stream, I found that it can sometimes be helpful and useful.  I have seen many different ideas and resources from different educators.  The nice thing with Digg is that there are many different ideas from different teachers of different backgrounds.  For example, I found a lot of resources that have hands on activities for fractions.  My 6^th grade students really struggle with fractions, and it would be very practical to use in my classroom. 

Question 1: How can Digg Stream be used as a resource for my students?

Answer 1: I can use Digg Stream as a resource for struggling students.  I have students that really fear and dislike fractions.  Digg Stream is a wonderful way for more exposure and practice for students.  Also, students can find more practical ways to use fractions and view fractions in their daily lives.  Once students find practicality for important math ideas, they become more connected to the ideas and theory of mathematics. 

Question 2:  What if you can’t find a specific topic?

Answer 2: Affinity groups are made of a like-minded community.  The nice thing with affinity groups is that it is easy to search for specific ideas.  I did find that it may be difficult at times to get the exact topic or content, but in general, if you dig around a little, it is easy to find many different resources to use.  

The Basics of Web Design

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Journal #1  Learning Web Design

Robbins (2012). Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, Javascript, and web graphics (4th ed. p. 3-46). 

Summary: The first 3 chapters of the textbook had a lot of basic information about browsers, urls, and how the web works in general.  I find it interesting how complex the system is for something that seems so simple. Growing up with the a computer and internet access allowed to me to use the technology often and freely, but I don’t really think about the intricate parts that are required to send and receive a web page. 

I especially found the diagram on page 31 interesting.  I learned that typing in a URL sends a HTTP request, then the server responds to the request, and finally the browser assembles the data. It is amazing how fast the information is being requested and sent.  In just a few seconds, I can see the page being request from the browser. 

Q1. What are the different parts of a URL? 

There are 3 main sections to a URL.  The first part (http) lets the server know that the information is being requested in ‘web mode’.  The second section describes the name of the site based the host name and domain name.  The third and final section describes the path of the URL. 

Q2. How do devices other than computers show web pages?

I always assumed that the browser from my phone was the same exact browsers used from the computer, but at a smaller scale.  Responsive Web Design allows devices with different viewing windows to provide custom layouts for users.  Responsive Web Design condenses the content on a smaller device so that it is easier to view and also it is more user friendly when tapping the screen.