Final Blog Reflection

1. I can honestly say that every technology I have learned in this class will be helpful in my future career as a teacher. However, some of the most effective technologies I learned was how to make a class website.

Link to my class website!

2. I plan to use this technology as a teacher in order to improve parent-teacher communication, but also to get students involved. If any of my teachers in high school or junior high ever had a class website (which I'm not even sure they did) I never knew about it. However, students today will be so immersed in a technological generation that getting on the internet and viewing a teacher's website will be much more common. I plan on using my website and perhaps integrating wiki technology into it to get students more involved. For example, people can comment questions they have so I could have a FAQ page where parents can look before they e-mail me with questions.

3. One of my goals as a teacher is to engage my students in more ACTIVE learning. Technology is a great way to do this. One of the ways I can involve my students is through Google Earth. I used this for my Personal Technology Project, and it would be a great way to enhance student's learning of geography by helping them to view in 3-D places that would be unrealistic to travel to. It would be more interesting than just simply looking at pictures in a textbook. Another technology I would use is a social network or some sort of blog to have students work together to form study guides or discussion groups. Basically, I could use a class social network to get students to do their homework on to get them more involved and discussing issues with other classmates. It is a more interactive (not to mention more fun) way of getting students to become interested in a topic.

Personal Technology Project

Here is a link to my wiki page for my personal technology project.

Personal Technology Project

For my project I used Google Earth to help enhance a student's learning of Geography and have them create a virtual tour to show their own personal migration history.

Here is a link to my wiki page for my most useful blog resource.

Blog

I found this blog was the most practical of all the blogs I followed because everyday teachers put new ideas for how to use technology in specific lesson plans.

Engl 312 Rhetorical Analysis- Source for Paper C

Source for Paper C- Article in Editorial Projects for Education, a nonprofit publisher for Education Week

1. The argument of this source is that teachers need to get an ESL endorsement because it makes them more marketable and school districts are starting to fire teachers who refuse to get it.

2. The audience of this article is current and future teachers who are not planning on getting the ESL endorsement specifically in Utah.

3. The goal of this article is to persuade current and future teachers to obtain the ESL endorsement as soon as possible.

4. The article attempts to persuade its audience to obtain the ESL endorsement through several elements of rhetoric:

Pathos- The article explains how several districts are starting to make official policies regarding teachers getting the ESL endorsement, and how teachers that are not getting the endorsement are either never hired or laid off. By stating this, the article is instilling the emotion of fear and anxiety about not getting the endorsement, as most future and current teachers are concerned about their job security, thus using these emotions to persuade people to get the endorsement.

Logos- The article gives several statistics about the growing number of students in schools who are foreign born students and do not speak English as their first language, thus reinforcing the idea through logic that there is an increasing number of ESL students who need extra support and the ESL endorsement would help with this.

Sufficient- The article gave sufficient evidence, including statistics and several testimonies from teachers in various states throughout the country explaining the benefits of getting the ESL endorsement.

Relevant- The article stated cases from several cities including Ogden City School District, which is especially relevant for teachers here in Utah. It also had immigration statistics not only for the entire country but for Utah specifically, which is very relevant for the argument here in Utah.

5. Overall, this article was very successful in its goal to persuade the audience to obtain the ESL endorsement. Through the use of emotions such as fear, the article targets concerns that the audience will have about how to become more in demand as an educator. The article also uses logic to present statistics and facts that are irrefutable. The article also uses sufficient evidence that is relevant to both the audience and argument in an effective way to persuade the reader to get the ESL endorsement.

English 312-RA for Conference Talk

Neil L. Andersen "Never Leave Him", October 2010 General Conference.

1. The argument of this speech or conference talk is that members of the Church should choose not to be offended or ashamed of the Lord, because it will help us to be able to feel of His love and approval.

2. The audience of this talk is all Latter-day Saints throughout the world who are both active in the gospel, and those who are beginning to feel ashamed or offended by the gospel.

3. The goal of this talk is to persuade Latter-day Saints to stay strong in the gospel and to never leave the gospel or stop being active in it.

4. Elder Andersen attempts to persuade his audience of his argument through several elements of rhetoric:

Ethos- Elder Anderson gives the example from the Bible of when Christ was in Capernaum and he had several followers who could not accept that He was the son of God, and so they "walked no more with him". By giving an example from the New Testament about Christ and his disciples, Elder Anderson gains authority for his argument by revealing how this problem of leaving Christ was a problem with even His closest followers. By using respectable figures such as Christ and His disciples, Elder Anderson's argument gains immediate credibility and respect.

Pathos-Elder Anderson also uses pathos to persuade his audience in behalf of his argument. He gives the statement that " If we are not watchful, our injured, childlike spirit will retreat back into the cold, dark crust of our former bloated ego, leaving behind the warm, healing light of the Savior." The imagery and word choice he uses here evokes emotions of pain, fear and loneliness if we choose to be offended or ashamed. In contrast, he evokes the emotions of warmth, happiness, and peace if we choose to follow the Lord's commandments. These emotions of pain versus happiness are very effective in persuading people to never leave the gospel.

Accurate- Elder Anderson does a good job of being accurate in his argument, and not setting up weak counterarguments. He is realistic in the counterarguments he presents, such as living the commandments of the Lord or the gospel is not easy. He addresses the concerns that members will feel different, isolated, persecuted and they will not understand everything. He understands the problems and concerns people have with keeping the commandments. However, he argues that it is still important not to become offended or ashamed because the blessings will outweigh the hardships.

Sufficient- Elder Anderson does a good job of giving sufficient evidence for his argument. He quotes several examples from the New Testament and Church History of times when members chose to fall away or not. One such example is Fredrick Williams who could have easily left the Church after committing sins; however, he chose to repent and come back to the Lord. Elder Anderson describes the many generations after him who have benefited from his decision to not become ashamed or offended.

5. Due to his use of ethos, pathos, sufficient and accurate evidence, Elder Andersen is successful in persuading his audience to not become ashamed or offended. He understands the concerns and challenges the members face, and any counterarguments they may present. However, he evokes the emotions of peace, happiness and joy with following the Lord's commandments, which is extremely effective for his audience.

Week 1- Proposal for Personal Technology Project

World Geography

These are the Utah Core Curriculum Standards that my lesson plan will follow:

UEN Standard 2: Students will understand the human and physical characteristics of places and regions.

Objective 1: Interpret place by its human and and physical characteristics.

a. Examine human characteristics, including language, religion, population, political and economic systems, and quality of life.

UEN Standard 4: Students will understand how human activities shape the earth's surface

Objective 1: Analyze the characteristics, distribution and migration of human population's on Earth's surface.

a. investigate how people adapt to their environment

-My idea is to use Google Earth to create a lesson plan for World Geography. It will also be geared towards ESL students, and the objectives of Second Language Acquisition for the teacher to understand the background and culture that the student is coming to class with.

For my lesson plan I will use Google Earth to demonstrate different parts of the world and different cultures we will be discussing: for example Latin America, Europe and Asia. We will talk about different characteristics of each region and as we do so I can show the class on Google Earth exactly what we are talking about.

For the assignment I will have students record a virtual tour on Google Earth showing where they came from and maybe their exact home in their homeland. Students will be able to show unique things about their homeland, for example unique geography, cultural sites, or national monuments. The student will talk about the culture of their homeland, for example the dominant language, religion, political system, etc. Then the student will show on Google Earth the migration pattern to their new home in the U.S., and the student can talk about why they moved, who moved with them, how they have adapted to the new culture, etc. It will be a lesson in discussing both spatial and cultural differences, as well as examining migration patterns and how people adapt.

The "artifact" I will present will be an example of a student-made video tour on Google Earth.

I am still trying to become comfortable with Google Earth because I have never used it before. Some of the tutorials have been helpful but if anyone has any suggestions of good tutorials or tips for using Google Earth that would be great! Any feedback or suggestions would also be gladly accepted :)

Internet Safety- Talking with a parent

For this part of the assignment, I spoke with my own mother about Internet Safety. My mother is the parent of four children, and she also teaches Pre-school children. I began by sharing with her some of the videos and articles I read, and what was shared in our voicethread discussion. I was surprised at how little she really knows about Internet Safety, and how she mentioned she wish she knew more because she can barely protect herself, let alone other youth. She also said she hates having to constantly ask her children how to do something on the computer because she does not know how.

I chose to share the documentary and talk with my mom a lot about what issues were brought up with the PBS video. She gave the idea of sharing examples and personal experiences from other people about things such as getting their identity stolen to help make kids aware of the serious issue it is. We also talked a lot about the issue of cyberbullying, and how devastating of a problem this is. She commented on the segment of the video where the young boy was bullied online for months, and he eventually used information from the internet and advice from a friend online to kill himself. We both discussed what a teacher or a parent can do to help prevent something like this from happening, and we both agreed it's a very difficult situation. She said that it's important not to share too much information with kids about the dangers of what is on the internet because then they can just get curious and look up things they didn't know were on there before. But, my mother also said it is important to make kids aware that this is a serious issue and if they are being bullied they need to inform a teacher or parent right away.

Overall, speaking with my mother about this issue was a very valuable experience for both of us. My mother was previously not aware of all the different dangers that can occur from the internet, but she shared very good advice about how to talk to youth about these issues. It's hard to know of all the difficulties of the internet that face students and subsequently teachers ,since we are responsible for their well-being as well. However, I think it is also important to realize all the good that can come from increased technology, and that it is a matter of figuring out how to "filter through the filth" to use the internet appropriately.

IPT 286- Internet Safety Articles and Videos

Top 5 Ways Teens are Compromising Their Identities Online

This video talked about a speaker who goes to schools to talk to teens about identity theft, because he had his identity stolen at the age of 7. I found it interesting that the video revealed how it is teens that identity thieves target because they are usually more willing to share personal information. I really liked how the video talked about that it starts with the schools educating teens in order to prevent identity theft from occurring.

I think as a teacher, rather than reprimanding students for sharing too much information, a good way to address this issue with students would be to ask them what it means to be popular. The video mentioned how it is because of a desire to be popular within a certain social group that teens share personal info. I think as a teacher it would be a good idea to address this desire to be popular, and look at the consequences of that and being unsafe on the internet.

Documentary: Growing Up Online

A lot of issues were raised in this PBS documentary that will influence my actions as both a parent and educator of youth. One of the main issues is how kids have grown up in the technological age and a lot of times are more advanced technologically than adults. As a teacher, it is important to stay educated and up to date enough that there isn't a disconnect created between myself and my students. Also, the video mentioned how teachers now have to be "entertainers" because students are so used to being stimulated by media that just lecturing is not going to cut it anymore. This shows how important it is to use technology and the internet to keep students engaged.

Meanwhile, it is also important to address the issue of cheating by using the internet. I think as a teacher it will be important to realize that there are several sources on the internet students can use to cheat on assignments, and it is important to plan and organize my lessons and tests in a way that takes that into account. It could be a good idea to have students complete some assignments in class so I know they are not getting information that aren't supposed to from the internet.

Cyberbullying: Another VERY important issue to address with students is cyberbullying. Because of the internet today, bullying doesn't end in the schoolyard. Kids can read words over and over again until it becomes real to them, and it is important to make students aware of this. It's important as a teacher to understand why this type of bullying is so destructive because teens don't know if it's their best friend or someone else who is doing it. It essentially leaves teens with no one to trust. I think as a teacher, a way to prevent this and raise awareness of the severity of the issue is 1) to show a clip from a documentary like this about how it has affected kids lives in such a negative way that it can lead to legal trouble, depression and even suicide and 2) give them tools and advice to help if they are being bullied online. I liked how the video gave the steps of "stop, block and tell". Teach kids the importance of informing others if this is happening because it is a serious issue.

I also think as a teacher it is important not just to blame the internet for everything, but to realize that this is the reality of the world we live in, so it's important to educate ourselves and our students on how to be safe in it.

"Let Our Voices Be Heard"

"Television offers history channels, discovery channels, education channels. One can still find movies and TV comedies and dramas that entertain and uplift and accurately depict the consequences of right and wrong. The Internet can be a fabulous tool of information and communication, and there is an unlimited supply of good music in the world. Thus our biggest challenge is to choose wisely what we listen to and what we watch."

I think this quote by Elder M. Russell Ballard sums up how we should present media to our students, and how we should view it as teacher. We need to teach of the good that media can produce, while still recognizing and warning of the dangers of it as well. We can be good examples to both our students and future children of what it means to responsibly use media.

Multimedia Project- Instructional Video

Here is my instructional video for my multimedia project. The UEN Standard falls under Human Geography for 9th Grade- NGS 9: Understand the characteristics human populations on Earth's surface, NGS 10: Understand the characteristics and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.

Lesson Objective: Students should be able to: 1. Define race. 2. Explain what makes human populations different. 3. Analyze the effectiveness of "race" in categorizing human populations.

Instructional videos would be extremely useful in the classroom especially for teaching material that has more emotion involved. For example, the use of music, photos and text in this video presents the concept of "race" in a much more effective way than just lecturing would. Also, since students today are immersed in a world of technology, showing instructional videos is something they would be more familiar with and they would be able to relate to. Instructional videos would also be good for student projects. I've always been an advocate of giving options for final projects such as posters, powerpoints, book reports or an instructional video. Students could use them in a social studies setting for book reports, videos about certain wars or battles, or biographies of famous people. It would be a creative way for students to present the knowledge they have learned. Students could do mini "documentaries" as well for a history class, or for a psychology class they could video-tape themselves doing social experiments or interviewing people. I had a teacher that had a project for a psychology class where we had to break a social-norm and write about our reaction and others' reaction. It could be a good idea to tell students they could get extra credit if they made an instructional video of their project.

English 312- RA for Paper A

Paper A- "Mosque in New York City: Not the LDS Church's Problem?"

1. The argument of this paper is that the NYC mosque because it will significantly improve the future growth of the LDS Church.

2. The audience of this paper is the LDS Public Affairs Department who is not making any public statement concerning the mosque being built in NYC.

3. The goal of this paper is to persuade the LDS Public Affairs department to publicly support the building of the NYC mosque.

4. I attempt to persuade my audience of my argument through several elements of rhetoric including:

Ethos- I raise the credibility of my argument by inserting quotes from authoritative figures such as President Packer and President Hinckley, talking about the need for positive Muslim-LDS relations. By quoting this respectable individuals, I appeal to my LDS audience, and thus my argument gains more credibility.

Logos- I use logic to validate counterarguments, and yet refute them with simple logic. An example of this is when I state that the Church does like to remain politically neutral; however, in their LDS Newsroom statement it says they will make a stand on issues that affect the Church or basic morals. I give examples of previous times the Church has made a public stand on an issue, such as in the case of illegal drug use with Peyote Indians, and the Church making a stand on Proposition 8. I use logic to explain how supporting the building of the NYC mosque is an issue that could be of just as much importance because it could make the difference in the Church's growth in the Middle East. Through my use of examples and logic, I attempt to persuade my audience to achieve my goal of supporting the mosque.

Relevant- The material that I use including quotes, past examples, and logic are all extremely relevant to my audience. I really focused my argument to fit my audience, and used examples and quotes that would be relevant to them. The topic of the building of the mosque is also a hot topic right now, and one that the LDS Church would be concerned with.

Sufficient- My paper contained sufficient evidence to prove my point. I recognized several valid counterarguments such as the concern of Islamic values in a Christian society, sensitivity issues surround the location of the building site, and the Church's concern to make a public stance. I backed every one of these arguments up with evidence including quotes, past examples and even pathos to emotionally awake my audience's senses to my claim.

5. Due to my use of ethos, logos, and my relevant and sufficient evidence, I would say that my paper is successful in attempting my goal (although, I might be a little bias :) ). I feel that it is well structured, organized, and I have plenty of evidence to support my claim. However; in reality it would be hard to approach my actual audience and present this point because there are higher authorities the LDS Public Affairs Department responds to such as the First Presidency.

IPT 286- Participation

Check out this trailer for the new documentary "Waiting for Superman". It's a documentary about the public education system in the United States and I think it would be really interesting to see, especially for us current and future teachers. This trailer made me also think of technology and how a documentary about education is a way to spread an idea or opinions about education on a national and international scale. I think it's extremely important for teachers to be informed on what the public opinion on education is, and to go above and beyond the duties of their classroom to be a global citizen. Technology is a great way for this to happen, and an important way for ideas to be spread on a scale that it never could before.

Also, just a thought about podcasts from the voicethread this week. I'm not sure if anyone in this section is also a TESOL minor, but I thought podcasts would be a great way for ESL students to hear and learn English in a more effective way. I found this website for ESL students that has podcasts to help ESL students learn songs native kids know, jokes in English, and "listen and repeat" broadcasts. This would be an excellent way to incorporate ESL students into not only the English language but the culture of technology.

Engl 312 Rhetorical Analysis -Encounter

"BEST LOTION IN THE WORLD"

The encounter is an interaction between a sales lady at a kiosk in the mall and myself.

1. The argument of this encounter is that I need this lotion from Israel because it is the best lotion in the world.

2. The audience of this encounter is myself, a 20 year old poor college student who is fairly concerned with having somewhat beautiful skin.

3. The goal of this encounter is to get me to buy this lotion.

4. The speaker tries to persuade me to buy this lotion through several elements of rhetoric:

Ethos: The speaker stated that the lotion comes all the way from Israel so it is very rare, and thus very valuable. The speaker explained how it is made from minerals that can only be found in the Dead Sea and these minerals are the best in the world for skin treatment. By explaining where the lotion is derived from, the speaker was building up the credibility of the product, and thus the respect I should have for its quality. The speaker also went on to explain that she was the manager and was leaving to head back to Israel the next week so she offered me a very "special" deal by cutting the price of the lotion in half. She then went on to explain that she could only do this because she was the manager and I would not find this kind of deal anywhere else. By stating her position as the manager and reducing the price for me, the speaker was attempting to increase her ethos, or her authority and power, thus demanding some level of respect from myself.

Pathos: The speaker also attempted to use pathos to sell the lotion to me. The speaker came up to me right away as I was walking buy her kiosk and kept exclaiming how beautiful I was and how handsome the man I was with was as well. The speaker kept trying to ask me questions and get to know me, thus using pathos to instill flattery and a sense of connection with me, so that I would be more persuaded to buy her product.

Relevant- The speaker also found out I was traveling to Israel the next summer and she started talking all about beautiful land of Israel, thus using the emot ion of excitement to help raise my interest in her, and therefore her product. The lotions and products she was selling are from Israel, and therefore she felt it was relevant to keep describing the land the product came from.

Sufficient- The speaker kept explaining how this lotion was the "best lotion I could ever find", but there was very little evidence to support her claim. She said the minerals were the most rare in the world, but this was not only questionable, but also did not lead to prove that this lotion was the best lotion I could find. The speaker claimed that this lotion was of such a high quality that I would not need to use as much, and therefore it would last longer than other lotions but there was no way to prove or test this.

5. Although the speaker used the rhetorical element of ethos effectively, the lack of sufficient evidence made the speaker unsuccessful in her goal of getting me to buy her lotion. Her use of pathos seemed overly dramatic, and did not instill the intended emotions of connection and excitement about the product that was needed. Her failure to provide me with logos or logic to support the claim that this lotion really was indeed the best lotion in the world was one of the biggest factors in making this encounter unsuccessful. The speaker's argument was also very bold, and this took away some of the credibility. The speaker also failed to take into account her audience, being me, a very poor college student with little money to spend on expensive lotion.

Multimedia Project- Week 1 Storyboard

Click here for a link to my storyboard

This week has been really fun viewing and thinking up an idea for an instructional video. It makes me think about how much more interactive my learning could have been growing up if teachers had this technology available to them. I'm not exactly tech "savvy" either so I always get nervous when I'm asked to do new things with technology, but this project is another example of how my confidence had been built with technology.

For this assignment, I decided to do an instructional video for a Human Geography or World Geography class, which is something I am hoping to teach. I took the idea from a teacher at Oak Canyon Junior High who several years ago gave me his lesson plan with full permission to use it in any way.

While I am gathering material for this video, I have a few questions. One, I'm still working out the kinks with copyright issues and I'm wondering if I am only allowed to use a photo from the CreativeCommons section of Flickr, even if I site another photo and use it for educational purposes. Also, I have a PC and I have been wondering if as a teacher there would be any benefits to getting a Mac versus a PC. I know Macs are good for creative things such as iPhoto and iMovie and I was wondering if in the future it would be a good idea as a teacher to get a Mac. Just a question :)

Rhetorical Analysis for Music Video-Engl 312

Taylor Swift- You Belong With Me

1. The argument of this music video is that dating popular people is not always the best because there is usually someone else who may be less popular but is a better friend and knows the audience better.

2. The audience is teenagers who are watching this video and are dating or are concerned with dating "popular" people, but find themselves unhappy with their relationships.

3. The goal of this music video is to get the audience to realize he/she would be happier if they left their "popular" significant other, and dated someone who has been their friend for a long time.

4. The music video tries to accomplish this goal through several elements of rhetoric.

Pathos- The video shows scenes of the speaker (Taylor Swift) writing "I Love You" on a sign that the boy she is trying to persuade cannot see, thereby evoking the emotion of sympathy for the speaker because of her seemingly unrequited love. The music video also shows scenes of the speaker dancing in her room and being funny, thus using humor to try to get the audience to realize how much fun this person is, and this helps the audience relate the speaker to a person in their own life that could be a potential relationship.

Ethos- The music video uses prominent characters such as well-known singer Taylor Swift and an attractive younger actor to play the roles in the music video. By using Taylor Swift to play the "quirky best friend", the audience will give more credit to the idea that dating the most popular kid in school is not always most important, because someone as successful as Taylor Swift endorses the idea.

Typical- This music video is representative of the teenage audience it aims for; however it does seem to have the fallacy of Ad Populum, or it seems to jump on the "band wagon" of sappy teenage relationships. This video would still however, probably be acceptable to the audience it aims for and the audience would be able to relate to it.

Relevant- This music video gives information that the audience can relate to and that is relevant to the goal of persuading the popular boy to go for his nerdy best friend. The scenes of the speaker (Taylor Swift) just wearing baggy t-shirts sitting alone on the bleachers contrasted against the popular girl that is a cheerleader and is the center of attention is relvant to the goal. It is a scene that would be acceptable to the audience because it is something they are familiar with in their own environment, and this helps the speaker with the ultimate goal of relating this video to the lives of the teenage audience.

5. This video is effective in its use of STAR elements such as being typical and relevant; however, I feel it lacks sufficient evidence to support its claim that best friends who are not popular make the best partners for a relationship. I feel like the audience may be informed, but not necessarily persuaded to feel that way. I also feel like the argument while although may be relevant, is not exactly original and therefore might lack interest with the audience. There is good use of ethos and pathos; yet, once again, the argument is cliche and therefore I do not feel it is a strong argument.

Copyright: Bill of Rights Content Trailer by Brandon R

This is a video from YouTube that was made to introduce the Bill of Rights for a civics or social studies classroom. All of the images used were educational images and they appeared like they could have come from a Creative Commons website. However, there were no citations given for where the pictures were retrieved from so a person could not go and find the pictures if they wanted to, which is a violation of Copyright laws. Also, an entire song of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes was played, and although the song was downloaded off iTunes and the name of the song was listed, I believe this could hurt the business of the song and prevent it from being purchased in the future because the whole song is played and put on the internet.

While I was watching this video, I had a question concerning copyright laws for when I am a teacher. As a teacher, could I just take a video like this and show it in my classroom? How does it work with getting videos other people have made off of YouTube? This would be useful to use as a teacher but I'm unsure about what the copyright laws are on that. . .If anyone knows that would be helpful!

Copyright on Digital Documentary: A social studies lesson

This digital documentary that was made on YouTube both follows and violates copyright issues. It is a documentary explaining the definition of government, and how the government works in America. The documentary begins by relating the idea of government to Disney's movie "The Lion King". The documentary shows an image of the cover of the movie of the Lion King and shows about 4 or 5 photos that are from the film. This might be acceptable because it is used for educational purposes to explain how each character in the film has a role in their socieity's "government"; however, there are no citations or works cited page that shows where the images were retreived from. Also, the whole song from the Lion King is playing in the background which is probably ok because it's only one song from the CD which is less than 10% of the CD. There are also images of President Obama and other governmental images which are fine to use because they are educational; however, once again there are no citations so a person could not find them if they wanted to.

This video made me think a lot about how I will create videos when I am a teacher. Media such as movies, songs and images are a great way to make the material more interactive; however, it shows how important it is to give credit to where you get your material from.

IPT286- Copyright

From the videos off of the assignment page, I was able to learn more about the Fair Use policy than I knew previously. First of all, I never knew that education is valued above the commercial interests of companies such as Disney or Warner Bros., and this is revealed with the copyright laws for teachers. I think that as a teacher, that could even be important to mention to students so they can see the value that this country places on education and how important it is. I also did not know that the primary purpose of copyright is not to protect authors from theft of their work; but in fact, according to Sandra Day O'Connor, it is to promote the progress of science and art. What this means for me as a teacher is that I must be using the material for education purposes in a face-to-face classroom, and not showing a Disney movie as a reward before summer vacation.

I also did not know that if you have specific questions on your limitations as a teacher you can go to CopyrightEducation.Org which gives specific guidelines on what you can do under Fair Use. I think as a teacher this would be a good thing to download and have on hand in case you have specific questions as a teacher for a specific lesson plan.

I also did not know the specific CONFU limitations such as when showing motion media you can show 10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less and with text its 10% or 1,000 words, whichever is less. Also with music, you can use 10% or 30 sec. max. As a teacher, this is helpful to know when you are unsure about creative commons rights (which is also something that is really cool and I didn't know about before this lesson! ) I also didn't know about the Pics4Learning website- this would be a really useful site for getting photos to put in lesson plans.

Cool Video for Social Studies Teachers!!

Hey- all of you social studies soon-to-be teachers!! I found this really cool video when I was creating my website that I thought you guys might be interested in. I think it would be a really cool way to introduce a unit on the Declaration of Independence to your class. Just thought I would share! TeacherTube also has a lot of other really cool stuff. Check it out!

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=198463&title=Too_Late_to_Apologize__A_Declaration&ref=Fair427

Class Website

Ms. Fairbanks Class Website! Click Me!

The assignment for this week was to create a class website and I decided to use Google Sites since that was recommended and I am not too familiar with creating websites. I really enjoyed this assignment and I felt like I learned SO much that will be helpful when I am a future teacher.

For my theme and colors I decided to choose something I thought was classy, with a little color, but not too busy.For my welcome page I posted a picture of myself and used Picnik to edit it to a "focused-black and white setting" with a polaroid picture frame. Picnik was really useful and I think I will really enjoy using it not only in teaching but for my personal life as well. I also have a map of the school I will be teaching at and contact information and a link to my teaching blog on my welcome page as well.

For each of my courses, World Geography and World History I included a Student of the Month page which I made on glogster.com and embedded. I thought Glogster would be a really useful tool for having students make posters or for other presentations as well. I also added a TeacherTube page for each course which has a short video and instructions to an extra credit assigment as well.

I also added GoodReads as one of my gadgets so students can see which books we will be reading for each course and also other books that I recommend if they want some extra reading.

Another feature I added was a countdown for Thanksgiving Break. I thought this countdown could be a good idea for big tests, presentations, field trips or guest speakers as well as holidays.

Rhetorical Analysis for Film Trailer

The Company Men

1. The argument of this film trailer is that working men in America do not need to be ashamed of losing their jobs or having financial problems because the economy has been hard on several men who work hard to support their families.

2. The audience includes working men in America who have lost their job or had economic hardships because of the economy, have a family to support, and are frustrated with the poor economy.

3. The goal of this film trailer is not only to get the audience to see the film, but to instill hope within the working men of America that they can find ways to support their families and be proud of themselves.

4. The film trailer tries to accomplish the goal of instilling hope within working American men through several elements of rhetoric.

Pathos- The trailer uses probably its strongest persuasive tool with the element of pathos to instill certain emotions such as sympathy, heartache and hope. The trailer depicts scenes of the main character, Ben Affleck, being with his family and wife to gain sympathy with the audience when he loses his job. The trailer also shows the wife and main character crying and trying to care for their family which evokes the emotions of heartache and once again sympathy. The trailer also plays inspirational music at the end along with scenes of Ben Affleck finding several ways to get work, which evokes hope within the audience.

Ethos- The film trailer uses the element of ethos to persuade the audience towards the goal of seeing the move and instilling hope within the audience. This is done through the use of “name-dropping” or displaying the faces and names of prominent actors such as Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner and Chris Cooper. By showing actors that have had successful movies in the past and have credibility, the trailer brings authority to its film and its message.

Typical- Another element of rhetoric the film trailer utilizes is presenting an argument that is acceptable to its audience. This issue is an extremely relevant issue to its audience, since the economy is a hot topic for almost all working men in America and several men with families have been affected by it. It is very representative of its audience, and real concerns and issues that the audience is dealing with. The trailer also does not fall too much under “Ad Populum” or jumping on the bandwagon of complaining of economic issues because it presents a positive argument.

Relevant- The relevance of the trailer is a weak point for the argument. There are several love scenes between the husband and wife, while although they might evoke the emotions of love and passion and apply to pathos, seem to have little if any relevance to the main goal of the trailer. However, this type of relationship would be relevant to the audience of working men who have a healthy relationship with their own wife.

5. Due to its extremely persuasive use of pathos and its relevance to its audience, this film trailer is very successful in both its argument and goal of not only getting people to see the film, but sympathizing with the hardships of this economy and instilling hope into the hearts of frustrated working middle-aged men in America.

Rhetorical Analysis- Source for Paper A

“Terror Mosque at Ground Zero: 3 Things Sarah Palin Doesn’t Want You to Know” BYU Political Review, September 2010- Vol. 6, Issue 1

Summary: This article talks about the “terror mosque” that Sarah Palin, Fox News and Newt Gingrich speculate would be a headquarters for radical Islam. The article lists out three facts that are not mentioned, however, with either of these other sources. It states how 1) the “terror mosque” is not strictly a mosque, but part of a complex called Park51. The second fact it states is that 2) the mosque is not at ground zero, but on the ashes of a former Burlington Coat Factory around the corner from ground zero. The last point made is that 3) the mosque is not sponsored by terrorists but by Mr. Gamal, a real estate broker who also leases trendy lofts in NYC’s TriBeCa neighborhood.

1. The argument of this article is that the mosque being built in NYC is not a “terror mosque”, contrary to what has been said by previous sources such as Sarah Palin and Fox News.

2. The audience includes conservative BYU students who have listened to Sarah Palin, Fox News and Newt Gingrich speculate about the building of the mosque in NYC, and have not heard information from any other sources.

3. The goal of this article is to enable students with the facts and make students aware of their responsibility as citizens to respect and uphold not only their own rights, but the rights of others.

4. The speaker tries to make the argument that the mosque is not a “terror mosque” through the use of several elements of rhetoric.

Logos- Logos is one of the most prevalent uses of rhetoric in this article. The whole article is based on the premise of “3 facts”, thus taking every argument opposing sources have said and countering it with a fact. For example, the mosque has been called “terror mosque” but the article states how it is not strictly a mosque but part of a community complex. The article also states how the article is not right on top of ground zero, but several blocks away on the remains of a dilapidated building. By countering these arguments with facts, the speaker uses logic to persuade the audience to understand the argument that the mosque is not a terrorist building.

Pathos- The article also uses pathos to persuade the audience that the mosque is not just a terror mosque. The article talks about the only other mosque in the area of Manhattan is overcrowded to the point that worshippers are forced to say their prayers in the streets and they have nowhere to go. This imagery conjures up the emotion of sympathy for the Muslim people, because they are limited in their ability to worship. The speaker is utilizing the emotion of sympathy to motivate the audience to have compassion on these people and realize that there are not terrorist connections with them or a mosque being built.

Sufficient- The speaker does use sufficient evidence to support the claim that the mosque does not have terrorist motivations or connections. The speaker does give detailed evidence on the type of building the mosque will be a part of including a pool, gym, theater, multi-faith worship center and an area with public rooms open for reservation. The article talks about how it would be similar to a YMCA. The article also talks in detail about the location of the mosque and the person in charge of its building, thus giving plenty of evidence to achieve the article’s goal of informing BYU students with the facts.

Typical- The speaker is reasonable and knowledgeable and presents evidence that would be acceptable to BYU students. Rather than using Ad Populum, or jumping on the band wagon, the author uses a different point of view that would still be representative of the concerns of BYU students such as the religious freedom of others in the United States. The speaker uses facts, such as the building of the Park51 complex that would be something BYU students would be familiar with, such as a stake center with basketball courts and areas for receptions.

5. Due to its sufficient evidence, and relevance to BYU students, this article was very effective in accomplishing its goal of informing BYU students with the facts that the mosque in NYC is not a “terror mosque”. The use of logic and emotions such as sympathy and compassion is a persuasive combination in order to accomplish the goal of students realizing the rights of the Muslim people in having their own worship center.

Ning!!!!

I LOVE the idea of Ning. When I heard about this I realized this is something I will definitely use in my Classroom. Students will be so familiar with social networking sites, especially Facebook, and this works essentially in the same way. It will be nice to use the idea of a social networking site, but in a more academic way. I feel that it will really motivate students to want to communicate with each other and feel like they can communicate with me as a teacher easier. I think kids will also think it's more fun to do their homework.

IPT286- Tip for Geography Teachers

Hey, here is a cool website I found that would be helpful for Geography teachers trying to use technology to be more interactive with the students. It's from FactMonster.com, the site has a lot of quick, cool tips for technology for teachers of all subjects. The application I thought was cool is called "Where in the World". It's an interactive map that has questions describing certain places, and once students guess where the place is there is a link for the name of each country that pulls up information about that country. Nothing too advanced, but it could be interesting for any map work in Geography classes.

Rhetorical Analysis for Song Lyrics

Deep Blue Something- "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

You'll say, we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You'll say, the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I remember the film
And as I recall, i think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we've got"

I see you, the only one who knew me
And now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong
So what now, it's plain to see we're over
And I hate when things are over
When so much is left undone

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I, remember the film
And, as I recall, I think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we gots"

You'll say, that we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You'll say the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care

And I said, "what about 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?'"
She said, "I think I, remember that film
And, as I recall, I think, we both kind of liked it"
And I said, "well that's, one thing we gots"

1. The argument of these song lyrics is that the audience and the speaker should continue their relationship because they have common interests such as both liking the movie ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

2. The audience includes a man or woman that is currently in a relationship with the speaker, but feels the relationship is falling apart, that he/she shares no common interests with the speaker, and is apathetic to the future of the relationship.

3. The goal of these song lyrics is to get the audience to recognize or remember the common interests he/she shares with the speaker so the relationship can be salvaged and continue.

4. The speaker tries to accomplish the goal of salvaging and continuing the relationship by using several elements of rhetoric.

Pathos- The speaker uses the element of pathos by provoking memories, and thus the emotions of love or interest that the audience previously had for the speaker. By bringing up the movie of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, the speaker is calling attention to emotions of enjoyment and pleasure that were most likely shared when both the audience and the speaker watched the movie.

Logos- The speaker also uses the element of logos in the attempt to salvage the relationship. The speaker brings up counterarguments that the audience is predicted to have such as “we’ve got nothing in common”, “we’re falling apart”, and “our lives have come between us”. The speaker uses logic by stating that because they both shared a common interest in the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, they have a common base to start from and logically, they will have enough similar interests to continue having a successful relationship.

Sufficient- Overall, these lyrics lack sufficient evidence to support the argument that the speaker and the audience should continue their relationship. The only argument the speaker makes is that they both share a common interest in one film, and therefore, that is a sufficient basis for a quality relationship. There is no rebuttal to the counterarguments of the audience that “the world has come between us” to explain how they could adjust their busy lives to make the relationship work. There is no counter to the argument that the audience just does not care, and it is doubtful that the mention of one film will remedy the apathy of the audience.

Relevant- The evidence produced by the speaker is not exactly relevant to several of the counterarguments made by the speaker. The statements of “the world has come between us, our lives have come between us, still I know you just don’t care” infer that the audience feels their lives are too busy or their lifestyles are just too different and the audience does not care enough to change that. The only response the speaker has is bringing up one film that they both shared a common interest in, irrelevant to the argument that they are both too busy. Also, the speaker in the second verse talks about how the audience used to “see” the speaker, but now the speaker realizes this is not the case anymore and their relationship is over. This is not evidence relevant to trying to persuade the audience to salvage the relationship, but rather just brings up past injustices.

5. Due to its insufficient and irrelevant evidence, these song lyrics are not effective in accomplishing the goal of salvaging and continuing the relationship between the audience and the speaker. Although there is an effective use of pathos in bringing up memories and emotions of love and pleasure with the mention of the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, this singular argument does not effectively counter the several arguments made by the audience, of different schedules, changing lifestyles, and overall apathy towards the relationship.

PLN

Google Reader

Twitter

Google Reader: For my sources for Google Reader I chose Secondary Social Studies & Technology 2.0 which is a website that takes social studies lessons for junior high and high school students and explains how technology can be used to teach the lessons. It also has ideas, questions and comments from other Social Studies Teachers. Another source I chose is PBS Teachers which gives great lesson plans and ideas for all types of teachers. Another source is Teaching with Technology-National Council for Social Studies. This source is once again helpful in learning how to adapt technology specifically to the social studies with feedback from teachers across the national board. I also chose to follow Twitter4Teachers-Social Studies and CNN News to get feedback with short tweets from real Social Studies teachers and keep updated with breaking news. I also am following my fellow group member Whitney Cox's blog and our class Diigo group.

The most useful source I subscribed to however, was EFL Classroom 2.0. This blog was an Edublog Award Winner and is specifically geared towards helping teachers with English Language Learning Students in their classroom. I found this extremely helpful because I am getting my ESL endorsement, and this is a useful tool in knowing how to incorporate technology to help my ELL students.

On Twitter I am following Twitter4Teachers- it gives quick tips and helpful hints for teachers of all subjects. I also am following a basic Social Studies Teaching group that gives tips specifically for history and civics classes. I'm also following CNN News so I can get the latest news, which is very helpful for teaching Social Studies Classes. Oh and I'm also following Rick West!!! He gives updates that are helpful as always for teaching with technology and he gives great tips for using technology for the gospel!

Engl 312-Rhetorical Analysis for TV Commercial

Old Spice Commercial-Click me!!!

1. The argument of this TV commercial is that the overall quality of life for men will improve if they use Old Spice deodorant.

2. The audience includes women that are in a relationship with a man and is concerned about the way their significant other smells.

3. The goal of this advertisement is to get women to buy Old Spice deodorant for their significant other.

4. The commercial tries to accomplish its goal of getting women to buy Old Spice deodorant for men in several elements of rhetoric.

Ethos- The commercial uses the element of ethos to appeal to authority. The commercial does this by using a physically attractive male who immediately demands your attention at the beginning of the commercial by commanding “look at me, now look at your man, now back at me”. This immediately builds up a sense of respect and authority from the speaker, and helps build up the credibility of the commercial.

Pathos- The commercial uses the element of pathos to appeal to certain emotions, specifically sexual appeal and humor. The speaker is an attractive male who does not wear a shirt for the entire commercial, conveniently displaying his athletic physique. The commercial is subconsciously projecting the emotion of sexual appeal, and persuading women to buy Old Spice deodorant because then their man will be just as attractive. The commercial also has several random comments such as tickets turning into diamonds, and the speaker suddenly appearing on a horse to appeal to the emotion of humor in the commercial. By inserting humor, the commercial is more memorable and people associate this good emotion with Old Spice deodorant.

Sufficient- Despite the effective use of the element of pathos, the commercial in reality lacks sufficient evidence to support its argument that Old Spice deodorant will improve the overall quality of life for men. There are no statistics, no studies, no personal witnesses, or any other solid evidence to support the claim.

Accurate- The commercial also is not completely accurate because it is not completely fair because it makes the mistake of the “straw-man fallacy”. It sets up an extremely weak counterargument of saying that men need to “stop wearing lady-scented body wash”. Any men’s deodorant would be appealing compared to women’s body wash, however, most men probably do not use ladies body wash, therefore making this an inaccurate counterargument.

5. Despite its inaccuracy and lack of sufficient evidence, the commercial is effective for an audience of women in a significant relationship. It appeals to the emotion of humor, making it funny and memorable and something women will most likely remember to mention to their significant other, and most likely buy.

Word Count: 445

English 312 Rhetorical Analysis-Still Advertisement

1. The argument of this Advertisement is that the Kimberly-Clark Kleenex Company is killing the Canadian Boreal Forest because they are cutting down trees to make facial tissues.

2. The audience ranges from teenagers to adults in the U.S. and Canada who care about the environment, endangered animals, the fight against global warming and the Boreal Forest of Canada. The audience also includes those who have access to a phone or internet and can contact the Kimberly-Clark Company to voice their complaints with Kleenex.

3. The goal of this Advertisement is to contact the Kimberly-Clark Company to voice a complaint against Kleenex and to stop buying Kimberly-Clark Kleenex facial tissues.

4. The Advertisement tries to accomplish their goal of stopping consumers from buying Kleenex by using all three elements of rhetoric. The Advertisement uses ethos by appealing to authority with the endorsement of GREENPEACE on the bottom right-hand corner of the advertisement. This is a well-known organization among environmentalists, and this will help build up the credibility and authority of the advertisement. The advertisement uses pathos by posting a picture of a Kleenex box with cut-down trees as the design on the Kleenex box to emphasize the idea that buying a box of Kleenex is the same as killing several trees. It appeals to the emotion of guilt, by making buyers of Kleenex feel guilty for destroying the environment. It also appeals to the emotion of guilt with its instructions of how to kill the Boreal Forest being simply 1. Pulling out a Kleenex tissue, 2. Putting it to your nose and 3. Blowing. The oversimplification of this once again draws attention to the simple act of blowing your nose being the same as killing trees. The advertisement also uses logos to persuade the audience not to buy Kleenex tissues. In the fine print, it explains how the Kimberly-Clark company contributes to the destruction of the Canadian Boreal Forest by cutting down trees for its facial tissues. The advertisement also explains how the forest is home to several endangered species of migratory birds and is an aid in the fight against global warming. The fine print also explains how the Kimberly-Clark company could use more recyclable products to make its tissues, using logic to persuade the audience to stop buying Kleenex and tell Kimberly-Clark company to use different products.

5. The Advertisement is effective for an environmentalist audience that is concerned about the Boreal Forest. However, the logos or logic is not completely convincing because it is unclear what exactly the “more recyclable products” or alternative to Kleenex would be. Blowing your nose is an issue everyone faces, and the need for a disposable tissue is there and the advertisement does not effectively propose an alternate option.

Word Count: 450

ABOUT ME! -IPT 286

So this is my first post for IPT286, and I thought I would start by sharing a little bit about me. My name is Amanda, I'm 20, and a Social Science Teaching major. I also have a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. I'm from Fort Collins, Colorado and I love to play soccer, run, and do just about anything outdoors. This is a picture of me in Jerusalem, where I lived for four months this summer, and my background template is also a picture I took of Jerusalem. My real passion is to travel and learn about other cultures.

Another one of my interests is politics and keeping up with current events which is why I am often checking websites such as CNN to read the news. In my sidebar, you'll find a list of links to some of my favorite websites and just some things I'm interested in such as listening to music on grooveshark, and wearing Calle street soccer gear. You'll also find a list of the other members of my group and their blog URLs. I also like to be fun and somewhat random which is why you will find the fish gadget in my sidebar as well. (Feed them, it's fun!) I'm excited for IPT 286 because I consider myself a rookie with technology, and I'm excited to learn how to use it to be a more effective and interesting teacher.