This video is about a high school science class that created a museum to teach elementary students about the ocean. The high school students are required to use technology in their demonstration through the use of computer software. Below are listed the objectives of the lesson:

• Students will be able to design a hands-on scientific demonstration.

• Students will be able to research using a variety of technological resources.

• Students will be able to assimilate information into a useful form.

• Students will be able to use technology to create a museum placard.

• Students will be able to teach their topic to grade school students.

I think this lesson was a good demonstration of how hands-on learning can be integrated with digital or technological learning. Both skill sets were well demonstrated in this lesson. I also think this lesson was good because the products the high school students created were not made just for the teacher to see, but were put to use for teaching younger students.

Copyright laws via Disney mash-up

This video is a combination of Disney movie clips connected together to describe the Fair Use laws for copyrighted materials. Copyright laws originally covered a work for only 14 or 15 years - the reasoning being that this was a long enough period of time for the owner to make a profit on the work. Now due to the long lasting capability of mediums, companies and individuals can own the rights on their work or material for a lifetime plus 70 years. However the video argues that some materials can be used in small amounts so long as the use of the material does not destroy the original work or is not used for profit.

I think whenever possible it is important for teachers to either purchase a work or get permission to use the work in their classroom. This may take extra work on the teacher's part, but ensures their protection from lawsuit or fines. However, I also think there are cases where using copyrighted material is o.k. - like the example the video gave of non-profit use or properly citing the material.

"Learning Styles Don't Exist" Video

This video is supporting the argument that learning styles do not exist. It describes how the common belief in different learning styles among students is wrong. For example, he disproves visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning by explaining how it is not possible for students to learn in these different ways.

I have trouble understanding or knowing what to say about this video. I am not completely sold on the idea that teachers should abandon teaching methods that focus on different learning styles. I will use teaching methods in my class that focus on different learning models - for example: kinesthetic activities that give students physical experiences to relate to or videos that utilize both audio and visuals together. I feel that this video emphasized that the meaning of teaching activities is more important that whether they match a student's supposed learning style. I agree that how meaningful or applicable an activity is to a student is very important, but I think it is also important how that meaning is presented. If a student works well with auditory repetition or drawing pictures to gain understanding then presenting them information in that way is meaningful. Teachers can present information to students in specific learning modalities, but they can also encourage students to discover information in the best way that suits their needs.

Anyway - t0 me personally I think the verdict is still out on learning styles and multiple intelligences. I was not convinced by the video or the class discussion that these methodologies are not useful in the classroom. Trying to have students learn in different ways through unique experiences is a worthy goal for teachers and will be one of my goals as a teacher.

Environmental Health Video

Our video today is on a health education class which is creating videos on environmental health issues. Students are required to research an environmental issue and create a video presenting an argument regarding the issue. Students must focus on how to reach young people with their message. Technology used in this lesson include iMovie or another movie/video editor, digital cameras, and internet.

One strength of this lesson is the connection students are able to make to their lives through the choice of environmental issues. The teacher strongly encourages students to choose topics they care about a lot because of the length of the assignment. Another strength of this lesson is that the students are producing and editing their work with minimal teacher supervision.