Self Portrait

My Simple Self Perception

Even when we look at our reflection, we can perceive ourselves differently than what it reflected. Our perceptions can be skewed by the qualities we like most or least about ourselves. Attempting to render that perception can also be affected by personality traits. Creating a self portrait in Picassohead demonstrates both of these issues. The tool allows you to create a self portrait in an abstract manner. As I chose to demonstrate my individual features, I became more concerned about some of my traits. Physically, my eyes are larger and rounder than I have depicted in my portrait. However, I'm also the type of person that is constantly watching what is going on around me. In my perception, my eyes are narrow and focused so that I don't miss anything that is happening. My rendering of a self portrait is also simplistic. Perhaps because I'm not artistic or it's a reflection of my personality. There is an element of me that wants the rendering to be accurate, and the options for some of the features did not fit my own. I like to keep my hair short, but there weren't any options that properly displayed it the way I wanted. I chose, instead, to keep a bald representation of myself because I considered that to be closer to accurate. The lack of hair also draws attention to my ears. As a father, I am always listening to what is happening among and around my children. I also try to be a good listener for my wife.


In comparison, here is an actual photo of myself. This exercise is quite valuable from a  teaching perspective. Teachers should get to know their students, and one good way to find out about them would be to see how they see themselves. A tool like Picassohead is a free and easy way to introduce this as an ice breaker at the beginning of a school year. Students are presented the opportunity to learn early graphic skills, computer literacy, and it's a chance for students to bond with each other. Sharing how we see ourselves can help create friendships, empathy, and trust in the classroom. Teachers should also create a self portrait to help build camaraderie with students and lead by example. It's an easy way to start a school year off on the right foot.

Jing Image

There are numerous learning types that teachers need to be prepared to teach. Students can learn by auditory, visual, or tactile means. A tool like Jing helps build visual components that can be included into lesson plans and curriculums. Part of a lesson plan for a business class would include analytics and how a business uses them. Using Jing to screen capture features in Google Analytics is helpful to providing examples.

Using this example image, students can be shown how Google Analytics incorporates audience reporting into their system. Teachers and students would also be able to discuss if these report features add value to a business' analytics needs.



Jing screen captures can be utilized to include in a lesson plan, but it also provides a share URL for the images. In this instance, the screen capture for the audience report can be shared from the following URL: /Users/Stephane/Desktop/GoogleAudienceReport.png. This can be shared with students that either miss the lesson or need to go back and review the topic further.

Jing outputs the actual images in PNG formats which are optimal for uploading and sharing. The PNG file can be saved when the capture is completed, with ease of use by naming the file and saving it to the desktop or creating a relevant file folder. Downloading Jing is simple and the tool is easy to use. The tool includes a quick tutorial and then it's ready to use. A tool that is free and simple is ideal for teachers to assist them in building quality lesson plans and curriculums.

Numbers 1.1

New apps and websites are helping teachers be more efficient in the classroom. Promethean boards, game apps, and websites keep students engaged with learning by making curriculums more interactive. There are older technologies that teachers still need to rely upon to perform their jobs. Grading homework, tests, and projects over the course of a school year is demanding and requires attention to detail. A miscalculated average could be the difference between an A and a C for a student. For managing a grade book, Excel still offers efficient and simple ability to tool sets.

This photo shows a list of students and their quiz grades over the course of time. By using Excel, a teacher can easily and correctly calculate the averages for each student. 

The next image shows an additional column with each students scores averaged for all the quiz scores represented. Using Excel can mitigate the human risk factor for making an error. The grades need to be entered correctly to start, but calculating the scores can become more automated. 

Teachers can also use Excel to compare overall performance on the assignments. This link will show some additional calculations that were included from the original set of test scores. Being able to see high performance and low performance can help a teacher respond to the students that need the most help. They can also see the average score for the class and figure out if the class as a whole needs more review. 

A teachers primary role is to ensure students are comprehending the subject matter. Reviewing results in an aggregate and singular manner will help to show if the material is being understood.

Social Bookmarking: Diigo

Technology is constantly growing and evolving. It's been estimated that software, features, platforms, and the like become obsolete in 18 months. The continuous evolution enables and causes consumers to adapt to the way technology is used. Many times, it's because of the way we consume technology that causes a rapid shift in the usefulness of a product or tool. Smartphones have shifted the way we consume, process, and share information. Communication has shifted from desktop to mobile as e-mail and messaging apps are primarily accessed on smartphones. Social media has altered the way we access and share news and information. Major news publications are being archaic because the internet has opened the gates for user-generated content sites.
Another shift in technology is the ability to aggregate similar content from different sources and save it to one location. Diigo allows users to do things like highlight, bookmark, and tag content from a site and aggregate it and share within a community of like-minded users. Some sites allow you to highlight and notate content as an in-app feature. However, Diigo lets you visit different sites and capture content you deem interesting and tag for easy reference. A user need only go to Diigo and create a new account. Then, using the browser add on, diigolet, the user can start perusing internet pages and tag content they want to bookmark and potentially share. Social bookmarking is a new way to efficiently aggregate data that can be stored, tagged, annotated, and shared without having to use browser history or try and remember search terms that were previously used.
Here is the beginnings of my content aggregation: https://www.diigo.com/user/stephane3l. I have started out by researching content related to ADHD. As someone who suffers with it, along with two of my sons, I am continuously trying to read about any developments scientists, doctors, and educators are making in the cause and treatment of this disability. Using Diigo, I have been able to find different articles related to ADHD and different aspects of the disease. I am able to group the content together by subject matter, but also differentiate them based on the specificity of the content.

Here is one example of a content entry. The tags can group or separate the content as necessary. There is also the opportunity to write a description of the content based on my perception.

This screenshot shows a piece of content with the browser add on in use. In this instance, I'm using Safari with the add on added to my bookmarks. When I select the add on, a tool bar appears to the upper right that allows me to utilize different features. In this instance, a piece of content has been highlighted, and now it can be added to the Diigo library, bookmarked, or other options.

The concept of social bookmarking has many valuable aspects that can be utilized within education. In this instance, the opportunity to efficiently research and aggregate data on a particular topic is meaningful to me.