Graphics Tools

According to Roblyer & Doering, Graphics Tools is software that allows the manipulation of images to illustrate documents and web pages (p.141). This is a concept that is growing in necessity as time goes on, especially in the field of education. Students today are bombarded with graphic images in their everyday lives by way of advertising, video games, and the internet. Educators need to harness these images for good instead of evil. Students respond to this type of media moreso than that of the old-fashioned print media. Students would much rather have an image or series of images provide necessary information rather than actually have to read about something. I am not saying that we should not require our students to read anymore. Actually, what I am saying is far from that. What I am saying, is that we need to use graphics and images to get the attention of our students in order to motivate them to delve deeper into the content. This can be done if we educate ourselves on the usage of these graphics tools. I, for one, will be the first to admit, while I know my way around some graphic software, I am still very limited. I intend to remedy this, thus my reasoning for choosing this topic.

Draw/Paint Programs
Drawing and painting software tools help teachers and students create their own graphics to insert into documents or web pages (p.149). The best way to use this software in the classroom is to allow the students to illustrate their computer-generated work which in turn encourages them to become more creative with their work. These are some draw/paint programs that are available:

• Kid Pix
• Artweaver 
• Adobe Illustrator 

These are great resources to utilize in this capacity. Kid Pix is a program that can be used with younger students and the list above increases in complexity from there. Artweaver and Adobe Illustrator are programs that are more appropriate for secondary ed students. For the most part Microsoft Paint is an acceptable program to use in the classroom.

Image Editing Tools
These programs are used to modify or alter photographic images. This type of software is rarely used unless it is specific to the class. These are usually reserved for photography classes or classes dealing with graphic design. The most used software for this concept is Adobe Photoshop. This software is difficult to master and requires substantial practice. Take it from me, I speak from experience. For the novice, a simple photo manipulation can take over two hours. Not that I am saying that is the case for me, but...okay, that is exactly the case for me. But I am trying.

Charting/Graphing Tools
Charting/Graphing tools automatically draw and print desired charts from data entered by users (p.151). This type of work can be done in simple Word documents as well as Excel spreadsheets. As the text states, this gives the students more opportunity to work on other, more important things rather than plotting and drawing the perfect chart/graph. The more important aspects are that of the actual information being graphed or charted. It is more crucial for the students to be able to analyze the data than to draw the graph itself. This software permits this.

• Word Documents 
• Excel Spreadsheets

Clip Art, Photo, Animation, Sound, Video, and Font Collections
These collections are helpful to make the students' work look better and more complete. These collections offer valuable resources that help illustrate and decorate written products (p.153). Some teachers feel that students are more motivated to write their own stories and reports when they can also illustrate them (p.153). This can be true, but there is a very important caveat when it comes to using this type of software; more often than not the student gets more engrossed in the creation of the visuals/illustrations than in the writing itself. There needs to be limitations placed on this, preferably by way of a rubric. This keeps the student on the task at hand. This is also the case for sound and video files that may be used in PowerPoint presentations.

• www.istockphoto.com
• www.clipart.com
• Microsoft Office

These tools can inspire the student to be more creative and inventive with work that is required to be completed using technology. The best way that it benefits learning is not in the product that is created, but the actual process that takes place to get to the end result. Most students are not familiar with this type of software, so exposure to such things is educating them in and of itself. I have always given my students some starting pints when it comes to resources for this type of work. I encourage them to use resources that I have not provided. This gets them thinking and searching to rise to this challenge. But, as I stated earlier, I monitor the work closely to make sure they do not get away from the assignment at hand, the writing. Allowing them to get creative with something as mundane as a paper on what they want to do when they grow up, can inspire them through autonomy to discover things of which they are unaware. Isn't this the basis of learning?

I would have to say that this type of instruction fits into both the directed and the constructivist approach, but it fits best into the constructivist. It allows the students to discover different methods, different approaches, create unique products, and learn through experience. The best way to learn how to use these types of tools is to just use them and discover what works best for you. Tutorials are helpful with some of the programs (i.e. Photoshop), but given enough time, it is best to learn these things by doing. This constructivist approach empowers the student to be truly creative.

Here are some miscellaneous resources on this topic of Graphics Tools in the classroom:

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/comic-creator-30021.html

http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/program-tools/walk-school-graphics-and-logos

http://education.jhu.edu/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Graphic%20Tools%20for%20Learning/index.html

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/

References

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (5^th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson.

 

TPACK/TIP

TPACK is the basis of effective teaching with technology and requires an understanding of the representation of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that use technologies in constructive ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of the problems that students face; knowledge of students' prior knowledge and theories of epistemology; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing knowledge and to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones (p.50). All this is to say that TPACK is how well the educator knows the content being taught, the students being taught, the method of teaching, and how to connect these for the greatest benefit of all involved.

Phase 1: Reflect on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (pp.51-52)
1.) What is my knowledge of technology (TK)? Do I need to improve on my technological skills?
2.) What is my knowledge of pedagogy (PK)? Will my teaching style lend itself to using technology?
3.) What is my knowledge of content (CK)? How familiar/knowledgeable am I about what I am teaching?
4.) Where do I see myself in the TPACK model?

Phase 2: Determine Relative Advantage (pp.52-54)
1.) What is the problem I am addressing? What am I wanting to accomplish?
2.) Do not focus on technologies. Focus on the skill being taught, not the use of technology.
3.) Look for evidence. Make sure there is a problem and proof that it exists.
4.) Do technology-based methods offer a solution with sufficient relative advantage? Is using technology in this scenario the right approach to take?

Phase 3: Decide on Objectives and Assessments (pp.55-57)
1.) What outcomes do I expect from using the new methods? What do I want to gain from using this technology solution that is observable and measurable?
2.) What are the best ways of assessing these outcomes? What is the optimum assessment for determining success of the result?

Phase 4: Design Integration Strategies (pp.57-58)
1.) What kinds of instructional methods are needed in light of content objectives and student characteristics? Which teaching style should I use for this lesson, direct or constructivist, based on the content and the students?
2.) How can technology best support these methods? What form of technology would be best for the type of instruction that was decided upon?
3.) How can I prepare students adequately to use technologies? I need to model the technologies being used so the students are comfortable utilizing them.

Phase 5: Prepare the Instructional Environment (pp.58-60)
1.) What equipment, software, media, and materials will I need to carry out the instructional strategies? What are the technology supplies necessary to implement the instructional methods to carry out the lesson?
2.) How should resources be arranged to support instruction and learning? Make sure that the students are able to access what they need while maintaining security.
3.) What planning is required to make sure technology resources work well? Am I able to correct most technology-based problems that I may encounter during the lesson?

Phase 6: Evaluate and Revise Integration Strategies (pp.60-61)
1.) How well has the technology integration strategy worked? Assess achievement, attitudes, and students' comments to determine the success of the integration.
2.) What could be improved to make the technology integration strategy work better? Review how the lesson went and determine what could be done differently in the future to make the use of technology more conducive to the lesson.

Is the TPACK still relevant in education and why?
TPACK is especially useful in education today. As we move toward a more technology-rich educational system, it is imperative that teachers/instructors are self-aware in their skills in order to utilize these resources to the greatest capacities. Teachers have always needed to be cognizant of their students, their teaching style, and their content; now that technology is such a large part of the classroom, it only makes sense that this knowledge be addressed as well.         

Which Phase is the most important in my opinion?
I feel that Phase 6 is the most important of the TIP Model. While all of the other phases have importance in their own right, it is Phase 6 that speaks to the true skills of a teacher. All too often teachers see themselves as being infallible. This is never the case. We can implement all of the strategies and pedagogies that we have ever learned as educators, but if we are not willing to review and revise what we did, then we are really doing the students a disservice, as well as ourselves. We need to look back at the methods we implemented, and search for errors, misjudgments, and other oversights, so that we might learn from them and become better teachers. A lesson can always be improved upon, so we owe it to our students to take that responsibility as their teacher.


Citations/References