A10.4: Online Community October 31, 2006

I didn’t know a thing about mailing lists until this semester – I’m not even sure that I knew there were ones for specific disorders, topics, or subjects.  Around 9 weeks ago, I joined one for Dysphagia and it has a lot of members from all over the nation who are involved with dysphagia in some type of population, for some need of their own of others they are involved with.  I receive anywhere from 10 to 30 emails each day from people discussing all types of things; intervention procedures, certain cases, and even treatment teqniques.  On a number of occassions, there are emails that have been being sent back and forth between a couple of people or an entire group discussing a certain case or situation. 

Almost everyone that I receive emails from are either nutritionists, speech langugage pathologists, or physicians.  They discuss so many topics from tests, coughs, saliva types, food, and many others.  I have not actually written a letter to be sent out to the entire group (I think that I’m apprehensive because they know so much about the topic and it’s very obvious).  Another thing that they do very often is discuss articles they have read along with journals and books that they are each familiar with.  They talk about the tecniques they have tried or would like to try and the outcomes they have each produced. 

I think that mailing lists are a great thing.  It seems to me as there are people on there that have very strong ties with each other and trust each other very much – otherwise they would not ask eachother for the opinions as they do.  A lot of the information that I have recieved through these emails has been and will be very helpful for me to use in the future.  As it does not really have a source, it will be difficult to use the information concretely, but it does spark ideas and thoughts into my head about pediatric dysphagia.  I am really glad that i joined the mailing list that I did. It is run by Dysphagia.com and is called the Dysphagia Archives.  I am very happy that I have joined this mailing list.  It has provided me with a lot of useful information!  

A10.5: Week 10 Reflection October 31, 2006

Aims & Objectives: My main goal this week was to work and develop my fifth genre for my multi-genre project.  This was a big decision for me as I was not sure what I wanted it to be and the question that I wanted to try to answer.  I also worked to comment on the fourth genres of Holly and Emma in a constructive way so I was ensured for my comments to be of benefit.  I also reflected on the experience I have had with my Dysphagia mailing list.  I then wanted to find a valid resource on Reproduction Literacy and think about it critically as to reflect on it productively.

Declarative Knowledge: This week, I learned how to create a podcast.  According to www.gcast.com, a podcast is a way to share recorded audio material through the internet with others who want to listen to it as a FM MP3 file.  You are able to record anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 minutes of material for others to listen to.  It is very easy to do and on this website, it is free!  Reproduction Literacy is the process of taking an idea, document, or creation and manipulating it to produce something completely new.

Procedural Knowledge: I decided to do a podcast for my genre this week because it was something that we had just learned about and I thought that it seemed very simple and engaging and would truly enhance my project.  I first looked at my foundation questions and thought about which one I had not answered yet.  The first question, “What is Dysphagia?” in my opinion, hadn’t been touched on clearly enough.  I decided to create a podcast that explained pediatric dysphagia in a very clear way.  I first found resources that I wanted to use for this product and wrote out what I wanted to say on paper.  I then looked on the GCast website and found the number to call to record my message.  I read what I wanted my Podcast to say and read it aloud as if I was leaving a message on any voicemail.  I then listened to my message after I left it and automatically sent it to my podcast.  I then posted a page onto my weblog that was entitled Genre 5.  I linked “Whitney’s Explanation” to www.gcast.com and then wrote into words what my podcast said exactly.  It also included a short story at the top explaining why my podcast was done and for who.  I then wrote comments on Holly & Emma’s Genre 4 assigments to tell them my feelings about this document.  I explained who I thought was speaking in the document, who it was written for, what it was trying to explain, what I really liked about it, and what I thought they should change to make it better.  I tried to think very constructively to truly help them with what I thought they should change and what they should be proud of.  I am counting on them & I want them to be able to count on me for helpful comments to their work.  I then did work to find information and write a reflection on Reproduction Literacy.  I did this by going to www.google.com and searching for Reproduction Literacy.  I then thought about what I learned and found out about these skills, my reactions to these ideas, how I believe education/schooling will be changed because of this, and gave some examples of why I felt this way.  I then looked back on the mailing list I have been a part of for the last 9 weeks on Dysphagia. I looked at emails that  had recieved, who was talking in the lists, and the information they were providing to the discussions.  I then got onto my weblog and posted all of this information under week 10.

Conditional Knowledge: I am very excited and happy that over the last couple of weeks of having this class, I have learned so much about various types of internet digital works and literacies.  Some of these topics I have learned about and discussed are things I would have never learned about otherwise such as podcasts, webliographies, and project prospectus.  I am very happy that these literacy skills are now something I will think about when using them and I would not have before.  I am also happy that I have the chance to have others in my class evaluate my work and give me their perspective on the documents I have created, while I do the same for them in return!  I really liked the assigments we completed this week!

A10.3: Reproduction Literacy October 31, 2006

What [do you know/can you find out] about reproduction literacy? 

Reproduction Literacy is the idea of developing something that you want to find out about (question), creating an idea, breaking it down into different sections or your own needs, manipulating it, and then putting it back together as something completely new.  The entire idea is focused around being creative. When something new is wanted to be produced or changed into something better, it is the creators responsibility to take something old and change it into something better – this is reproduction literacy.  There are so many ideas and creative skills out on the web today, but things are always in need of improvement.  There are sites that contain artwork (clipart), essays, articles, music, and so much more.  When those who are familiar with the internet see these pieces, they become creative in their own fashion, and by having the idea, changing it, and making it for themself better documents are created.

What are your reactions to the idea that there are certain reproduction skills? 

I am not at all surprised that these skills do indeed exist.  The surprising factor to it is that they are skills that have been previously established and even thought about.  It is not unbelievable that people are determined to create new things and develop citeria from their own ideas, or even take ideas from others or past creations and critique them to become better.  Some examples that I read from the work of Children & Digital Literacy is Dali’s Mona Lisa, who in the creation had a moustache.  This is a great example of reproduction literacy.  Referring back to conversations that my group has been involved in throughout the semester, such one coming to mind is copyright laws.  When dealing with reproducing anything such as other’s ideas and documents, it makes you wonder if credit is still being given to the original idea. I hope so.

How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling? 

I think this idea will change the way that schooling is done if it has not already.  Reproduction literacy is a way to create modern works of art, literacy, and entertainment for others, not only for educational purposes.  The idea is that an original thought, graphic, or other document can be taken and then manipulated to become something different or perhaps, even better.  I believe that this will enduce creativity and strike interest in others to take pictures, such as poses for senior pictures, music, and other creations and give them a twist of their own imagination. 

Aphek, E. (2006). Digital, Highly Connected Children: Implications for Education. Creativity at Work, 1-7. Retrieved

October 29, 2006, from http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/aphek/digital-literacy.html

A9.5: Week 9 Reflection October 23, 2006

Aims & Objectives: This week, my main goal was to develop another genre for my MPG.  I had to think about what I wanted to do and the goals that I had for this new document.  I also wanted to focus really hard on the revision of my project prospectus after my meeting with Mrs. McComas.  I wanted to work hard to get the most time consuming tasks of the weekly assigments completed before Tuesday so that I could have a night of break from the assignments ;o)

Declarative Knowledge:

This week, I first had to think about what I wanted to do in terms of my fourth genre of my MGP.  I chose to do a simulated journal entry.  I decided that it would be most influential to do it from the perspective of the child’s mother who was also involved in the difficult process of the evaluations and treatment of pediatric dysphagia.  I learned that simulated journal entries are in the style of a letter to a “fake” personal and include the date and details of emotions/feelings of a specific time period, but this is a genre that you can do it the way you want to.  When completing the peer responses, I had to learn who I was supposed to be evaluating and what sorts of genres they did last week.  I learned that “Branching Literacy” is a various amount of skills that you collect without really thinking about it that help to enhance your concepts of how you research and navigate your way around the world wide web and other tecnological sources.

Procedural Knowledge: To complete my fourth genre, a simulated journal entry, I looked back on resources that I have found previously such as symptoms and evaluation procedures to write a fake letter or sort of diary as a mother of a child suffering from pediatric dysphagia.  I thought critically about how it would feel for your child to be experiencing these difficulties and the sort of outcome that she would wish to happen from the problems.  I pieced it together from two different time frames (after the referral letter to a speech language pathologist) and then after a team meeting with the swallowing team.  Additional times may be added at a later date with more information.  To do peer responses to work that my classmates have done last week (Holly & Emma) I first went to their weblogs and looked at their work.  I thought very hard about what I really liked about their work and things that I would like to know more about or wished that they would have written about differently.  I answered the following questions about their work: the voice the document was written in, the audience it was written for, what you thought they were trying to say through the piece, what you bless (really liked about the document) and what I would address (thought they should do differently).  To complete the work on “Branching Literacy” I went to gooogle.com and looked up what it was and thought about it critically so that I was able to undertand it clearly, in my own way.  I then answered the following questions about the readings : What I could find out about the topic, my reactions to it, how I believe it will change education/schooling, and examples of my previous encounters with “branching literacy.”  I then wrote approximately about 400 words on the topic and my feelings about it.  I then revised my project prospectus by looking at my notes from my meeting with Mrs. McComas.  I revised my foundation questions and essential question to narrow down my topic and how it should flow.  I narrowed down the topic to more about evaluation and treatment than diet modification and other subjects.  I then reworked my genres to re-word them if they now didn’t make very much sense and added more resources to my APA listing of sources I may or may not use.

Conditional Knowledge: I hope that myself and others will be able to learn from my fourth genre that was written for others that are extremely close to someone suffering from pediatric dysphagia.  I also “hope” that others that I reviewed their work in the peer response will be able to get some help and comments that I made on their work to help develop their own work.  By using this, I think that it has helped me prepare myself for the times when I start working on these genres myself.  I hope to use the “branching literacy” information that I have heard and learned about to remind myself from time to time of the skills that I have been developing for a long time and not take for granted the ones that I use all the time.  I have learned a lot this week & hope that others learn from my hard work as well.

A9.3: Branching Literacy October 23, 2006

What do you know [can you find out] about Branching Literacy?

Branching literacy is a new concept developed my media developers that entails the use of having many multimedia skills when using to research online, digital technology.  It is called “branching” because you must integrate a large amount of skills, resources, and tecniques to “navigate” your way through the online community to avoid getting lost or sidetracked when looking for specific information.  In the journal article from Eurodl, Aviram refers to Branching Literacy users or scholars to be able to have many multi-dimensional skills and must use the ability to develop concept maps, mental models, and other sources of methodical thinking when researching various environments online. 

What is your reaction to learning that there are various Branching Skills?

I was very surprised to find out that there are “branching skills”.  When researching information online, you never seek to imagine that you are making mental maps about where you have been and where you are going by jumping from website to website or online journal and back.  These are skills that you must develop subconsciously and do not take into consideration that you are making various pathways to you research destination. 

How do you think these new skills will change education/schooling?

I do not believe that this new plethora of skills will change schooling or education skills to a big extent.  This is something that I believe you learn without noting it or memorizing skills or details about it.  When teachers may be able to stress to students the abilities and tools that you are using to create these paths unintentionally, but I do not believe that it is something that you can teach to others – you learn it on your own. 

Examples of my own use of Branching Literacy.

I think that each of us that are online or do research through the digital world have many “branching literacy” skills that we are unaware about.  It is very seldom that we get onlilne and while searching the web only visit one site without it linking us to another.  We never write down where we have been or the concept maps that we are developing in our minds to retrack the steps that we have taken to return to that spot if need would be.  I believe that these “branching skills” are tecniques that are each unique and inate to our own online learning.  Everyday that we are online; researching the web or any other digital form of work – we are “branching our own literacy”.

Aviram, A. (2004). Towards a Theory of Digital Literacy: Three Scenarios for the Next Steps. Eurodl: The European

Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning. Retrieved October 22, 2006, from

http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Aharon_Aviram.htm

A9.4: Revised Project Prospectus October 23, 2006

Research/Essential Questions and Foundation Questions:

What theraputic tecniques do Speech Language Pathologists employ to manage cases of Pediatric Dysphagia?

Foundation Questions:

1. What is dysphagia?

2. What are the symptoms of dysphagia in the Pediatric Population?

3. What are the goals of therapy?

Tentative Point trying to be made about Pediatric Dysphagia

Pediatric Dysphagia is a disorder of swallowing that through extensive evaluation and assessment can be managed and accomodation may be attempted and treated by physicians, therapists, and diagnosticians.

Genres to be Included:

• Webliography – Clinician’s Voice – This portion of this assignment was to tell those looking at my page something about me.  By looking at this, which can be any audience will tell them something about myself, my topic, things I like to do, and where I am looking at some information as my focus. I think that this was fun to create and new for me, so I learned from it. I chose this because we had to do it, but I’m glad that I did.
• PowerPoint Presentation – Clinician’s Voice – This genre was also chosen because it was one that were required to choose. I think that it will be great voice as the clinican telling about the disorder in a creative, helpful manner hoping the audience is anyone hoping to learn about pediatric dysphagia in a fun, interactive manner, especially about the topic of theraputic goals.
• Podcast - Clinician’s Voice – To be honest, I do not know anything about podcasts.  I chose this genre as it was required.  I think that it will be informative to anyone looking at this site to be informed about pediatric dysphagia; parents, students, and professionals.  Like a powerpoint, this will be interactive and a fun way to learn and be informed about pediatric dysphagia, especially the realization of what pediatric dysphagia truly is.
• Poem – Client’s Voice – I am very excited to write this poem about pediatric dysphagia.  I think that it is a great way to inform those; parents, clinicians, and those studying speech language pathology and learning to put themselves in the client’s shoes as these children can not tell you themselves. I think that this will be very fun to create, even though it was also a requirement, and will help me to learn a lot about the emotions and feelings of those suffering from these disorders.
• Referral Letter – Physician’s Voice – This section of the MGP is very important because it could show symptoms and reasons describing why and when this disorder is occurant.  Even though Dysphagia is a disorder that is primarily seen to be treated by Speech Language Pathologists, it is also a team work problem as it is very hazardous and dangerous to a person, especially child’s, health.  By writing/reading this portion of the project, it is a way to gain even more information about this disorder, while also, seeing it from a other perspective, which is medical health care.
• “Simulated” Journal Entry - “Parent’s Voice” – By adding this portion of the MGP, I feel as the mother of the client (small child) would be able to be seen as having their point of view seen, too. When working with a population such as small children, I feel as people forget that they have emotions and feelings, too that are unable to be expressed vocally.  It is also very difficult for the parents and loved ones who suffer to experience as well.  This is a creative way to express the way that those could be feeling and why. This could be beneficial for parents, students, and clinicians to read.
• Letter to Politician - Parent’s Voice – I felt as though this portion of the project would be very helpful to be read by parents and clinicians to show another parents’ point of view in terms of what needs improvement and the way you feel when your child is suffering from a problem such as this.  By informing politicians about the problems at hand, information may be release, informing them of this disorder, and also requesting additional health care services in this category of disabilities. The parent could discuss insurance help and even additional medical services they feel should be offered and why.

To make the MGP run together cohesively:

To make my project run together as a whole, I feel it would be creative to piece it together like we have done other projects in the past; as one client.  Showing various aspects of a client’s way through a disorder (the feelings of the parents, client, and clinician) and the way that different areas are approached.  By piecing it together as one case, those reading will be able to follow the projects easier and more effectively.  I will use my journal entry as a cohesive piece that includes all of the genres linked into it.

Tentative Sources to be Used (Will change throughout the Completion) :  

Newman, L.A., Keckley, C., Petersen, M.C., & Hamner, A. (2001). Swallowing function and medical diagnosis in

infants suspected of dysphagia.  Pediatrics, 108(6), 1358. Retrieved September 24, 2006 from

EbscoHost database.

Schwarz, S.M., Corredor, J., Cohen, J., & Rabinowitz, S. (2001). Diagnosis and treatment of feeding disorders in

 children with developmental disabilities.  Pediatrics. 108(3), 671. Retrieved September 24, 2006 from

EbscoHost database. 

Ward, E., R.S., (2005). The epidemiology of dysphagia. Describing the problem – are we too late? Advances in

Speech Language Pathology, 7(1), 14-21. Retrieved September 24, 2006 from ProQuest database.

Miller, C.K. (2003). Advances in the evaluation and management of pediatric dysphagia. Current Opinion of

Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. 11(6), 442-446. Retrieved September 24, 2006 from Academic

Search Premiere database.

Lefton-Grief, M.A., & Lauglin, G.M. (1996). Specialized studies in pediatric dysphagia. Seminars in Speech and

Language, 17(4), 311-329. Retrieved September 24, 2006 from MEDLINE database.

Brown, Janet (2005). Conference explored vocal pathologies, dementia, and pediatric dysphagia. ASHA Leader. 10

(5), 8. Retrieved September 26, 2006 from EbscoHost database.

Munro, Frasier D. (2003). Dysphagia in children ; a pediatric surgical perspective. International Journal of

Pediatric Otolaryngology. 67, S103. Retrieved September 26, 2006 from EbscoHost database.

Hearing Assoc, T. (2005). What is Dysphagia? . Retrieved October 14, 2006, from

http://www.txsha.org/_pdf/Brochures/dysphagia.pdf

 

 

 

Pediatric Speech Pathology – Dysphagia Swallowing Disorders (n.d.). Retrieved

October 21, 2006, from

http://www.stronghealth.com/services/childrens/conditions/dysphasia.cfm#diagnosing.

A8.5: Week 8 Reflection October 17, 2006

Aims & Objectives: This week, my main priority was to begin focusing on and working on new genres of my project.  For my third piece of work, I chose to do a referral letter.  For my objectives, I did more research on symptoms, therapy choices, and evaluation sources for pediatric dysphagia.  I thought criticially about all of the information that would be helpful to be included in the document by reviewing old research that I have completed.  I also wanted to do research to learn about Information Literacy for another assignment this week and think long and hard about what kind of feedback I needed to use and facilitate to help my classmates with their second genre.

Declarative Knowledge:

I decided to do a referral letter for the third genre of my MGP.  I learned that in a referral letter, you are either telling/explaining to a clinician about a client or sending them to a more helpful service else where.  I learned that in this document, you needed to include information about the patient, evaluations that have been included, and recommendations for the new clinician that you hope are enforced in this case.  For the second assignment of the week, we reviewed the word of our classmates and gave them our opinions about what we liked and something that they could make a little better in their work.  By offering them feedback, it helps them see it from another person’s perspective that does not know as much about their topic as they do.  I learned that Information literacy includes a process of knowing when information is needed, doing the research to find that data, and then forming it into useful factual knowledge. 

Procedural Knowledge:

To write my referral letter, I first looked back on different resources to think about the information that was pertinent to my document that I was creating and what would be useful for the new clincian to know about a previous client.  I then came up with a ficticious physician, patient, and decided to use myself as the speech language pathologist who is who the patient was being referred to.  I then looked at common symptoms of pediatric dysphagia, ways to evaluate it, and then helpful recommendations for a SLP to use after a referral has been made.  I then focused on the phrasing of the letter, made sure that everything useful was included, and included the resource in APA format at the bottom of the letter.  I then wrote it as a page on my weblog and posted it to Week 8 of my works.  To complete the peer review assignments of the week, I read the poem’s of the two ladies I was assigned: Holly & Emma. I read their works and thought critically about what I liked in their work and what I thought they could change/add to make it more appealing or clear to the public or the audience that they were targeting.  I included the voice they were speaking from, the audience they were focusing on, I added a comment of “bless” (something I liked) and something to “address” (something I thought it was possible for them to change).  I then posted this on each of their weblogs under the comment feature.  To research and review Information Literacy, I looked back on works that we were assigned to read earlier in the semester on this topic and thought about what I percieved this information as.  I was to answer the following questions: What [do you know/can you find out] about information literacy?  What are your reactions to the idea that there are certain information skills?  How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling?  Include examples of your own experiences to illustrate your responses. I wrote 400-500 words on this topic.  I then included the resource that I used in APA format at the bottom of my document.  I then posted this to my weblog as a post and then attached it to the Week 8 in my works. 

Procedural Knowledge:

I decided on a referral letter as my third genre as it was exactly what I expected.  It was a great way to learn more about symptoms, evaluations, and frequent recommendations by physicians for the clinician.  I also wanted my audience to see different views of how the disorder is handled by others as it is always in the best interest of the client.  I hope that when others are reading my work it will give them a deeper look into pediatric dysphagia along with what a referral letter is and the information that it should include, along with how it should be written.  I hope that I helped my classmates by offering information to them about their work on genre 2.  I hope that my comments that I made will help them to feel confident about this work and also give them insight as how to improve it for the learning of others.  By learning/reviewing the meaning and use of information literacy, it again reminded me how much of our learning skills and works I take for granted everyday.  I am really enjoying the work that I am doing on my MGP.  I hope that others are, too!

A8.3: Information Literacy October 15, 2006

What [do you know/can you find out] about information literacy?

According to the definition of Information Literacy on the Oklahoma State Library website, it is the ability to identify a need for information, find, evaluate and use it for aiding in some manner. Literacies can be visual, media, computer and others formats. In the way that our world is changing to become more in-depth through technology, information literacy has been created to find the most information available. This way of finding data & turning it into knowledge, is a way to enhance “lifelong learning” and become more responsible for how they are learning the information that they are. Using information literacy to find & create knowledge is a complex method . The skills that are used to implement these sources is taught to the user through an overall process.

 What are your reactions to the idea that there are certain information skills?

I feel as though there are various degrees and types of skills that you must have or learn to use when finding information through information literacy. There are a quantity of things that you are able to use to access and use this data, but you must first know how to take advantage and manipulate the resources that are available for applicable functioning. Without these skills, the information, data, and knowledge that is available for research will not be able to be consumed.

 How do you think this “new” literacy will change education/schooling?

I feel as this new way to find and use information will change education greatly if it hasn’t already. These skills that are learned by students will change the way that kids learn and adapt to new information and enhance self learning control. Educators are also pushing it on students to assess and create their own learning; understanding how you learn and becoming accustomed to it, can and will create “lifelong learning.” By understanding the process of learning in necessary to enhance learning other new information in the same matter – productively. By allowing students in the classroom to have access to media, internet, and other technological information research bases, students are coming accustomed to these learning styles that they will be around for the rest of their lives, not only in the classroom.

When I was younger, I feel as there were a number of things through school and at home that were used to enhance my learning through technology and knowledge research bases. I remember using things such as “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” to learn things (most likely technology literacy) but there was a demand for knowing what knowledge you needed to get, finding that information, and then using it to do things such as problem solve and working to learn yourself. Also, finding where you wanted to travel on Oregon Trail – it was essential to understand what the diseases were, what you needed to do to get to your destination and a number of others things to protect yourself and your family. Again, this is problem solving and authentic learning like no other.

Plotnick, E. (1999). Information Literacy. ERIC Digest. Retrieved August 31, 2006,

from http://searcheric.org/digests/ed427777.html

A7.3: Reflection on Discussion of 9/27/06 October 10, 2006

What was your primary contribution to the discussion?

I think that my major contribution to the group was focusing on some of the ideas/feelings that I have about copyrights. I have felt that I think that some people misuse/abuse copyrights when it’s just an idea or thought that we have about something that could or could not turn into a publication or invention.  I also brought up the topics to my group about public domain and why I do not feel as it is appropriate for some things to be dismissed for this reason but others are not. I felt that I brought up a number of things that sparked conversation for a number of people in my group that we had not really thought about before when copyrights are something we know/see everyday.

What questions emerged from your group discussion?

What exactly could/would happen to you if you would get caught or suspected of cheating?  What is the process for determining if you have been or do you have a chance to defend your actions if it was unintentional? What does copyright really entail? How do you learn more about copyright and how to focus/learn more about this material? Are there different levels of plagarism & what is it exactly?

What questions were answered for you in your group discussion?

My group (Emma’s office) finally concluded that a professional in any profession/type of work should pay detailed attention pertaining to Copyright rules & laws to ensure they are not using anyone elses work and to also ensure that their own work is protected.  We also figured out and agreed that in our profession when research is a constant necessity (Evidence Based Practice…etc.) it is vital to pay attention to what is protected, what is not, and even what is true in terms of works.

How will you apply what you learned in the readings and discussions in your own work?

I feel like from now on, I will pay a lot closer attention to citing, documenting, and using various sources for research that I am completing for my own work. I now realize how important that it is to do so.  I also know that when I am out in the field I will want to know and constantly review copyright laws to protect myself and others from such instances.  

A7.5: Week 7 Reflection October 10, 2006

Aims & Objectives: My goals this week were to create a poem from a child’s perspective with the topic of pediatric dysphagia. This is very hard to do as I have never experienced something like this and attempting to speak from a child’s point of view is also very hard. I also wanted to study and look for information on photo-visual literacy and relate it to education and how it affects my own learning.  I also wanted to look into how I participate and the aspects that I bring into a group discussion and focus on if I participate/am envolved enough.

Declarative Knowledge: For my Pediatric Dysphagia Poem, I chose to write one based on a style called Acrostic.  This is when you take the each of the letters of a word that you are focusing on and write a small phrase to describe something about that word such as feelings or what it means.  I learned that photo-visual literacy is a way that people project knowledge to others through technology, images, and digital features.  This can be used through education and other means of science technology.  By reviewing the conversations we had with our groups, I learned that I am adequate with bringing information to a group and helping others to realize certain points of view that I have about ideas.

Procedural Knowledge: To create an Acrostic poem, you must first decide what words from your focus you would like to use to create this document.  I chose Dysphagia as it is the most important term of my topic.  I then wrote the letters down and began brain storming about how I would think that a child would view certain symptoms and problems that are associated with dysphagia.  It is very difficult to think this way as no child has even been able to tell someone else the way that something feels when they are for example having a problem eating or swallowing.  You must put yourself in someone elses shoes to write a document such as this without putting too much of your assumptions into your work. You then write your statements down, trying to make certain phrases rhyme or sound good together so that the poem is appealing to those reading it.  I did this by using the synonym tool through Microsoft Word to help with my brainstorming tecniques when creating an effectient document. I then typed, posted, and titled my poem as a page in my weblog.

To learn about Photo-Literacy, I went to Google and typed in my search inquiry.  A number of different items came up dealing with this topic that were effecient for my search.  I read portions of a number of these and decided on one from the ERIC Digest as it is one that we have used in class for a number of other reading assignments and I felt as my professor and classmates feel as it is one to trust. I read the article and took notes on it first.  Then, I refered to our class assignments sheets to view the questions that we were assigned to answer in our 400-500 word document.  These questions were: What do you know about photo-visual literacy/what can you find out about it? What are your reactions to the certain skills that it entails? How do you feel as this “new” concept will affect schooling/education? What are some personal experiences with photo-visual literacy that have affected you? I answered these questions based on the reading and my own thoughts/views/feelings.  I then used APA format to cite my source, ERIC Digest.  I again typed, titled, and posted it as a post in my weblog.

To review the conversations that we have had previously in our TappedIn offices, I refered back to conversations that were saved in my email from future times.  I answered questions about this conversations that we have had before about Copyrights when my classmates and I discussed how we felt about these certain issues.  I then thought critically about the things that I had provided to the conversation and if I had felt as I was an adequate member to the group.

Conditonal Knowledge: I actually really enjoyed writing the poem genre about my topic for this weeks assignments.  I think that it is a great learning tool for us to think about our projects more indepth by not focusing on it in only one dimension.  I think that later I will be able to refer back to these works and remember the way that I had seen the issue before I had completed the work. I also think that it is very beneficial for our classmates to view these documents as to get a more complex view of our topic. By learning and researching photo-visual lieracy I know know that I took the way that myself and others learned things through digital/animated works.  I feel as from now on I will not take the way that I learn or even technology for that matter as for granted as I have previously.  I also now realize that if someone is having a problem learning something on paper, such as normal concepts, this could be a new/better view to approach their learning tecniques. By reviewing the conversations that we have had I will now pay more attention to the way that I interact with others through group projects and activities.