Today we learned about digital storytelling. We used VoiceThread to see how several people can see one picture or video and all comment on it using either text or their voices. It is a good tool that can be used by people from everywhere. It is a great way to collaborate with others on the Internet.
We also used Photostory to make a book trailer about Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona. It was easy to use and has a lot of cool options for motion and sound. I had trouble with my microphone volume, but this could be fixed easily with a better pair of headphones I think.
In the afternoon we worked with Glogster and Wix.com. They were both really easy to figure out, but both had problems when we were working with them. Glogster is very eye catching and fun to look at. Wix is a little different, but still useful for the same purposes. In the future, if I am working with either of these sites I will definitely have a backup plan since they were a bit unreliable on these computers.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 3
Friday our class was full of information!!
I really likes Big Huge Labs as a tool. Making an inspirational poster was not only fun, but it could be very useful in the classroom. I look forward to trying out some of the other things that Big Huge Labs offers.
I had a hard time making my ALA Read Poster. My photos became blurry, my aviary.com kept freezing up when I tried to upload, and I had trouble getting it into my wikispace....After a while I gave up and kept the blurry one. I can definitely see the usefulness of this tool, but I can probably achieve the same effects in the classroom with the tools from Big Huge Labs.
In the afternoon we learned how to use some presentation tools, which was really fun. Our tool was PhotoPeach, and it was really easy to use! Not overly sophisticated, but we were able to import pictures, move them around, add background music, and add text on whatever slides we wanted to. At the end we had a nice little slideshow that only took an hour or less to make.
The last thing we did was use Webspiration as a tool to help us take notes on other people's presentation tools. It is a very helpful and easy tool to use. I would definitely use it again to help with note taking or other projects.
I really likes Big Huge Labs as a tool. Making an inspirational poster was not only fun, but it could be very useful in the classroom. I look forward to trying out some of the other things that Big Huge Labs offers.
I had a hard time making my ALA Read Poster. My photos became blurry, my aviary.com kept freezing up when I tried to upload, and I had trouble getting it into my wikispace....After a while I gave up and kept the blurry one. I can definitely see the usefulness of this tool, but I can probably achieve the same effects in the classroom with the tools from Big Huge Labs.
In the afternoon we learned how to use some presentation tools, which was really fun. Our tool was PhotoPeach, and it was really easy to use! Not overly sophisticated, but we were able to import pictures, move them around, add background music, and add text on whatever slides we wanted to. At the end we had a nice little slideshow that only took an hour or less to make.
The last thing we did was use Webspiration as a tool to help us take notes on other people's presentation tools. It is a very helpful and easy tool to use. I would definitely use it again to help with note taking or other projects.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 2 of Tech class
Well today has been another really crazy class.
Google can do so many useful things that most people don't even know about. There could be an entire semester class dedicated on how to use all the tools on Google. I never knew that GoogleLabs existed, but it is really helpful when searching for news and images. My favorite little tidbit about Google is how typing CTRL + F will bring up a little search bar on the bottom of the page where you can search for specific words. So useful!
Delicious was the next tool we signed up for and I like that idea a lot. Bookmarking all of my pages saves time and memory space as well. And now I can find my pages from any computer too!
I'm not sold on twitter yet. I suppose I understand the professional benefits to networking with others in your field of expertise. However, I'll have to feel it out a little more before I decide if I like it or not.
I really like wikispaces as a tool for teaching and also for learning. Although the site may not be the prettiest of websites, it is very functional and easy to use. I would like to spend some time looking around at other people's wikis and see what types there are out there.
I'm learning a lot in this class, but my brain needs a break!
Google can do so many useful things that most people don't even know about. There could be an entire semester class dedicated on how to use all the tools on Google. I never knew that GoogleLabs existed, but it is really helpful when searching for news and images. My favorite little tidbit about Google is how typing CTRL + F will bring up a little search bar on the bottom of the page where you can search for specific words. So useful!
Delicious was the next tool we signed up for and I like that idea a lot. Bookmarking all of my pages saves time and memory space as well. And now I can find my pages from any computer too!
I'm not sold on twitter yet. I suppose I understand the professional benefits to networking with others in your field of expertise. However, I'll have to feel it out a little more before I decide if I like it or not.
I really like wikispaces as a tool for teaching and also for learning. Although the site may not be the prettiest of websites, it is very functional and easy to use. I would like to spend some time looking around at other people's wikis and see what types there are out there.
I'm learning a lot in this class, but my brain needs a break!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Using Blogs in the School Media Center
Blogs are a really good way to get students to apply many skills they are learning. When blogs are used, students are using writing skills, typing skills, and critical thinking skills at the very least. Specifically, the school media center can use blogs to inform parents and community members of recent ongoing in the library classes and to teach students lessons. I can definitely see blogs having a place in my school media center. I really like the way that students are not only challenging themselves to complete the assignment, but also reading others' work and getting and giving feedback. This is a useful tool for the collaboration between students and it can really be valuable in the learning process.
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