Saturday, February 19, 2011
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Module 4: Part 1: 21st Century Skills-Changes
For the first part of this assignment, I will reflect on the videos that were provided in Module 4. The video that "stood out" the most to me was the second video about making learning fun. The video illustrated "The Fun Theory" by replacing the stairs in a traditional staircase with "keys" to a piano keyboard. The video said that 66% more people took the stairs instead of the escalator simply because the keyboard stairs were more fun and entertaining. I certainly believe that this is true by watching this video. Traditionally, I take the escalator because it requires less effort, but I would certainly be tempted to try the piao stairs! I think that this video illustrates that fun does have a place in the classroom. Many times educators think of fun activities as a "waste of time" or as being "academically devoid of content and meaning". However, this video is a refreshing reminder that students learn more when they are having fun doing it! One goal that I would like to set for myself is to include a little more "FUN" into my classroom. I teach social studies and my students think the material is dry and boring. I want to teach my students that social studies and learning n general can be fun! I want students to want to learn social studies! :) I also need to change my mindset to reflect the fact that "fun" activities are sometimes more effective in teaching the material than a lecture or a textbook. The first video was pretty funny as well. It clearly illustrates the fears that people often have about using computers and/or the internet. The video makes light of digital immigrants who are often afraid of "losing" their work, not knowing how to get started, and not knowing how to navigate a computer program. I had already seen the last video before, so it wasn't as appealing to me as the other videos. However, the last video does make excellent points about the fact that our digital native students and children spend a large percentage of their time accessing and learning from digital media. Our students truly are "digital learners". We as educators need to recognize this "learning style" and use it to our advantage in the classroom as much as possible.
For the second part of this assignment, I chose a video entitled "Educating the Digital Generation". I chose this video becaused it presented a refreshing viewpoint of how technology should be used in the classroom. This video talks about how educators need to be teaching our students how to use "modern tools for learning and working". One of the examples given in the movie was that students should be taught how to use a laptop. One of the main points of the movie was that technology should be "standard-issue" just like pen and paper was "standard issue" in the 1970s. This video also points out that our society is changing with changes in technology (ex. book resources --> online resources and databases). One speaker in the video talks about how educators have been fighting to keep technological gadgets out of the classroom for many years because they view them as distractions. Many of the educators in this video stress the importance of capitalizing on these technological resources that our students have with them. The focus of this video is to point out that we shouldn't be teaching our students that technology is bad; rather, we should be teaching them self-control, self-discipline, mutli-tasking, and the ability to focus amidst distractions. I think that one of the most-compelling points made in the movie was the suggestion that educators humble themselves and view their students as resources. Many times we are too proud to ask others for help, especially our students. After viewing this video,I have made it my personal goal to be a more humble educator. I have also made it my goal to view my students as resources and experts in their lives and their "gadgets".
For the second part of this assignment, I chose a video entitled "Educating the Digital Generation". I chose this video becaused it presented a refreshing viewpoint of how technology should be used in the classroom. This video talks about how educators need to be teaching our students how to use "modern tools for learning and working". One of the examples given in the movie was that students should be taught how to use a laptop. One of the main points of the movie was that technology should be "standard-issue" just like pen and paper was "standard issue" in the 1970s. This video also points out that our society is changing with changes in technology (ex. book resources --> online resources and databases). One speaker in the video talks about how educators have been fighting to keep technological gadgets out of the classroom for many years because they view them as distractions. Many of the educators in this video stress the importance of capitalizing on these technological resources that our students have with them. The focus of this video is to point out that we shouldn't be teaching our students that technology is bad; rather, we should be teaching them self-control, self-discipline, mutli-tasking, and the ability to focus amidst distractions. I think that one of the most-compelling points made in the movie was the suggestion that educators humble themselves and view their students as resources. Many times we are too proud to ask others for help, especially our students. After viewing this video,I have made it my personal goal to be a more humble educator. I have also made it my goal to view my students as resources and experts in their lives and their "gadgets".
Monday, January 18, 2010
Emerging Technology #4: Animoto
I chose to study Animoto for my fourth emerging technology because I was looking for an alternative program to using PowerPoint in my classroom. I constantly try to change the methodologies that I utilize in my classroom. I love to try to find new ways to engage my students. Of all of the emerging technologies that I have learned about so far, this is my favorite application. I actually had a lot of fun creating the basic video that I made!
First, I will explain was Animoto is. According to the main website (http://animoto.com/), Animoto is an application that allows users to create, share, and download videos with other users. Using Animoto, students can create 30 second videos using text, pictures, video clips, and music for free. However, if you want to create longer videos or videos with higher resolutions, you have to pay additional usage fees. Animoto is better visually than PowerPoint Presentations. Furthermore, the Animoto website contains step-by-step instructions and is quick and easy to use. Animoto is one of the more well-known emerging technologies. It has been heralded as a beneficial educational tool by many organizations such as CNN, Discovery Education, NASA, Scholastic, and National Geographic, to name a few (http://animoto.com/education).
Here are a few resources that I found to be particularly helpful to when studying Animoto:
http://simplyteaching.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-animoto-video-poems-based-on-red.html
http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Animoto
Here are a few ideas for how teachers could use Animoto in their classrooms:
1. Students could write/present book reports, summaries, and reflections using Animoto.
2. Teachers could use Animoto to present lectures and notes.
3. Teachers and students could use Animoto to create videos to raise social and community awareness.
4. Students could use Animoto to create short commercials or speeches.
5. Students could use Animoto to present their poetry, art, and creativity.
6. Students could make campaign videos for class elections.
7. Animoto could be used to create flashcards for vocabulary words.
8. Teachers could use Animoto to create virtual field trips for their students.
9. Students could create Animoto videos to introduce themselves to the class (the teacher could create one too!)
10. Students could use Animoto to create a video brochure for a product that they want to buy or for a country that they want to visit.
11. Students and teachers could work together to create an end of the year video to recap and remember highlights from their school year together.
While using Animoto, I was surprised to see how easy it was to create my own video. I was impressed by the number of free images, music files, and video files that were available on the Animoto site. One problem that I ran into was that users have to pay for certain advanced features such as higher video resolutions. However, I found a website that allows teachers to apply for a free 6-month membership to Animoto. This membership would allow teachers and their students to access and use Animoto free for 6 months in the classroom (http://animoto.com/education). Another issue that I encountered with the free, public version of Animoto was that students could easily access other Animoto videos that had explicit or inappropriate content in them. Yet another issue that I encountered was that users had to select a song from the list on Animoto, or they could upload a song that was purchased from the internet. If the song that you wanted to use in your video was not purchased on the internet, you would be unable to use that song in your Animoto video. Another drawback to using Animoto in your classroom is that students have to be 13 years of age to sign up to use Animoto, even in the educational portion of the website. A final issue that I had with Animoto was that users cannot place text on top of the images in the videos (you are limited in your text options).
Here is a link to the Animoto video that I created. It is called "Flowers and Love":
http://animoto.com/play/1SS1StQMq3ocvI2QPcQSNw?utm_source=project_complete_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=project_complete_email&utm_content=challenger
First, I will explain was Animoto is. According to the main website (http://animoto.com/), Animoto is an application that allows users to create, share, and download videos with other users. Using Animoto, students can create 30 second videos using text, pictures, video clips, and music for free. However, if you want to create longer videos or videos with higher resolutions, you have to pay additional usage fees. Animoto is better visually than PowerPoint Presentations. Furthermore, the Animoto website contains step-by-step instructions and is quick and easy to use. Animoto is one of the more well-known emerging technologies. It has been heralded as a beneficial educational tool by many organizations such as CNN, Discovery Education, NASA, Scholastic, and National Geographic, to name a few (http://animoto.com/education).
Here are a few resources that I found to be particularly helpful to when studying Animoto:
http://simplyteaching.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-animoto-video-poems-based-on-red.html
http://teachweb2.wikispaces.com/Animoto
Here are a few ideas for how teachers could use Animoto in their classrooms:
1. Students could write/present book reports, summaries, and reflections using Animoto.
2. Teachers could use Animoto to present lectures and notes.
3. Teachers and students could use Animoto to create videos to raise social and community awareness.
4. Students could use Animoto to create short commercials or speeches.
5. Students could use Animoto to present their poetry, art, and creativity.
6. Students could make campaign videos for class elections.
7. Animoto could be used to create flashcards for vocabulary words.
8. Teachers could use Animoto to create virtual field trips for their students.
9. Students could create Animoto videos to introduce themselves to the class (the teacher could create one too!)
10. Students could use Animoto to create a video brochure for a product that they want to buy or for a country that they want to visit.
11. Students and teachers could work together to create an end of the year video to recap and remember highlights from their school year together.
While using Animoto, I was surprised to see how easy it was to create my own video. I was impressed by the number of free images, music files, and video files that were available on the Animoto site. One problem that I ran into was that users have to pay for certain advanced features such as higher video resolutions. However, I found a website that allows teachers to apply for a free 6-month membership to Animoto. This membership would allow teachers and their students to access and use Animoto free for 6 months in the classroom (http://animoto.com/education). Another issue that I encountered with the free, public version of Animoto was that students could easily access other Animoto videos that had explicit or inappropriate content in them. Yet another issue that I encountered was that users had to select a song from the list on Animoto, or they could upload a song that was purchased from the internet. If the song that you wanted to use in your video was not purchased on the internet, you would be unable to use that song in your Animoto video. Another drawback to using Animoto in your classroom is that students have to be 13 years of age to sign up to use Animoto, even in the educational portion of the website. A final issue that I had with Animoto was that users cannot place text on top of the images in the videos (you are limited in your text options).
Here is a link to the Animoto video that I created. It is called "Flowers and Love":
http://animoto.com/play/1SS1StQMq3ocvI2QPcQSNw?utm_source=project_complete_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=project_complete_email&utm_content=challenger
Emerging Technology #3: Photosynth
I chose to study Photosynth for my third emerging technology because it looked interesting and challenging to use. The first two emerging technologies that I tried were too simple for me. I always like a challenge, and I thought that Photosynth would be more interesting for me to experiment with.
First, I will describe what Photosynth is. Photosynth is a free application that allows users to upload pictures and create a 3-D tour of an object. Photosynth uses a series of flat photgraphs to create a 3-D interactive image of a given object. The Photosynth website (http://photosynth.net) says that Photosynth is particularly good at showing viewers the texture and dimension of objects. Photosynth works by looking for similarities between images and "stitching" the images together to create a 3-D presentation of that image. Photosynth allows uses to post their work to blogs and share their 3-D images with other users online via a gallery.
Here is a link to a blog that provides excellent steps on how to Photosynth objects (for example, a car): http://blogs.msdn.com/photosynth/.
The applications for Photosynth are endless in education. Here are a few applications that I came up with:
1. Teachers can create virtual field trips for students.
2. Students can use Photosynth to learn the basics of photography.
3. Photosynth would be a great tool to use in online collaboration.
4. Photosynth could be used to create a 3-D presentation to enhance any PowerPoint Presentation or lecture.
5. Students could create Photosynths as visual aids for speeches or show-n-tell.
6. Photosynth could be used in interior design schools.
7. Photsynth could be used to help students understand how to create a 3-D sketch or image in art class.
Surprisingly enough, I found Photosynth very easy to use. I did, however, encounter a few issues. First of all, in order to view or create Photosynths, you have to download special software. This software is free, but some school corporations do not allow teachers and students to download software. Also, there is a limit to what kinds of objects you can upload into Photosynth. The Photosynth website recommends that users avoid taking pictures of shiny, moving, or monotone objects. Another issue that I came across was that you have to enter a lot of photographs if you want a decent 3-D image. In the tutorial on the webpage, the speaker suggests that you take 24 pictures. I uploaded more than 30 images and the 3-D visual that I made was not nearly as good as the ones posted on the main website. When you view my image below, you will see where the picture is "jumpy" and the transitions are not very smooth. This is because I did not take pictures at small enough intervals. I did not take enough "over-lapping" pictures. A final issue that I encountered was that the Photosynth took over 20 minutes to create. Many of our students are not patient enough to sit and wait for the application to finish creating their 3-D image. Therefore, if I used Photosynth in my classroom, I would plan an activity for the students to do while they are waiting for their Photosynths to be created. Overall, I really enjoyed using this technology. I think that it would be a great tool to use occassionally in the classroom. It is definitely a tool that requires practice to master, however.
Here is a link to a photosynth that I created. I took pictures of a sculpture that my husband and I received as a present when we were expecting my daughter, Emma.
http://photosynth.net/edit.aspx?cid=be9cf659-1b54-4dc5-877e-47a04381dbce&wa=wsignin1.0
First, I will describe what Photosynth is. Photosynth is a free application that allows users to upload pictures and create a 3-D tour of an object. Photosynth uses a series of flat photgraphs to create a 3-D interactive image of a given object. The Photosynth website (http://photosynth.net) says that Photosynth is particularly good at showing viewers the texture and dimension of objects. Photosynth works by looking for similarities between images and "stitching" the images together to create a 3-D presentation of that image. Photosynth allows uses to post their work to blogs and share their 3-D images with other users online via a gallery.
Here is a link to a blog that provides excellent steps on how to Photosynth objects (for example, a car): http://blogs.msdn.com/photosynth/.
The applications for Photosynth are endless in education. Here are a few applications that I came up with:
1. Teachers can create virtual field trips for students.
2. Students can use Photosynth to learn the basics of photography.
3. Photosynth would be a great tool to use in online collaboration.
4. Photosynth could be used to create a 3-D presentation to enhance any PowerPoint Presentation or lecture.
5. Students could create Photosynths as visual aids for speeches or show-n-tell.
6. Photosynth could be used in interior design schools.
7. Photsynth could be used to help students understand how to create a 3-D sketch or image in art class.
Surprisingly enough, I found Photosynth very easy to use. I did, however, encounter a few issues. First of all, in order to view or create Photosynths, you have to download special software. This software is free, but some school corporations do not allow teachers and students to download software. Also, there is a limit to what kinds of objects you can upload into Photosynth. The Photosynth website recommends that users avoid taking pictures of shiny, moving, or monotone objects. Another issue that I came across was that you have to enter a lot of photographs if you want a decent 3-D image. In the tutorial on the webpage, the speaker suggests that you take 24 pictures. I uploaded more than 30 images and the 3-D visual that I made was not nearly as good as the ones posted on the main website. When you view my image below, you will see where the picture is "jumpy" and the transitions are not very smooth. This is because I did not take pictures at small enough intervals. I did not take enough "over-lapping" pictures. A final issue that I encountered was that the Photosynth took over 20 minutes to create. Many of our students are not patient enough to sit and wait for the application to finish creating their 3-D image. Therefore, if I used Photosynth in my classroom, I would plan an activity for the students to do while they are waiting for their Photosynths to be created. Overall, I really enjoyed using this technology. I think that it would be a great tool to use occassionally in the classroom. It is definitely a tool that requires practice to master, however.
Here is a link to a photosynth that I created. I took pictures of a sculpture that my husband and I received as a present when we were expecting my daughter, Emma.
http://photosynth.net/edit.aspx?cid=be9cf659-1b54-4dc5-877e-47a04381dbce&wa=wsignin1.0
Emerging Technology #2: Storybird
I chose to research Storybird as my second emerging technology because it seemed very interesting and easy-to-use. Once again, I had never heard of this technology before taking this class.
First, I will explain what Storybird is. Storybird is a tool that allows users to create their own online storybooks based on art. Storybird allows users to view collections of art and encourages people to become inspired to write stories based on these works of art. Storybird also has a feature where users can share their creations with others on the web through an online library or database of Storybirds. Storybirds can be created for a wide range of ages and reading levels. One advantage to using Storybirds is that the stories are entirely online, so they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Furthermore, because the stories are entirely electronic, Storybird provides an environmentally-friendly way to publish stories. The basic version of Storybird is free to use. The creators of Storybird expect to be expanding the features offered in the near future, including some that will cost additional fees to use.
Here are just a few ideas of how Storybird could be used efficiently in the classroom:
1. Use Storybird to help students brainstorm by looking at the artwork before writing a short story.
2. Use Storybird to allow students to practice interpreting art.
3. Give students writing prompts and challenge them to select the art that best accompanies their written response.
4. Have students work together to write a story(one person helps with the visuals, one writes the story, etc.)
5. Have your students "play pretend" by writing stories through Storybird.
6. Create mothers' day and fathers' day stories for special occasions.
7. Have students introduce themselves by creating a Storybird of themselves.
8. Work collaboratively as a class to create a classroom story.
9. Create individual stories for each of your students (according to each student's reading level).
10. Have your students create their own stories and then read them to younger students or even special education students (peer tutor).
11. Have your students create their own "history" through a Storybird.
Although I thought that Storybird was very simple and easy to use, I did encounter a few problems. One issue that I came across was that you cannot print the stories out for use in the classroom. You have to access the Storybird online. However, through research, I discovered that Storybird is still in Beta testing. The creators of Storybird posted a note on the website (http://www.storybird.com/) that they will be adding the printing option soon. Another problem that I encountered was that there were not any specific instructions for creating a Storybird. I had to experiment with the features to create my own Storybird. It would have been much easier for me to use this application if there had been instructions for me to follow. That being said, I was able to figure out how the application worked fairly quickly. Yet another issue that I had with using Storybird was that there was not a lot of groups of graphics that complemented each other. Because of this, the Storybird that I made was only 4 or 5 pages long and I used all of the graphics in the set that I selected. As it stands right now, Storybird is intended only for creating short stories, not longer tales. Here is a link to the creators' blog: http://blog.storybird.com/. I found this blog to be very helpful and informative!
Here is a link to the Storybird that I created about my daughter Emma. My story is called "Emma's New Christmas Dress".
https://webmail.iu.edu/horde/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorybird.com%2Fbooks%2Femmas-new-christmas-dress%2F%3Ftoken%3Du5k79f
First, I will explain what Storybird is. Storybird is a tool that allows users to create their own online storybooks based on art. Storybird allows users to view collections of art and encourages people to become inspired to write stories based on these works of art. Storybird also has a feature where users can share their creations with others on the web through an online library or database of Storybirds. Storybirds can be created for a wide range of ages and reading levels. One advantage to using Storybirds is that the stories are entirely online, so they can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Furthermore, because the stories are entirely electronic, Storybird provides an environmentally-friendly way to publish stories. The basic version of Storybird is free to use. The creators of Storybird expect to be expanding the features offered in the near future, including some that will cost additional fees to use.
Here are just a few ideas of how Storybird could be used efficiently in the classroom:
1. Use Storybird to help students brainstorm by looking at the artwork before writing a short story.
2. Use Storybird to allow students to practice interpreting art.
3. Give students writing prompts and challenge them to select the art that best accompanies their written response.
4. Have students work together to write a story(one person helps with the visuals, one writes the story, etc.)
5. Have your students "play pretend" by writing stories through Storybird.
6. Create mothers' day and fathers' day stories for special occasions.
7. Have students introduce themselves by creating a Storybird of themselves.
8. Work collaboratively as a class to create a classroom story.
9. Create individual stories for each of your students (according to each student's reading level).
10. Have your students create their own stories and then read them to younger students or even special education students (peer tutor).
11. Have your students create their own "history" through a Storybird.
Although I thought that Storybird was very simple and easy to use, I did encounter a few problems. One issue that I came across was that you cannot print the stories out for use in the classroom. You have to access the Storybird online. However, through research, I discovered that Storybird is still in Beta testing. The creators of Storybird posted a note on the website (http://www.storybird.com/) that they will be adding the printing option soon. Another problem that I encountered was that there were not any specific instructions for creating a Storybird. I had to experiment with the features to create my own Storybird. It would have been much easier for me to use this application if there had been instructions for me to follow. That being said, I was able to figure out how the application worked fairly quickly. Yet another issue that I had with using Storybird was that there was not a lot of groups of graphics that complemented each other. Because of this, the Storybird that I made was only 4 or 5 pages long and I used all of the graphics in the set that I selected. As it stands right now, Storybird is intended only for creating short stories, not longer tales. Here is a link to the creators' blog: http://blog.storybird.com/. I found this blog to be very helpful and informative!
Here is a link to the Storybird that I created about my daughter Emma. My story is called "Emma's New Christmas Dress".
https://webmail.iu.edu/horde/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fstorybird.com%2Fbooks%2Femmas-new-christmas-dress%2F%3Ftoken%3Du5k79f
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