We used Animoto last week in Ded 318. I really liked using it and it was extremely user friendly. It only took about 15 mins to upload pictures, choose a song and then hit create. Animoto created the video for you, including all the transitions and the timing. I did get to choose the order of the pictures though. I will definitely be using Animoto again.
Animoto could be used in the classroom in many ways. You could do lesson introductions with an Animoto video or even do lesson conclusions and reviews with Animoto. You could also put together class videos from field trips or special projects. The children could also use Animoto to create their own class assignments or projects. Its that easy!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reflection 6: (Podcast) Teachers are Talking
Teachers are Talking Episode 18
In this episode, they had a guest speaker who teaches online classes to pre-service teachers (Dean). The podcast was about whether or not students benefit/learn from the online classes versus traditional classes. Dean talked about how they do most of their work online but they do have a traditional class once a month. The class he was teaching was a technology education class. One of the women said she did not think online classes were appropriate because some students need someone sitting next to them to show them how to do things. Me personally, I would call that hand-holding and say the student was just being lazy. Dean said that it had nothing to do with that persons learning style but rather their attitude and I have to agree with him. He also used the term lifelong learner. (Remember these are pre-service teachers were talking about) Dave said that a lifelong learner needs to be able to find resources on their own and learn to assist their own learning. Teachers make thousands of decisions per day, they need to be able to figure out the right solution by themselves because they will almost never have someone next to them to tell them how they should handle a situation in the classroom. Also since the class is a technology class I do not see anything wrong with it being an online class as long as the instructor makes themselves available for questions. The class also allows students to build their own professional network of support through things like Twitter, which we do in this class! Dean mentioned that there are some things that are better done in face to face classrooms and that is why he has them meet once a month for class. He says this also allows the students to work together face to face and builds more personable relationships for the online work. I think Dean’s class seems well organized and I think he seems like a pretty smart guy. I found myself nodding along with Dean every time he voiced his opinion! The only thing I disagreed with Dean about was the fact that the students enrolling in his course were not aware in advanced that it was an online course. I think students should definitely know that kind of information before deciding to enroll in the course. Dean didn’t really give a reason to why they were not told in advanced
In this episode, they had a guest speaker who teaches online classes to pre-service teachers (Dean). The podcast was about whether or not students benefit/learn from the online classes versus traditional classes. Dean talked about how they do most of their work online but they do have a traditional class once a month. The class he was teaching was a technology education class. One of the women said she did not think online classes were appropriate because some students need someone sitting next to them to show them how to do things. Me personally, I would call that hand-holding and say the student was just being lazy. Dean said that it had nothing to do with that persons learning style but rather their attitude and I have to agree with him. He also used the term lifelong learner. (Remember these are pre-service teachers were talking about) Dave said that a lifelong learner needs to be able to find resources on their own and learn to assist their own learning. Teachers make thousands of decisions per day, they need to be able to figure out the right solution by themselves because they will almost never have someone next to them to tell them how they should handle a situation in the classroom. Also since the class is a technology class I do not see anything wrong with it being an online class as long as the instructor makes themselves available for questions. The class also allows students to build their own professional network of support through things like Twitter, which we do in this class! Dean mentioned that there are some things that are better done in face to face classrooms and that is why he has them meet once a month for class. He says this also allows the students to work together face to face and builds more personable relationships for the online work. I think Dean’s class seems well organized and I think he seems like a pretty smart guy. I found myself nodding along with Dean every time he voiced his opinion! The only thing I disagreed with Dean about was the fact that the students enrolling in his course were not aware in advanced that it was an online course. I think students should definitely know that kind of information before deciding to enroll in the course. Dean didn’t really give a reason to why they were not told in advanced
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Reflection 5: (Podcast) It's Elementary #43 Interactive White Boards
It's Elementary #43
In this podcast, they discussed interactive white boards and the benefits and problems in the classroom. They talked about three types of boards; Smartboard, Eno board (I don’t know if that’s what they were saying or how to spell it but that is what it sounded like), and Promethean boards.
The Smartboard is touch sensitive and handy because you don’t have to travel from the computer to the front of the class for lectures. You can simply touch the internet controls from the whiteboard. I see this being helpful in middle school and high school when teachers do more front of the class lectures, but in grade school I don’t think it would get quite as much use. One teacher who has a smartboard in her kindergarten class says she likes it but instead of being tied to her computer like with a projector or powerpoint, she is now tied to the board. She also said that having a smartboard in her class makes it harder to avoid “taking charge” verses letting the kids lead their learning. The board does however record what is done on it so you can quickly find where you left off. The boards also can be installed to slide up and down. That way kids can view them from the seats or from sitting on the floor. The speakers of the podcast informed the caller of a took you can purchase that allows you to walk around the room and still be able to control the smartboard but it is very expensive. One common problem they discussed that I find a bit humorous is that they tend to have problems with subs who use dry erase markers on their smartboards! One difference between the Eno board and smartboard is that the Eno can function as a regular white board as well. The teachers who had them in their classroom said they were convinent but they questioned whether or not they were worth the cost.
As a side note the teacher who called in mentioned that her kindergarteners do not have desks or tables in the classroom, they always sit on the floor. I do not know how this can be beneficial to the students. How do they do any of their writing activities and assignments?
In this podcast, they discussed interactive white boards and the benefits and problems in the classroom. They talked about three types of boards; Smartboard, Eno board (I don’t know if that’s what they were saying or how to spell it but that is what it sounded like), and Promethean boards.
The Smartboard is touch sensitive and handy because you don’t have to travel from the computer to the front of the class for lectures. You can simply touch the internet controls from the whiteboard. I see this being helpful in middle school and high school when teachers do more front of the class lectures, but in grade school I don’t think it would get quite as much use. One teacher who has a smartboard in her kindergarten class says she likes it but instead of being tied to her computer like with a projector or powerpoint, she is now tied to the board. She also said that having a smartboard in her class makes it harder to avoid “taking charge” verses letting the kids lead their learning. The board does however record what is done on it so you can quickly find where you left off. The boards also can be installed to slide up and down. That way kids can view them from the seats or from sitting on the floor. The speakers of the podcast informed the caller of a took you can purchase that allows you to walk around the room and still be able to control the smartboard but it is very expensive. One common problem they discussed that I find a bit humorous is that they tend to have problems with subs who use dry erase markers on their smartboards! One difference between the Eno board and smartboard is that the Eno can function as a regular white board as well. The teachers who had them in their classroom said they were convinent but they questioned whether or not they were worth the cost.
As a side note the teacher who called in mentioned that her kindergarteners do not have desks or tables in the classroom, they always sit on the floor. I do not know how this can be beneficial to the students. How do they do any of their writing activities and assignments?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reflection 4: (podcast) Tech Chicks #81
Tech Chicks-TCEA 2011
The Tech Chicks were at a Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference where they first talked about a few new Google apps coming out. The first one I am really excited about and can definitely see it being a great resource in the classroom. It is called Google Art and it lets you take virtual tours of museums and their artworks. I think this is so awesome. Not only could you take tours with your class of museums across the country you could use it as a refresher or to point out certain features of artworks in museums you visited with your class just the day before! It also has a personal gallery feature that lets you save pictures of specific pieces so you can easily access them when you need them. Also it lets you get closer to the pieces than you are allowed to in real life! How fun! Google Body Browser is another new app they talked about. This app allows you to look at a 3D model of the human body and peel back anatomical layers of the body. It also gives you a unique URL so you can share it with others and as a teacher you could send it to your students. Then they can see exactly what you are seeing or what you want them to see. I think this is a great resource for the classroom as well. However, I could see it being a distraction for the students since the idea of peeling back layers of the human body could definitely cause focus to be shifted off track.
One of the stations they had at the TCEA conference was called unpacking the standards. At this station the teachers sat down with the technology standards on the national and state level and broke them down and made them easy to understand. We have started doing that in one of my classes here at KSU also and I have learned through this that the standards aren’t as scary as they look and in fact they are my friend and guide! So I am sure that was very beneficial for the teachers at the conference. They also told us that the standards are more focused on choosing the right tool rather than navigating them all perfectly.
The Tech Chicks were at a Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference where they first talked about a few new Google apps coming out. The first one I am really excited about and can definitely see it being a great resource in the classroom. It is called Google Art and it lets you take virtual tours of museums and their artworks. I think this is so awesome. Not only could you take tours with your class of museums across the country you could use it as a refresher or to point out certain features of artworks in museums you visited with your class just the day before! It also has a personal gallery feature that lets you save pictures of specific pieces so you can easily access them when you need them. Also it lets you get closer to the pieces than you are allowed to in real life! How fun! Google Body Browser is another new app they talked about. This app allows you to look at a 3D model of the human body and peel back anatomical layers of the body. It also gives you a unique URL so you can share it with others and as a teacher you could send it to your students. Then they can see exactly what you are seeing or what you want them to see. I think this is a great resource for the classroom as well. However, I could see it being a distraction for the students since the idea of peeling back layers of the human body could definitely cause focus to be shifted off track.
One of the stations they had at the TCEA conference was called unpacking the standards. At this station the teachers sat down with the technology standards on the national and state level and broke them down and made them easy to understand. We have started doing that in one of my classes here at KSU also and I have learned through this that the standards aren’t as scary as they look and in fact they are my friend and guide! So I am sure that was very beneficial for the teachers at the conference. They also told us that the standards are more focused on choosing the right tool rather than navigating them all perfectly.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Reflection 3: (Podcast) EdTechWeekly #183
http://www.edtechtalk.com/
During the first half of the EdTechWeekly podcast they talked about a new program called Needlebase. I am not so sure I understand what Needlebase is or how it is useful. At first I thought this concept of technology was just above my head, but then the other three speakers seemed to be confused as well and they asked a lot of questions concerning the program’s purpose. From what I picked up about this program was that it records the things you look at, click on and go to while on the internet. I could see how this might be useful in the monitoring of students or children online but they talked about the millions of dollars going into research to create programs like this one. Why would they be spending that kind of money if for only one use? I can easily see this program being a tool for hackers and identity thieves, which also concerns me. Again, my interpretation of this program may be due to my lack of understanding technology.
During the first half of the EdTechWeekly podcast they talked about a new program called Needlebase. I am not so sure I understand what Needlebase is or how it is useful. At first I thought this concept of technology was just above my head, but then the other three speakers seemed to be confused as well and they asked a lot of questions concerning the program’s purpose. From what I picked up about this program was that it records the things you look at, click on and go to while on the internet. I could see how this might be useful in the monitoring of students or children online but they talked about the millions of dollars going into research to create programs like this one. Why would they be spending that kind of money if for only one use? I can easily see this program being a tool for hackers and identity thieves, which also concerns me. Again, my interpretation of this program may be due to my lack of understanding technology.
The next subject during the podcast was that even though graduation rates are rising, some are saying the students are not ready for life outside of high school. Whether it be college, trade school, or entering the workforce. I would have to say I 100% agree with this statement. I definitely did not feel prepared when I first came to college and I know most of my peers will say the same thing. The key to this issue in my opinion is that K-12 is focused too much on good grades and standardized test scores then developing problem-solving skills and higher level thinking. They talked about how some schools want to prepare kids for a certain skill, trade or degree while still in high school. I think this is the wrong solution. To me that is just like deciding someone’s future for them and I immediately picture the scene from Disney’s Ants, where they decide right after birth whether they will be worker ants or solider ants. A Harvard article stated that everyone should be taught the same things and be educated in all things and when they decide their own path, they can then further their knowledge in that area. One thing was said during the show that really bothered me, “We train some kids to get to work on time and we train others to tell people to get to work on time.” I guess there is some truth to that statement but for some reason it really angered me when he said it. I can’t really find words to explain why I was disturbed by this statement.
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