Rebecca
Saturday, October 16, 2010
SlideBoom Presentation
I definitely think that the audio and visual version of the PowerPoint is a more effective teaching tool. When the students just had to look at the images, it was difficult for them to fully grasp what was going on. When the background information and transitions were added, it made the lesson much stronger. I think that the country's flags depicted an idea that would be hard to grasp or appreciate if just visuals were used because when I see a flag, I think of an independent country. A name alone would not hold the same impact. I can see students using SlideBoom to share presentations in a way that I had never thought of. They can essentially teach a lesson and post it online. For my higher level students, this would be a great tool to get them engaged in their research and presentation. For my lower level students, SlideBoom is great because I can see what my students know without having to take lengthy time in class.
These activities have definitely affected how I will use PowerPoint in the future. From the discussion board topics to each of these assignments, I see the value of a strong efficient PowerPoint rather than a dull, ineffective presentation. I need to focus on using strong images and strong verbal connections to make sure all students are learning. Also, I can rethink how I have students create PowerPoints. Thanks to SlideBoom, I can grade their assignments from my couch rather than taking 3 blocks to have presentation days!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Thing #18
I love Social Network sites. Being a teen of the early millennium, set me up with these sites early on. I had a Myspace account in high school, but deleted it several years ago. At the time, Myspace had gotten less controlled and there were so many hackers on there. I've heard they have cleaned it up since then.
Now to Facebook! I was an original Facebooker. I joined in 2004 as a freshman at FHU. I remember how back then you could only write on walls, send messages, poke, and set up groups/events. We all protested and got so mad when we found out they were letting adults on (until we realized we would be adults in a few years too :) ). I still don't like that kids under 13 join, but that's not my deal. I don't play games or do any of that on Facebook. I still mainly use it just for its social possibilities. I love being able to chat, post on walls, and send messages. It's a great tool for remembering birthdays and other special events. With family and friends all over the world, it's a super-easy way to post news and pictures to stay connected. You can see my facebook page on this blog page.
It is important for educators to know about social networking sites for several reasons:
Now to Facebook! I was an original Facebooker. I joined in 2004 as a freshman at FHU. I remember how back then you could only write on walls, send messages, poke, and set up groups/events. We all protested and got so mad when we found out they were letting adults on (until we realized we would be adults in a few years too :) ). I still don't like that kids under 13 join, but that's not my deal. I don't play games or do any of that on Facebook. I still mainly use it just for its social possibilities. I love being able to chat, post on walls, and send messages. It's a great tool for remembering birthdays and other special events. With family and friends all over the world, it's a super-easy way to post news and pictures to stay connected. You can see my facebook page on this blog page.
It is important for educators to know about social networking sites for several reasons:
- You can join groups that can make your job more efficient.
- You can set up groups for organizations that you sponsor--either student or colleagues (within district policy)
- Students use these sites constantly, why not link into something that they like.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thing #17
I had never heard of Del.icio.us before this exercise, so I spent quite a while exploring the site and watching videos. The Common Craft Guys' video really explained how it worked well. They also did a good job explaining how it could be beneficial to teachers.
I explored the APSU 23 Things Del.icio.us page. It was cool to be able to click on tags and see how many other people had tagged that site too. From there, I got so caught up in exploring tags and sites that I lost track of time. I find lots of interesting sites that could be beneficial that I had never even heard of. It was also neat to be able to see how other people tagged a site. People didn't always categorize things the same way which I think is both interesting and important.
I see the benefits of using this personally and in education. Personally, it was much easier than bookmarking and making folders after some practice. Also, I think within our Professional Learning Communities this could be a valuable tool. We don't always get to get-together cross-county as much as we would like. With Del.icio.us we could share useful sites and blogs.
The one thing I did not like about Del.icio.us is that you have to use a Yahoo ID to sign in. With so many different accounts, I would much rather use my regular email (since Google lets you), than to have to create yet another email address just to use Del.icio.us.
I explored the APSU 23 Things Del.icio.us page. It was cool to be able to click on tags and see how many other people had tagged that site too. From there, I got so caught up in exploring tags and sites that I lost track of time. I find lots of interesting sites that could be beneficial that I had never even heard of. It was also neat to be able to see how other people tagged a site. People didn't always categorize things the same way which I think is both interesting and important.
I see the benefits of using this personally and in education. Personally, it was much easier than bookmarking and making folders after some practice. Also, I think within our Professional Learning Communities this could be a valuable tool. We don't always get to get-together cross-county as much as we would like. With Del.icio.us we could share useful sites and blogs.
The one thing I did not like about Del.icio.us is that you have to use a Yahoo ID to sign in. With so many different accounts, I would much rather use my regular email (since Google lets you), than to have to create yet another email address just to use Del.icio.us.
Thing #16
I already utilize a lot of these tools on the Internet (because we all know in teaching, "time is money"). So I am going to tell you about why I like these tools and then the new one I tried out.
I love my iGoogle page. I cleaned it up some in Thing #12. I deleted a lot of gadgets I added in college that were slowing down the page. I deleted a lot of games and fun apps because I no longer use them. Instead I kept just the bare minimum that I use on the page. I chose Google for my homepage for several reasons.
This page will continue to be my permanent homepage. Here is another screenshot of my iGoogle page.
I also use Google calendar already. Our school has a Google calendar page where teachers can add meeting dates, games, events, etc. I have my own personal Google calendar page also. I love that reminders are sent to me as I set them. Online calendars are helpful because they let you add events and people in relationship with you add events as well. Here is my Google Calendar: Austin Calendar
The new tool I chose to try was, Remember the Milk. It lets you add tasks to a To-Do list. You can list them by priority which is really helpful. You can add the app to your email or to your cell phone. You will get reminders. I am a very list-style person. My only problem is when I lose or leave my list somewhere. If I could get it from my phone, it would be very helpful. However, it is a lot of work to have to sign on to add events.
I think the Google tools are definitely beneficial at school. iGoogle lets you access everything you need in one place which is really nice when you only have a few moments at lunch or during planning. Also, Google Calendar lets everyone in the building be on the same page. Parents can even check the Google calendar to see when assignments are due or field trips are scheduled. I would recommend both Google tools to others!
I love my iGoogle page. I cleaned it up some in Thing #12. I deleted a lot of gadgets I added in college that were slowing down the page. I deleted a lot of games and fun apps because I no longer use them. Instead I kept just the bare minimum that I use on the page. I chose Google for my homepage for several reasons.
- I already use Gmail, Blogger, Google Search, and Google Calendar. Having everything in one place makes it easier than setting up a new account.
- I really like all of the appearances you can choose from. I used to have Beach, another time I had Princess Peach and Zebra. This time, I chose Polka Dots.
- I like the Apps that you can add and how easy it is to add them.
This page will continue to be my permanent homepage. Here is another screenshot of my iGoogle page.
I also use Google calendar already. Our school has a Google calendar page where teachers can add meeting dates, games, events, etc. I have my own personal Google calendar page also. I love that reminders are sent to me as I set them. Online calendars are helpful because they let you add events and people in relationship with you add events as well. Here is my Google Calendar: Austin Calendar
The new tool I chose to try was, Remember the Milk. It lets you add tasks to a To-Do list. You can list them by priority which is really helpful. You can add the app to your email or to your cell phone. You will get reminders. I am a very list-style person. My only problem is when I lose or leave my list somewhere. If I could get it from my phone, it would be very helpful. However, it is a lot of work to have to sign on to add events.
I think the Google tools are definitely beneficial at school. iGoogle lets you access everything you need in one place which is really nice when you only have a few moments at lunch or during planning. Also, Google Calendar lets everyone in the building be on the same page. Parents can even check the Google calendar to see when assignments are due or field trips are scheduled. I would recommend both Google tools to others!
Thing #15
Everyone knows about Wikipedia. As a teacher, I have to be cautious when teaching my students about research to not let think Wikipedia is always accurate or reliable. However, I had never thought of using a Wiki in my own classroom. This class has completely changed my mind. I looked at several classroom Wikis from the resources and really liked this one: Westwood Computer Wiki.
I played around on the Sandbox for APSU 23 Things. It was a little confusing at first. My connection is slower so it was easier for me to add a page and edit and play around from there. For long-distance-learning and other collegiate projects I can definitely see this being a benefit since it is often difficult to get together. Here is my editing: My Addition.
I definitely can see myself using a Wiki in my class in the future. I am really excited about the benefits that could be gained from a program like this. In fact, I went ahead and created a Wikispace so I can play around with it during Fall Break. I find it interesting that anyone (well as long as you set it up that way) can edit and add to a wiki. For research and discussion purposes, a wiki is a great idea!
Ms. Austin's World Geography Wiki
I played around on the Sandbox for APSU 23 Things. It was a little confusing at first. My connection is slower so it was easier for me to add a page and edit and play around from there. For long-distance-learning and other collegiate projects I can definitely see this being a benefit since it is often difficult to get together. Here is my editing: My Addition.
I definitely can see myself using a Wiki in my class in the future. I am really excited about the benefits that could be gained from a program like this. In fact, I went ahead and created a Wikispace so I can play around with it during Fall Break. I find it interesting that anyone (well as long as you set it up that way) can edit and add to a wiki. For research and discussion purposes, a wiki is a great idea!
Ms. Austin's World Geography Wiki
Thing #14
I used Bubbl.us to create a mind map. It reminded me a lot of a program we used in college. It was really easy to use. I created a mind map of North America. This is a project like I would ask my kids to make. Mind maps allow students to brainstorm concepts and make connections. With more time, I could have added more bubbles and more links. Here is a screen shot of my mind map:
I chose Bubbl and Gliffy because they both seemed like easy programs to use. I wanted to explore programs that I thought would be easy for my students to access and use. Overall, I liked using the mind maps better and see many more uses for mind maps in my classroom.
I also used Gliffy to create a flowchart. I created a flowchart that showed the directions for making a good grade on a portfolio assignment. It was harder to do with the blank template, so I used the completed template to help. Flowcharts always make me think of those quizzes they have in magazines. I can see this tool also being beneficial in my class. Here is my Gliffy flowchart:
I chose Bubbl and Gliffy because they both seemed like easy programs to use. I wanted to explore programs that I thought would be easy for my students to access and use. Overall, I liked using the mind maps better and see many more uses for mind maps in my classroom.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thing #13
This was definitely an interesting experience for me. I have used Google Docs before, but had never heard of Zoho Writer before I began this process. I created a document of lyrics with one of my favorite songs. Here is the link to my public document: My first Zoho doc! I see there being pros and cons to using web-based document applications rather than Microsoft Office (or another publishing program). I am a listing type person so here are what I consider to be the positives and negatives, along with an explanation.
Pros
· Anyone can access Zoho Writer from a Mac or a PC. This means when my students complete an assignment at home, I can open it no matter what program they used.
· No USB drive or emailing of a file is required to send an attachment. Because of virus issues at school, we can no longer use USB drives unless they are loaded onto the computers program. Also, students are not allowed to access personal email and do not have a school-issued email. Zoho Writer would allow students to log on and access their documents.
· Similar to other publishing programs.
· I can view all student documents online which saves paper and ink.
· I can read and comment on student work.
· Students can upload a template for work that I assign and complete it easily.
Cons· Fonts are limited. I really enjoy fonts that I download and fonts that come with Office.
· Must have Internet access to use. Some of my students have Office, but do not have Internet. They can complete assignments without internet.
· Will take some practice after habits formed from Office.
· Bullets, Numbering, Inserting Images/Tables, etc. is a lot more difficult and time consuming than on Office.
· Only good for documents. You will still have to find another on line app for Excel, PP, etc.
Overall, I really like Zoho Writer. I am traditionalist and love Office, especially since they added the Save As PDF version on 2007 +. I don't have a problem with people being able to open my documents because of this feature. However, I do see how on line apps such as Zoho and Google Docs will continue to gain use and will improve over time. With more time, I could see myself being just as comfortable using Zoho.
p.s. I did enjoy using Zoho to post this blog. It was easier to type, edit, and publish through Zoho Writer. However, after spending 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to https so I could export to blogger, I gave up and copied and pasted this. Here is the document in Zoho if you want to see it: Blog in Zoho
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