Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Videos

Today I learned about how to use iMovie. It is so easy to use that I think I will remember it. I can see that it is useful in the classroom for students to use on a project. Students would not have much trouble using this program.

Photoshop

I learned so many things about Photoshop! Its a program that I have heard a lot about. I have even  heard it used like a verb "Photoshop it".

Now that I have explored the program I can see its value. I can see myself using this in preparation for a lesson, in fact I have already done so for a couple of lessons. I sometimes need just the right image to illustrate my thoughts and represent my lessons.

My students can use Photoshop as a tool to represent their thoughts also. This can be a way to summarize a story, create a story, or do a presentation.

Google Earth

This is a fun program. I can add descriptions, pictures, and links into a video. I can adjust the video by clicking Google earth in the top left corner. I can add things to the bubble by right clicking on the tack.

To open a saved file in google earth i want to first open google earth, then click file, then open, then select it. 

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

web 2.0

bighugelabs.com

Today I learned that using "Hockneizer" in the classroom is probably not the best idea. It is fun to use as visuals in the room, or to color up the walls of my class, but it is not directly an educational tool.

There is a"map maker" program that is useful for teaching where places on earth are, but does not have labels.

The program "captioner" would be good to use in a language arts context. It inserts thought or talk bubbles onto any photo.

go2web20.net
  • Did the functions of the website meet your expectations?
  • What was the purpose of this website?
  • How would you use this website in teaching?
  • What worked well in this website?
  • What worked poorly or didn't work at all?
  • Who is the intended audience of this website? Adults? Teachers? Students? What grade?
Pinterest-
This website functions as a visual social networking site that allows users to "pin" pictures and links form the web. Its main audience is probably adults. I like that when using this website you can search for nearly any idea or object and it will generate photos as well as the source of the photo. The source of the photo is an advantage that this site has over others. I did not like the relevancy of the photos found in searches. They were often times unrelated to what I was searching for. I would use this site as a place to store pictures that I found from the internet so that the source would be easily traceable. I could set up a pin board to aid in my class preparation or for my parents to look at. I don't see a lot of direct in class use by students or with students.

Yacapaca-
This is a website for teachers to create tests and administer real in class questionnaires to students. It is to function as a place to assess and grade students. I like that it is aesthetically pleasing and looks like it would be easy for students to navigate. I would like this site better if there was a tutorial on how to use it. I feel like it was a mystery to figure out how I was to use it. Once I got the hang of it I can see where this site could be useful in a classroom. It would provide me with the place online to give a short quiz as well as the freedom to design that quiz myself.

middlespot-
This site is a board where users can paste links and pictures of websites as well as photos and information all  in the same location. The information posted can be viewed by others. The site is easy enough for upper elementary students to navigate. I think that students could use this site as a place to store their research for a project. Students could use this to organize their thinking, keep all the sources of the information, and present their research. As a teacher I could use this website to present information and organize my research on a topic that I want to present to the class. I like that all the research that is gathered ans saved onto this site is accessible on any computer so that students can work on something from home and school without the constant emails or printouts. I also like that you can edit images and manipulate the look of websites and links. I think for younger elementary this site would be hard to use.

bucket list

Bucket list:
One thing that I want to do before i kick the bucket is watch the northern lights in Alaska. Another thing I want to do is go to the north pole and see Santa.