PhotoPeach was a quick and easy program to use. With easily accessible photos, I could put together a show in just a few minutes. In education, I would see its uses to be similar to Animoto, however, I tend to prefer Animoto because students can add text to their photos to personalize and add significance to each photo included. As a teacher, PhotoPeach would offer me an easy way to share photos from classroom events and activities that don't require dialogue.
By far, my favorite discovery in throughout this course was ThingLink. It was such a fun tool with multiple purposes in education. The possibilities for flipping learning in an engaging manner, more interesting than just a basic weblink or PowerPoint type presentation. It also has significant possibilities for use with students to present knowledge about particular subject.
This course has helped me to understand the importance of not becoming lax in regard to technology tools. This ever-evolving industry is constantly improving and without staying on top of the latest technology trends, tools and updates, students and educators can easily fall behind in best practices of the industry. We often tell students that one of the benefits of the internet is it's ability to update information as soon as new knowledge becomes available. The same is true for technology tools. As we find new ways to make them more efficient and effective, they are updated and recreated. Technology leaves no room for complacency.
One of my most unexpected take-a-ways from the 16 things exercises is the significance dialoguing about my experience with particular tools had on my ability to retain information and think through implementation of the tools with teachers and students. Although I've always used restating information with my students as a way to confirm acquisition of knowledge, I had not truly utilized this strategy for myself. As a new instructional coach, this technique truly helped to prepare me to guide other educators in effectively evaluating and implementing the best technology for specific classroom purposes.
I don't know that there is necessarily anything I would say to improve the format or concept of this course. I've enjoyed a course that is less "busy" than others I've taken, and allowed time for me to truly experiment with a variety of tools. Often I've felt like college courses give a list of tasks, but offer not real opportunity for implementation. This class allowed me to truly experiment, evaluate, and implement. Maintaining tools that support best practices in education will be an ongoing challenge to keep information relevant for educators.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Thing 15-Skype
I have just begun to use Skype consistently in my job. My team of colleagues are other technology integration coaches housed on campuses throughout the district. We are able to meet in person about one time per month, but we communicate every day, multiple times per day, using Group Me. We are constantly brainstorming technology problems teachers encounter. Once each week, we meet in a Skype environment to discuss big issues that may occur, or to prepare for upcoming technology integrations.
We also use Skype as a training environment. Being new in my role, I sometimes need training that is not necessary for all the learning technology coaches (LTC). Recently, I had a teacher ask me for strategies for adding oral accommodations for students in her class. After a bit of research and a couple of Group Me conversations, I determined that there were 2 tools that may help meet this need. One of them was online and fairly easy to figure out. The other was an add-in to One Note, both programs which are out of my comfort zone. One of the LTCs provided me individualized Skype training which I was able to pass on.
Finally, this week, I was able to connect with one of my classmates in this distance learning class. Teri and I had met at New Student Orientation a year ago, and enjoyed a conversation to share our HBU educational experience, discuss these class activities, and make a plan for our upcoming book study. I enjoy the convenience of receiving my education at home, but found this face to face time to be quite motivating. As I ponder the mishaps of previous group assignments, I'm thinking that a couple of Skype chats with our upcoming book group members might be in order.
Until a month or so ago, I may not have recognized the value Skype can have for educators, however this year, it has truly become my lifeline.
We also use Skype as a training environment. Being new in my role, I sometimes need training that is not necessary for all the learning technology coaches (LTC). Recently, I had a teacher ask me for strategies for adding oral accommodations for students in her class. After a bit of research and a couple of Group Me conversations, I determined that there were 2 tools that may help meet this need. One of them was online and fairly easy to figure out. The other was an add-in to One Note, both programs which are out of my comfort zone. One of the LTCs provided me individualized Skype training which I was able to pass on.
Finally, this week, I was able to connect with one of my classmates in this distance learning class. Teri and I had met at New Student Orientation a year ago, and enjoyed a conversation to share our HBU educational experience, discuss these class activities, and make a plan for our upcoming book study. I enjoy the convenience of receiving my education at home, but found this face to face time to be quite motivating. As I ponder the mishaps of previous group assignments, I'm thinking that a couple of Skype chats with our upcoming book group members might be in order.
Until a month or so ago, I may not have recognized the value Skype can have for educators, however this year, it has truly become my lifeline.
Thing 14-Podcast
I have heard about podcasts for years, but had considered them mostly political and had very little interest in them. This class kind of forced me to dig deeper, only to find a podcast that was extremely relevant to activities I am working on with other teachers this week. I am working with a gifted and talented teacher to create units of study for her kids. Although I have ideas for creating challenging, thoughtful assignments, I don't necessarily have the data and research to back up what I'm thinking. Today, I met with this teacher and she discussed TPSP to guide gifted instruction. I shook my head and nodded, as if I really understood, and then as soon as she left the room, I started googling. I could find plenty of sites to explain these standards, but none explained them as clearly as the Texas Performance Standards podcast put out by the Texas Education Agency. Along with gaining a better knowledge about the standards, I learned about rubrics and assessing these project. My interest in podcasts has peaked, and this particular podcast will definitely influence my lab experience over the next several months.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Thing 13-You Tube
I never thought I was cool enough to warrant having a You Tube channel, but while taking my first technology class with HBU, I learned that You Tube has a place for everyone. My channel made me a much more awesome mom and teacher. Boys are just motivated to work harder when they find out their teacher has her own channel, even if that teacher is kind of old, like their grandmas. My first video was a teacher's guide to using Animoto. I liked this video because I learned to use Screen-Cast-O-Matic and didn't actually have to show my face. After learning this program, I was able to use it for providing oral accommodations for students for classroom tests and benchmark exams.
In that same class, I was forced to make a tEASE. Although I found it to be an extremely stressful project initially, once I got started, I had so much fun. So much fun in fact, that I've made one as an anticipatory set for nearly every special writing unit. The kids love it! This week, I have used i Movie to build a tEASE to accompany a research unit for some of my gifted student. I will use pictures of endangered animals to help students become emotionally involved in the topic, while posting thought questions for them to contemplate and to promote discussion. You Tube provides me with an easy storage and access point with which to share my video.
By the time the project is underway, students will have the option of using Movie Maker, Animoto, or PowToons to present their own ideas. Some may even manage to get their own You Tube channels started.
In that same class, I was forced to make a tEASE. Although I found it to be an extremely stressful project initially, once I got started, I had so much fun. So much fun in fact, that I've made one as an anticipatory set for nearly every special writing unit. The kids love it! This week, I have used i Movie to build a tEASE to accompany a research unit for some of my gifted student. I will use pictures of endangered animals to help students become emotionally involved in the topic, while posting thought questions for them to contemplate and to promote discussion. You Tube provides me with an easy storage and access point with which to share my video.
By the time the project is underway, students will have the option of using Movie Maker, Animoto, or PowToons to present their own ideas. Some may even manage to get their own You Tube channels started.
Animoto for Educators
Endangered Animals Research Unit
Friday, September 22, 2017
Thing 12-Using YouTube
Students love You Tube! If I leave a group of boys unsupervised or offer kids a chance to use their tablets during indoor recess, I will no doubt find a small group circled up sharing videos, music, and online favorite shows. So needless to say, when they see their teacher use a video from You Tube, or better yet, find out their teacher has a You Tube channel, suddenly she is the coolest teacher in the school. Kid President, Magic School, and Liberty Kids are classroom favorites, but You Tube has so many other videos available to meet varying educational needs.
At this time, I've been building an expository writing unit that utilizes speeches to help students understand the idea of making a claim and supporting that claim. To enhance the process, I wanted to find speeches that provide kid examples. For some reason, kids are just more receptive when a message comes from other kids. Kid President is an obvious choice, and the kids always love his message, but I wanted to find speeches that went deeper. One of my favorite speeches is by Birke Baehr, discussing our food system. The fact that this speech is well presented by someone close to the age of my students, and it encourages them to think more deeply about a topic that is relevant to their daily lives makes it particularly engaging. It has an easily identifiable opinion and is well supported, enough to make many 10 year olds change their own thinking.
Teacher Tube does not offer the same selection of videos as You Tube, but it's a safe place to find videos that are tried and trusted by other educators. One of my favorite finds on Teacher Tube is a poem that I hope will engage my reluctant boy writers in our poetry unit.
At this time, I've been building an expository writing unit that utilizes speeches to help students understand the idea of making a claim and supporting that claim. To enhance the process, I wanted to find speeches that provide kid examples. For some reason, kids are just more receptive when a message comes from other kids. Kid President is an obvious choice, and the kids always love his message, but I wanted to find speeches that went deeper. One of my favorite speeches is by Birke Baehr, discussing our food system. The fact that this speech is well presented by someone close to the age of my students, and it encourages them to think more deeply about a topic that is relevant to their daily lives makes it particularly engaging. It has an easily identifiable opinion and is well supported, enough to make many 10 year olds change their own thinking.
Teacher Tube does not offer the same selection of videos as You Tube, but it's a safe place to find videos that are tried and trusted by other educators. One of my favorite finds on Teacher Tube is a poem that I hope will engage my reluctant boy writers in our poetry unit.
Poetry Slam
You Tube and Teacher Tube are packed with resources to supplement nearly any lesson. Whether an educator chooses a video already made, or refers to the many posted videos as motivation to create their own resource, the learning experience for students can be truly enhanced through the use of these media tools.
Blog 11-Presentation Tools
Presenting information in a variety of ways is an effective approach to keeping students engaged in the learning process. PowerPoint is an easily accessible tool in my district and most teachers are comfortable with this particular program. It is also the most used presentation program around my school, and therefore, not terribly engaging for students by the time they reach the older grades.
The more years I've taught, the more I've learned that presenting information in new and unique ways will create curiosity in my students. By offering them choices in how they present their information, they are even more engaged. Students are often asking to come into my room during their lunch time or before school so that they can invest time in using new technology. Animoto has been a favorite tool of mine and my students for several years. I have used it to present information to students, display student products (teacher created with student photos), student created book trailers, and presentation of research. Animoto offers free educator accounts and is easy to teach to students for quick classroom implementation. Below are a few examples of products I've used through the years and student presentations.
For this particular project, I chose to investigate Kizoa as a presentation tool. I played with movie maker and collage maker. The movie maker offered a templates or creation from scratch. Importing pictures, transitions, and editing were easy to do. For my final product, I created a collage to kickoff a research unit I will be doing with one of the GT classes on my campus. This program is a great way to introduce students to movie making. It works a lot like Animoto in that students would be able to simply download pictures from the web (or maybe Flickr) and assemble them easily into a collage or movie. Whether a technology guru, or the campus novice, everyone could find success using this program, and the best part of all, it's free!
The more years I've taught, the more I've learned that presenting information in new and unique ways will create curiosity in my students. By offering them choices in how they present their information, they are even more engaged. Students are often asking to come into my room during their lunch time or before school so that they can invest time in using new technology. Animoto has been a favorite tool of mine and my students for several years. I have used it to present information to students, display student products (teacher created with student photos), student created book trailers, and presentation of research. Animoto offers free educator accounts and is easy to teach to students for quick classroom implementation. Below are a few examples of products I've used through the years and student presentations.
For this particular project, I chose to investigate Kizoa as a presentation tool. I played with movie maker and collage maker. The movie maker offered a templates or creation from scratch. Importing pictures, transitions, and editing were easy to do. For my final product, I created a collage to kickoff a research unit I will be doing with one of the GT classes on my campus. This program is a great way to introduce students to movie making. It works a lot like Animoto in that students would be able to simply download pictures from the web (or maybe Flickr) and assemble them easily into a collage or movie. Whether a technology guru, or the campus novice, everyone could find success using this program, and the best part of all, it's free!
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Thing 10-Animation Tools
Animation tools can be used by teachers as an engaging platform for delivering new information and sharing classroom strategies for writing with parents, or by students to present knowledge and mastery of skills. In the past, I have used PowToons to create an introduction to new units, and for students to present research or a "how to" writing assignment. I have found PowToons to be one of the most effective ways to encourage reluctant writers, especially boy writers, to become excited about the writing process.
For this particular class assignment, I chose to play with Voki. It was such an easy program to learn, and I had a lot of fun designing my avatar. I spent this week deploying one to one devices on 2 elementary campuses, and we decided to use this program to review digital citizenship. Each student created their own avatar and had to state one of the core values associated with our district digital citizenship curriculum. They then participated in a mingling activity to share their statements. Digital Citizenship had never been more fun! Although students don't need an account to create a Voki, teachers can sign up for a free, basic account, allowing Voki's to be saved and shared. With an account, teachers could easily use this tool to have students ticket out of class. A tool this easy deserves a chance to enhance the learning environment in any class.
The bottom line, animation tools and kids are a great combination!
The bottom line, animation tools and kids are a great combination!
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