Looking At My Journey

This past semester has been a non-stop whirl. This technology class specifically mixed fast paced instruction with numerous deadlines for assignments. We did not just learn about tools on the web and teaching software like ActivInspire, we were required to be hands on with each thing. We had to create artifacts and learn the ins and the outs of each new tool that we were introduced to. I would say that our generation knows technology well, but this class showed me so many things that I would have not learned otherwise. Creating a website through Google is not difficult, but it is not something I would have ever taken personal initiative to create. I think that the website and the blog that we created were the two things that I liked most about the course. The fact that I now know how to create a website and I know how to change its appearance and edit it the way that I want is frankly so cool. The other thing that I thought to be awesome is the ActivInspire software. Schools everywhere are getting more advanced and I am so excited that I now know how to create lessons that can be used with interactive white boards. This class moved so quickly, but we would have never learned as much as we did if it had not moved at that rate. I think overall, this has been the most useful and insightful class that I have taken yet in college. The knowledge that I am taking away from this course is essential for my future as an educator. All of us in this class have grown to be so tech savvy in just a few short months. I wish there were an extension of this class to grow our skills further.

Web Authoring

This entire semester, I have been working to create and perfect a personal website that reflects who I am as a student currently, and what I aim to be as an educator in the future. The website is a great extension of my classes this semester; it is a way to express and show all that I have been learning in an interactive and attractive way. At first, the site was difficult to navigate. I started by picking a "theme", which is the way that my site appears. I chose a simple layout that had a green calming background and a simple oriental flower design. I thought some of the themes to be very overwhelming with color and pattern and I did not want my site to look too busy. Creating new web pages and editing the settings of my site was at first, so foreign to me. Eventually however, all of that became second nature and putting it all together became an issue of perfection (appearance and editing), as compared to just figuring out how Google sites worked. My site has many pages including, "Meet Your Teacher" and "School Supplies". The part of my site that I enjoy the most, and that I worked the hardest on is the section titled, "Web 2.0". Each of the pages under this heading includes an explanation of a specific Web 2.0 tool and either a screen shoot or an embedded artifact to give viewers a visual of just what each of these tools are. 

This is the link to my site: https://sites.google.com/site/mscochranesclassroom/
 

This is a screen shot of one of the pages of my site.

Digital Storytelling/iMovie

This week, we learned how to use iMovie to create videos. The short video above was created to teach elementary-aged kids how to make macaroni and cheese. The program iMovie is user-friendly and it was easy to navigate. The program allows you to select photographs and/or videos and upload them. From there, you can organize the clips. You can select a theme to change the feel of the video. You can add in transitions, captions, and even change the speed at which the video plays. Once you have the video, you can select music that will play in the background. You can have one song run through the entire video or you can select specific songs for specific clips. A video can be easily created in just 15 minutes. Please, check out my video and see what you think!

ActivInspire & Inspiration

This week we had an assignment due using the ActivInspire software as well as Inspiration software. My ActivInspire flipchart followed third grade English standards for punctuation. It took such a long time to create the flipchart, but it was so interesting learning the ins and outs of the software. You can design each slide from scratch and select the background, font, and layout. One tool that was difficult to learn, but ended up being such a great asset to my flipchart is called "containers". A container is useful when dragging specific words or answers to place in their correct places. When a container is set, you can decide what word goes where. If someone tries to drag a word to the wrong spot, the word bounces back to its original position. This concept is hard to describe in text, but here is a screen shot of a slide that uses containers. 

Using the Inspiration software, I made a digital diagram that classified the world's seven biomes into different branches of the diagram. Each of the seven biomes had several branches that further explained the characteristics of that biome. I included a picture to further describe a detail of the biome. Here is a picture below of my digital diagram.

Storybird

Yesterday Tyler, Emily, and I presented the Web 2.0 tool Storybird to the class. Overall I think that the presentation went really well. In the beginning, I could not remember my password for the site (oops), but we ended up signing on to Tyler's account and I could still access my Storybird from there. We included a step by step explanation, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the site. We also discussed the various uses in the classroom. Everyone in the class seemed to be keeping up with our explanation and successfully creating Storybirds of their own. I think that we divided roles evenly and all seemed to put a similar amount of effort into the group's final project and presentation. I hope that we were as clear and thorough as I believe that we were because Storybird is a great way to create stories both individually and though a collaborative effort.

Animoto

This week in class we were introduced to the Web 2.0 tool called Animoto. This tool allows users to create 30 second videos for free. The user first chooses a theme and a song to play along with the video. Images or video clips are then uploaded and added to the skeleton of the movie. The final product is short, but can provide a good hook or opener for a lesson in the classroom. One idea that I really liked was taking a virtual field trip. The teacher can put together a video with pictures from a specific place, and students can get a feel for that place or country without really ever having to travel there. The program allows its users more options after the upgrade, but as a free tool it would be pretty fun to use in the classroom. The site itself is easy enough that kids ages 13+ could make their own movies with no problem. 

This is an example of a video I made using the site:





Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.