Thing #9 Slideshare
Access to slideshare would be most valuable to us here at Ridgecrest. I have third, fourth, and fifth grade students all doing powerpoint shows on various research subjects. We have been wrestling with the problems of trying to save their work. So far, I have created share folders on SAN for them to upload their powerpoints into, but that is time consuming and often confusing to them. It would be a bit of a learning curve for them to learn how to use slideshare (logging in, creating accounts, remembering passwords …), but I can certainly see the value of it.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thing #8 Screencasts
This was a real odyssey, especially trying to work on a slow computer. I chose to use screencast-o-matic and it was most impressive. I had it working on the first try. It was easy to size and manage. Unfortunately, I was working on a rather slow desktop and the machine chose to be super sluggish while I was trying to record. In fact, it froze on me so I had to abandon that screencast.
Try #2 I tried again later, and all seemed to be going along well until the machine froze again near the end. There was a pause recording function, so I thought this would be a good time to pause the recording until the machine started to work again. When the desktop finally resumed, I hit play, but had lost everything.
Try #3 Using a laptop, I had much more luck. The screencast that I made was rather crude, and could have used some editing, but at least it got done. My problem came with saving to my documents. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I had to do a search function and finally located it and moved it to my desktop to be ready to upload to the blog.
The subject I chose to screencast was Accelerated Reader. We have a big push to start using this invaluable program again, and the teachers are afraid of it. I can send them all the screencast which shows all the simple and direct steps they need to take to get it going. Learning things visually is so much easier for them.
This was a real odyssey, especially trying to work on a slow computer. I chose to use screencast-o-matic and it was most impressive. I had it working on the first try. It was easy to size and manage. Unfortunately, I was working on a rather slow desktop and the machine chose to be super sluggish while I was trying to record. In fact, it froze on me so I had to abandon that screencast.
Try #2 I tried again later, and all seemed to be going along well until the machine froze again near the end. There was a pause recording function, so I thought this would be a good time to pause the recording until the machine started to work again. When the desktop finally resumed, I hit play, but had lost everything.
Try #3 Using a laptop, I had much more luck. The screencast that I made was rather crude, and could have used some editing, but at least it got done. My problem came with saving to my documents. I couldn’t find it anywhere. I had to do a search function and finally located it and moved it to my desktop to be ready to upload to the blog.
The subject I chose to screencast was Accelerated Reader. We have a big push to start using this invaluable program again, and the teachers are afraid of it. I can send them all the screencast which shows all the simple and direct steps they need to take to get it going. Learning things visually is so much easier for them.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Thing #6 I-touch
I found the i-touch at first to be quite foreign. It took me a few minutes to get used to the sliding around and changing. But having used the mouse pad on laptops for quite some time, I suppose I got used to it quicker than I would have. At our school, we have no plug in mice for our laptops, so the students should quickly get used to the i-touches (if they ever arrive …)
We need to work on how to find more free educational apps. In my limited experience so far, I was only able to download a few appropriate apps. I still feel very green in doing this. Sometimes I had to try several times before succeeding in downloading the app. What I did download was a math facts and state capital app.
I believe of all the hardware that is due into our libraries, i-touch will be one of the most popular just by the fact that it is a lot like a play station.
Here is what I see groups of students doing with this hardware. Teams can be formed with one student serving as the leader. They drill each other on math facts, geography, and spelling. Points are kept on an on-going basis. This could be expanded into the whole classroom. Competition breeds learning. For example, the first team to master the 9X math facts in less than a minute is the leading team.
I found the i-touch at first to be quite foreign. It took me a few minutes to get used to the sliding around and changing. But having used the mouse pad on laptops for quite some time, I suppose I got used to it quicker than I would have. At our school, we have no plug in mice for our laptops, so the students should quickly get used to the i-touches (if they ever arrive …)
We need to work on how to find more free educational apps. In my limited experience so far, I was only able to download a few appropriate apps. I still feel very green in doing this. Sometimes I had to try several times before succeeding in downloading the app. What I did download was a math facts and state capital app.
I believe of all the hardware that is due into our libraries, i-touch will be one of the most popular just by the fact that it is a lot like a play station.
Here is what I see groups of students doing with this hardware. Teams can be formed with one student serving as the leader. They drill each other on math facts, geography, and spelling. Points are kept on an on-going basis. This could be expanded into the whole classroom. Competition breeds learning. For example, the first team to master the 9X math facts in less than a minute is the leading team.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Thing #5 Microblogging
Last Spring we opened a Facebook account and got a few surprises. We immediately got about 20 invitations to open up communications with friends and family already in Facebook. The web browser combed through our e-mail addresses and hooked them up with matches already in Facebook. It was surprising and a bit disconcerting.
Twittering is also interesting. It lets you tune into all the conversations and keep abreast with minimal effort. You have the choice to jump in or just learn and absorb. Sometimes that’s all a person has time to do. Just observe and absorb what you can.
We librarians seem to twitter a lot on e-mail without formally twittering. Just practicing I guess. When those chatty conversations get going, I always learn something. Maybe instead of using the e-mail we should set up a permanent twitter open all the time. Then we could all choose when and where to tune in.
All the blackberries and remote access stuff: this will only increase through the years. We have gone from hard-wired computers to laptops, and now the laptops are shrinking into the blackberries.
I really like this backchanneling idea. Many people are unwilling to take up time to ask questions, or feel their questions are not that important. Being able to shoot an instant message off to the speaker about a clarification would be welcome to most. Even better, having the speaker structure their presentation around the needs of the audience … wow! Wish our staff development could proceed like that.
Last Spring we opened a Facebook account and got a few surprises. We immediately got about 20 invitations to open up communications with friends and family already in Facebook. The web browser combed through our e-mail addresses and hooked them up with matches already in Facebook. It was surprising and a bit disconcerting.
Twittering is also interesting. It lets you tune into all the conversations and keep abreast with minimal effort. You have the choice to jump in or just learn and absorb. Sometimes that’s all a person has time to do. Just observe and absorb what you can.
We librarians seem to twitter a lot on e-mail without formally twittering. Just practicing I guess. When those chatty conversations get going, I always learn something. Maybe instead of using the e-mail we should set up a permanent twitter open all the time. Then we could all choose when and where to tune in.
All the blackberries and remote access stuff: this will only increase through the years. We have gone from hard-wired computers to laptops, and now the laptops are shrinking into the blackberries.
I really like this backchanneling idea. Many people are unwilling to take up time to ask questions, or feel their questions are not that important. Being able to shoot an instant message off to the speaker about a clarification would be welcome to most. Even better, having the speaker structure their presentation around the needs of the audience … wow! Wish our staff development could proceed like that.
Thing # 4 Videohosting
I am not terribly comfortable with Youtube. To me, 90% of it is junk, with maybe 10% worthwhile. I realize this is not the politically correct viewpoint. Seems like our kids spend a lot of their time playing with and getting bombarded by junk and if Youtube is not used correctly, it’s just more of the same. Which of course, brings us into the sphere of where we are supposed to be: supervising and teaching the kids the correct way to use such resources and keeping them from slipping off the path into the junk domain. The temptations are great. So are the challenges of keeping the whole Youtube thing closely monitored.
I do see great possibilities for teachers who are uploading. I also see tremendous needs, such as
Who oversees the appropriateness of the content?
Who oversees factual content?
How can duplicated efforts be controlled?
I like the idea of sharing and looking at student work even better.
1. It lets the student feel “published”
2. It showcases creativity
3. It encourages students to take pride in their work knowing that it might be seen on a global scale
4. It makes the ISD look like it is producing 21st century learners.
If we can get past the negative connotations of Youtube as something other than where people upload their trash, it can serve as a real educational tool. We’re going to have to work hard to keep it from resembling twittering and other tools where most of the content is completely banal.
I am not terribly comfortable with Youtube. To me, 90% of it is junk, with maybe 10% worthwhile. I realize this is not the politically correct viewpoint. Seems like our kids spend a lot of their time playing with and getting bombarded by junk and if Youtube is not used correctly, it’s just more of the same. Which of course, brings us into the sphere of where we are supposed to be: supervising and teaching the kids the correct way to use such resources and keeping them from slipping off the path into the junk domain. The temptations are great. So are the challenges of keeping the whole Youtube thing closely monitored.
I do see great possibilities for teachers who are uploading. I also see tremendous needs, such as
Who oversees the appropriateness of the content?
Who oversees factual content?
How can duplicated efforts be controlled?
I like the idea of sharing and looking at student work even better.
1. It lets the student feel “published”
2. It showcases creativity
3. It encourages students to take pride in their work knowing that it might be seen on a global scale
4. It makes the ISD look like it is producing 21st century learners.
If we can get past the negative connotations of Youtube as something other than where people upload their trash, it can serve as a real educational tool. We’re going to have to work hard to keep it from resembling twittering and other tools where most of the content is completely banal.
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