Easier Than I Dreamed

ViewGo is so easy. I know my first lesson is very rough but I'm just so amazed at the ease of the whole operation. I'm going to redo the lesson with more clarity and detail but in about 5 minutes, off the cuff, look what I did. Me, who know nuttin about nuttin! I can't wait to use it again!

This image has nuttin to do with the post other than this is what else I've been doing in my spare time. Thanks to Becky for painting the frame, Gay for an entertaining trip to Joann's, and James for saying it was pretty.

Creative Bursts

While monitoring the test my mind was racing. Of course I couldn't actually write anything down but my memory did a decent job. I decided I would create a Voki character to be the class mascot this year and he could introduce new learning objectives as well as special announcements such as projects, parties and field trips. I could update him on my web page as well. Just a fun way to use technology to grab student interest.

LauraAnn said...
I've been working on a ditty to send your way,

A token of mirth and good cheer;

But nothing rhymes with technology,

And I don't have a thesaurus near!

I'll have to close without a point,

But here's a thought about innovation:

These are pretty serious musings

For girls on their summer vacation!

NOW GO OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN!
June 29, 2009 11:11 AM

Dan In Real Life! JOY

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1621098777/

What a joy! Yesterday evening I was browsing the thousands of Dish channels and happened on this movie Dan In Real Life. I had seen listings for it before but had never been interested. It was just the movie I was needing. Dan, a widowed father of the 3 daughters, college age, high school, and elementary age is spending the holidays with his family. Need I say more? He is an advice columnist. Check out the Ruthy the pig scene link above. Obviously this is going under movies and joys of the summer.

Dan In Real Life!http://http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1621098777/

Video Resources 2

http://http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1098873031

The Time Team Video from Roanoke Island, North Carolina is really intriguing. I think I might like to show a few minutes of it each day when we are covering the disappearance of the early settlement in 5th grade American History ( if I teach it this year), It would also be good for scientific research and archeology, since I'm sure I'll be doing science. I looked at many rocketry, earthquake and volcano clips from various sources which the students and teacher equally enjoy. I use video clips of less than 3 minutes nearly everyday in class. I can introduce, review, reinforce or just astonish the students with video. I usually use United Streaming since it is most easily accessed from school. Again the resources are abounding!

Got Chipperness?

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It has been brought to my attention that my posts are lacking the chipper quality I usually include. I would like to deny that, but now pointed out, I cannot. You know I added the Great Joys and Disappointments sections to my blog because the Library 2 tasks have just not been very fun lately. I feel that the Great Disappointments show that I'm trying things that I haven't before and consider that to be great even if I am left unfulfilled. It is great to try the egg salad even if you find it bland lacking need spice. I tried Spider Man 3 even though I found it juvenile and too simplistic. I think that I'm trying new things to be good even if I get disappointed in the result. I was even think of adding a section about books I'm reading, movies I've watched and fun facts that I've learned. Did you know that there are really flea circuses and the best fleas come from Russia? Did you know that the sun makes a very slow revolution around the perimeter of the Milky Way and has made this journey only 18 times in its lifetime? Huh, Huh?

I'm going to think more on the chipperness issue for I hate to disappoint my followers.

Law and Ethics of Borrowing Video 101

So let's see if I got the main idea here. Use as little of the video resource as you can, give credit to the creator, and hope like crazy that you don't get the take down notice. If I got a take down notice I would be really scared. I don't like brushes with the law in any area! Now that I'm totally gun shy let's see which resources I feel confident using.

An Ad That Caught My Eye

This morning on TV I heard a slogan I liked. It said, "We've put the NO in innovation." It turns out they were talking about good ol' Shredded Wheat. But that is the very way I sometime feel about technology. I just want to stop the wheels of technology from turning until I get caught up. No new programs, gadgets, or tools until I figure these out. I know that will never happen so I'll just keep rowing upstream without a paddle knowing that the picnic lunch is just a couple of impossible short strokes away.

Cloud Computing Iapps

I'll have to stop by the Apple Store to play with an Ipod device because I don't have my own and I'm a reluctant borrower. I might add that I'm also a weak favor asker. But back to the subject. I enjoyed the video interview with the many computer experts on Cloud Computing. I think the only female interviewed did the best job of explaining that cloud computing means accessing applications from the "cloud" and only using you computer as a tool to access that program. I like that idea. It is easy to see that as the wave of the future, as explained in the video, when Internet is accessed much like other utilities. I'll update this task after I have my hands on experience. I know from viewing my sister's IPhone that I'd better bring my glasses because the application icons are very small.

twitter, two

I have just entered my 4th twitter comment and have made a great new game of it. I find trying to use just exactly the 140 characters per post is really a nice challenge. It lacks the score keeping and chicken noise of Fowl Words but it does served a purpose. I know it is not the purpose for which it was intended but I fail to see much of its true point. So for now just count me as, twitter me not!

Task 6 Twitter

Ok, I've twittered. Not impressed. I posted a few things, checked on the twitter of a local news anchor, and even invited my daughter and sister to my twitter. I guess I'll check back for their responses later. All in all I was not excited. Perhaps if I update my life with my phone! I'll try it tomorrow and see if that changes my mind. Something like...getting my oil changed or perhaps...sitting at a red light. Now that should be exciting.

Uploading to YouTube #3

I have now finished my educational short film for You Tube. I will attempt in a moment to follow the instruction given in the video. Knowing me, this will take all night and I'll finally give up but who knows? I may shock us all.

Uploading to YouTube #2

I working on an educational piece to upload to YouTube. I'm collecting pictures and photos and then I'll put it all together. I know you can hardly wait!

Uploading to YouTube?

I'm way in over my head here! I don't think I have anything that anyone in the whole world would want to see. Or how about one of my children? They would see I had posted something out there for the world to see. My youngest, now 23 still tells the world I was normal until I became a teacher. He might be further scarred to find out that I put a video on You Tube. You know, I just really don't want to but....I saw where it said to try an Animoto Video. I thought well I could make an Animoto Video about states of matter. Well the video is awful, would not only embarrass my kids but would humiliate myself! I am just tempted to read the instructions but skip the actual activity. I think the world will just be a better place without my input. I feel I just have nothing to contribute to YouTube. I have been under the weather this weekend, perhaps that is my problem. Maybe tomorrow in the light of a new day I will have a different feeling. Maybe.

Task 3, Skype

I am just getting started with Skype but want to make a few notes early on. Session 1 I just read about Skype. First impressions- I don't even know anybody living abroad(yet), is this the technology we use to do our live videoconferencing with the Fort worth Museum of Science and our sister school? Second impressions after reading on- Hmmmm, I could meet someone abroad such as another teacher living in a place we are studying. And yes this is probably the technology that lets live videoconferencing take place, although I have never had to set up the actual equipment. At this point I can see coordinating such an effort but can't I call the techies to execute it for me? Third impression- I loved this post.10 Disruptions that could transform your class by 2 cents worth
If you didn't read then please do. I love it when someone can make gadgetry and technology seem cost effective.

http://voicethread.com/share/540949/

I really like the VoiceThread. I think it could incredibly useful in teaching although this link is just for fun. Hope you enjoy.

Cody's Birthday

Task 2, Job 3 or 4, Who Knows? Video Threads

I loved the Video Threading it is so easy to use. I wonder though can it really do anything we can't do with a Smart Board? Is it that it allows outside comment? If so that is where I have my problem. I want to make such clever projects but I don't really want comments from outsiders. I also don't want my picture showing up in some place such as in Korea or whatever. I kept my voice thread project private but I do want to share only with my loved one. As for teaching applications the possibilities are endless. Has it dawned on anyone else that the day of the overhead and document camera is numbered? Dah, dah, dah, daaaaah! How easy to voice and doodle your way through lecture 1 and then hit replay for the rest of the day! No, that is just too easy. No more forgetting what you said to each class period.

Task 2, job 3, Glog

It's Glog, it's Glog, everyone wants some Glogggg! Hum? I liked all the graphic possibilites but could never figure out how to add text. I'm sure it is obvious but with my new reading glasses pressing behind my ears in an uncomfortable fashion I just couldn't zoom on the right spot to insert text. Am I just making it too hard? I still have to go back and check out the virtual classroom option. I can see this is a fun, easy way to manipulate visual information.

Task 2, Job 2, Wordsift

I put the same paragraph about the water cycle into Wordsift. The visual collage is much less impressive art-wise but much more detailed meaning-wise. It is quite handy the way that when you click on any of the words that it gives you the word web and word derivation. I also like the search results for each term. I liked the way the teacher in the demo used it to teach the Chavez lesson although I couldn't imagine myself using it quite that way. I was thinking something like:

Write paragraph, paste in Wordsift, create art, find information from 3 new sources, click on any word, print a word web from one sifted term.

I miss all the artistic options that I loved on Wordle, but I see that the purpose of the 2 sites are totally different.

Taks 2, Job 1 Wordle

Fun, fun, fun! Look what I made from a paragraph about the water cycle using Wordle. Nearly everyday in 5th grade science I ask my students to write to explain something, such as the water cycle. This reinforces sequence, vocabulary and concepts. How much more meaningful would this writing be if they thought they could take their paragraph to the computer lab and use this tool to create a work of art? I can see that this might even be a category in the annual art contest. I loved the omit right click option so I could get rid of words like "the." I can see this being used in every class, and even just for fun. Another bonus is that it is soooo easy to use that even a teacher like myself could teach it without extensive training.

Welcome Back: Video Response

If I'm to be the teacher who can facilitate all the activities of that student, I'm going to need a whole lot more training. I was amazed that he could find all the information he needed, do all the weeding and find credible sources because I find myself often overwhelmed by a sea of mega-data. This again proves that I need more training. Just last week I was looking for video footage of a teacher using the SRA Reading Mastery Program for 2nd grade. The outcome: a 2 hour search, waded through all sorts of useless junk and never really found quite what I wanted to see. I find I often chicken out by using the same old sites I always use. I guess I see some personal technology goals surfacing in this blog post.