A New Look at Animoto

I have to admit, when I first heard about Animoto, I was not impressed. It just seemed like another site like Photopeach. And why should I create another free account on another website just to do the same thing?

But... then I finally was able to sit down and play around with the site and create my first Animoto video. I'm amazed that I can put a video clip with my Animoto video. Wicked! I like the smooth flow of the videos that are created on the website as well. I think it will appeal to students at all grade levels-- the younger ones to watch and be captivated by the videos and the older students to create their own videos.

Here's my first Animoto video-- and I can't wait to create more!

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

If there's one thing you can count on...

Another section has begun of my "Introduction to Educational Technologies" course. Ahh... Web 2.0 tools, you will be the cause of elevated stress levels for many teachers over the next 10 weeks. Including myself. I nearly had a panick attack when I walked into the computer lab for the course and it was *gasp* filled with Apple computers! Then I was shown the MacBook I would use that was connected to the SMART board. Yikes! I was a fish swimming in new waters! Going from a PC Windows environment to a Mac environment was like going from salt to fresh water. A big change, but somehow I will adapt and evolve to my new environment. It went better than I expected. The Mac was easier to use then I thought it would be and the SMART board was almost a no-brainer to figure out. I have to admit... I really liked using the MacBook! The graphics were beautiful and after figuring out how to work the mouse pad (there are no mouse buttons!), it went much better. Althought thinking about converting all of my shortcuts for the keyboard to be Mac-friendly is somewhat of a daunting task, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

And then there is this new Blogger interface that has thrown me for a loop as well! All of my perfectly good blogger instructions are USELESS! All in all, with several technology suprises for the night, it was a good start for the class. The one thing you can always count on for technology is that it will always change and update itself. Technology will always change, it's just people that have a hard time accepting that change.

Myself included.

What?! YouTube is Educational?

Sadly, my Introduction to Educational Technologies class is at an end. This was the first week without class, and I miss having the class! Mrs. Waz was kind enough to introduce me to this amazing group on YouTube called History Teachers-- and they're fantastic! They sing about history (and boring English literature like Beowulf) to modern-day songs! And I have no way of sharing this easily with a classroom full of people! I am also missing out on learning from everyone in my class about exciting new websites that they have come across for use in the classroom. This group is an excellent example of how YouTube can be good for the classroom and engaging for students!

As someone who loves the Tudors and that entire period of English history, I have to share their video about Anne Boleyn:



*Gasp* YouTube can be educational?! ---- YES!!!!


And you may find yourself singing about the black plague after this video....
This plague is bubonic --- B-U-B-O-N-I-C!!!!




So what other videos out there are engaging for classroom use on YouTube?

(YouTube is not just a waste of time?! That's just crazy talk!)

Relationship Status: It's complicated

"It's not you, it's me. I need some time for myself right now in my life."

No matter how you say it, the relationship we have with technology is filled with ups and downs. If we were "Facebook official," I'd be changing the status of my relationship with it at least once a week to "It's Complicated". Sometimes I just want to break up with it and be done with it when it's just not working.

Having just finished teaching a course in the use of Web 2.0 Tools, I realize now more than ever the frustrations experienced for teachers using technology. In trying to use technology more in the classroom with students, I've experienced even more frustrations with it. Let's face it, technology is needy and requires constant attention and sucks up all your time. And let's face it, sometimes you don't get anything out of it after spending hours upon hours using it. Different technologies should come with warnings-- "may eat up your entire evening" or "probably won't work correctly when you go to use it in front of 24 students"... it'd just be nice to know the warnings before continuing your somewhat disfunctional relationship.

Sometimes more technology is just that-- it's more. It doesn't make your lesson better. It won't magically make someone a better teacher. It won't teach the students better or faster. Sometimes it's more of a hinderance to the lesson. So what can we do as educators? Have a backup. Because no matter how much you've tested it out before the lesson, sometimes it just won't work. Before taking the badly behaved piece of technology and chucking it thru the window, take a deep breath, relax, and reboot. Try using it again or if it's just not going to work, try using a different program or website to get the same results.

And if that doesn't work- try pen and paper and a whiteboard and markers. Maybe you'll be able to reconcile with Technology the next day.

-Some of my thoughts after reading the following article: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rick_hess_straight_up/2011/11/the_relationship_status_of_teachers_and_educational_technology_its_complicated.html

Google Document Sign up for Presentations

Google sign-up for presentations

Pinterest.com

Source: amerrierworld.com via Andrea on Pinterest

Example from Pinterest.com - an online pinboard to capture all of your interests

Newspaper Clippings!

Created using the Newspaper Clipping Generator. Although I used this to reflect on a few new Web 2.0 tools I learned while attending the MassCUE 2011 Conference, I think this could be a great way for students to share their writing.