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.

Too much technology?

After reading the article "Booting Down", it got me thinking... is multi-tasking between so many different pieces of technology distracting me from my real work? Am I just like the students in the article referred to as the "dumbest genreation" made up of "multi-tastking slackers"? Nahh.... not me :P

Well, maybe.

I currently have countless Internet Explorer windows and tabs open and another handful of programs running as well. My school email is a must to have open... I need to be constantly checking it throughout my day along with trying to move ahead with the other countless tasks and projects on my "To Do" list. Then there are the other interuptions... "excuse me, can you...?" If I didn't know how to multi-task, I'd be in big trouble. And probably in a different job and line of work right now.

However, when it comes down to wire and I have a deadline for something due... I find myself shutting out all of my districtions and buckling down to the task at hand... well, except for maybe my iPod playing music or listening to some Jazz hits on my Pandora station... I find music helps me to focus on the task at hand-- just music and not music videos. (YouTube, you are a horrible distraction to me!)

Of course hands down, my number one distraction is my cell phone. If I hope to accomplish anything, I have to shut it off or put it on silent and force myself not to look at it. I have three different email accounts hooked up to it along with all of the apps... what happened to phones being just phones?

I think it is important to be able to recognize what you need to do to get a task/project done. If you need to shut off all electronic devices, do it. If you can manage to still be connected to the world while completing tasks/projects-- go for it. I think that students probably need to do some self-reflection in order to recognize how much technology they are able to use while still be productive.

Oh, and Jetta guy this morning I saw on the highway who was texting and gently swerving around his lane, stop it. That's just too much technology.

Add a Dash of Humor...

Technology not working? Frustrated? Don't worry about it...

Reach for the stars with technology and you may come up short...

Be nice to the techie... they suffer thru a lot...

Just a few tid-bits of humor to brighten your day... it'll be fine and yes, we are past the halfway point.

Overcoming road blocks: Technological Problems

So the issues surrounding commenting on our colleague's blogs continues! As of today, people still were having problems adding comments to posts. After joining my own blog, I still continued to have the problem of adding a comment to my own blog as well. W.T.H. I just want my technology to work and I want it to work now.

So, I decided to bring in a consultant who knows way more than me: Google. Whenever I run into problems, I do a Google search to see if someone else has had the same problem. I'm hesitant to say always, but almost ALWAYS, there is someone out there having the same technological problems as me. And bingo! I have my solution.

First, I changed the Settings of my comments to only allow users with Google accounts to post comments on my blog. Next I signed out of my Blogger and then I cleared the cache (memory) of my Internet Explorer. I actually ended up Deleting everything-- page history, Temp files, forms, passwords-- everything. Go to Tools --> Internet Options --> Click DELETE... and then click DELETE again.

I then logged back into my Blogger using my Google account. I UNCHECKED the box to remember me. And VOILA! I am successfully able to post comments on my blog and others! YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I do love technology when it works!!!!!!!! :)

Our Comfort Zone

Ok, stop... think... and try again!

I think of myself as a pretty calm person, but when things don't go the way I plan, I get flustered. Simple case: key goes into your car's ignition and you expect it to start. When it doesn't, what do you do? Now add in that you have to be at work within 30 minutes for a meeting. I was finally able to get a very nice neighbor to jump my car for me as I had very stupidly left the car's light on all night. These things happen and what else can you do, but to try to move on with your day? As I left my parking lot, I tried to leave behind the feeling of frustration with it. The day could only get better.... but then again, it could be a lot worse. My car could have blown up on me like in those action films where the villian gets blown up when trying to start his car. But I digress...

My cluster from this morning reminded me of how other people must feel like when they are trying to use a piece of technology for the first time. I spend my whole day using technology and assisting others in the use of technology. My patience is normally tried by the end of the day, but I can honestly say that I love my job. I get to work with adults and use technology. It's the best of worlds for my geeky self and social self. The humor piece to the whole scenario is probably the best part. Adults get sarcasm, which I am versed extremely well in using on a daily basis.

At the best of times, technology tries us and pushes us way outside of our comfort zones. And when it doesn't work, we want to inflict severe violence on the computer and/or piece of technology that is refusing to cooperate with us. But it's okay. And it will be okay.

If technology is not working right for you, then I would suggest to stop, take a deep breathe, and try it again. Ask for help from your colleagues and students. Most students today are digital natives- not immigrants and they know the language of technology extremely well. They have that second nature ability to just "figure it out". Don't worry, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we try our hardest to deal with life's curve balls. But every once in awhile isn't it nice to understand what the student feels like to be frustrated that he can't do long division? Or that she just simply can't write a thematic essay? I, for one, am hoping that I never stop being the student and learning as much as I can in life... no matter how frustrated I get.

Common Craft Videos and View Pure Website

Blogging is best described by the creative video author Lee Lefever. He creates special Handcrafted videos on the website Common Craft, which has a huge video library explaining many different concepts out there in the world-- not just technology related! A lot of his videos are explained in Plain English! Want to know more about blogging? About wikis? About podcasting? About zombies? He's got them all in creatively crafted videos! You can view the videos on his website or by using You Tube.

You Tube is a great resource of information except for all of the advertisements. But... there's a way to fix that! The website View Pure allows users to strip away the extraneous information-- like advertisements-- on YouTube to view only the video. It's an AMAZING resource for teachers! Here's a link to Lee Lefever's Blogs in Plain English video using the website View Pure to strip away the advertisements. What do you think of the website View Pure?

Wylio and Digital Citizenship

If I had a penny for every time I "found" a new website that would be great for a teacher to use, I'd be a bazillionaire! With just a little bit of reading up on educational news sites, I found the PC site to search for "free to use" images. They may be copy-righted, but they are free for anyone to use. The site is called Wylio and it acts like a search engine for free pictures. The picture below is an example of one of the images in their database. It's a great resource for students to use when they need images for their multimedia presentations.

Using technology comes easily to students, but do they really know how they should be using technology in today's world. Let me ask you this: how many of you have been in the movie theatre only to be blinded by someone's cell phone screen at some point during the movie? We are so digitally connected that we don't even think of how we are going about using and abusing technology. Wylio is a great site to reinforce respecting other people's work and giving credit where credit is due. Find out more about Digital Citizenship (norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use), including lesson plans, on the website Digital Citizenship Education. Another great source of information on the nine elements of Digital Citizenship and lesson ideas is Mike Ribble's website on Digital Citizenship.

Image found using Wylio. (Free) aAccount creation needed- linked to Google.

Infographics as a Creative Assessment

I just saw this great video from Kathy Schrock. She presented her idea at the 2011 ISTE Conference about using Infographics as an assessment tool. Kid are inundated with visuals throughout there whole day, so this is a great way to combine digital images with educational content. Here is Kath's website for more information and resources on using Infographics.

Infographics as a Creative Assessment from Kathy Schrock on Vimeo.

Our Web 2.0 Lives

Computers and technology have made our lives easier in many aspects. However, most days I feel like I'm on information overload. I go into work, turn on the computer and have to check 4 different email accounts. Then there's Facebook status updates and Twitter updates to take care of... every few hours?? Google and YouTube are amazing resources, but they draw you into their sites. You only went on to "quickly look something up" and before you know it, you're watching a mock video about the a BP Coffee Spill. I dread turning on my computer at night. I just want to be without having to tune into the rest of the world. As I was watching the VMAs on MTV, there was one FB status update after another about them. It was nice to watch the award show with so many people. Before I knew it, I was 'liking' and commenting on the hundreds of posts throughout the night and missing the actual award show. Welcome to Life 2.0... where you have to multi-task and somehow manage your time while using all of these Web 2.0 resources.

3D Presentation Tool

http://www.prezi.com

Today I learned all about creating a 3-D presentation using prezi.com. It is a free online tool that allows me to create presentations. I signed up for an account and before I knew it, I was creating a prezi! I double-clicked where I wanted to add text. Then when I click on the text again, there were three circles. If I wanted to move the text, I clicked on the inner-most circle. If I wanted to resize the text, I clicked on the middle circle and moved my mouse up and down to resize it. The outter-most circle allowed me to rotate the text so it could be in any direction I wanted. I am LOVING this website as a tool for presentations!