Activity 7: Cloud Computing

I was somewhat comfortable with Google Drive and cloud computing.  I've used Dropbox in the past, so I could more easily access home documents from school and vice versa, as well as on my phone.

Most of my use of Google Drive was just reading documents others shared with me.  Now I know how to upload my own and know how to share it and allow others to comment and/or change it.  Can they do both, though?

Yellow Sort 12

Blank Yellow Sort 12

I shared a spelling sort list and accompanying blank sort that helps teach the word pattern.

The benefit of sharing these documents could be two-fold.  First of all, I would make collaboration with colleagues using the same lists quick and easy and the work could be divided.  Another way to use this would be to share the list with parents, so they can access it if the paper list gets lost, eaten by the dog, etc.  In a perfect world, no paper copy would have to be sent home at all!

I'm guessing the major con in sharing this with parents is that they would have to have Gmail.  Right?  Another con in sharing it with colleagues (if you allow them to edit) is that the integrity of the original document might be lost.

The pros would be sharing documents and workloads, and storing it in a central location (accessible at school, home, Caribou, etc.)

Study Tools

Time Toast

I was working with some colleagues who were NOT going to try making a timeline using Time Toast, so I decided to give it a whirl.  I'm no longer teaching first grade, but creating a timeline was part of our Social Studies/Unit Studies curriculum.  So worst-case scenario, I could share this with former colleagues in 1st grade.

Time Toast has a wealth of searchable timelines that might be very useful to secondary teachers.  In addition, one that I found on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also had videos linked on the timeline (e.g., "I  Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963).  One concern I would have about using another user's timeline would be the integrity of the dates and information.  If someone posts it on the internet, it must be true, right?!!!  Wrong.

I decided to create a simple timeline for our school year.  I showed the start/stop dates, holidays, I-Days, etc.   I could see adding special days (Grandparents' Day, Valentines Day) and other important dates such as field trips as well. Inputting the dates and events ("add event") was simple and user-friendly.  One thing I did NOT like is the multi-day event ("add timespan"); entering it was easy, but I don't like how it appears as just a blue blip on the timeline (vs. larger bubbles for single-day events).  I also am not crazy about how the timeline items pop out when you mouse over them -- sometimes you want to see ALL of the events in a timeline in context at once.

I did try adding Halloween and added a picture of a pumpkin as well as a fun video -- check it out.  Adding both of these elements was SUPER easy.

Overal:  B+ for this tool.  I'd give it an A if I could figure out how to make a range of dates appear as more than a blip.





Quizlet

I loved LOVED this tool and would strongly consider paying $25 to have the full subscription (or go in on it with my colleagues -- Heather?  Julie? Anyone?)  I made vocabulary flash cards for a story (The Keeping Quilt) in our Houghton Mifflin reading curriculum.  I loved how you entered the word and then you could either add the definition yourself, OR choose from several already given definitions.  You could also choose a stock definition and change it slightly if need be.  Super fast!!  Then, I went to explore the study options for the cards and loved the options for reinforcing learning the words' meanings, learning their spelling, a couple of games, and a quiz.  There is even audio to hear the word pronounced.   I do wish there was a way to insert a picture for those visual learners; I didn't see that.  NO WAIT -- I just found it!!!  You can add from stock photos or upload your own.  Now I am really sold on this tool.

YouTube Channel

It's good to be back after a little vacation and fun in the sun!  This was an easy lesson to complete, once I figured out how to switch my existing You Tube channel to my home email address and then create a new YouTube channel for my school email address.

I didn't have a school-related video to upload, so I tried uploading a video of my daughter playing violin -- didn't work.  Then I tried uploading a video of my friend enjoying some pie from the Main Street Cafe in Bloomer, Wisconsin -- that didn't work.  Last, I tried updating my son's football highlight video, and that worked.  Sorry for the self promotion!

I can see using my YouTube channel for editing videos (to just use what I need vs. an entire video) and also for uploading screencasts for myself or a SUB!!!  What sub couldn't search for "logging in to TSIS" under my user name to get directions for taking attendance and lunch counts?

My next job is to figure out how to edit an existing video.

Screencasting

Initially, I was really frustrated by this, because every time I went to use the Smart Notebook Recorder, all I got was a green screen without sound upon playback.  Everyone else had no problems, so I figured it was user error.  Of course, it was.  I had downloaded the free version of Notebook and it never asked for the product key.  When I went to try a few weeks later, it warned me that my free version was about to expire and I had to enter the product key.  VOILA.  I did have to change some settings on my Mac to enable the microphone to work, but since it's a Mac, that was easy to figure out!

The huge bonus in not being able to do this assignment was that I learned how to put my screencast in YouTube today!  I wonder if these two assignments should be reversed?

I wanted to show something useful for parents and students and something I've repeatedly tried to write down in steps.  So, I opted to show how to look up books of interest at a student's Lexile range.  Here it is:

Digital Storytelling

After looking at both options, I then looked at Michael Kauls's Zooburst and Heather Martell's Storybird projects to decide which one I wanted to try first.  Since Michael's was sort of an "all about me," and that's what I did for my Prezi, I decided to look at Storybird first.  Plus, I thought it might foster writing in my classroom.

I opted for the beta version of the poetry creating tool.  I was not impressed.  Once I chose a picture, then a bunch of words popped up on either side (like the magnets you would use on your refrigerator).  I chose some words, and then clicked to get more words, and all of my original words chosen disappeared.  The words hardly went with the picture, too -- they just seemed random.  You could change the colors of the words, but whoop-de-doo.

I know I could go back and try a story instead, as Heather did, but she wasn't very impressed.  Plus, I only get four more freebies.  So I'm gonna go look at Zooburst.

I'm disappointed, because this COULD have been a great tool for elementary-aged students, even with the stock images, but it's just not user friendly and doesn't allow for much creativity.

OK, here is my ZooBurst story.  I enjoyed this medium MUCH more.  It allowed for a lot more creativity and personalization.  I think it would be a great way to get students motivated to write, structure their writing, and want to read others' writing.  I think for third grade, the students would have to mostly use the stock pictures, because copying/pasting downloaded pictures might be problematic.  But, using stock photos would be a start!!!

Prezi -- Pimp My Presentation

Well, I sadly missed the last get-together with other Island Lake friends because I was dying from the worst summer cold EVER.  It was so bad that I even skipped the final Mounds View championship baseball game!

But, I survived.... and had to forge the Prezi Path alone.  This terrified me, because I've seen Prezi presentations before and figured they had to be impossible to create.  Trust me, I explored the Animoto and Popplet options, but of course wasn't interested in paying $$ further on down the road.

So, I spent a few hours with Prezi.  I had a GREAT time!  I'm very comfortable with Powerpoint, so the left-hand slides eased my fears.  The tutorial video was great.  I must admit, too, that seeing colleagues' presentations helped me realize that I CAN do this.

I used a template, and noticed Heather's comment to carefully plan b/c adding/deleting slides isn't easy.

I did try to add a frame, but then it appeared to the left of my big-screen picture and that annoyed me.  The flow still worked with the overall presentation, but I didn't like it in the overview, so I removed it.  Then, I slid the pictures I was going to add into the name slots next to my kids' names, but couldn't make THOSE into separate pop-out frames.  So, the pictures stayed static (too small) but I'm fine with it for now.

Next,  I'd like to build one from scratch, so I can better understand how to add frames and arrows.  But for now I'm pretty pumped with all I learned.

I can see using this for venn diagrams, illustrating cause-effect, KWL charts, showing Learning Targets.... the sky would be the limit.  Mindy's comments about 13-years old for usage means it would have to be teacher created -- though students could contribute ideas.  I also see that Prezi has a free iPad/iPhone app, so I've already downloaded that and watched my presentation on my phone!

Now I'm trying to embed the Prezi and I don't think it's working.  I may have to wait for reinforcements on Tuesday!  Argh!

Activity One

Day 2.  Clearly our brains were left at school on June 6.  Heather and I are struggling through but we've had a FABULOUS mentor in Katie Greene, who is also getting a master's in ed tech while taking this class.  OK, she is teaching us this class.  We're at Panera, so at least we're having fun and eating well!

We added some gadgets so far and are next going to figure out how to imbed a video.

This is one of my favorite videos because it shows the power of one person, but it also shows how different voices can combine together with very unique qualities to create one piece.  Plus, the music is pretty dang fun!