Jing Video!

Flarg! I have been meaning to post about this, but it has been such a busy summer, time has gotten away from me!  As you know, we have already talked about Jing for capturing images but you can also use it to capture video too. In fact, the instructor for this course has been a big help by creating screencasts of things we might need help on.  I made a screencast to share with you, but have been having some difficultly making things work. I create the video just fine, save ok, and when I go to play it, it says it is saved in a format not recognized by my computer. By now I have made several videos and the problems I have been having with them have just been getting put on the back burner!  I just tried again and am having no luck. When I click help, it says I need flash, but then says that Chrome already has flash installed... So, I'm stuck. And sad I am having trouble showing you my screencasts! I know I was able to do this just fine a couple of summers ago!!  Just so you don't miss out, I was talking about a website called Kuler. My husband showed me this website and it is really great for looking at color schemes for your home or office. What I like it for is that there is a little tab under the main color scheme being shown at the top that looks like a bunch of lines-click it and it will tell you more about the colors being shown. I use it to teach about different color harmonies and where they are located on the color wheel. It is also fun to click through the gallery, as there are thousands of color schemes!  Maybe you'll be inspired to take on a painting job this summer!

I wanted to have something up about the screencasts. Check back in a few days to see if I got it working!!

I think I got it! It's not great.. but here is my screencast!




Here are some essential questions and answers for Jing.
1) How do you determine and control the recording area of your screen capture?
-You simply click on the cross hair arm, and drag the lines around the area you wish to capture. If you want to do a screencast, fill the whole screen with your cross hairs.
2) What are the options for saving a screen capture?
-I'm not completely certain about this one. I know mine were saving as a shockwave file, which Chrome was having problems opening. I tried to look for other options, but could find none.
3) Where is the screencapture on your computer and how to you retrieve it?
-Mine were saved in the documents. I had to take special measures to open mine and simply copied and pasted the address as a link. This worked much better for me two summers ago, and I'm not sure what is different!
4) How do you push it to the internet and share with others?
-I copied and pasted the link into this blog! If there is a web address, you can send it that way.
5) What type of file is a Jing screencast?
-Shockwave
6) The Jing "sun" has three prongs what does each one do?
-One is your capture button, the middle is your history and third is help and other options.

NETS T standards associated with this assignment are:
3) Model digital age work and learning
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

Jing video is a good way to "demonstrate technological fluency"  and the "transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." It is also good for creative applications of information sharing. Jing video is good for incorporating tutorials for different learning types. Since you can incorporate both moving images and sound, you can reach both visual and aural learners. I can't tell you how valuable Jing video has been for me in this class! Try it today!

I took the millennial quiz again and I scored a 94 %, which is one percent higher than I made before! This quiz is funny, because I know exactly what is keeping me from getting a 100 percent. I rate high because I only have a cell phone, among other things, but I know the reason I scored higher this time is because I answered that I did not watch television programming. I watch television, but do not often watch regular programming. We watch films on demand or stream Netflix. I do not score a 100 percent because I when I get into work I take a look at the local newspaper. Millennials get their news from the Internet, and I usually do too, but lately I have been sneaking a peek at actual newspapers. As I have stated before in this blog, I do not have a history with being up on the technology. It wasn't until I started teaching at a laptop school in 2004 that I became an information junkie. My dad even got an iPhone AND an iPad before me!! But, I think my being readily adaptable to new things and new technologies makes me a better teacher, or at least a better prepared one! I have really enjoyed this course and it has really pushed me to the boundaries of my comfort zone and gotten me to try new things. I have high hopes that I will continue to use some of the technologies learned about over this course in both my everyday life as well as to enhance my teaching.

Excel and statistics

Another head scratcher!  I have mentioned my misgivings with excel before and this is no different!
But, as usual, through some stroke of luck or perseverance, I make it through! Excel just does not compute with my brain, and to be completely honest, I'm not sure what I did here, but I can follow directions, so I accomplished the task.Initially I had difficulty with the add on. I had trouble making certain what I was doing was correct, I must have sorted things a million times, and I had trouble with excel uploading to Google docs! But, it all got figured out!  I can see why tabulating data and studying statistics is valuable, and hopefully once I feel more comfortable with it, I will use it more in the future, but I'm just not that tech savvy! I know people who get all excited about statistics, and I'm just not one of them. But, I do love a good info-graphic!

First, we had to go to NCES, the National Center for Education Statistics, and look at state comparisons for 4th grade reading in 2011. We then uploaded some information into a spreadsheet and computed the descriptive statistics. Then, we sorted the scores. I sorted mine from highest to lowest. I was not looking at West Virginia, but my home state of Louisiana. Ouch!  Louisiana was third to lowest in reading scores in 2011!

That is disheartening.

Learning applications like this one are valuable in that students and teachers can use it to supply valuable data, crunch numbers and study statistics. It is helpful with plotting graphs in math. It can visually show data to more visual learners (like me). It is important for teachers and students alike to be comfortable with this kind of application because it is very much used in the real world everyday. (and good to push chickens like me out of their comfort zone!)

NETS T standards associated with this are:
3) Model digital-age work and learning
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

Skill and fluency are referenced-as well as transfer of current knowledge to new situations-and this exhibits those skills. It also shows how to collect, analyze and relay information as well as make use of emerging digital tools.

Google sites

Oh my gosh I just made a website! As usual, I had difficulty getting started and was getting frustrated! But, as usual, I persevered! Of course, I feel very important and official now after having my own website, but to be honest, I think I was reluctant to do this assignment because it was not going to turn out the way I wanted and I think with some more time and trial and error I could make a much better website. You can make one too! The one I have now seems very bare bones, but I am getting the hang of it. My husband and I are taking a trip to Europe this fall and I am contemplating doing the travel journal website or a blog. Thoughts?

To make my website, I tried several templates-which was one of the things I struggled with. I wasn't sure how to change images and headings. So I went with a blank template-which was so stark and bare! I added some text and was desperate to dress things up a bit. I even looked at my classmate's work to see if I could devise what kind of templates they used. I saw some really great blogs and websites! I am a follow an example learner, so after looking at some other sites, I began to relax and see what kind of potential I could have if I kept trying. Fortunately, I found another template to make my pretty cherry tree branch (I'm a sucker for Asian motifs) and went from there. Even my font was pleasing! So, with a little patience and trial and error, you can make functional and aesthetically pleasing website too!

A friend of mine just posted on Facebook today about how Google and all of its applications never ceases to amaze her. I have to agree. I was not very computer savvy until I started teaching at a laptop-model school-and even with taking this course essentially twice I am still very hesitant with all things tech-y. But, with a little trial and error, patience and perseverance, great things can happen. Practical, everyday things that happen in the digital world are at your fingertips with Google. I cannot sing their praises enough. I am a convert and an acolyte. It has been discussed over the course of this blog the many ways students can use Google applications. Using Google sites is no different for both teachers and students. Want a centralized place for classes to meet? Make a website? Want to share information? Want to sell a product or yourself? Want to teach real-world applications in the classroom? I can for certain tell you that if a business does not have a website, I will probably not be a patron. I am that information-hungry and that snobby. What better way to get students used to and well-versed in information sharing, business models and web presence than having them make a website for themselves, a mock business, the class, something they are interested in-anything! Children can be afraid of new technology (and adults too!) Google takes a lot of the guesswork and stress from the intimidating world of the digital age.

NETS T standards associated with this are:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Model digital-age work and learning
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

All of these things are modeled by creating a Google site. Students can be creative by having control of their content and and how things are laid out and displayed. By making one develops digital-age learning experiences. And websites can be certainly be used in both a professional and personal environment.

Rubrics!

I can remember when I first started teaching, a faculty member mentioned a rubric and I was like, "a what?!" Now, I'm not sure how I even functioned without them! I am a firm believer in open communication with students and letting them know of expectations up front. A rubric, while also a great grading tool, is a good way to do that. By letting students see what is expected of them by my standards, they have a better idea of what the finished outcome should be. It is sort of like a "working backwards" way to attack a problem. Like I said, they are also a wonderful grading tool, and can save you a lot of heartache when upset parents come calling about their child's grades. It is sort of like a self-checker for teachers. When creating rubrics, one really has to think about what they want the students to be learning, how to display that and how to hold them accountable for it, and in turn, I hold myself accountable for getting them to that point. Rubrics bring everything out into the open, which leaves no gray area for teacher or student of what is expected.

Rubistar is a fantastic rubric generator. I've used rubric generators before, but none have been so easy to use and save and upload. Most of the time, I just use templates and fill in the blanks. I like the some of the pre-formatted rubrics here. Some I have seen have been too much or too little. I will be the first to admit, that my rubrics are something I need to work on to make stronger, and this is a great tool to do that.

I am having difficulty getting the spreadsheet to do what I want! It keeps saying the extension is wrong, when it is not. So, I have copied and pasted it below.

I have also shared it here. 

NETS T standards associated with this are:

2. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3. Model digital age work and learning

Creating rubrics, especially using a tool like Rubistar helps teachers "promote student learning and creativity."  I also like the part about students setting their own goals and managing their own learning. By giving students rubrics ahead of time and even getting them to help create their own, the teacher is giving students control and ownership over their learning goals. Rubrics can also be adapted to diverse learning styles as well as be created for any type of assessment, assignment or project.

Teacher Name: Mrs. Hotard
Student Name:     ________________________________________
CATEGORY	4 Excellent	3 Acceptable	2 Adequate	1 Inadequate	Score
Design/Composition	Student applies design principles (such as unity, contrast, balance, movement, direction, emphasis, and center of interest) with great skill.	Student applies design principles (such as unity, contrast, balance, movement, direction, emphasis, and center of interest) with fair skill.	Student tries to apply design principles (such as unity, contrast, balance, movement, direction, emphasis, and center of interest) but the overall result is not pleasing.	The student does not appear to be able to apply most design principles to his/her own work.
Time/Effort	Class time was used wisely. Much time and effort went into the planning and design of the mask. It is clear the student worked at home as well as at school.	Class time was used wisely. Student could have put in more time and effort at home.	Class time was not always used wisely, but student did do some additional work at home.	Class time was not used wisely and the student put in no additional effort.
Planning and Explanation	Student can describe in detail at any point during the painting process how s/he envisions the final product and how they intend to reach their goal. Very focused and goal-oriented.	Student can somewhat describe how s/he envisions the final product and can describe some of the steps s/he will use to reach the goal. Focused with some planning.	Student can describe how s/he envisions the final product but finds it difficult to describe how s/he will reach that goal. Has set a goal, but let's things evolve in somewhat random manner.	Student has thought very little about the project. Is present but is not invested in the product.
Knowledge Gained - Technique	Student can accurately name 5 characteristics of the technique being studied and describe how these 5 characteristics are used in his/her own paintings.	Student can accurately name 4 characteristics of the technique being studied and describe how these 4 characteristics are used in his/her own paintings.	Student can accurately name 3 characteristics of the technique being studied and describe how 2-3 of these characteristics are used in his/her own paintings.	Student cannot accurately name 3 characteristics of the technique being studied OR cannot describe how characteristics relate to his/her own work.
Date Created: July 13, 2012

Self-grading forms

Wow. That took some doing! As I have stated before, I struggle with the concepts of spreadsheets and formulas, even though I do work with them from time to time. For some reason, my spatial reasoning just does not click with this format. However, I think I was successful at making a self graded form.
Here is a link to the form.
Here is a link to my spreadsheet.
I found this video to be extremely helpful too!


Whew! Now, all that said and done, I think this is extremely helpful.  Google forms makes it easy, user friendly and all-accessible to create, share and take many different kinds of assessments. Would I use it in a regular classroom setting? I'm not sure. First of all, while I got the hang of the formulas after a while, it is something that I would have to practice often to keep in good form. I also worry about the accessibility of students to one another and the web.  The instructor in the video I watched had a good solution to make students open the assessment in a new window to discourage the chat option in email. This is a good idea, but you still run the risk of web searching. But, I guess with online courses, that is the risk you take. (In my opinion, online tests are much more difficult than face to face ones-even with an open book!) I am interested in using this tool as perhaps a daily or weekly checkup or quiz. Something casual to remind students to stay on top of work and what they need to work on. I would also be in favor of students creating their own assessment and either swapping grading or self-grading. This is a good way to learn more about the program, how formulas work, how to formulate better test questions, how to share and update documents, etc. There are a lot of good things going on here, they may just take a little while to figure out!

NETS T standards associated with this are:
2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
3) Model digital age work and learning
4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

In the paragraph above, I gave several reasons why using self-graded forms are a useful tool for both instructors and students. Instructors have a fast and easy way to assess students from home, paper free. Students learn about creating assessments, taking assessments, implementing formulas, mathematics, document sharing, self-assessment and have a fast and easy way to take quizzes at home in their own time.

Google forms

Google forms is a great way to share and get information in a fast, user friendly, easy and fun way. We Google forms in my roller derby league and I have used them before in my online course as a sort of diagnostic test for online learning preparedness. Since I haven't made a survey in a little while, doing one I could use for my class was helpful and it showed me some new applications for some of the question types. Most of the time, I only used multiple choice and short answer, but I really like the grid option.  And, while it took me a minute to figure it out, I definitely liked the grid type the best and will be incorporating it from now on!
In the case I was a teacher who needed to get the form to parents, I could email the link to them individually. Its nice for me now, because it is nicely linked to in my Black Board orientation for my students to complete there. One could also share through Google + as well.
You can view the survey as a spreadsheet (dislike) or a list (like) and you can view results as a summary which includes handy graphs and such. I really enjoyed the summary view and I was unaware that this was even an option. Clearly, I need to play around with more options and applications for Google forms!

I did encounter some difficulty with this, but it was minor. The only thing I think I did not do, was get emails. I'm sure how to do this, unless it was to make it one of the questions? I saw where I could email the recipients, nothing happened. As far as data being validated... I looked up what validation means and couldn't find a clear definition, so truthfully, I have no idea. One side of me says yes, as it is data collected first hand, but another part of me says no, because it seems that I would have to do something "computer-related" to make validate it. I'm sorry I can't give a better response!

NETS T standards associated with this are:
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments.
3) Model digital-age work and learning
4) Engage in professional growth and leadership

I really think people benefit from self-assessment and Google forms is a good, fast and easy way to do this. You can self-assess courses, student-work, businesses, and even things like bout performance in my roller derby league. You can also use it to make tests, although I need to do more research on how that works out.  I did see some things on the Internet about how to use Google forms as a form of testing.

Here is a link to my survey. Here is a link to my results in spreadsheet form.
Here is my survey! 

Prezi!

Surprise!  It's Prezi!

Copy of Mardi Gras Throws on Prezi
Here is also a link to it. 

Whew! That took some doing. I struggled with this for a while. I was all excited to upload power points (since I love those) and I think that was my downfall. I did not like how locked into things I was with all the imported slides. I also think my ppt was too big as well. I was getting overwhelmed with 70+ slides!!  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the look of Prezi, I just don't think I will use it for everyday teaching use unless it is a short format. I do, however, think it is great for students. It is visually appealing, relatively easy to use (despite my troubles) and encourages fluid thought and spatial recognition. You really have to get down a sequence of events to make the presentation make sense, which some students may have trouble with. My boss recently used a Prezi presentation at a meeting and was so excited about it! 

While both Power Point and Prezi are both presentation tools, Prezi is more versatile than Power Point in its delivery, format, and sequencing. Power Point is pretty staid in its format, with only fancy slide transitions to make it more showy.  Prezi also has an advantage having the ability to access it offline. However, I found the importation of slides to be difficult to manipulate after they were uploaded and confusing to maintain a large presentation. My hands are tired after so much unecessary clicking!

NETS T standards associated with Prezi are:

1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments

3) Model digital-age work and learning

Creative within boundaries is good for students. I feel too much free reign can scare some off. With Prezi, students can be creative and still have guidelines. As I said before, I think this will help with sequencing of events, fluid thought and spatial conception. I think it helps students to problem solve and think logically while creating presentations that are outside of the norm and fun to look at! 

Photo Story

Here is the link to my photo story! I'll admit, I had some difficulty with this. Not making the photostory, that was fine. Although it was difficult to only have 20 seconds to speak. I cheated and went over by like a second on a few! I also did not like/was not sure of the 20 second duration for the slides! Some slides I spoke for only a few seconds! The other thing I was not satisfied about was the music! I could not get any of my music to upload! It killed me to have a presentation about Mardi Gras and not have any proper Mardi Gras music! It is one of the things that makes Mardi Gras Mardi Gras! Oh well. I had to settle for the tinny prepackaged background music. Oh, and of course I had some trouble figuring out how to change a .wp3 file into a .wmp, but other than that-piece of cake! Personally, I find this to be a useful tool. I am planning a trip to Europe this fall and this would be a good way to share images with some narration of what people are looking at! I like it! It is also a good way to give oral presentations in school or for work. Again, as with many things we have studied thus far, versatility is key! I think it would be especially good for students who have a fear of public speaking or have anxiety about it. This would be a good way to ease them into that, without the trauma of getting up in front of many and extemporaneously speaking or just reading from note cards. Also, with photostory, you get the opportunity to re-record your narration (something I did many times over!). NETS T standards associated with this are: 1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity 2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments 3) Model digital-age work and learning Again, original content is creative! Having students learn by getting them to create original content is a great way to engage the reluctant student. Also, it engages many different learning types, both in viewing and creating. The inclusion of text, narration and sound will reach many different types of learners. As stated before, this tool has the potential to help shy students when giving presentations and teaches students to problem solve. It is a good way to deliver content and easy for both students and teachers to use. It is very versatile too! I would love to see the difference in presentations even when students are given the same subject!

POWERRRRR POINT!

So, as a (mostly) teacher of art, Power Point is my life's blood.There is no better way to combine images and text in a complete and easy to use package! I find it reaches both visual and text-based learners, it offers a wealth of ways to get images to students, it is easily manipulable. I love it! However, the more I teach with it, the more I worry I am losing my student's interest. I have hear whispers of the death knell of Power Point, but did not want to believe it. So, it was discouraging to read the article about that very thing. I do maintain good student reviews, and Power Point is still better than just reading text or having students read it on their own. Power Point allows me to make changes while I am lecturing-to make it better while I am teaching. One thing this class has taught me is that I can be a little too "talky" with my Power Points. So, I took a lesson I taught this spring as a part of my clinical in a 7th grade French class and changed it up a little to hopefully make it more impactful. You can find it here.

NETS T standards associated with this assignment are:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Model digital-age work and learning
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

As I have stated before, when I student creates any original content, I view it as being creative. Power Point offers such a wealth of options for delivery of information, there is no way creativity does not enter the picture. This software is absolutely geared towards developing digital-age learning and assessments. Students can make quizzes or flash cards with Power Point. It is also used in professional environments and the the workplace. So, not only is it a good student tool, it is a professional one as well.  The better we can train students for life in the real world, the better. And Power Point is just another way to do that.

Have I mentioned that I love maps?

Maps speak to me as a visual learner. When Google Earth first came out, my students and I were fascinated to be able to look at things on the other side of the world so closely. And to find ourselves looking at our backyards on the Internet!

Previously, we made a personal map in Google Maps. I didn't realize one had the capability to make personal maps and keep them on file whenever you need. I am going to Europe this fall and this will be a great tool to use! So, now that we had our map, we then turned into a Google Earth map.  Here is what mine looks like:

 How cool is that?? Our trip does not include Paris, but now I really really want to go!!

This was all done by using a KML file change. KML is an acronym for Keyhole Markup Language.
When I looked it up, this was the most information my neophyte brain could handle.  My husband is the one versed in coding and more advanced computer stuff than I.  I'm not sure how to "port information" other than just clicking the link to change the view. However, I can tell you that I find it important because again, it makes the world a smaller, more manageable place for smaller minds. Heck, it even makes me step back and say "wow!" Changing a view from a regular map to a satellite one is beneficial because it gives a real world view. It brings the faraway world to your doorstep and your classroom. Never been to Angkor Wat? Go there!!! For me, it just feeds my wanderlust to see images of faraway places and imagine myself there seeing the sights and smelling the smells.

Fortunately for us, the wizards over at Google have been cooking up more than maps and cool ways to  look at the world. The also have lesson plans to help you use these maps in new and inventive ways. The one I liked best can be found here.  This lesson helps students to map, analyze and critique where famous photographs were taken and their social, cultural, historical and geographical importance. The lesson indicates that this should stay within the confines of American photography, but I would expand it into world photography. A lot of students learn about time, but neglect the element of space. Why is the space around us so important? What was happening there? Why did these events take place and what led up to them? So many images are so iconic of the times, from this one here to this one, we need to learn about the where along with the why. As a teacher, I've found my student's poor grasp of geography to be staggering, now here is a fun way to incorporate that into lessons and daily life!

Also fun from Google, kinda in the same vein is this! What a dream come true!! What a feeling to view art up close and not get yelled at by guards! Students no longer need a passport to get the full effects of the art world. It is right at their fingertips!

NETS T standards:
1) Facilitate learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments
3) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

Using Google Earth and all of its unique applications certainly fosters creative and innovative thinking. Students also hone their technological skills and learn trial and error from playing around with forgiving applications like this one. Students also learn about greater world they live in by bringing it into their homes and classrooms. Disaster and war may seem far away, but they can see the ramifications first hand. They can also enjoy the sublime beauty and man-made innovation the world has to offer too.

Map it!

I love maps! My sense of direction is pretty good (at times), but I do have a difficult time with orientation as compared to maps!!! Where were we without Google maps or GPS's?? HOW did I get around???  We got our GPS stolen recently and it felt like I lost an arm!  Fortunately, we both got around on our iPhone Google maps. (I love to follow the dot) But that, at times, became difficult. We recently got an iPad, and don't worry about the lost GPS anymore! However, someone needs to show me how to make the map on an iPad stationary!  When I flip the device around, the map moves too! Argh! This is what I mean when I say map orientation confuses me from time to time. Also, on vacation recently, I can do the car directions fine, but when you switch to walking directions-I'm hopeless! I'm hoping to get better at that!

So, when we were asked to design a map for this assignment, I was very excited!  What kind of map should I make? My husband and I are trying to get to Europe this fall... Anything having to do with food would be great.... But I decided to stick with what I know and that's art!  I spend the summer of 2002 living and studying in Paris and I wish I had this kind of technology with me then! So, my map is of some of my favorite museums in Paris. I could have added a lot more, but I stuck to ones that I have been to (all except two) and tried to keep a good variety!

You can find my map here and in the image here:

Here is a link to my intinerary that goes with my map!

Maps are such a good visual tool for students to use and now, with this application, be able to manipulate themselves. I can remember having to call up airlines for plane ticket information when I was in Civics class-now students can make a map of vacations, historical sites-anything!  It not only good for teaching geography, but also time management, schedules (such as trains and buses), how to get from place to place in the quickest way possible, and even a little bit of geometry! You could also bring in history and cultural lessons as well-the possibilities are endless!

NETS T standards associated with this are:

1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

Again, any self-created content is creative to me. This could be used in literature classes to mark the journey of Huck Finn down the Mississippi, to plan a vacation logically and economically, or to historically mark the Freedom Trail. Any idea that a student can cook up that has anything to do with geography of any kind can find a useful outlet here. The only limitation are the real world-which, is pretty endless! I am sure if it is this easy to make a map, that there is some way to make an assessment out of it! Also, this goes back to students finding their way in the larger world and this mapping application put the power of the known world into their hands. What better gift to a student then the world!

Batch-gee-o!

For some reason, I have to singsong this application, like it is some sort of product!
Here is my map!

I'm not sure how to embed, here goes!




View Ed tech map in a full screen map

Try Batchgeo yourself!

Oh noes!  I lost the rest of my content! Oh well, here it goes again!

I'm not 100% sure what to do with this application! While trying to put on my French teacher thinking-cap, I think I would use this for mapping Francophone countries and showing students how language migrated from place to place by colonists. I could also use it to map student's potential pen-pals around the world. I love maps, and can study them for hours, so I find Batchgeo fascinating, if not a little intimidating in its use of information to locate persons or places. I guess since I know that I am one of the flags on there, it is hard to think of myself popping up in the larger world like that, but that is exactly what this application is good for-letting students know that the world is not such a big scary place!

NETS T standards associated with Batchgeo are:

2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
4) Promote an model digital citizenship and responsibility

I like the term 'digital citizenship.' It indicates that with knowledge comes responsibility and this tool is a good way for students to learn both. I also like the term 'global village' and Batchgeo helps to shrink the huge wide world down to a manageable size for students, and show that while we may be far apart, we are still all humans living in the same big place.

Self-assessing

I'm all about self assessment. It is a great tool to evaluate your performance. Who knows better how you did than yourself? Of course, being honest with yourself is key. Since I have been teaching, I have really gotten into the habit of giving beginning surveys, exit surveys and the like. After going to a roller derby conference a couple of weekends ago, I got inspired to start giving self assessments to my team.

So, we were asked to assess ourselves for this course. Given that I was out of town for several days, and the fast-paced nature of this course, I got behind and I am still struggling to keep up. I think it is a major boon to have taught in a laptop model school AND to have take this course two summers ago, so I am familiar with many of these applications and am not afraid to jump right into using them. So understanding the assignments aren't the issue. There is some minor confusion over some small things-I'm still figuring out Diigo! My biggest challenge has been time-there is something due every day! Between work, keeping house, roller derby and my other online class it has been tough to stay on top of things!! I think I will feel more confident about this course when I get caught up! I also think I write a lot! Maybe it will make things easier if I edit my blog posts? I don't know. I like blogging, so I think I will keep being wordy! Overall, I am enjoying things immensely. New things are challenging and exciting to learn about and think about practical applications in my own online teaching and old things are getting remembered and polished. I really like this class!

Jing Image

Hey there!  Jing is really cool! It's free and a great way to share stuff!  It also provides helpful videos on how to use the product!

Here is a link to my Jing image! I chose to make a worksheet about fruits in French. I am working on my MAT in French, and while it is tempting to fall back into what I know best, which is art and art history, I have been pushing myself to be thinking, working and planning more in French! (I've even started talking to myself in French while alone in my car-just to get my brain in gear) I like Jing for activities like this one because it incorporates many different things, to include many different types of learners. It has images, text, diagrams, all sorts of stuff. And I know how to do a video one too-I can't wait for that!

Jing is a great way to screen capture, make a diagram, a tutorial, a worksheet-it's pretty versatile! And a lot of fun to use!  I liked it so much, that I use it regularly in my online course!  But, I pretty much use it for just a way for students to screen capture things, I had forgotten about its many other applications! This has so many uses!  Teachers can use it as an assessment tool, by providing a template that students have to fill in. Students can use it to make study guides! They can also teach a lesson to their peers though Jing. what I like about a lot of applications we learn about in this course are their versatility.  You are never supposed to buy a single-use kitchen appliance-why do the same with your computer applications!

NETS T standards associated with this are:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Model digital-age work and learning

Anything that has a student making original content is creative for me. I like putting learning back into the hands of students and Jing is a good way to do this. Giving them some amount of choice and control can reach a lot of different types of students.  Teachers can use it. Students can use it. It is a good tool and resource for many different things, like sharing information, to study guides. Information sharing is a good way for students who are not particularly computer savvy to get more comfortable in this fast-paced digital age.

Let's talk about Diigo!

Guys. I'm kind of in love with Diigo. I was skeptical at first. I read comments for articles all the time, and I get really turned off by the amount of hate and vitriol spewed all over them. However, after reading this article, my views have changed. What an amazing way to foster reading and thirst for more information with kids who are obstinate than a tool like this one? My only suggestion was to have the ability to make a classroom group that was private and as I kept reading-guess what!  You can! This is a great way to take learning out of the classroom (where students can see it as dull and boring) and slide it right in nicely with their home lives and social networking!! I am out of my mind of the possibilities of this tool in the classroom!

Need help getting started? Watch this video tutorial!

The three steps to get it going are, read an article, highlight passages, make comments and bookmark them for easy retrieval?

I have populated my Diigo library with some things I have been looking at recently. Yes, I know I just did all of these, but they are sites I either use for school, so I remember them easily, have recently viewed in the past day or two, or I'll admit, stole from my IE favorites. Apologies for not getting to this sooner. This has been a crazy summer, between going full time at my job, 2 very demanding online courses, and my other almost full time job, roller derby-I just haven't had a lot of time!  Plus, I am a terrible procrastinator. And I thought this was really confusing. Turns out-it was easy! Well, the bookmarking part. I tried to do some highlighting and it kept telling me no or highlighted parts I did not want. So that needs some figuring out. Will I trade this for a favorites list? I'm not sure yet. I might since I have only recently started using Chrome, and when I bookmark, I'm not sure how to find it! So maybe I will! But, speaking of social bookmarking, I have gotten sucked into the never-ending vortex of Pintrest. I was extremely skeptical of this at first and was totally confused and did not see the point. However, my girlishness has taken over and now I pin away. Mostly food stuff and recipes. I haven't gotten so bad as to start boards for children that have not been conceived yet.. Yet.. I try to avoid looking at the DIY section because I see all this awesome stuff that I feel like a loser because I didn't think of it, or am too lazy to try. Food, however, I can make. So I pin the hell  out of some food! It is really great for recipes! So, if Pintrest is social bookmarking, then I'm in. There is an education board that I have avoided because I'm afraid my head will explode. The link for that is here. I'm logged in, but hopefully one can see what is there initially. Now that school is winding down, I will have to take a gander to get some ideas for next semester!

Web 2.0? Its a concept I never really understood because I never knew there was a difference. Of course, I've heard the term, but since I have only really been jockeying around on the Internet since 2004, there was no huge change. Remember the whole survey about technology as something you had to learn about? Well for me, I web 2.0 has always been around. Of course, I went from casual web browsing to social networking to creating my own online content, but the transition was so smooth I barely noticed. Maybe I am more adaptable than I thought. I also feel I am in field(s) where one has to be on the cutting edge lest you lose your viability. Am I constantly amazed at the content, and networking of the Internet? Yes. But web 2.0 seems like a dated concept to me already.

Social bookmarking?  I guess with Pintrest I am doing it? I have heard of several of those mentioned like Delicious, Reddit and Stumbleupon. I never really got interested in any of those. I like Diigo because it seems more geared towards educational content, and the look of Reddit was off-putting to me.. Advantages seem to be the ability to share information with others interested in similar content. However, given my Pintrest experience, when some repins something I have pinned, I feel like they are stalking me. So, I'm still getting used to being "followed" and others seeing what I like and my interests. Something I have valued about the Internet is the relative "privacy" one has when browsing. Now, hundreds of people can see I looked up how to get stains out of the carpet on Pintrest. Weird. I guess that shows my age!

NETS T standards associated with this are:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
3) Model digital-age work and learning

I feel that Diigo has a wealth of possibilities waiting to be explored. After learning about it, I kind of wish I was a middle/high school English teacher and we would have online discussions about reading material. Again, like with pretty much every application we have learned about in this course, its ease of use and adaptability to a myriad of situations makes them invaluable. I'll bet with Diigo you could have conversations and share stuff with kids around the world. What better way to encourage digital communities, the global village, information sharing, networking, independent thought, and open-mindedness than that? Students and teachers (of all ages) need to see the Internet and all the digital world has to offer as not something to fear, but something to embrace. It truly can enhance your learning and your lives.

***Apologies for linking to Wikipedia. I can't help it, even with all of its flaws, I love that site!

Picasso you!

Here is my Picassohead self portrait! Here is the original link.  Create your own here!

This was an activity I remember from two summers ago.  Being an Art History major myself, I find this very amusing. I actually have employed a lot of hands-on digital drawing programs in the online course I developed.  The hands on activities are a part of why I get positive feedback about that course. I did have some difficulty rotating eyebrows for some reason, so I had to do it over several times. Trial and error for an assignment like this not only teaches students to learn from their mistakes, but also affords the opportunity to see what they can do differently. I like programs like this where one can revisit over and over again with different results. It also reinforces choice and what happens when you make different choices.  Did I make a portrait that looked like? Did not look like me? Why? Students can experiment with concepts of self-perception. Picassohead also takes the risk out of art. Staring at a blank canvas can be scary. ART itself can be scary.  People can brush off concepts as being too high minded when they might be afraid of making a wrong interpretation or they do not understand it.  There is no "wrong" in art.  Which is why I like this program. Students can also get interested in a pretty complicated artist and art movement, or the history behind it. So many things going on with something so simple!

NETS T standards associated with this are:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

How creative is this?  This is good for many age groups, it offers choice, but not a complete blank, it offers and opportunity to research historical people and movements, and the philosophies and cultural influences of, it offers students a chance to reflect on their self-perception, and could even be used as a tool for foreign languages! So many things rolled into one!
This post is still evolving!

Resume redo!

Gulp!

Looks like I have some revision ahead!
Man, I thought I had a pretty decent resume!  I guess I don't!  However, after reviewing the scores, I scored fairly high on all categories (even getting a 99/100) so I'm not sure what I will have to do to raise my score! I will tinker around with some of the language to see how I do! I knew there are a plethora of resume and CV sites available, but I assumed you had to pay for them all! How great to find a free one!

Well, I swapped some things around, and too out my first person-let's see if I improved!

Ack! Well, I improved in one category, and went down in another!  At least it got a C+ instead of a

C-? I guess there is always room for improvement! I also was at a loss to change that much-looks like I might need some professional help!

NETS T standards associated with this are:

3) Model digital age work and learning

5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

It is my belief, that many, myself included do not know or need to improve upon basic workplace skills like resume building. Having worked in the public library, many patrons would come in asking for help with this and I was surprised at the number who did not know anything about writing a resume. I don't think I wrote my first one until applying for graduate school. I since rely on them heavily and as the results show above, mine certainly need work! Students becoming comfortable about jobs, applying for them, and your digital/paper presence is a valuable thing.  Too many times I see wasted potential in a part-time or shift work job. Having an up-to-date, well written and well rounded resume is key for advancing your career. Developing computer skills early, and the resources to hone them is invaluable later in life.

It's a snip-snap!

Snipping tool is great!

I love to snip!  Snipping is something I learned about in this course two summers ago, and I must say I did not use it that much afterwards. For some reason-I am so excited to try this more and I am mad I did not take better advantage of it then!  When thinking of things to snip I rattled through many options. My lectures are largely image-based so I did not want to do that, as it is too easy.  Since I will be teaching French, I tried to think about French lesson plans.That would be just a link, so I kept thinking. I started looking at articles about Sarkozy's loss and came across a bit of graffiti-and boom! How cool would it be to introduce something like French graffiti? So much artistic, social and cultural stuff going on!  So I snipped me out a chunk of this article. I like this tool a lot, but my only complaint with it is that it only will snip what is on the screen.  That is why I had to do this one in two chunks. Is there a way to get the screen to scroll down as you are highlighting? I'd love to know!

NETS T standards associated with snipping:

1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.

2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments.

This is a fun, easy way for students to quickly capture images, bits of articles, diagrams, charts and other useful bits and pieces to put in reports, assignments, or share. You can almost create your own collage with the snipping tool.  Students will find that, just like a pair of real scissors, they can snip and grab things for their personal or educational use. Thusly reinforcing fine-tuning digital refinements on real world applications.

I'm 93% millennial!  You can take the quiz for yourself here!

It is strange to be 34 and be considered a millennial.I always associated myself with a borderline Gen X-er. Well, now that I look up what the definition of a millennial is, I fit perfectly into that category-who knew? I had the impression that they were young people who were born in or came of age in the late nineties to the two thousands. It is actually categorized as those born in the late 70's, early 80's, which I was.

 I can remember my first computer, a Commodore 64, that my dad lugged home from work one day. We used it to play totally awesome video games.  It is weird to think that I went through undergrad with no Internet or personal computer. I can remember dropping a class because the professor wanted us to look up Internet articles-no thank you.I struggled greatly with scanning and Power Point (I am now a wizard at both) I only got an email address in 2001, and while I moved abroad with a laptop from 2002-2003, I did not use it all that much. I know exactly when the change came and that was in 2004, when I started teaching at my Alma mater high school, which was a laptop model school. All 800 girls were issued a laptop. Courses were taught on them, homework completed, students repaired them, and could even graduate with certain certifications-so I've, and education have come a long way. It was a bug I caught and now I live literally with my laptop on my lap. I can type faster than most, and am an information junkie. Don't know something? I'm already looking it up. Recipe? Place to eat? When is that movie coming out? How much does that cost?  I'm not as bad as my husband, though who is a computer guy by trade. I do, however, have a built in fix-it man when I do bad things to my "third arm".


According to Frand's 10 characteristics, I might skew differently. You can also read the original article here. They offer a lot of food for thought:
1) Computers aren't technology-see above anecdote. I definitely remember them being introduced into the household!
2) Internet better than TV:  Mmmmm. I'm not sure where I fall on this. My husband watches more stuff on the Internet than I do, but there has been much discussion about getting rid of the cable and doing Hulu and Amazon to watch stuff.  We recently broke down to get HBO et al, which comes with HBO Go that we use to watch back episodes of shows by plugging in the computer to the TV.  Speaking of that, we do use the Internet to watch a lot of roller derby, the only place where it is broadcast. But, the resolution is really great and the stream gets better and better every season, so we invite the gals over to watch tournaments and stuff.
3) Reality no longer real: I'm not sure where I stand on this either... I'm not really sure what this is asking? Am I more skeptical? Sure, I guess. But it is more with news stories than images necessarily.  Sensationalistic news is so quick to spread that I sometimes jump on that bandwagon too easily. I am really gullible too...
4) Nintendo over logic: I have to say I disagree with this one. I was never a gamer, nor will I ever be. I don't have the hand-eye coordination, nor the patience for it. They have always frustrated me. I would like to consider myself a logical person over a trial and error one.
5) Multitasking as a way of life: Yes and no. Do I multitask every day pretty much all day? Yes, TV and computer are always going. Do I listen to music while I work? Yes, but I can't listen to music while I study, or read, and it is a little too overwhelming to try and do many many things at once like the example states (music, email, phone, web) one drops off and I get lost or am a poor listener and no one likes that.
6) Typing rather than handwriting: yes. yes. yes. yes. I hate handwriting stuff nowadays. My handwriting has never been particularly neat, and my brain is too fast for my hands sometimes. Typing helps. But I admit, when I learned to type I was a finger-pecker. It wasn't until instant messaging (already kind of defunct) and my need for correctness that has lead me to be a decent typist.
7) Staying connected: YES! I can remember not wanting a cell phone because I did not want people to be able to find me anytime, anywhere. Now, if I accidentally leave it at home, I feel naked! I did not get a proper cell phone until halfway through my year abroad. HOW did I function? How did I find or connect with anyone? I had a land line-but we did so much travelling.. amazing that life still goes on without phones.. Now, my phone is my life, email, Facebook, maps, food. Everything I "need to survive"!
8) Zero tolerance for delays: I'll say yes to this but not in the way that they mean. I'll admit to being a pretty instant gratification junkie, but as far as waiting for work to pay off, I can do that. My patience grows thin with delays in the Internet. No matter where I am, if something is taking too long to upload, or process, I'm freaking out! God help us when we had dial-up!
9) Consumer/creator blurring: I'll say no to this. Since I don't create a lot of information myself, and have been schooled to cite outside sources, I do not have a problem with this kind of blurring. I can, however, see where some younger people might.
10) (I forgot one!) Doing rather than knowing: I will say no to this too.  I am just old enough to still be of the old school with this. There are arbitrary things I will never forget. Edict of Milan? 313. Battle of Hastings? 1066. Granted, they are mostly historical things, but I don't take for granted proper school knowledge like some of today's youth would.

Frand's article speaks a lot about intelligent change and adaptability, very much how I feel a teacher's greatest assets are ability to try and implement new learning and teaching methods and to always be adaptable to the inevitable.

NETS T associated with this assignment would be:
2) Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments.
4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.
To me, I find that it is important to know as much as you can about one's self before you can teach methods to others. By finding out I am more millennial than I thought I was, I am better prepared to pass this knowledge on to others. I learn by doing, which is why I make sure I take my own tests with a student's eye, among other things. This quiz is good for students to see where they are in regards to the millennial age and where others might be coming from. The whole idea of what is technology was staggering to me-it might shed some new insight for them too.

Here is my published resume!

As I mentioned in my Voki introduction, I play roller derby.  Google docs and sharing has been invaluable in that realm!  Google sharing allows many people to share documents, from meeting minutes, the league constitution, to attendance records.  It is an extremely helpful way to allow many people to go to a single place for information. We also share training schedules, calendars, staffing needs with other leagues-it's really endless. And I'm just now starting to get a glimpse of how helpful Google sharing can be.

Google definitely has its advantages over traditional desktop applications (TDA).  TDAs are extremely limited to similar attachment extensions and Mac vs. PC. Right now, I'm not really sure of any disadvantages, although I am exploring new applications for Google sharing every day. Google sharing is definitely a self-starting process. You have to look at common places like docs or calendars to get the full benefit and that is something I have been trying to remind myself to do more of. The calendar aspect has been invaluable as of late! I need to start putting homework on there!  I'm not really into Google +, I think the interface is not as accessible as Facebook, plus not too many people are on Google + yet. 

NETS T standards affiliated with Google sharing would be:
3) Model digital age work and learning
5) Engage in professional growth and leadership

Google sharing is great for any kind of work environment.  They can be used and accessed pretty much anywhere.  It is taking the place of the "water cooler," per se. It is a common area for multiple parties to converge, share, implement, edit, and share again.  Advanced classrooms can use this tool to share classroom expectations, course outcomes, or homework assignments. Whether it be a classroom or a boardroom, collections of people constitute a living organism and Google sharing is adaptable to that mindset.

Hello Voki!

This post is about Voki, a free software designed to create and implement a speaking character to help introduce yourself, narrate a presentation, or any other use you can think of! I've seen plenty of these, but never knew they were this easy to access and create.These things usually give me the creeps, but the Voki characters were not so lifelike that they look like robots or androids. When I first clicked on the characters, there was a more Anime-style one that I was disappointed in not being able to locate once I started to create my own character.  I also found it amusing to try and spell my name differently to force proper pronunciation of it! I ended up having to hyphenate it to get the proper pronunciation-I was also searching for voices that did it justice too!  Hotard is a common Louisiana name and is pronounced with long vowels. After moving up to the Mid-Atlantic, I get Howard or Hot-tard. I should just start spelling it Autard, which is the French spelling it comes from. I just spent time with a friend of mine form Louisiana who have been living in Boston. I was devastated to find he had been pronouncing his very Frenchy name, Hebert as Hee-bert rather than A-bere to cut down on miscommunication. Fortunately, his wife urged him to take up the proper pronunciation again!

Here is my Voki avatar!

So, Voki has made me think about how different text and talking can be, or simple interpretations of text. The inflections and natural diction of the human voice is something that I don't think science has mastered. But, I also don't have an iPhone 4s with good ole Siri-yet.

Personally, I think I would use Voki. I am considering using this tool as an introduction to my online course. It is a cool icebreaker and can reach other learning types, such as auditory learners in an arena what is incredibly visually driven. 

The NETS T standards that could be associated with Voki would be:
1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments.

For me, Voki is first and foremost fun. It is a fun and easy way for students to be creative and have Free reign over their digital selves. Always wanted blond hair? Your avatar can be blond! Always wanted to be a robot, or a space alien? Voki can help! It give students creative free reign while enforcing a digital tool. Voki is so fun that students will forget they are learning valuable lessons in digital initiatives, creating an online presence, and introducing different ways to be heard and learn.  I spent a lot of time learning about different ways students can learn, and teachers often forget the auditory learners in an age of power point and digital lecture. With the advent of easy tools like Voki, teachers can take an easy step to reach out to the auditory group. I like the mystery example too. Throw in a Voki -voiced question in on a test! Make children narrate a story step by step through their avatars. The possibilities are endless and the great thing is that it is free and easy! Voki also helps develop digital-age learning experiences and help put a lot of control into the hands of the student. I've found that many students learn best by doing, and Voki is a great tool for that. By showing students how easy and fun Voki is, you are fostering the kind of initiative and fearlessness students need to develop in the fast-paced 21st century world of the cutting edge. Voki will help them keep pace and eventually pull ahead of the norm.

Hello again!

Hello everyone!  Here is my blog 2.0! I started this blog in the summer of 2010 for Educational Technology 2201. I enjoyed the course very much and some of the things I learned in it were invaluable while creating my first online course. I get positive feedback every semester from students who enjoy the hands-on nature of an online course, especially one that is history-oriented!  Since being accepted into the MAT program, I found that I would have to take Educational Technology over again to recive grad credit-but I was not dismayed! I am excited to encounter new challenges and update and fine tune skills I have already learned! I hope you enjoy following my progress!

Testing!
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=6160586&height=267&width=200