I had a lot of fun in class this week. We learned how to make Google Earth tours. Google Earth is just really fun to play around with. It is a great interactive view of the world. I never made a tour before, and I didn't even know what they were before this. We had to make a tour of at least 5 different places, and had to include pictures on each of them, and links on two of them. I ended up putting links on each of my places. Also, our tour had to be educationally relevant, and it had to be in Oregon. I chose to make my tour of geologic places of interest in Lake County because that's where I grew up, and I love the area. I had a lot of fun creating it, and finding out a few new facts about some of the places I've seen my whole life.
I think Google Earth and tours in Google Earth could have so many different educational applications. A tour could be a really good introduction to a unit. It could give just a few facts about what students would learn during the unit. Also, I thought it would be a great tool to use with students when they learn about the Oregon Trail, or any migration route for that matter. I think it would help make those routes and times more accessible for children because they tend to have trouble understanding events that took place so far a way, and far back in history. I think it could be used by the teacher or the students. Students could be given segments of a route, and include information at different stopping points. Then they could present their segments to see the route as a whole.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Week 3-Videos
This week we began working on our videos. We have to create a 30 second commercial about an idea. My group decided to do ours on stereotypes in the media. We have to have 3 different types of shots. One close up, one mid-distance, and one far shot. Also, we have to have at least 10 different shots. We're using iMovie to edit our videos, and add transitions and music, and any other effects that we wish.
I actually used iMovie this past weekend to put together some clips from when my family went out target shooting. I found it really easy to use, and I am excited to use it in technology class. I think it would be a great resource to have in the classroom. There is such a myriad of possibilities when you have access to video production software. Even if there was only one video camera and computer for the classroom it would be an amazing resource for collaborative projects. I imagine something like having different groups each contribute a small part to a large project to present.
I actually used iMovie this past weekend to put together some clips from when my family went out target shooting. I found it really easy to use, and I am excited to use it in technology class. I think it would be a great resource to have in the classroom. There is such a myriad of possibilities when you have access to video production software. Even if there was only one video camera and computer for the classroom it would be an amazing resource for collaborative projects. I imagine something like having different groups each contribute a small part to a large project to present.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Week 2-Collage
Hi again!
It's almost week 3 of the term, so it must be time to write about week 2! :)
This week in class we learned about images. We began class by looking at several pictures and trying to guess if they were real or fake. We learned a lot about the fact that while photoshop is a really useful tool, it isn't infallible. Pictures that have been altered with photoshop may look really good at first glance, but usually under close inspection the faults become obvious.
We got to start using photoshop ourselves. We're making collages. I need to take some time outside of class to make mine because, of course being me, I came up with a cool idea for my collage, but it's turning out to be kind of difficult to accomplish. I'm hoping that it will look really cool when finished though. :) We have some criteria for our collages. We have to have pictures from 3 different sources: one that was scanned, one from the internet, and one that we downloaded from a camera. We also have to add text to our collage, and make it fancy by adding an effect to it. Then we have to post it to our flickr account that we made during class.
I think flickr is a really useful resource. We learned about an option in the advanced search section when you search for a certain type of picture. It allows you to search only for pictures that aren't covered by a copyright, so you never have to worry about copyright infringement when you use the pictures. I really, really like that function. It will make me feel so much better when I use pictures off the internet from now on.
Well, that's all about week 2. I do believe that this week we're going to start talking about the videos we're going to make. I'm excited for that! I think this term is going to fly by. It's already week 3, and I think I have whiplash.
A side note about my weekend. I ran a 5k with my family! It was the Pear Blossom that takes place in Medford, OR. It was a lot of fun doing it together as a family. I met my goal of running the whole thing. I thought it was a good goal since I really haven't run much since high school. :) I ran the whole 3 miles in 31 minutes and 45 seconds. Yay! :) Now, it's time to work on cutting those minutes down, but always having fun in the process. :)
Until next time, keep on the sunny side. :)
It's almost week 3 of the term, so it must be time to write about week 2! :)
This week in class we learned about images. We began class by looking at several pictures and trying to guess if they were real or fake. We learned a lot about the fact that while photoshop is a really useful tool, it isn't infallible. Pictures that have been altered with photoshop may look really good at first glance, but usually under close inspection the faults become obvious.
We got to start using photoshop ourselves. We're making collages. I need to take some time outside of class to make mine because, of course being me, I came up with a cool idea for my collage, but it's turning out to be kind of difficult to accomplish. I'm hoping that it will look really cool when finished though. :) We have some criteria for our collages. We have to have pictures from 3 different sources: one that was scanned, one from the internet, and one that we downloaded from a camera. We also have to add text to our collage, and make it fancy by adding an effect to it. Then we have to post it to our flickr account that we made during class.
I think flickr is a really useful resource. We learned about an option in the advanced search section when you search for a certain type of picture. It allows you to search only for pictures that aren't covered by a copyright, so you never have to worry about copyright infringement when you use the pictures. I really, really like that function. It will make me feel so much better when I use pictures off the internet from now on.
Well, that's all about week 2. I do believe that this week we're going to start talking about the videos we're going to make. I'm excited for that! I think this term is going to fly by. It's already week 3, and I think I have whiplash.
A side note about my weekend. I ran a 5k with my family! It was the Pear Blossom that takes place in Medford, OR. It was a lot of fun doing it together as a family. I met my goal of running the whole thing. I thought it was a good goal since I really haven't run much since high school. :) I ran the whole 3 miles in 31 minutes and 45 seconds. Yay! :) Now, it's time to work on cutting those minutes down, but always having fun in the process. :)
Until next time, keep on the sunny side. :)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Week 1-Web 2.0
This week we started our blogs, as you know from my previous post, and we explored the website bighugelabs.com It's a website that has all sorts applications you can use to do fun things with pictures. Some cost some money, but others are totally free. Also, for some of them you can find ways around spending money, like just saving the image to your computer, instead of ordering it off their website.
We also had to explore the website www.go2web20.net Web 2.0 offers links to many, many different websites, and applications of varying interests. Our assignment was to explore 3 of them, and discuss what we found useful, how we might use it in teaching, etc.
I looked under the tag 'e-learning' and found www.tikatok.com. Here you can write your own book. They have three different levels. In the first you just add a few words and pictures, and the story is provided for you. In the second level you add all the pictures. The text is provided for you, but you can edit it. In the third option you add all of the pictures and dialog yourself. In order to save your story you have to register on the site, and you have to pay to receive a copy of your book. I think this is a really creative website. I remember when I was younger getting a kit where I wrote and illustrated my own book. The book I made wasn't online, so this website makes the process faster. I think you could lose some creativity if children only use photographs for the pictures in the book, but if you had access to a scanner you could scan and upload students' original artwork. This website is geared towards both students and teachers. Teachers can register for the website in order to gain access for their students, and the website includes some lesson and project ideas for teachers. This website could really be for anyone. I would have fun making a book on this website, and I'm 22. :) Also, not just teachers can register, anyone can, but teachers receive some discounts from the website. Overall, I think it is a really creative and useful website. If I had the money I would love to use it in the classroom, but it would be easy enough to have students write and draw on readily available paper, and comb bind it. It wouldn't be as fancy as what you would receive from the website, but it would be the same idea. Writing a class book could to relate to any subject being taught. :)
The second site I found is really fun and really cute. It's www.carrotsticks.com It's for 1st through 5th graders, and it helps them work on their math skills. You get to create a little person, and then answer math questions by typing in the answers with the number pad on your keyboard. You have to register in order to save your progress. I didn't register, but I found their pricing options. You can use the site for an unlimited amount of time practicing addition, but if you want to practice any other math functions it costs money. It's also free during school hours, but I'm not sure if that is for anyone. Children can also compete against other children playing the game. It keeps children safe by not allowing them to use their full name, and it doesn't have 'free chat', so I believe the only interaction is seeing the other person's character answering math facts. I think a really fun way to use this could be to have it set up for two different classrooms, and have a class wide challenge between the two. It would also be good for individual practice during class free time.
The third site I found is photovisi.com It's a site where you can pick from different templates to create a photo collage. This site isn't geared specifically for students. It's created for anyone who wishes to make a photo collage without a lot of hassle of gluing a bunch of photos together. I thought that there could be some fun ways to use it in the classroom though. It would be a fun way to make a class picture. Students could collaborate to choose key photos to put into a collage that represent a unit they were learning. For example, key people when learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition. I had another idea as well, but it suddenly slipped my mind, drat. I believe it is free to download your collage when you are finished as well.
I found all of the websites pretty straightforward and easy to use. I really like the Web 2.0 website. I found a couple websites that I am excited about for my own use, and I think I will continue to use Web 2.0 to find other websites in the future.
We also had to explore the website www.go2web20.net Web 2.0 offers links to many, many different websites, and applications of varying interests. Our assignment was to explore 3 of them, and discuss what we found useful, how we might use it in teaching, etc.
I looked under the tag 'e-learning' and found www.tikatok.com. Here you can write your own book. They have three different levels. In the first you just add a few words and pictures, and the story is provided for you. In the second level you add all the pictures. The text is provided for you, but you can edit it. In the third option you add all of the pictures and dialog yourself. In order to save your story you have to register on the site, and you have to pay to receive a copy of your book. I think this is a really creative website. I remember when I was younger getting a kit where I wrote and illustrated my own book. The book I made wasn't online, so this website makes the process faster. I think you could lose some creativity if children only use photographs for the pictures in the book, but if you had access to a scanner you could scan and upload students' original artwork. This website is geared towards both students and teachers. Teachers can register for the website in order to gain access for their students, and the website includes some lesson and project ideas for teachers. This website could really be for anyone. I would have fun making a book on this website, and I'm 22. :) Also, not just teachers can register, anyone can, but teachers receive some discounts from the website. Overall, I think it is a really creative and useful website. If I had the money I would love to use it in the classroom, but it would be easy enough to have students write and draw on readily available paper, and comb bind it. It wouldn't be as fancy as what you would receive from the website, but it would be the same idea. Writing a class book could to relate to any subject being taught. :)
The second site I found is really fun and really cute. It's www.carrotsticks.com It's for 1st through 5th graders, and it helps them work on their math skills. You get to create a little person, and then answer math questions by typing in the answers with the number pad on your keyboard. You have to register in order to save your progress. I didn't register, but I found their pricing options. You can use the site for an unlimited amount of time practicing addition, but if you want to practice any other math functions it costs money. It's also free during school hours, but I'm not sure if that is for anyone. Children can also compete against other children playing the game. It keeps children safe by not allowing them to use their full name, and it doesn't have 'free chat', so I believe the only interaction is seeing the other person's character answering math facts. I think a really fun way to use this could be to have it set up for two different classrooms, and have a class wide challenge between the two. It would also be good for individual practice during class free time.
The third site I found is photovisi.com It's a site where you can pick from different templates to create a photo collage. This site isn't geared specifically for students. It's created for anyone who wishes to make a photo collage without a lot of hassle of gluing a bunch of photos together. I thought that there could be some fun ways to use it in the classroom though. It would be a fun way to make a class picture. Students could collaborate to choose key photos to put into a collage that represent a unit they were learning. For example, key people when learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition. I had another idea as well, but it suddenly slipped my mind, drat. I believe it is free to download your collage when you are finished as well.
I found all of the websites pretty straightforward and easy to use. I really like the Web 2.0 website. I found a couple websites that I am excited about for my own use, and I think I will continue to use Web 2.0 to find other websites in the future.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Bucket List
As of now, this blog is for my ED 421 class: Technology Integration. For now I have a clear direction for what I'm supposed to write, but we'll see what happens after this class is finished. :) Our first assignment is to think about what we want to accomplish in life. This immediately makes me think about my bucket list. I love bucket lists. I love to dream about all of the things I want to accomplish in life. Therefore, my bucket list is very long, and ever growing. I will only include a few things here, but that is mostly because I don't have my bucket list here in front of me. :)
Obviously...well maybe not obviously to just anyone who is reading this...I want to become a teacher. I just entered the Education program at Western Oregon University on my way to becoming an elementary school teacher. This is something I know I will accomplish. I can't wait to teach, to interact with children, and, hopefully, inspire them. :)
I just recently got into rock climbing. I took a rock climbing class here at WOU last term, and I am completely hooked. :) I haven't gotten to climb outside yet, so that is a goal as of now. I'm part of the rock climbing club on campus that just started, and we're planning and outdoor trip this term. I'm excited for that! I also have a rock climbing pipe dream. :) I think it's necessary to dream of doing things that you may not necessarily ever do. It's something to look forward to, and strive for. My dream for rock climbing is to climb Pure Imagination which is in Kentucky. Here's the video that inspired me to climb this. I have no idea if I will ever be a skilled enough climber to climb Pure Imagination, but it will always be a dream and a goal for me.
I really, really want to travel! I have been out of the U.S. for a grand total of four hours. My mom, grandma, aunt, and I go on road trips for our "big" birthdays (21, 30, 50, etc.). For my mom's most recent birthday we traveled around Washington, and we took the ferry over to Victoria, B.C. We spent four hours there on foot, and our money disappeared. No, it wasn't stolen, things are just expensive there! It gave me a small taste for a different place, and I can't wait for the next chance I have to travel! I don't care where I go. I want to see basically the whole world. :)
Ok, one more goal. I would really like to run a marathon someday. I think this is a goal I could actually accomplish if I put my mind to it. I think marathons are one of those things that are a real test of human endurance on its own. It's just you and the ground beneath your feet, and you are the only one that can get you through it. We'll see if I ever have enough motivation to do that though. ;)
~Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.~
Obviously...well maybe not obviously to just anyone who is reading this...I want to become a teacher. I just entered the Education program at Western Oregon University on my way to becoming an elementary school teacher. This is something I know I will accomplish. I can't wait to teach, to interact with children, and, hopefully, inspire them. :)
I just recently got into rock climbing. I took a rock climbing class here at WOU last term, and I am completely hooked. :) I haven't gotten to climb outside yet, so that is a goal as of now. I'm part of the rock climbing club on campus that just started, and we're planning and outdoor trip this term. I'm excited for that! I also have a rock climbing pipe dream. :) I think it's necessary to dream of doing things that you may not necessarily ever do. It's something to look forward to, and strive for. My dream for rock climbing is to climb Pure Imagination which is in Kentucky. Here's the video that inspired me to climb this. I have no idea if I will ever be a skilled enough climber to climb Pure Imagination, but it will always be a dream and a goal for me.
I really, really want to travel! I have been out of the U.S. for a grand total of four hours. My mom, grandma, aunt, and I go on road trips for our "big" birthdays (21, 30, 50, etc.). For my mom's most recent birthday we traveled around Washington, and we took the ferry over to Victoria, B.C. We spent four hours there on foot, and our money disappeared. No, it wasn't stolen, things are just expensive there! It gave me a small taste for a different place, and I can't wait for the next chance I have to travel! I don't care where I go. I want to see basically the whole world. :)
Ok, one more goal. I would really like to run a marathon someday. I think this is a goal I could actually accomplish if I put my mind to it. I think marathons are one of those things that are a real test of human endurance on its own. It's just you and the ground beneath your feet, and you are the only one that can get you through it. We'll see if I ever have enough motivation to do that though. ;)
~Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.~
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