11.5 - Thing #9 Slideshare

In Olivia Mitchell’s post on 4 Multimedia Learning Principles…, she embedded this presentation on “Brain Rules for Presenters” by Garr Reynolds. It’s a wonderful presentation about avoiding “death by PowerPoint”.

Brain Rules for Presenters

View more documents from garr.

In Dave Yewman’s tips, my biggest take-away was presenter view. Wow! I didn’t know how to set up multiple monitor views and I’ve been PowerPoint a VERY long time. This is very exciting! (When using presenter view, the projector shows the PowerPoint while your computer shows your notes, the slides coming up, and more!)

I am so excited. This is the tool I need. I'm going to do my "Should I Refer" presentation and embed it so parents can access it. This is the right tool for that issue. After looking at Slideshare and authorStream, I'm unsure which will work best for me. I'm going to try Slideshare first since it seems to have gotten the most "press". The audio and animation are key for me. So if those don't work well in Slideshare, I may work in authorStream more. Stay tuned for the presentation...

Of course kids should be doing this. I view this much like videos. It provides an authentic audience!

11.5 Thing #8 - Screencasts

I found the link to Sue Waters blog on improving screencasts very helpful. There was link to a good video on how a teacher (Michael Meagher) uses Camtasia Studio to do his podcasts. After watching that and trying CamStudio, I'm ready for fork over the $300! I'm going to try a couple of other free ones before I go that far, though.



I found CamStudio limiting. Having to switch to Movie Maker to edit was a slow process so it's not very impressive. I tried the video annotating, but the quality was very poor. The voice and the screenshot don't quite match. I did it though. I'm excited about the possibility. I could use Camtasia to do the annual presentation on Should I Refer My Child for the GT Program (yucky title, but informative). Posting that on the net would be a huge plus!



This screencast is how to get to and edit the GTKidsBooks wiki.

Well... I can't seem to upload the video I did using Camstudio. It just won't upload. I had trouble getting the right file type from Movie Maker, too.

I was going to start over using one of the other screencasting tools but the district's new blocking system blocked all the free ones. I tried to download Jing, but don't have the administrative rights to do so. Agh!

Trust that I did one.

11.5: Thing #7 - Video Resources

Here's a brief video from the Discovery Channel. It's from the Understanding the Brain series and addresses Genius. I found it using Hulu.

The National Archives Video Collection looks cool, but I couldn't get anything besides what was posted on the site - there were no more.

I couldn't any PBS video to actually play. It would let me email a link or buy a DVD, but it wouldn't actually play an videos. I wondered if this was an SBISD blocking issue.

I'm excited to check out Totlol at home since they are all YouTube links.

I love that NeoK12 has a section on biographies. These are really great for use with gifted kids. There are videos on Bill Gates and Steve Jobs - contemporary gifted folks. Of course, I couldn't get them to play in the district - argh! Here's a link to the one on Bill Gates - I'll have to watch it at home.

I really like Google videos to search. I just find it easier to navigate than Blinkx and easier to get the url I need to convert videos to something I can view and use.

11.5: Thing #6 - iTouch Apps

Load apps...

I promise to load a couple of apps on my husband's iTouch. I'm going to load the Tangram puzzle game first. It's called Tanzen Lite.
UPDATE: Wow, once you have Apps app, loading new apps is really easy! Added iSign and Tanzen lite with a couple of touches! Tanzen lite is FUN! Certainly requires visual spacial skills. iSign was disappointing.


Ideas on using iTouch in the library...

I think the best uses for the iTouch in the library are for quick reference (internet searches) or educational games. There do seem to be apps for blogging, so that might be an option. I also think students could create podcasts with an attached microphone. I like the readers, too. For reluctant readers, it might be an incentive.

This is hard for me. I WANT to be in favor of the iTouch. I support the idea of technology integrated into the curriculum. I want kids using the tools of tomorrow today - and learning appropriate uses for them. I see the iTouch as an internet access tool and a gaming device. There were good educational games, lots of calculator and flash card type activities, too.

I think I'm more in favor of a netbook. I don't want to be, but that's where I am right now. It may be because of my experience and comfort level. I think a netbook has more flexible capabilities. I'm also a fan of the keyboard.

When I think about integrating technology into the classroom, I start with asking myself, "What do I use technology tools to do?" My computer is an essential part of what I do every day. I communicate with others, both professionally and personally; I gather information via the internet; I find experts via the internet; I do my banking online and track my district budgets in Excel and on MUNIS; I compile, analyze and report data; I create professional development using videos, audio clips, and PowerPoint. If virtually everything I do is done on the computer, then that's how the classroom should work. So if the trend is for this to be done on an iTouch or netbooks, that's where we should be in education.

By the way - I found a great ezine with an article on 100 apps for education. And an interesting initiative started by a teenager, Travis Allen, called iSchool. Here's a video in which Travis demostrates his favorite Apps for education. (Original video on YouTube.)

In the video below, Travis explains how using the iTouch can transform the educational system. He highlights currents Apps and proposes others that could easily be developed. He even includes a financial breakdown. Pretty impressive presentation by a 17 year-old! (YouTube original)

11.5: Thing #5 - Microblogging

I have really gotten into a post about a student Twittering in a college class and the professor's reaction. What I've most enjoyed are the comments in reaction to the post. What a GREAT discussion! (I got there from the ...can I Twitter that post linked on the Thing #5 page.) The discussion/debate is really rich. I can see exactly the same thing happening in high school.

It's the idea of taking notes in a collaborative environment, of sharing the learning process, of the process being visible that I like. Backchanneling or live blogging or Twittering during the workshop, the lecture, the class means the student is engaged in the learning process. Isn't that a good thing? How could a teacher not like that?

I, personally, do not believe kids will be more off-task with technology than they are without it. I also believe that teachers must take responsibility for off-task behavior. Really good, engaging instruction solves the problem in many many many cases.

Facebook
I got on FB because we were talking about it a lot in SBISD. I wanted to catch up. I also have a 13 year-old and needed to be an informed parent. It came in handy to prepare for my 20th HS reunion, as that's who the majority of my friends are. I'm still trying to work out how to use it professionally. I do have a colleague who tends to be more responsive to his FB inbox than his ISD in box!

Twitter
I'm a definitive newbie. I'm atxteacher. I don't understand how to follow a thread of discussion. Or how to search. I'm not confident with re-tweeting, either. Twitter seems to have a whole unique language that I don't know. I'm sure it's like many other things, I just need to invest some time and practice. It may be that my network isn't large enough. I'm only following 13 folks, but I have 25 followers. Many of the followers I don't know, but maybe they're trying me out. It makes me feel like I should say really important things.

I've read about Tweetdeck and some other applications related to Twitter. I'm wondering if one of these could help me get more out of Twitter. I also think I'd get more out of it if I had a PDA to check and create updates. I've resisted the urge to get an iPhone - I just can't swallow the extra $30/month for data services.

I didn't know I that can Twitter by text message - even with a plain mobile phone. Here's how. That's something I might try out! I've set up my account so only the Tweets of a couple of the folks I follow will be sent to my phone. I can always go in and turn them off - even from my phone. I may get much better at texting with my plain old Nokia!

Following @joelmcintosh is helpful. He's the publisher of Prufrock Press and tweets about all kinds of things from Prufrock discounts and new web resources, to day-to-day experiences.

From a post by @RussGoerend, I found a wiki devoted to documenting what people have learned from Tweets. It's new and worth a glance.

Backchanneling
I think there's real potential here. I introduced teachers to TodaysMeet in our June 11th professional development. It wasn't used a lot, but may grow with practice. I used two screens and two computers so the backchannel was visible to the whole group. I thought seeing it might help in the learning process. I'll definitely try it again. Here's a great blog post about using a backchannel with middle school students during a video presentation. Great idea!

11.5: Thing #4 Video Hosting

Since I'm working on my "things" while in the district, I elected to upload to Teacher Tube. I registered, created a profile, and uploaded the two Animoto videos I did for Great Book for Gifted Kids (younger readers, older readers). Now I'm waiting for Teacher Tube to approve and post them.

What would be some advantages of having teaching/learning videos available online at sites like these?
Using online videos makes them available to students 24/7. You can show them as a hook or part of the content of a lesson. If students want to review them again later, they can easily do so. Media adds a richness to lessons - it brings something outside the school in.

What about student created work -- would there be advantages to having it uploaded?
In gifted education we'ver been talking about authentic audiences for years (here's a great blog post on Authentic Audiences). GT students should be doing products/performances for real audiences, which are typically outside the school. That's been a bit challenging. The web makes more doable. Now students have a world-wide audience. They can get input from experts and peers. I've heard Alan November speak on a number of occasions (when I hear him I want to be back in the classroom trying out what he describes). Each time I hear him saying that kids put a lot more thought and energy into creating a good product when it's posted to the web - when it's broadcast to a larger, more meaningful audience than the class or teacher.

11.5: Thing #3 - Skype

Have I started every post with, "I love ___" ? Even if I have, I love Skype!

I first learned about it from a family friend. For Christmas after my toddler was born, she gave my sister, my mom, and I web cams and a suggestion that we try Skype. I have an account that I use at home for friends and family. My toddler loves to call his Aunt Colee. They talk regularly. He hasn't enjoyed calling Mia and Papa Scott as much because they have a slow internet connection and the picture isn't very clear.

I then read about Skype in educational settings. I think it was a posting at Gifted Education 2.0 by Ginger Lewman. I saw a video of primary age kids using Skype and Google Docs to write collaboratively with kids from classrooms across the globe. So cool! The kids had meetings to discuss their ideas via Skype.

I loaded it onto my desktop, but have only called Ginger to make a connection when I first discovered Gifted Education 2.0. I've so wanted to try it, but don't have a good reason to do so. I'm going to think about ways to work it into my GT staff development so teachers will see the possibilities.

How could you do this in a classroom? Any project could be done collaboratively. Finding a classroom with which to partner seems to be the biggest hurdle. Maybe we should start within the district. I see the biggest potential in research - either collaborating on a joint project or for gathering data. Librarians fit into this research piece. I also love the idea of connecting with an author via Skype, but that might be tougher.

Once our budgets open up and I can get a new computer, I'll be open to Skyping with anyone who wants to try it!

Here's a great video by Cool Cat Teacher on getting started using Skype in the classroom: