Great Video!!

Here is a great video of a principal from a school in the New York area.  Do you think Mr. Kelln could pull this off?

The Week that was . . . !

What a week. I feel like we are spinning our wheels a little bit in class, but we are accomplishing a lot. I have really enjoyed introducing you to the ‘technologies of the week’ (so to speak). I have hear from many of you that you have made Animoto videos and that is great. There are so many technological tools out there, too many to know about all of them. I hope you are enjoying the technology component of the last part of the year (Science on the Moodle, this blog, our Plate Tectonics Voicethread, the Animoto lesson, and the Jing Screencast . . . the voicethread tutorial). These are all products that are free and you could download and use yourself!!

I enjoyed listening to / reading your postings on the Voicethread. Be sure to have your stuff prepared to when you get your turn you are ready to go. I know it is a long process, but remember, you might make some mistakes and want to re-do it. That’s ok. Be patient.

Jing!!

Funny sounding title, but it is a great tool.  What I was able to do was capture my computer screen and all of its actions and use audio to explain what I was doing.  I created a tutorial for you guys to look at.  It explains how to use the Voicethread that we will be doing in the next little while.  Check it out.

I think this tool has endless potential.  See you guys tomorrow!!  Remember, keep preparing your thoughts around Pangaea, Continental Drift, and the Earth’s Plates for the Voicethread assignment.  Click on the link below for tutorial.

http://www.screencast.com/users/Kelln-Content/folders/Jing/media/8c2f1b30-7014-4b67-a33b-6c5971dccc7c

Animoto and Voicethread

I hope you guys enjoyed being introduced to the new technologies today. I hope that the new approach to learning is one that you are enjoying. Most of these technologies I am experimenting with for the first time so we will have some growing pains. Please bear with me.

It is extremely important that you make sure to keep up!! Classes might seem a bit ‘scattered’ (some content in class with the technology component being independent . . . and possibly homework to keep up with) so make sure you are asking questions (if unsure) and not wasting time. I know as well as you do that there can be a tendency to ‘hurry’ and not do your best work if the computer is in front of you. It can be a distraction, but it is also a great learning tool.

Animoto is a simple program you can run with just an e-mail address. It allows you to take photos and apply them to music in a music video form. It is also free for 30 second video clip. The longer videos require purchasing a subscription or paying by the video.

Voicethread will be really interesting. I look forward to reading (or hearing) some of your responses to the threads posted. Remember to start preparing what you are going to present in the Plate Tectonics thread . . . content on Pangaea, Continental Drift, and the Continental Plates. I encourage all of you to (for at least one) to use the microphone and speak. Remember, you can edit it all you want.

Like I mentioned, I am attempting to embed my Animoto video to the blog. I had to save it to YouTube first.

Hopefully it will work. Wish me luck.