EDOL533-01 Lesson 4, Power Points and beyond...

This week we discussed heavily the use of power point presentations in the classroom.  Power point is something that I am intimately familiar with; having used power point to create my own presentations and, of course, listened to many lectures from power points over the years.  Ever since I was in middle school I have been using power point presentations.  I started out using it as a tool to present family vacation photos, then created slide shows for church youth group trips, and then finally to create presentations for classes in high school and MANY a presentation in college.

The main thing to remember with power point is that it should not be the focus of the presentation!  The only exception of course is that if it is a slideshow of pictures that stand by themselves!  If you are presenting a class project or a lesson plan, however, the power point part of the presentation should only supplement your presentation.  Your presentation should be able to stand alone without the slide show if necessary!  And the absolute WORST thing a presenter can do?

DO NOT READ FROM THE SLIDES!  Use note cards if you must, but never, EVER, turn your back to the crowd or read directly from the power point slides!

Also, as a helpful hint, try to minimize your use of text on the power point presentation!

For example, I had to create a slide show which discusses my experience with an internship program called GeoCorps.  I will be presenting this presentation in person at a Geological Society of America field camp at Mammoth Cave next month.  My presentation is 36 slides long, but only 3 of them have text!

For your viewing pleasure please watch my presentation below:

1. What was the presentation about and to whom did you present it?

My presentation was about my experience in the Geocorps internship program at Fossil Butte National Monument.  As a preliminary I presented this to my piers and parents, but the finalized version will be presented in person at the Mammoth Cave Field Camp to fellow Educators.

2. Of which item in your presentation are you the most proud?

I am most proud of the incorporation of video segments from video podcasts which I created while working at Fossil Butte National Monument.

3. What might you do differently if you could create the presentation again?

Several people have critiqued the begining of my presentation... I need to have a better "attention grabber."  Instead of jumping right into the history of the GSA's geocorps program I should have started off with a "Sales pitch" of sorts to get people interested in the program and willing to listen to the facts, instead of spitting out facts immediately.  

Parts of the rest of the presentation I tend to ramble too much about certain things, so I will also practice the presentation to try and shorten it where I can or at least stick to the important parts!

4. How did your audience respond to the presentation?

My audience responded well to the presentation.  Most found it interesting, only critiques were on the opening of the presentation being a little too "boring" and critiques regarding the use of the screen-o-matic capture program causing the video box of myself being too small to really appreciate my delivery of the material (for example I held up a poster, and due to the small size of the inset box you couldn't see it!).


And that's all I'm going to say about power points... I hope you took some time to watch mine, please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!!


Here are this week's Technology Explorations:

TE #11: ComicLife : http://plasq.com/products/comiclife3/win 

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Comic life is a desktop publishing program originally developed for MAC, but now also exists for PC and other operating systems.  Comic Life is a program specially designed to create graphic novel style writings using digital images.  Images can be pulled from digital cameras, the internet, clip art, among other sources.  ComicLife gives the user the ability to import digital images into a story-board comic style format and include speech bubbles and text.  This tool is designed to offer the user the ability to create their own comic book using digital imagery.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	In the classroom setting ComicLife can be used to give students another creative outlet for assignments.  Using ComicLife to create a graphic novel style piece of writing incorporates reading and writing skills as well as graphic design and desktop publishing skills.  This tool can get students who typically don’t like writing engaged and involved in the creative process.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is a unique and well produced tool.  It does cost, about $30.00 for personal use and $20 for a single license for education.  I would most likely not use this in science classrooms, but I see where it could be utilized in art or writing classes.

TE# 11 B: iSpeach http://www.ispeech.org

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Ispeech is a company with a series of mobile and web apps focusing on text to speech or speech to text applications.  Notably are speak to text apps for the mobile phone, allowing the user to “safely text while driving,” Ispeech translator with 7 language translation capabilities, among other similar programs.  Among their web apps is “select and speak” a program which allows the user to select any text from a webpage and have the program read it aloud.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	The web app Select and Speak can be used in the classroom as an assistive tool for students who may have trouble reading or following text on webpages.  Mobile apps like “Ispeak dictation” can be used by students to take notes, or by students who have trouble writing to simple talk their thoughts down to paper.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Ispeak’s mobile apps are designed for the blackberry mobile devices, and therefore have a limited audience.  Furthermore, most smartphones have utilities built in to achieve these same results.  The web application select and speak is free, and I would recommend this utility if there is a need for it in the classroom.

TE #12: Voicethread http://voicethread.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Voiethread is a cloud based utility which is accessed on any computer or device which supports flash.  The utility allows users to upload documents, images, video and sound clips to “project” slide shows and then allows other users to review the “project” and upload their own audio or video clips to comment or collaborate on the project.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This utility could be used by teachers as a mean of giving a lesson digitally.  It can be used as a presentation tool by students.  It can also be used as a review or critique tool by other students or teachers on presentations made by other students.  This tool can also be used as a collaborative tool for several users to work together on the same project.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	An interesting tool primarily designed for online class formats, VoiceThread is a subscription based service with payments being discounted by the number of users a school system needs… Due to the cost and format of the payment plans I can only recommend this program for use by an entire school or school district.  Other, free services, like google Docs and google+ offer similar utilities to VoiceThread.  For a single teacher and classroom I would recommend these services over voicethread.

TE #13: http://storybird.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Storybird is an online utility which gives users access to a library of images with which to create their own storybooks.  These self made e-books are then able to published to storybird or shared with others.  Users can gain critiques of their works and critique others or simply read the works stored in Storybird’s free library.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Educators can use storybird as a tool to help students be more creative in their writing.  By adding the visual element of illustrations to their stories students have more creativity over their story.  The ability to share, critique, and evaluate their own and other student’s work offers an environment of creativity.  Educators can create a teacher account from which they can create student accounts for each classroom, issue assignments and even grade their students work all within the online utility.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This web utility, much like ComicLife, is geared towards creative writing and encourages creativity as well as reading and writing skills.  I can see this being used heavily in a writing or English course and would recommend using it to give students a more creative aspect to their writing.  I’m not sure how it would be used in a high school science course like I will be teaching however…

TE #13 B:  http://www.scribblar.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Scribbler is a web based collaboration utility.  Scribblar users create a “room” in which others (guests do not require an account) can log in and join the collaboration.  Scribblar is marketed as a tool to help tutor students online, or use as a collaborative tool for group projects.  Files can be uploaded to the room and worked on simultaneously, files supported include power point, word, and image files.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This resource can be used as a collaborative tool between teachers to work on materials together from separate computers or locations.  It can also be used as a tutoring tool, to offer lessons or tutoring sessions online.  The utility can be seamlessly integrated into webpages or wikis so that teachers can include it right on their own web page, making it easy for students to find and log into.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This utility does have a free service, however it only allows two users per room… this isn’t ideal if you are a teacher with many students.  You have to pay a subscription upgrade fee to allow more users into the rooms at one time.  Again, resources like google+ and googledocs which are free can be utilized in place of this service.  The ability to integrate the room into your own website is a neat aspect, being able to have the room right there on your own page wouldn’t require students to create their own accounts or log into another website.

TE #14: http://www.edu.buncee.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Buncee is an online presentation tool.  This utility is a web 2.0 and cloud based utility to design, create, and present “buncee” presentations.  Similar to powerpoint slide shows, buncees are slide based presentations which are interactive.  The user is able to put any type of multimedia into the buncee presentation to create a unique presentation.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Teachers can use buncee to create digital lessons, or use it like a desktop publisher to create handouts and memos.  Students can create their own presentations as part of assignments or homework, or use it as a study tool.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	This is an interesting utility.  I like the ability to import media into the program and create interactive presentations, this is not something that you can easily do with power point.  The ability to grade, evaluate, and leave comments on student’s projects is a great addition as well.   I also like that the presentations are compatible with mobile devices!  The only downfall I see in this utility is that it is a subscription based service, 9.99 per month or 59.99 per year!  If you utilized it heavily in your lessons I could see the benefit, but for just one or two assignments I would not recommend it.

EDOL533-01 week three

Why are visual images important?

Visual images break up the monotony of text.  Visualizations are easier to remember, or relate to.  Visual images can be iconic, like that of a famous painting or the logo of a product brand.  Visual images call attention to themselves and the issues they are trying to convey.

How have you used in the past, or are now using, visuals?  Personal or work examples:

I have personally used visuals in presentations for both school and work.  When I create a slide show presentation I try to limit the inclusion of text as much as possible, and rely heavily on images to convey the message I want to as I discuss the topic.  I have used images heavily in the posters I designed for use at Fossil Butte National Monument’s visitor center museum.  As a museum exhibit these posters needed to be able to grab people’s attention and visuals, images and graphs, do this nicely.  Graphically representing data is a great way to convey information visually, and is much more striking in comparison to a simple table of numbers!  While teaching I will incorporate visuals into posters, handouts, and slide show presentations. 

This week’s lessons:

This week we have discussed the use of visuals in the classroom.  Visual aids can greatly enhance the look of a presentation… but visuals can also distract from the point trying to be made.  Using visuals that are inappropriate or too flashy can distract from the professional appearance of the resource.   

This week we discussed how to create resources using word processing and desktop publishing programs.  Uses of these programs in the classroom range from having students write their papers and assignments using a word processor to make it easier to read and edit, to using desktop publishing programs to produce posters, brochures, and other projects.  Using these software programs to enhance the learning experience gives students the ability to be more creative, practice decision making, and practice using technology to create a unique product. 

The ability to use these products and other web based products offer opportunities for teachers to differentiate their lesson plans covering multiple levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.  Specific to the different levels of cognitive development in education, with the top levels being those requiring higher order objectives, many different resources can be used at every level to highlight these objectives.  The adjusted bloom’s technology pyramid outlined how different web resources can satisfy those needs.

A visual/handout I use… and how I can improve it:

I’m not yet teaching so I do not have any hand outs that I have created yet to use for this assignment.  However, I do have something I created a while back in hopes that it would help me land a job!  I created a business card using Microsoft power point.  Here is the first rendition of that business card (my number and address have been changed for this upload... I don't want that info just floating around the net!)

Here's the front:

 And here is the back:

What makes these items visually appealing?

These are simple, but the visuals tell a story that enhances the business cards... If you know what you are looking at!  The front of the card has my name and a little tag line simplifying my experience.  Behind that is an image of a trilobite, a type of iconic fossil that most people recognize.  The back of the card has my information, organized simply and concisely, with an image of a stratigraphic column to the left. A strat. column is used by geologists to map a vertical series of rock layers, which I thought was fitting for the back of my business card (me being a geologist and all).  

What distracts from the message I was trying to communicate?

I found out after handing these cards out to several people that no one (outside the few geologists I showed them to) knew what the strat. column was!  I found that people were distracted by that image, and didn't understand why it was there or what purpose it had.  Luckily, most people did recognize the trilobite fossil and this visual was a conversation starter!  I even had people that I contacted later refer to me as the "trilobite guy," in reference to the image on my card!  

I took the experience that I had with those who I handed out my card to and decided to re-create the card.  Here is my card as it looks now:

I used the same visual from the front, and re-formatted the text in a more attractive way around the image. 

I also re-created the front of the card to give me some variety.  

This alternate front features the skeleton of a fossil fish species from the Green River Formation of Wyoming, which was protected by Fossil Butte National Monument.

These visuals on my business card are great conversation starters when I hand them out.  They are both of fossils I find interesting, and most people recognize them as fossils.  When asked about them I explain that the trilobite is a species of trilobite found in Tennessee, and is one that I have in my personal fossil collection.  The fish fossil spurs conversation about my time spent as a park guide at Fossil Butte National Monument and expresses my job experience there.  

I think my business card is an excellent example of how visuals can enhance the presentation of printed materials that are often boring and uninteresting.  Used correctly, visuals can call attention to a document and help make it memorable!

The human reaction to technologies...

I came across this quote from Douglas Adams, author of hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (among other books), and I thought it was worth mentioning in this blog:

“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:

1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.

2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

I'm glad I'm still in that new and exciting phase! lol

Bonus Tech Exploration:

Found a few nice resources this week that I thought I'd mention on the blog... one of which I even wrote up a tech exploration review!  

But first, I needed to compile some PDF files my dad had sent me into one document... and there is actually a helpful web based program to do that here:

http://www.pdfmerge.com/

and of course my dad scanned one of the pages upside down... so I used this site:

http://www.pdfrotate.net/

to flip it!

Great little tools.  There might be better options out there, but they both were quick and easy.  I wouldn't use it for any confidential or private documents though... look for something a little more secure for that.

Bonus Tech Exploration!: 

http://screencast-o-matic.com  and http://www.tegrity.com/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	Screencast-o-matic and tegrity are software tools that allow the user to record video strait from the  desktop display.  The program allows you to record in real time what you are doing on your desktop, an excellent tool for technology classes in which you need to build a walkthrough tutorial on how to use a program.  These programs also allow you to record video through the webcam on your computer.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	In a “flipped” class setting you can use a screencast type program to record lectures for students to watch at home, online prior to class time.  Online web based courses can take full advantage of these types of softwares to create a virtual classroom atmosphere with pre-recorded lectures.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would definitely recommend the use of screencast-o-matic because it is free, intuitive and easy to use.  It also records into formats that can be uploaded to youtube or other video hosting websites, or edited using windows movie maker and other video editing softwares. Tegrity however I would not recommend unless being bought at the institution level (by the school), because it is a program that has to be paid for to use, and it’s a little more complicated than Screencast-o-matic.

EDOL533-01 Week Two

I’d like to start this week’s blog off with a quote I found during my research:

"If someone brings a lot of new technology into your school district, and doesn't provide staff development, the only thing that will change is your electric bill." -David Thornburg

Similar to our class’s discussion of the Monty Python sketch “The machine that goes ping,” in which doctors are more concerned about having the latest/greatest/most expensive technology in their operating room than they are about their patient, educators and schools must remember that simply having the technology doesn't mean anything without using it effectively.  Teachers must be knowledgeable about the use of the technology they are given, and use it in a way that enhances the classroom experience, for the technology to truly be beneficial to the students. 

Although I am not yet teaching, I found this resource about using spreadsheets in the classroom very interesting: http://www.lttechno.com/links/spreadsheets.html.   In almost all math and science curriculum it is important that students understand how to read, create and interpret graphs and data sets.  Using a spreadsheet program like excel to streamline these lessons is a great idea!  I found it surprising in my research that so many teachers seem intimidated by excel and using spreadsheets in the classroom.  I understand first hand how frustrating excel can be when trying to build a higher order spreadsheet full of calculations and equations, but for simple data collection and graphing (which is what the curriculum is focusing on) excel spreadsheets can be made easily and quickly! 

I have used excel for many assignments as a student over the years.  I used it extensively in a college Ecology class.  We often had to create tables to calculate population data on animals, graph changes in animal growth, and several other projects.  These often included complicated equations which were much easier to understand and see the relationship between the data points once excel was used to compute the results. 

One of my favorite projects I ever used excel for was a high school chemistry/physics project related to my potato cannon hobby.  I needed to calculate the exact amount of propane to use in each cannon to get it to fire correctly.  You see (without going into too much detail), propane only ignites under 14% propane to air… and depending on your altitude and air pressure… and depending on the volume of the cannon’s chamber… and depending on the volume of your propane meter… you can calculate how much PSI to charge the propane meter with.  Using excel to compute all the necessary equations I was able to make a chart to compute exactly what I needed by changing any of the variables!  I still use this spreadsheet today with my potato cannons!  This project can be used in a chemistry or physics class to study the science behind how potato cannons work… and students love making things that go boom!

As an educator I plan on using excel and spreadsheets not only for administrative purposes (tracking grades and student progress) but also for student assignments.  I will be a high school science teacher, and I plan on having projects in which the students must collect data either through research or experimentation and compile it into a spreadsheet to produce charts and graphs of their data.

A good example of this kind of project is this one, http://mathforum.org/sum95/math_and/spreadsheets/examples/marsWeight.html in which students are asked to chart how their weight would change on the surface of the other planets.  By using excel to do the necessary calculations they are not only learning how gravity changes your weight but also how to use equations to calculate the results, and use excel to chart and graph those results! 

Technology explorations for week 2 (I split up exploration 6 into two separate reviews.  I think the two resources are different enough they warranted two reviews):

Tech exploration 4: concept mapping

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	Concept maps are typically used as a brainstorming device to help collate thoughts into an outline or visual diagram.  These devices help summarize and organize concepts in a way which aids in memory.  Typically concept maps start with one word, or phrase centered around a topic and then branch outwards into parts reflecting on that central topic.  For example, this concept map about concept maps (http://physics.gmu.edu/~hgeller/GWUelearn/img004.gif) explains how they are used to convey knowledge about a topic and how each part relates to each other.  There are several web based resources which aid in the construction of concept maps and some are very intuitive.  I was surprised to learn of these as my experience with concept maps were simple diagrams drawn on the blackboard/chalkboard!
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	These are great tools for review.  I would use concept mapping programs as a review tool with students to construct concept maps around topics discussed in class.  Using the main idea we have learned about and branching off of it the specific facts and details we covered in class.  Opposite of this idea is to use concept maps before discussing a topic to probe the students knowledge of the subject material and use the results to help differentiate instruction, covering the parts of the material the students lacked during construction of the concept map.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Several of these resources are nice for brainstorming and creating “pretty” concept maps that can be used for posters.  However, just as my previous experience with concept mapping shows, you do not need a complicated or expensive program to create a concept map.  Low-tech examples can be created by drawing them by hand on the marker board!  For this reason I don’t think I would recommend the programs which require signing up or paying for the product… I would highly recommend the use of concept maps in general though as a great way to organize logical thought and reinforce concepts taught in class.

Tech exploration 5: Animoto

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Animoto is a web based video editing program which allows users to create videos from still photos and short videos.  Animoto is “cloud-based” meaning that material is uploaded to their servers, compiled online, and then hosted on their servers.  Users can then download their video for off-line viewing, or link to the video for viewing online.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This resource can be used to create promotional videos for projects, classrooms, sports teams, or clubs…  students can use this resource to create video presentations.  Teachers can record informative videos.  The possibilities are endless.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would not recommend this resource due to the limited functionality of the free service, and the cost associated with the increased functions.  Microsoft’s Windows movie maker live is a free downloadable program which can do everything animoto is able to do on the video editing end.  Once you create a video in WMM you can then choose a hosting service like youtube to upload your videos to.  These services and programs are free…

Tech Exploration 6: Google Drive

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	Google drive is a cloud based file hosting service.  Essentially, google drive turns any device with an internet connection into a mobile external hard drive backup.  You are able to upload files to this service, access them from anywhere, and share them with other google plus users who can then add to, edit, or collaborate on them. Free accounts for google drive come with 15gb of storage, however this storage amount is shared with google+ photos, Gmail, and google drive together.  Larger storage plans are available for a price.  Google chrome based apps work directly with google drive to do a multitude of unique things, a list can be found here: http://www.investintech.com/resources/blog/archives/3669-google-shared-storage.html
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	It is a good idea to back up files, especially important documents.  Using a service like google drive allows access to these documents from anywhere with an internet connection.  As a teacher, I can create documents like power point slide shows at home, upload them to google drive, and then open them in the classroom when I need them.  This eliminates that embarrassing moment when you lose your portable thumb drive and have to teach from memory without your slides! Creating and collaborating on projects can be streamlined with google drive as well.  Multiple users can be given access to files to collaborate on, sharing files with students can be achieved in this manner.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would definitely recommend using this resource as a way to organize, keep track of, and back up your files.  It eliminates the need to carry a “hard copy” of your files around on an external hard drive, disk drive, or laptop.  Some schools and businesses have policies against using external drives with network computers due to security/virus threats.  Using a cloud based resource like this one eliminates that! I would recommend a wifi enabled external hard drive with built in cloud abilities for larger file needs.  You can purchase a 4 terabyte external hard drive which can be connected wirelessly to an internet connection, and through any computer, tablet or smartphone have access to your own personal cloud.  This however, does not give you the networking capabilities to give other people or students access to your documents.  These however are expensive!

Tech Exploration 6 part2: Photo Peach (http://photopeach.com/education)

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	Photo peach is a cloud/web based video editing, slide show program which allows users to import photos from facebook, a computer, or picasa.  It offers video editing tools to compile photos into short slide shows, allowing the user to add text, audio/music, and even interactive quiz questions.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This would be used to create quick slide shows of students or class pictures.  The ability to import an entire album from facebook or picasa is an interesting aspect.  I most like the ability to create interactive quiz videos using the pictures.  An example on the website is an art history class in which pictures of the artworks studied in class are shown with questions about them, which students then select answers in the video itself.  A youtube tutorial on how to do this can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83C77SQB3Eg  Unfortunately the video doesn’t keep score, but it would be a good way for students to review for tests.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	Cons: Because most of the features for educators are found within the paid subscription, and the free service is limited I would not recommend this product.  Similar to my review of animoto, creating a slide show from an album of pictures on your computer can be quickly achieved with windows movie maker live (WMM).   Not having the resulting video on your personal computer for off-line use is unfortunate.  You are restricted to the video being hosted by photo peach’s servers. Pros:  The ability to import pictures from facebook or picasa would make it valuable to teachers who utilize those resources to host their photos.  The ability to embed the created videos in facebook or blogs immediately after creating the video is nice.  You can skip the uploading step necessary in WMM.

EDOL533 Week One

Week one's lesson assignments included a "technology literacy" worksheet which asked us to check off our knowledge of technology resources and discuss how we will improve our knowledge of the items we checked no on.
I'll be honest, this was an interesting list.  As someone who has grown up with the internet I consider myself very knowledgeable about current technology trends.   I have made extensive use out of many resources both in my personal hobbies and endeavors, as a student, and through my various jobs as an adult.

I'd like to give a few examples of my endeavors to showcase my tech knowledge...

I'm a man of many hobbies...  The majority of which I have connected with others with similar interests via the internet.  I have been a part of many forums, and even moderated some, and have enjoyed the sense of community that the internet offers for many different interests.

In high school one of these interests was building home-made devices called Potato cannons.  I showcased my work through a website which I built and hosted through a free service online.  This taught me how to use HTML coding, and web page publisher's like Frontpage.  (I won't include a link to that site because it's been taken over by a server which hosts malware now...)

With the advent of social media, like Facebook, its now easier than ever to create a personalized "page" to showcase your interests.  I've done this for my interest in wildlife and nature photography and created this page: https://www.facebook.com/WildLifeOfWestKY

Probably the most "geeky" hobby I have is collecting and customizing action figures and various toys.  To share this hobby I created a YouTube channel full of instructional how-to videos and other various videos:  https://www.youtube.com/user/spudafett

During my time at Murray State University in my undergraduate program I was given the opportunity to teach Geology 101 lab sessions.  In this job I was first introduced to technology in the classroom from the teacher's viewpoint.  I got extensive experience creating and using power point slide shows, video presentations, and similar technology in the classroom.  One great piece of tech I loved to use during lectures is the SmartBoard!

After I graduated I was given a great opportunity to intern at Fossil Butte National Monument.  My technology expertise helped me greatly here where I was given the responsibility to work on museum exhibits, utilizing adobe photoshop, InDesign, Publisher, among other software programs.  I created posters, two of my favorites are still on display at the park and can be found here as well: Birds of the Park, and Fossil Diversity 
This internship would turn into a full fledged park ranger job the next summer, where I would be able to produce, film, and publish several video podcasts for the park.  My favorite of these can be found here: Fossil Preparation 

Another responsibility of my position at Fossil Butte National Monument was interacting with visitors and leading guided tours and hikes.  My favorite part of this was leading school groups, ranging from kindergarten to college.  My interaction with those students and their teachers is the main reason I am pursuing a career in teaching now...

So, back to the use of these technologies in education;
Even though I think of myself as highly experienced with most technology resources available for teachers I haven't actually started teaching in the grade-school levels yet.  I know I have a lot to learn about how to utilize these technologies in the classroom and I look forward to learning how to do just that with this class at UofC, educational technology.  My biggest area of growth won't be getting exposure to the technology resources themselves, but rather in exposure in ways to utilize them as a teacher!

One of the things we learned about this week that I have had little experience with are creating wikis.  I think this is something that I will definitely take advantage of immediately when I begin teaching.  Some challenges that I think I might face with using it will be finding the time in the busy weekly schedule to update it and find interesting ways to use it in lessons.  The other challenge I see with any web based technology is asking students to use it who may not have access to the internet.  Finding ways around the busy schedule is easy, just make myself do it!  For assisting students who may not have internet access I would find locations (libraries?) that they can use or start an after-school program for students who need access to the internet.


As a beginning to my growth using technology in the classroom are the first three technology explorations we were asked to do for class.  Using the format provided by the professor I've written short reviews of the resources:

Tech Exploration 1: Wikis

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Wiki’s are web based resources which can be created around a central theme, but edited by the public or people who are granted permissions to edit them.  This creates an “organic” knowledge base which grows larger as more people contribute to it.  Wikipedia, arguably the most famous wiki site, holds over 4,500,000 articles in English and can be edited by anyone.  Although occasionally the information is incorrect, Wikipedia can be used as a starting point for research, with the majority of the material within it having the source information referenced in the Wikipedia article.  A wiki site which I commonly use is a fan made Wikipedia like site called Wookipedia.  This online, peer edited “encyclopedia” is Star Wars specific.  This shows the great versatility of the wiki style resource.  PBworks is a company which allows educators to set up their own wiki style sites which can be on any topic, but are commonly used as an extension of the classroom.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Using wiki sites in the classroom can range from student use to administrative use.  Students can use wiki resources like Wikipedia as a starting base for research, or a guide to finding other sources for learning.  Education administrators can use wiki resources like PBworks to create an organic knowledge base for their school.  This knowledge base can then be edited frequently to include current events, schedules, curriculum guidelines, classwork, etc.  This resource can then be used by students and their parents to keep up with current goings-on within their classes and school.  Teachers can use it as a digital repository for assignments, schedules, and other classroom materials.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would definitely recommend wiki resources to be used by other educators.  Their versatile array of uses can come in handy for teachers who want to make resources available to students and parents.  Having a digital database to have assignments, course materials, and external resources all in one place can assist teachers in the administering of the course. This type of resource can assist teachers greatly in keeping resources organized.

Tech Exploration # 2: Ebooks

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	E-books, or electronic books, are traditionally books or documents which have been converted into digital format.  However, some published materials are now exclusively available in digital format and are not in printed hard copy at all.  There are several resources available for e-books, most notably Amazon.com for use with their e-reader (a device designed specifically for viewing e-books) the Kindle.  E-books are available for reading on many devices however, not just the kindle, and can be read online on any computer, tablet or smart phone.  There are e-books in every genre, from children’s fiction to non-fiction!  Amazon.com lists over one MILLION e-books available for purchase and frequently runs specials for free e-books!  These free e-books are typically out of copyright pre-1923 books.  Beyond books many magazine and scientific journals are becoming digital only publications, and many are republishing their materials digitally.  Scientific journal articles are available through databases like ebscohost.  Joining the e-reader bandwagon there are now tablet based apps for downloading and reading journal articles (similar to how the e-books work).  One of these apps used by Murray State University is called Browzine.  Many textbooks are now available in electronic/digital forms as well!
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?
	E-books and digital versions of journal articles are a great resource in education both for the teacher and student.  For the teacher it offers a vast, easy to access library collection!  Teachers, especially in the English department, now have access to literally millions of book titles to teach from.  Many of the classics are even available for free! For students, e-books, digital journal articles, and e-text books are an amazing resource.  Research has never been easier!  Students have worlds of information at their fingertips.  Electronic text gives students the ability to carry everything they need in a single device or access it anywhere there is a computer with internet.  Electronic publications allow schools to cut down on costs used for paper printed materials.  E-text books mean less for students to keep track of.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I definitely recommend the use of electronic publications for educators (and students).  The ease of access is phenomenal, the reduction in cost is a huge attraction, and the ability to access it anywhere is great for both students and teachers. The only downside is that you can’t take an e-book out into the woods to read in the quiet of nature!

Tech Exploration 3: Podcasts

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.
	Merrium Webster defines podcast as a program made available in digital format for automatic download over the internet.  Podcasts are typically audio files which are streamed via the internet to computers or mobile audio devices (like Ipods) and are typically episodic in format.  Podcast creators will create new podcasts on a scheduled basis covering different topics, sometimes conducting interviews or roundtable type discussions.  Podcasts vary in length, and professionalism, and are available for several topics.  Pod casts can be listened to live as they are being recorded in some instances, and offers a “radio broadcast” type feel.  Apple’s iTunes software encorporates podcasts into its capabilities. Variations on podcasts include “vodcasts” in which the video element is included.  Creating an episodic video collection which is available for streaming.  Typically video podcasts can be found hosted on youtube or other sites.  Several National Park Service locations host short, 5 minute or less, video pod casts on NPS.GOV.  These video podcasts feature the parks and information about them both educational and informative for visitors.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Pod casts for teachers range from discussions about current teaching news, technology and techniques to recorded lectures on course material.  Teachers can utilize podcasts to keep informed themselves about current trends in education or create a podcast themselves for use in the classroom or at home by their students.  Podcasts and video podcasts about specific topics can be incorporated into lesson plans by teachers.  I for example, will be teaching high school earth science and plan to make extensive use of the video podcasts available from the National Park Service.  Most notably the video podcasts on the Grand Canyon National Park’s geology.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend podcasts to fellow educators.  Audio podcasts are great for turning on at home and listening to while doing other tasks, and are great ways to keep informed on current events, opinions and trends within education. In the classroom however I would recommend more extensive use of video pod casts.  The added visual element of a video podcast will help hold the attention of students.  Being a visual learner myself I find it very difficult to simply sit and listen to an audio lecture.  For the ease of use, the multitude of variety, and the amount of free podcast options make this resource a valuable one to incorporate into the modern classroom.

Thanks for reading!  Sorry for the long winded post!