This week I went about the homework in a different order by doing the projects and then reading the chapters. I personally do not find Audacity and Jing as easy to use as Richardson, but they are good resources to know and understand.
I really enjoyed making my screencast. It is my hope that I can do a lot more of them in the future for professional development of the staff at my new school. I am very happy with how my first one turned out:
The time limit forces me to plan on only the specific/most important details that I need to show for instruction. It think most individuals like to play around with sites once they get the basics down to figure out what features work best for them. While I agree with Richardson that some people can sound robotic/un-natural when reading from a script, having a lot of “ums” distracts me from the message. If I was having students create, I probably would have them submit a script to me and have them read from it until they get comfortable enough to compose “on the fly.”
There are several free podcasts that one can subscribe to on iTunes. One of my favorites is GrammarGirl. She gives a daily lesson in grammar about grammatical questions that her readers/listeners ask about. There are others that I used to subscribe to, but it became overwhelming, so I had to pare down.
With the Wiki that I created, my goal is to use it as an example for other teachers next year to show them what they could create to promote communication within their classroom. I think parents could find this especially helpful so that they know what’s happening in a classroom and where they can go to find resources, especially if their student forgot their homework at school.
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Emily, I am very impressed with your screencast. Thank you for sharing with us. I'm still working on my screencast, but I am using Yodio. So far so good. My next step is to make the recording. Hope I do as well as you.
ReplyDeleteI am working on my Wiki as well. I would love to be able to use a Wiki or a blog in the library to keep people posted on what is going on in the library. I would also like to make it interactive. There are so many possibilities!
I would love to make a screencast next...nice job. I agree with your stance on podcasts. The product will be stronger if there is a predetermined script that students follow because it forces them to plan out what they want to say ahead of time and integrate class material into the assignment. While the "on the fly" talking might sometimes be appropriate, for the most part, a plan of action will lead to a better product.
ReplyDeleteI also think that your Wiki idea is a great way to facilitate the integration of technology into classroom instruction. As a classroom teacher, prior to this class, I had heard the word "wiki" but never knew what it was and assumed it would be difficult to implement. However, once creating my own, I realize that it is worth the setup time because a Wiki will enrich my classroom and allow for learning and collaboration to more easily occur outside of the classroom.
I agree that a script is the right way to go for a podcast. It not only will make the final product better as Jenny said, but it also teaches them about the design process and how you go through a series of steps when creating, you don't just make the final product and "voila" it's done - there's a process to it and that helps them more than in just their current course of study.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your screencast Emily! I learned much about polling students-how easy and simple! It is a great way to get quick feedback and for students to use the forbidden cell phone :) I noted that you said you were only able to giec the important details of the program because of the time constraint however, you gave enough information so that someone who is interested in this tool will investigate it further themselves OR visit their friendly Librarian!
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