I've been out for a while! On the 14th I had a great time learning how to build an app. I built a basic workout app that links to a google calendar that I can sign in on, keeping track of when and what workout I did. It was really cool!
Last week (the 21st) I was at home on Vicodin thanks to some dental problems. That was unpleasant, but it would've been a lot worse without the Vicodin.
Today, we've been learning about making websites. It's actually really easy to do using a content manager like Wordpress. This could be a really useful tool in the classroom, but also out in the world. Being able to create a site for a business or a group (especially one that's free) is super helpful. I missed a lot of stuff for Dream Weaver so I don't understand any of what Denvy is talking about right now, but we have the choice to use Wordpress as well so I should still be ok. No one else really seems to like Dream Weaver either, I'm assuming because it's fairly complicated and nothing appears to be done for you unfortunately. It allows for more creative freedom, but it also takes more work.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Stardate 5/1/15
Last week I was sick so I missed a blog entry but I'm back for Week 5!
Today we worked on our movie and it turned out exactly as we envisioned it. It was quite a project and a lot of fun. iMovie is really easy to use and fairly intuitive. The only trouble we really had with the project was getting the music we wanted into it, but by using the microphone and phone speakers we were able to get what we needed.
We also talked about the ISTE Standards for Teachers (http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachersz). Our group summarized the first standard about creativity and group work. We definitely demonstrated these ideals when we broke into groups to summarize the different standards.
Next we looked at a bunch of websites to see if they were real or fake. Checking the extension (.net or .edu or .co.uk) is a good way to see if something is real. Snopes can help determine if a site is legitimate or not. Further, checking the links-like "founders" or "contact us"-is a good way to find out if it's real.
Today we worked on our movie and it turned out exactly as we envisioned it. It was quite a project and a lot of fun. iMovie is really easy to use and fairly intuitive. The only trouble we really had with the project was getting the music we wanted into it, but by using the microphone and phone speakers we were able to get what we needed.
We also talked about the ISTE Standards for Teachers (http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-teachersz). Our group summarized the first standard about creativity and group work. We definitely demonstrated these ideals when we broke into groups to summarize the different standards.
Next we looked at a bunch of websites to see if they were real or fake. Checking the extension (.net or .edu or .co.uk) is a good way to see if something is real. Snopes can help determine if a site is legitimate or not. Further, checking the links-like "founders" or "contact us"-is a good way to find out if it's real.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Captain's Log, Stardate 4/17/15
Today we worked on our Photoshop projects and talked about making movies with iMovie. I'm usually not a very creative person, and that linear thinking ended up inspiring our movie! We're doing a Sara McLaughlin (or however you spell that) style ad for people that learn best with lectures. It's going to be a little tough to fit it all in 30 seconds, but I think we can do it.
Videos can be used in the classroom for behavioral management or as an alternative to book reports. They can be used to demonstrate a technique or improve an athlete's form. It can also be used as a way for students to recognize their own progress over time.
Learning how to use Photoshop has been the best part of this class so far. I really like the versatility of the program. It might be worth trying to get a copy for my own computer at home considering the utility of it. It's definitely fun to play around with.
Last week we worked with Photoshop and learned about the different ways to tell if a picture has been modified. Looking for outlines around edges, different flash positions, or inconsistencies in the eyes or shadows are all good techniques for determining the authenticity of the photo. My eye is usually much better at determining if something was fake than my brain was. Almost every time I would look at the picture and think "Something is off about that..." and then convince myself it was real, but it wasn't.
Photoshop can be used to create graphics for teaching, worksheets, or really anything. If you can envision it, you can create it in Photoshop. It's pretty great. I'm a big fan.
Videos can be used in the classroom for behavioral management or as an alternative to book reports. They can be used to demonstrate a technique or improve an athlete's form. It can also be used as a way for students to recognize their own progress over time.
Learning how to use Photoshop has been the best part of this class so far. I really like the versatility of the program. It might be worth trying to get a copy for my own computer at home considering the utility of it. It's definitely fun to play around with.
Last week we worked with Photoshop and learned about the different ways to tell if a picture has been modified. Looking for outlines around edges, different flash positions, or inconsistencies in the eyes or shadows are all good techniques for determining the authenticity of the photo. My eye is usually much better at determining if something was fake than my brain was. Almost every time I would look at the picture and think "Something is off about that..." and then convince myself it was real, but it wasn't.
Photoshop can be used to create graphics for teaching, worksheets, or really anything. If you can envision it, you can create it in Photoshop. It's pretty great. I'm a big fan.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Captain's Log, Stardate: 4/3/2015 (Week 1)
Today I learned about lots of different things; definitions, terms, apps, new websites, and blogs were all fair game. Denvy showed us how to use resources like go2web20.net to find technological tools for learning or teaching. There were a lot of apps on the site that can help with everyday life as well. There were free graphic design tools and countless other apps that offer information and services that do things that I didn't even know I could do. The actual definition of terms like "Web 2.0" and "wiki" were kind of cool too. It's always fun to learn new things.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)