Voice Thread

Today’s assignment was to learn about Voice Thread a tool that can be used for online meetings.  This tool has a lot of options from sharing imagines or videos to embedding links or exporting to a flash drive.   An online class such as this would greatly benefit from this program because the interaction is saved online.  There is no required software and the account is free.
Here is a video about Voice Threads.
Here are some ideas to display the usefulness of Voice Threads.

The second part of the assignment was to watch two videos.
1. Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
2. Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms

This Voice Thread was created for class collaboration about the videos.  I really enjoy the videos and was inspired by them.  I put links to both videos on My Diigo Library so I can share them with my friends and watch them if I find myself needing inspiration. 

This assignment follows NETS T standard 2 because it utilizes new technology and would allow the students to respond in their own ways.  The lesson could be customized to fit any subject and is a different way of interacting with the students making learning fun. 

Benderconverter.com

I enjoyed today’s assignment and I know it will be very useful for teaching and fun.  The program I downloaded was Benderconverter.com (Bender RealPlayer) which is a free video downloader and MP3 converter.  This program is useful because it allows the user to download a video from the internet for example a YouTube video.  To download a video first open RealPlayer and search for the YouTube video it the “Search for Video” bar located on the top right corner of the screen.  Once you have found your video select it and as it is playing move your curser over the video and click the “Download this Video” box that appears.  The video will automatically be downloaded into RealPlayer.  To locate the video go to the RealPlayer “Library” and look under the “Videos” tab.  The video can now be converted to another file extension such as .mp3 or .wmv using RealPlayer.  This is done by right clicking once on your video in RealPlayer then clicking “Convert to…” on the left side of the screen.  You can select your new file extension in the RealPlayer Converter box that pops up then click “Start” to convert the file.  This file converting process is useful for inserting a video into a PowerPoint slideshow, which only accepts certain file formats such as .wmv, or playing the video without internet access. 

The second part of the assignment was to create a one slide Google Docs presentation including a YouTube video.  This is done by going to Google Docs, clicking the “Create new” tab on the left side of the screen then selecting “Presentation.”  The presentation will open in a new tab where it can be edited and created.  In order to insert a video click the “Insert” tab, “Video…,” find, and select your YouTube video and click “Select video.”  The video is automatically inserted but can be moved and resized.  When the presentation is finished and ready to be shared, save the video and click the down arrow beside the “Share” button on the top right corner of the screen.  Select “Publish/embed” and follow the directions to share your presentation.  My presentation contains a cute introduction to chemistry YouTube video by They Might be Giants.

This assignment follows NETS for Teachers standard three.  The use of YouTube videos in classroom assignments is modeling digital-age work and learning.  For example the use of the video I chose is educational and fun.  The students would enjoy the song and graphics while learning something new.

Jing Screencast

Today I used the Jing Program to create a screencast video.  Here is the link we were given so we could view a Jing Screencast video before creating our own. 

My Screencast teaches the users how to use the Wordle program to create a Word Cloud.  I first typed a document containing the required steps to complete the task because the video does not contain sound.  I placed this document on one side of the screen so the reader could follow the steps as they watch the video.  I used the Jing “capture” tool to select the screen area that I wanted to share on the video.  I then followed the steps in the document and demonstrated in the program. 

This program will be very useful technology in a classroom.  It will allow the students the ability to perform tasks on their own or in groups while reviewing the directions as much as needed.  This can work for in-class or homework assignments.  This assessment follows NETS T standard #2 because it incorporates technology into the classroom while keeping in mind the individual learning of each student. 

Jeopardy Labs

Today’s new program was Jeopardy Labs.  This program is very useful in a classroom setting because it allows the teacher to quickly type in the questions and answers instead of cutting out shapes and creating their own game.  This game is also virtual so it can be reset and reused as many times as needed.  This is a time saver for teachers and therefore is important. 

I created a Jeopardy board for a high school chemistry class.  The game can be played or edited.

This assignment fits with NETS T standards 1 and 2.

Word Clouds

I enjoyed the Wordle assignment and know I will be using this program in the future not only for teaching but for fun too.  It is very easy to create a word cloud using Wordle.  Just input the words you wish to include in the cloud and click go.  The program automatically generates a word cloud with your words.  The Wordle gallery can be viewed here.  The user has the option to edit the language, font, word layout, and the color theme. 

I used the program to create the following word clouds containing elements from the periodic table.  The first word cloud has the first 90 elements and the second cloud has commonly known elements.

This assignment follows NETS T guideline #1.