Crystal Ball – Comic Strip Creators

Finding educational technology tools to integrate into the classroom is so much fun. I came across so many neat ideas that I wanted to learn more about. It just goes to show that the possibilities of integrating technology are endless. The amount of technology we have available to us at such a minimal costs (if not free), really can add a lot of character to learning and persevere student progress. Technology helps to create an engaging and interesting hands on experience for students to interact with the real world. Which brings me to the reason I choose www.toondoo.com. 

 

The tool I choose to learn more about and help explain to others was a comic strip creator. It was created by a company called Jambav who is dedicated to formatting educational software and games for students. Check out there website, they always have different features. (http://www.jambav.com) That is actually how they introduced ToonDoo, by featuring for the month. This was probably about 10 years back, but it became larger than anticipated so they created a whole website, all for free! For this month, October, they have a vocabulary interacting game for all ages. Jambav is supported by a United States company called Zoho Corporation (http://www.zohocorp.com) who also formats many different types of professional software (even some similar to Google). I choose this site because of all they have done so far for students. They seem like a really great company designed to provide students with alternative learning benefits.

I had a lot of fun playing around on ToonDoo. It had so many options and tools available, I could really spend hours just messing around. What I enjoyed the most about it, is that it allows you to become creative artistically through a different perspective. And especially because I am horrible at free drawing, it was a perfect fit. I felt like I could create a cute little comic and not have to worry about drawing anything. Toondoo seemed a little more appropriate for younger students because of the types of characters and features available. It was user friendly and simple, yet had so many features. I loved the fact that you could create full comic books. There are so many options to integrate this tool into the classroom. Creating book reports, or illustrating science processes. It can be used to help explain history and scenes, while allowing for natural artistic abilities and creative thinking. So..SO many options!

I am not sure if teachers in the future will use this type of site. Personally, I can see it being used in the classroom years from now. Not only are students engaging with technology, but they are being creative in their own way showing off their talents. I think that if there was assurance about having that internet access at home or in the school setting along with having personal or laptop computers or ipads, students could engage with these types of sites more often. This particular site is roughly at least 10 years old and you still see it being used by so many, and internationally. I think it is a great way to interact with other cultures, because you can also view their abilities and personalities. I find this type of tool will be extremely beneficial in the future. Maybe it is not a tool that can be used everyday, but it is great for different types of projects. Once technology is integrated more often, I can definitely see this type of tool being used. The only pitfall I would say is parents and teachers having to monitor students accounts. Even though the site is safe, they still have to have an email account to sign up. Jambav has a version that is strictly dedicated for educational institutions, which is awesome, except it is of course not free. If the fee was fairly low, I can see it being of value to pay for the limited edition for easier monitoring access. But other than that, it is a great site, free resources, and has much educational value! Check it out!

Social Media Websites & Applications

There are many reasons individuals use social media websites. I think the main reason is for communication purposes, but it is also a way to keep up with new trends. When Myspace first came out, it quickly became one of the most popular websites. Then Facebook came around shortly after with a different, possibly easier to use set up and that also became one of the most popular websites. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram compliment some of these social media websites. They allow individuals to express their own interest and show who they are as a person. I can say that I have participated in these websites, including; Myspace, Facebook and Pinterest. Myspace and Facebook are great for keeping in touch with old friends and extended family. Pinterest has a number of great ideas that allows you to bookmark specific items. These sites have a great purpose, but I think that some people are so overly consumed with social media websites that it can stir up a lot of ruckus.

I was never a fan of Twitter, and I have recently deleted my Facebook account. People seem to forget how to communicate regularly (through phones, in person, by email) since they are always on Facebook. The public has become so consumed with it, anywhere you go business respond with, “like us on Facebook”. Phone or mailed copy invitations to weddings, birthdays, parties, etc. has now turned into Facebook invitations (only). If you meet up with someone new, it always turns into, “do you have a Facebook?” It becomes some huge popularity contest and ends up in drama. Couples fight constantly about who they added as a friend, or why they responded to someone’s post. It becomes a problem when people are so overly engrossed with it. I think when these sites are used in moderation; they can play a positive role.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter should not be allowed in the classroom setting. Pinterest would be the only exception since it has bookmarking capabilities. I do not feel they have an educational value and can even be an enormous distraction. These social media sites have definitely impacted our culture and the way we live and it will continue to do so in the 21^st century. I don’t necessarily believe that these sites will be as popular in the future, because if some new type of technology is introduced, we will also become engrossed with that. Educational instructors really have no reason to introduce social media websites to students.  They should even be monitoring the use at school. You hear of many stories throughout school districts where Facebook becomes an issue with bullying. Parents should also help support and monitor their child when it comes to using social media websites. Often times, it is the ONLY way their child is communicating, and can become a problem.

So don’t let it consume you!!! Be apart of this community and tune in to the REAL (not virtual) world.

Cloudware can be amazing tool!

Sites like Google and YouTube are so commonly used. They are amazing resources that can keep you connected to the outside world. I personally use Google all the time. Google has so many applications and programs that can be used for professional or personal use. Many students are already using some of these cloudware programs which can make instruction in the classroom a little easier. Sites like screencast and snag it can also be extremely beneficial in the classroom. Teachers can now create their own videos or engage the whole classroom with creating videos to help motivate during instruction. Using these tools also helps all students become familiar with the cloudware programs that they may use outside the classroom setting.

For our assignment we had to use many of these programs to re-create a fairy tale story.

Here is our version of Jack and the Beanstalk:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsWmzQ5rSPXmyyAnyOSTd_5CyaVjwvMf2

It was really fun. I decided to take all my own pictures because I didn’t want to hassle with citing my images. I found this a little easier, and I also thought it made it more interesting. I was able to make relations using images of objects in the “outside” world.  I think that also helps students make connections, and it was cute to see that the images were not always the same throughout the story.

I can definitely see myself using many of these programs, especially when I become a teacher. I believe that bringing in a variety of resources for students can help them not only become familiar with these programs, but it also helps to keep them interested to learn. Besides the obvious fact that they are creative and helpful tools, most of them are also free which makes it all the better!

Creating Instructional Videos

Creating a video can be a lot of work. Especially for those who are uncomfortable with speaking. It took me at least 10 tries until I finally decided I was just going to accept the result. I get stumped or feel pressured at times so I add in words (like, um) when they aren’t necessary.  But of course, the end result was worth it. It was intriguing that I could create a video explaining something that I am showing you on my screen. Instead of having to relay the text or words to a person, you can use a visual with words, expression, details and easy navigation that allows the other person to understand and see what is being explained. If you are unable to promote one on one instruction, this is definitely a handy tool to be able to use. I know many of the online courses I have taken thus far, have required me to make videos, so fortunately for me, I was able to navigate this time without having to teach myself.

I have so far used Jing and screen cast. Both of which are great free resources. I recommend Jing because it allows you to save all the videos you have created and it just seems easier to navigate through for me. Maybe that is because I am familiar with it.  YouTube is great for many purposes, including to store your own videos you have created.

So the website I choose was http://www.wufoo.com/. I liked this website because it allows you to create different types of forms. I think it can become useful not only for business purposes, but for educational purposes as well (online quizzes/recaps). For instance, you can create multiple choice and other types of quizzes for students. You can also have students reply with text or in written paragraph forms. English teachers could use this site to create webs or help students write and organize essays. You can also create web forms/websites and have students navigate their way through online homework assignments. There are also ways to create interactive graphs.

Here is the website video from YouTube:

Once I had the website I was going to use and the reasons to use it, I started recording my navigation and explanations. This was the portion I disliked. I can’t stand to hear myself talk, so I am constantly re-recording hoping for a better alternative. Unfortunately, I had to make way with what I recorded or I would be going at it all day. The important thing to remember when making a video is just try and relax and be normal. Speak as if you were explaining something to your grandmother. I say my grandmother because I am completely comfortable talking to her. Also, remember that mistakes are going to happen, that is also included in normalcy. Do not delete or start over again, just because you took two breaths, or you said “um” like I did every 30 seconds. If you get stuck on re-recording till perfection, take a break. It becomes un-natural and awkward and sometimes you just need a break. Also, I would recommend to record in different sections/number breaks. By that I mean, depending on the length of your video, you may want to save it in portions so you do not have to go back and record the whole thing over again.  My video was less than 4:00 minutes, but if you were recording a 15 minute lesson instruction, you should make sure you can save and continue recording from different points.

I also made a quick recap quiz to help you remember the valuable resources for this site.

Please take the time to recap of why I believe this website could be a great technological resource to use in the classroom.

https://docs.google.com/a/laverne.edu/forms/d/1fOc1SeYZ0WrIzlYBkwIh_9eAANEyt0kD16VH0Mt6Pik/edit

 

Thanks for reading!

Shift Happens

To me, there are numerous reasons to become a teacher. Having the ability to reach and help guide each child towards a positive future is probably my biggest. This video is completely relevant to the future of our economy. As I have mentioned previously in another of my blogs, teachers have first hand (besides parents, and we can’t be a parent to every child) at guiding students to a successful path. I truly value education and believe it is important, especially starting with the young. I have always said, it really doesn’t matter to me what grade level I teach (K-6) because just having the opportunity to be a part of every child is rewarding enough. Of course, the grade level definitely determines the behavior and complexity level, but that is beside the point. I think the idea is in order to become a successful teacher, they must be looking towards the future, not only of our children, but our economy. Our economy is constantly changing and we are preparing our children for things that don’t currently exist. (So they are able to create new inventions or become talented on a whole other level. Becoming a teacher, for me is to help not only my own child, but being that extra/external guidance (beyond the parent level) in assisting children towards a positive, greener, innovated future and for their lives. I believe any great teacher will be adaptable, creative, knowledgeable, fun, and interactive with the community. They would also understand the importance for guiding our children towards an unknown future. Preparing them for what is to come, or rather, what it is they make of it.

As a future teacher, I find it really frustrating the amount of value we have towards education in America. I think that Americans sometimes take advantage of free education so a lot of children or even un-supportive parents take advantage of it. Then we have third world countries that so thirsty for the knowledge and truly have interest, yet they lack resources to build up their economy. I believe that Americans tend to value business or money, or even materialistic items. My step mother just visited Norway a few months back. She mentioned that they provide a completely free education to international students. If Americans are no longer looking for factory workers, we need to support our children to “think outside the box.” Shift our way of thinking and promoting education. I am not able to change the future, although I would love to, but I am able to change my own way of thinking and possibly touch the lives of children. I can guarantee that it would make me just as proud as their mother. And if it is not enough to inspire a student, than wait till a student inspires YOU!

I think students also have something to teach us.