Motion Path

Motion Path is a really neat tool that allows you to animate your objects with a click on a screen of your placement. I actually explored this tool with my Labels assignment and I think it is really cool. I decided to do my slide of a race car on a track. I made the car crash off the track. I really wanted to made the car disappear, but I could not figure out how to get two different effects to work one right after the other. However, it still looks pretty cool. Also I had the car win the race and go across the checkered flag. You can view my race car here. I think this type of project is something that students could do that would be original and allow them to explore their own creativity. They could spend hours figuring out just how they want their objects to look and I believe that these tools could make for some really great products. The ISTE NETS standards covered are Creativity and Innovation, and Technology Operations and Concepts. These are the two main standards that correspond with the project because it allows me to create new ideas that are original, while also displaying my understanding of technology systems and how to use them effectively.

Labels

Well I just completed the Labels assignment and I must say that this has been quite frustrating for me. The part that was most frustrating was trying to get the PowerPoint uploaded to FTP and then figuring out the URL. Luckily, my classmates posted some awesome tips, so that helped more than they know. I decided to use labels to show the parts of a house. This assignment was beneficial, but I don't think I would do the whole assignment with a young group. It's sort of complicated. I do like that you can use PowerPoint in creative ways and make items that are different in nature for a classroom. I think that this helps you see the really important things of a picture. This project falls under the following ISTE NETS standards: Technology Operations and Concepts; Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making; and Research and Information Fluency. I had to gather information about a house in order to correctly provided information to my presentation. It took a lot of trial and error as well as being a little familiar with the tool that I was using. Overall, these are the main standards that were covered, but the others may be slightly present also. Here you can find my presentation.

Ignite Format

I just completed another PowerPoint presentation, except this time I used the Ignite format. This format consists of 20 slides that automatically transition every 15 seconds. This is supposed to keep presentations from lasting a long time. I have seen people use this format before and I think it is a really good idea. Once I completed my project I uploaded it to Slideshare. I believe that this fits the ISTE NETS Standard Creativity and Innovation because I am asked to generate new ideas and use models to make a point. Here is my presentation.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a tool provided by by Microsoft that is useful for presentations in many different fields. I created a slide show on the days of the week for a lesson that I used during my student teaching. It was designed with first grade students in mind and was based around the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This activity aligns with ISTE NETS standard Technology Operations and Concepts because it shows that students understand the system and can correctly operate the tools, which lead to an effect presentation and product. Here is my slide show. Also here is a caption of some of the slides:

Jing Screencast

I have created my Jing Screencast. I chose to continue what I was teaching through the use of Windows Movie Maker. I went through the steps and even took a short video of myself, even though I didn't really mean to, and when I viewed the video I only heard my voice and did not see my face. I have briefly used Jing in another class, and I must say that it is my favorite tool that we have used yet. I like that it's a way to take pictures and make movies without having to use different applications like with Windows. You really have a lot of control with Jing and the picture is great. Here are the answers to the learning outcomes for this assignment:

1. What file types come out of Jing? The file types that come out of Jing are a PNG for pictures and a SWF for videos.
   
2. Where might we save these files? We can save these files to our Desktop, but they can also be saved to a jump drive or any other drive your computer will allow. Where are the files stored? The files are stored to the Desktop but also in Jing's History.
   
3. How do you link to a Screen cast? Go to Jing's History button, which is located as the small middle button directly below the yellow dot, then select the screen cast and hit the Share button beside the eye. Once you have completed this you will see a small caption that says your capture has been shared and the link is ready to be copied. You need to click the underlined text and copy the link from the URL box.
   
4. How do you save and retrieve Jing objects from the History area? Once you have clicked on the History button you need to select the object and click on the eye button. Once your object is loaded you may edit and save your object by clicking on the disk button located at the bottom of the screen with the other tools.
   
5. How to import Jing objects into our blog posts? To import Jing objects you may use the Add Image button (button with a landscape picture). Once you have clicked on the button you need to browse for your image, which should be located in your desktop. As soon as your image is loaded, choose your layout and Upload your image.
   
6. What file type is a Jing screen cast? A screen cast is a SWF file type.
   
7. Can we convert the Jing objects including images and videos? I don't think so. The images can not be saved as any other type of file. However, there may be a trick that I haven't figured out yet!
   

Jing Image

Here is my Jing image. I decided to use Windows Movie Maker software. I thought I could use this image to help teach others about the first steps you take when you want to make a movie or video. I had trouble when I first started because I wasn't sure what the name of my device was, but luckily windows automatically found mine. Another thing I had trouble with was microphone volume. However, after a while I figured out that I needed to manually adjust the volume by using the drop down box that the second arrow points to. This could help other people in the future who need help getting started.

This assignment complies with the ISTE NETS standard Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making because students identify problems and questions about a situation. They also plan activities such as: what to teach, and develop a solution on how to teach it and what kinds of problems may arise. Finally, this activity allows for students to assist people in a quick and easy way.

Google Draw

Google draw is a pretty cool tool that is similar to Paint or graphics that you can use in Microsoft Word. I have used the basic tools except a Polyline. My experience with online tools is very limited which is why I was sort of scared to do this project because I am not familiar with all of Google's tools. I believe that this assignment most closely relates to the standard of Research and Information Fluency because students must go through of all the steps listed within that standard such as: make a strategy, local your tools, use the tools, evaluate your project, and report your results.

Click here to view the link to my graphic.

OR

See my graphic right here:

Self Assessment

I just completed the self assessment. This was really helpful in that it helped me know exactly where I should be and what I should be doing, while also providing support in case I didn't know how to fix a problem. I never thought about providing support for a self assessment, but it really makes sense. This activity corresponds with the ISTE NETS standard Research and Information Fluency because it evaluates tools based on the task, and it processes and reports data that was collected. I was honest in my self assessment, but must admit that I am a little intimidated about the next one...Google Draw! I will let you know how it goes.

Glogster

I have been working on my Glogster account and I am going to address some of the learning outcomes. First, what is a Glog? A Glog is a blog but is much more interactive and requires a lot of creativity. A glog uses a poster and is actually very easy to put together. How might I use a Glog in my classroom? I would use a glog in my classroom as an introduction to the school year to introduce myself and what we would be doing during the year. I would probably create other blogs on projects that would be completed, or discussion topics. This allows students to have unlimited creativity. What ISTE NETS T does the use of Glogster most likely correspond with? I believe that this tool corresponds with the Communication and Collaboration because it discusses how students can interact, communicate, and publish items with peers. While also being able to work on a team project. A problem with this tool is that I can't see the whole page until I am back on my dashboard page. I like the preview page, but I would really like to see it as a whole. Click here to view my Glog.

Self Potrait

During this assignment I had some trouble with the sizing of the objects. In order to fix this problem, I kept trying different things and I eventually found the scaling tool on the website. Also another issue I had was that I didn't feel like there were enough options for me to make a better version of myself. However, I then realized that this wasn't meant to be exact and that I could make one similar to me, just with a few differences. Click here to see the link to my portrait. And here is my beautiful picture(P.S. It took me a few minutes to realize that I had to go through the whole process of a screen capture in order to get this in here):

This assignment fits under the ISTE NETS Standard of: Creativity and Innovation because the students get to create a picture that is original and unique. Also this assignment allows students use the models provided to produce their work of expression.

Learning Styles Inventory

I must say that the learning styles inventory was very accurate when it came to my scores. I was a six in visual, aural, and kinesthetic. However, I was in ten in reading/writing. The results page said that I have a mild reading/writing preference, which is absolutely true. I am pretty well rounded when it comes to ways of learning, but reading and writing seems to usually be the easiest way for me. I think this was an excellent questionnaire! Hopefully being well rounded as a learner can help me find other ways for students who may only have one main learning preference.This activity best fits the ISTE NETS Standard: Research and Information Fluency because it locates and evaulates information collected. Information has been collected from many sources and processed to give a specific answer.

Snipping Tool

I had to do a little bit of research for this assignment. I don't have a snipping tool on my computer, so I used the print screen button to take a picture of the image that I would use to teach a lesson.
For my image I chose to take a picture of the products that I use in Google. This may show students all of the awesome tools that Google has to offer and the best part is that they are all located at one site. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making is the standard that fits this activity. This is because I had to think and explore in order to answer my questions and finish the product. I also had to use several different processes. I really like how this blog went ahead and put my image in there so that I could see exactly where the picture was going to be. Anyway, this image would probably change over time which may be a good thing to show students because I may need to add other products to my account that I use on a daily basis. Very cool!

Voice Thread

Voice Thread is a tool that can be used to communicate with people(in a variety of ways) in a video like setting. This tool can be used in any learning enterprise because if students don't have a web cam and microphone, or they don't have any media files, they can still be a part of the process, through using their phone, or the text.

I used Voice Thread to give a brief response to the video Who Am I? I decided to use the telephone option as a way to comment. I chose this option because I was really curious about how it would work and if my voice would come in clear. I was really surprised because the whole process was easy and my voice came in loud and clear! I believe that this activity most closely matches ISTE NETS T standard of Student Learning and Creativity: "Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments."

This activity could consist of both environments and inspire students to be creative with their technology even though sometimes it is scary and we don't always understand. Voice Thread is very cool and I definitely think students will love it!

Google Reader

I just had my first experience with Google Reader and I have to say that it was quick and painless. It was also very easy to do. I like that I don't have to pull up 5 different tabs to look at the updates made on a blog. The first blog I chose was I.N.K. Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. I really want to make reading a fun thing for kids to do and if I know more about books that are different from the norm, I may be able to inspire more kids who would have rather just quit. From this blog I learned about different books and received a slight review on them. This helps me to know if the book could be used in my classroom. The other blog I chose is called School Food Matters. I think that nutrition is very important and a lot of times the school food is just not as healthy as people might think. I picked this blog because I want to learn more about this topic. From this blog I learned about the things that people are doing to try to make foods more nutritious. I shared my reader documents with someone so hopefully they will respond and find them interesting. Click here to see my Google Profile.

• What is a blog syndication and how does it differ from your previous strategies for information gathering? A blog syndication is refers to making web feeds available from a site in order to provide other people with a summary of the websites recently added content. This is way different from the previous ways I gathered information in that I would have to open up multiple tabs and search for what I was looking for. Now the updates are there and easy to find.
• What does RSS stand for? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

Google Docs

I completed a resume using Google Docs and I found the whole process very complicated. I tried to publish my original resume that I had made in Microsoft Publisher, but I could not get it to work correctly. So, I just created a whole new resume in Google. I hope that I have published this right. Let me know if you can't view it.

View my resume here.

The standard that corresponds with this activity is Communication and Collaboration because I used a different type of media that was published so that my peers and future employers could view.

Internet Connection

I just completed the Internet Connection Test and I chose to do it from New York, NY. My download speed was 2.86Mbps while my upload speed was 0.73Mbps. I was reading about my results and found out that that download is a measure of how fast your connection delivers content to your computer or local area network. Upload is is the measure of how fast content is delivered from your computer or local area network to others on the Internet. I also learned that for business users your download and upload speed should match or be very close. My results were not that close, which is OK because I am not running a business. I tried the connection test from different cities but my results were consistently the same or very close. This activity fits ISTE NETS standard Technology Operations and Concepts because it involves me using applications effectively and productively while also understanding and using technology systems.