PE2_iMovie

iMovie '11 Essential Training

ScreenShot from my RILS Video

I have really learned a lot by watching the Lynda.com iMovie '11 Essential Training.  I applied what I have learned when I made my RILS video.  First, I recorded each segment using iMovie.  I placed all of the video in the new project by selecting each clip and clicking the add button from the advanced tools bar.  I did not want to appear in my video so I decided to use the "cutaway" feature to insert my photos.  I took a lot of photos and screen shots while implementing my RILS project.  I made a slideshow in iPhoto complete with background music and saved it as a movie.  Then, I imported my slideshow into iMovie.  I selected the slideshow from the events panel and dragged it to the appropriate place in the new project.  I had the advanced tools turned on so the pop menu came up automatically.  I chose the "Cutaway" option.  I did not appear on my video, however, my voice did.  Then I added blank title pages to create enough length in my video so that I could show the entire slideshow.  I inserted a title page at the beginning of the new project.  I also inserted rolling credits at the end.  I used the rolling credits before but could not figure out how to make the credits scroll more slowly.  They flew by so fast that you could barely read them.  I decided to try adding multiple clips and adding just a few words to each to see if that would slow it down.  Sure enough!  It worked!  I previewed my new project to make sure that everything worked properly.  I realized that the background music was too loud so I simply double clicked on the slideshow in the new project, then selected audio, and turned it down to about 9%.  I previewed the video again it was ready to share.  I exported my New Project and uploaded to Viddler and YouTube.  Below is my finished project.

BP8 RILS Publication

Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario

using Voki.com

Brief Overview:

1.     Target Audience: Third Graders in a Small Group Setting

2.     Materials:

·      Computers with Internet Access

·      Voice Recording Microphone (optional)

·      Paper

·      Pencils/Markers

3.     Objectives

At the end of this scenario, the learner will be able to:

·      Explain how to multiply by the assigned facts.

·      Recall multiplication facts.

·      Demonstrate understanding of multiplication facts by saying or typing the assigned facts.

·      Design a Voki presentation to show his/her knowledge of the assigned facts.

·      Create a Voki presentation to show his/her knowledge of the assigned facts.

·      Analyze his/her Voki presentation and peer Voki presentations for accuracy.

·      Evaluate his/her Voki presentation and peers’ Voki presentations.

1.     Procedure

a)     Begin by reviewing the rules for multiplying with the students.

b)    Brainstorm ideas together as a group for tips, tricks, and ideas to help students remember specific multiplication facts.

c)     Introduce premade Voki presentation for multiplying by three. http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=4386055&height=267&width=200

d)    Explain to students that they will create a Voki presentation to teach someone the assigned multiplication facts.  They will include the rule for multiplying by that number and the facts in that table.  They may also include tips, tricks, and ideas to help others learn the facts.

e)     Have students create a script for their Voki presentation.

f)     Have students work in small groups to peer critique scripts before actually creating the Voki presentations.  Students will help each other fix any mistakes or improve the message.

g)     Teacher will conference with each student before the student makes the Voki presentation.

h)    Show students how to create a Voki by choosing and customizing a character and giving the character a voice.  Students will use the text to voice feature or record their script to add voice.  Students will then choose a background.  The last step will be to click on Publish to email the Voki or get a code for sharing it.

i)      Each student will view his/her presentation to analyze and evaluate for accuracy.

j)      Students will view other Voki presentations to analyze and evaluate for accuracy.

2.     Web 2.0 Tool – www.voki.com

Voki.com is a tool that allows users to create a talking avatar presentation.  Users can use a text to voice feature or use his/her own voice in Voki presentations.

3.     Social Participation/Social Learning

Students will work in pairs or small groups where they will critique each other’s script before creating a Voki presentation.  At this time, they can make any changes to the script and fix anything that is incorrect.

4.     Making Connections

a)     Students must access prior knowledge of the multiplication facts in order to become fluent with the multiplication facts.

b)    Student will be engaged by using technology to study multiplication facts.  Students will be able to view the Voki presentations at anytime with the links that will be provided to them.  This will help them study the facts to help themselves become fluent.

c)     Students will be able to share their Voki presentations with friends and family members via email, printout listing of links, and/or class website.

5.     Assessment

Students will receive full credit if they:

·      included all assigned multiplication facts with the correct answer in the Voki presentation.

·      Worked well with their partner.

·      Gave constructive feedback about at least one other Voki presentation.

·      Evaluated their Voki presentation fairly.

6.     Reflection

a)     Students will evaluate their own Voki presentation and reflect on what they did well and what they would do better next time.  Students will also evaluate and give constructive feedback to their classmates about their Voki presentations.

b)    The instructor will look back at the process of this scenario and evaluate what went well, what could be improved if the lesson were repeated, and think about what new components they might add to this scenario next time.

BP9 RILS Links To My Comments on Educator Studio

Storybird.com

This is a ScreenShot of Amanda's RILS video.  Amanda showcased the Web 2.0 tool Storybird.com

Click here to check out my comments on Amanda's RILS Project on Educator Studio.

Podcasting in Music Class

 This is a ScreenShot of Dana's RILS Podcasting Lesson.

Click here to check out my comments on Dana's RILS Project on Educator Studio. 

BP2_Animoto

Animoto.com is a Web 2.0 tool that you can to turn your photos, video clips and  music into movie trailer type videos.   Photos and video clips can be uploaded from your computer or if you already store them online you can get them from there.  Animoto syncs with Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, and SmugMug.  Animoto has a collection of music that you can use or you can upload an mp3 file.

Click here for more info on Animoto.com.

I tried out Animoto at school to make sure that it would load up properly and was not blocked.  I have been having those problems with many of the cool Web 2.0 tools that I  have found.  Either the websites have been blocked by the district or they do not work on my ancient school computers because they are too slow.  Animoto work great.   It was easy to use and had a very small learning curve since it is so simple.  I simply chose my images, then chose my music, and finally finalized the project.  I chose some random photos that happened to be stored in my computer from few years ago.  Below is the result.  It literally only took minutes to make and it looks and sounds professional. 

 

The videos are unbranded, which means that the Animoto name will not appear in your video.  Your audience will never know how easy it was to make such professional looking products.  There are different levels of accounts.  Click here for more details on pricing.  With the free account you can create video that are up to 30 seconds and with the subscription accounts your videos do not have a time limit.  There is also an educator account available.  The cost of membership will vary depending on your needs.  The smallest package for educators is the "Class" package, which costs $99 per year.  This includes up to 50 accounts.  Up to 10% of those accounts can be teacher accounts. 

BP7 OMM

Check out my 

One Minute Message 

for 

Voki.com

PE5 – Voki

Voki.com - Becoming An Expert - Part2

I am continuing to explore Voki.  Voki is very user friendly.  There are only a few things about it that I would change.  I am still using the free version so I can only create 60 second presentations.  This should be enough time for my students to present their assigned fact.  I used the voice recording option for the first time.  It is very simple.  I don't know if my students will be able to speak clearly enough and fast enough to complete their facts in the 60 seconds.  I will have my students use the text to speech feature for my RILS assignment.  The computers in my classroom do not have microphones.  There are headsets with microphones in the computer lab, however, they are require to work on a program called SuccessMaker while they are in the lab.  The text to speech should be easier for the first attempt at making a Voki.

Click video Voki for multiplying by four.  I used the voice feature to record it.  You can also use the phone to add voice or you can upload a file.  Recording was easy but again you need to remember not to hit cancel.  Cancel makes you start over.  I will make sure the I emphasize that with my students!

Multiplying by four is fun with Lucy.

I visited the Voki blog.  That provided me with more information.  Voki classroom was launched in May 2011.  I didn't know it was that new.  I will definitely be following this blog.  It seems that the Voki people rely heavily on user feedback and make changes based on that feedback.  One issue that they resolved due to teacher feedback was that student log in names included the teacher emails, which teacher were not thrilled about.  So Voki now allows teachers to create a user name.  The user name will be part of the student ID in place of the teacher's email address.

PE4 Voki

Voki.com - Becoming An Expert - Part 1 


Multiplying by three is fun with the Voki Character Three. 

I have decided to use Voki.com for my Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenarios (RILS) assignment.  You can create talking avatars with your own voice or you can use the text to talk feature.  I think Voki will be relevant to my students because it is fun to use and can create excitement.   My students have the opportunity to create avatars while using other programs at school, however, those avatars do not talk.  I introduced my students to Voki today.  I also showed them my first creation using Voki.  They are already excited about working with Voki.  Many questions came up after I told them a little about the project that they will be doing.  The first question was: "Do they have a monkey one?"  I loved it!  Already so much interest and they haven't even begun to create their own Voki.

When you click on the tutorials it will take you to YouTube videos that users have made that show you how to use Voki.  The first video that came up was not very good but YouTube suggested a lot of other videos that were of better quality.  Here is a link to one of the best tutorials that I saw on YouTube. 

The video might be a good place to start to give students an idea of how to use Voki.  Since it is the beginning of the year, I am not sure if all my students are computer savvy.  I think that it may be helpful to create a step by step tutorial for my students to use when they make their own Voki.  Screenshots may be the best way to do this.  Below is an example of what I may use.  I would take a few more screen shots to create a simple start to finish step by step guide that I could print for the students to use as they go.

Step 1: Customize your Avatar by choosing a character, clothing, and features.  You may also change features like skin, eye and lip color by choosing the tab called "Color" in the lower left corner.  You can select the other tab that says "Tweak."  This will allow you to change the size of the features.  Click on the dice to select a random avatar.

Overall Voki is very easy to use and it seems that there are very few problems with it.  As I was creating my second project, I found some things that may create issues for the students.  If a student chooses a feature, like glasses, there is no "Undo button" to go back to remove that feature.  The classes will stay.  There are some features that include a "blank" button that will remove the feature but it doesn't appear on all features.  Another button that may cause a problem is the Cancel button.  Students may try to use that to Undo their mistake.  The Cancel button will actually cancel your new creation and all changes you made will be lost.  I also had a problem with the publishing feature.  I could copy and paste a link but the post to blog feature failed every time I tried it.

I have been using the free version of Voki.  They also offer Voki Classroom for a membership fee.  The membership fee is reasonable.  If the RILS project proves to be a success, I will purchase a membership.  There are more features on the Classroom version.  It also allows you to create student accounts.  This would be helpful because students could log in by using their own username and password and begin working without my help.

Watch for my next Voki presentation in my next blog.

BP4 Voki

 Introducing Voki.com

Click to the picture to learn more about Voki.com

You have got to check out Voki.com.  It is a very col Web 2.0 tool.  You can create animated avatar presentations with either your own voice recording or use the text to voice feature.  The program seems simply enough for my third graders to use.  I created my account and learned the basics in less than a half hour.  You can browse through Voki presentations that have already been made or you can create your own to share. Here is an example of a foreign language vowel Voki.  The site includes tutorials, lesson plans, links to the Voki blog and newsletter.   There are free individual accounts or you can pay a small membership fee so you can create student accounts. I am impressed with the quality and the amount of help options available from Voki.   There are video tutorials, blog posts, and PDF files that give you step by step instructions on using Voki.

Here is an example of a foreign language vowel Voki. The avatar in this Voki speaks the vowels so that students can hear the proper pronunciation.

Here is an example of an Animal Farm Voki.  It provides an example of how to use Voki in a literature class. 

I think Voki.com will help with student motivation and engagement.  It is fun to play with and fun to watch the Voki presentations.  Voki could be used for any subject at any grade level. I can't wait to see the excitement this brings into my classroom.  I think that I may pay the membership fee so that I can create student accounts. That seems to be the easiest way to have all students participate and for only about $30 it is a bargain.  

BP6 Link to Sahpreem King's Make Beliefs Comix Blog

Follow this link to see my comments on Sahpreem King's Make Beliefs Comix Blog. 

This is the first comic that I created.

Click HERE to create your own comic.

BP5 Link to Alison O's Schoology Blog

Follow this link to view my comments on Alison O's Blog about Schoology.

Click here to learn more about Schoology.

PE3_iMovie

I love Lynda.com.  This iMovie ’11 Essential Training was very helpful.  I found that I have already taught myself a lot by simply using iMovie.  The training was helpful to fine-tune my skills.  I will certainly be able to create better and more professional movies using what I have learned during the iMovie. 

One of my favorite features that I learned about was using the advanced toolbar.  This made it easier for me to select and add clicks without dragging them.  I could simply click on the add button and it would automatically be added to the project.  I frequently became frustrated when I selected the exact clip I wanted to add, but I didn’t drag it into the project correctly.  Then the clip I wanted was no longer selected.  I suppose this process would also be easier if I would use a mouse instead of the pad on my MacBook.  Since I haven’t invested in a mouse yet, the add button made my movie making easier. 

There are a couple of neat features that I can’t wait to try out.  One of them is the movie trailer feature.  It looks so easy.  I like that iMovie tells you exactly what you need to add in each section.  This would be neat to make a classroom movie trailer for parents to view.  I also would like to try the green and blue screen feature.  This would be great to use for a science or social studies project where the students could be “on location.”  I thought you would have to purchase a green or blue screen to be able to utilize this feature.  I was surprised to learn that any blue or green background will work and the dark and more vivid the blue or green background, the better.  At school, I think that butcher paper may work well as long as it is the brilliant blue or green.

Below you will find a screenshot of my certificate that I earned from watching the iMovie ’11 Essential Training videos.

PE1_iMovie

This is my first experience with Lynda.com.  Lynda.com is an online training tool that has a variety of tutorials for just about any technology that you can think of.  They even have a tutorial on how to use Lynda.com.  When you have completed a training, you will receive a certificate of completion.  

I am about one third of the way through watching  iMovie '11 tutorials.  I like the format of this tutorial.  The videos are broken down into short sections.  It is easy to watch as little or as much as you would like at one time.  When you go back to Lynda.com, you know where you left off.  You also have the option of making videos appear as if you haven't watched them yet . This does not have an effect on your certificates, it is just a way to make the videos that you show as un-viewed so you can go back and watch those parts again. 

I look forward to the rest of the tutorial.  I wish I had taken advantage of Lynda.com sooner.  I definitely want to watch as many tutorials as I can while I still have a valid membership. 

Some parts that stood out to me are:

• iMovie automatically saves your changes as you go so that you will not lose information if you lose power or if you encounter another problem.  This is great because you don't have to worry about saving your work often.  You can just continue to make changes.

• When uploading video, you have the option to copy the file or move the file.  This will allow you to either take it off the recording device completely or copy the file and leave it as it is on the device.

 

• I was unsure what to do in this menu when beginning a new project.  If you know the frame rate you can select it in this menu.  iMovie also may show the number of frames per second on the clip with yellow letting.

 

• The toggle button will allow you to mute the playback sounds as you are skimming.  I am very glad to know this because that noise drives me crazy.

•  You may hide the Event Library when you are finished with it by clicking the symbol in the lower left hand corner.  This would be helpful when selecting parts of your video to use because it gives you more space.

 

BP3_iGoogleScreenShots

I have set up my iGoogle homepage and tabs for my Emergent Technologies In A Collaborative Culture class.  I have used iGoogle as my homepage since we were required to set it up during month one.  I love having all my links available for me in just a few clicks.  I also like being able to get to my links on other computers just by signing in.  I was not aware that you can create other tabs.  The more I learn about iGoogle, the more I like it.  Let me know if you have any cool gadgets that you think are helpful.  Below are the screen shots of my homepage and new tabs.

iGoogle Homepage 

iGoogle FSO/CBR Tab

iGoogle ETC Tab

BP1_Welcome to my blog

Hello!  Thanks for visiting my blog.

Let me tell you a little about myself.  I am a third grade teacher and have been teaching for 7 years.  I am currently a graduate student at Full Sail University.  I am working toward my Master of Science Degree in Education Media Design and Technology.  I am in month four of an eleven month journey.   I was a bit worried about taking an all online program.  I was concerned that it wouldn't have the "social" component of traditional face to face programs.  As it turns out, I was wrong.  Even though my classmates are scattered far and wide, we do communicate frequently.  I love meeting new people.  I also like that there are people from various backgrounds in the program.  While doing my undergraduate work, it often got boring having only elementary education majors to talk to day in and day out.  I like getting the unique perspectives from those that are not in K-12 education. 

So far I have learned so much in this program!  I am creating this blog for my Emergent Technologies In A Collaborative Culture class.  I am excited to begin a new month and look forward to learning even more and getting to know my classmates better.