Wrapping Up

You know, I came into this class thinking I wouldn't have too much to learn, but actually a lot of the tools we've been working with have been completely new to me.
I especially enjoyed seeing how multimedia can be integrated into a lesson, like with the IWB and Flipcharts.
I think the most fun thing was definitely creating the movie, although it was the thing I was least satisfied with-- a lot of room for artistic improvement, anyway!
I'm genuinely happy I took this class and I hope I'll stick with it in terms of using these tools with my students, for the sake of their technological literacy as well as my own...

This optimistic crocodile mirrors my own feelings.

movie making

So, lately I've been working on a movie project. I decided to do one about America's national parks since I thought it would be perfect for a visual medium. All in all, I'm having a lot of fun with the project, although to be honest, I feel like my particular movie is turning out a lot more crudely hewn than I imagined. But, since it's something I actually enjoy, hopefully I will get super skilled at it and then churn out Scorsese-level masterpieces.


The only actually stressful thing about it is that, for some reason, the movie making software makes my computer do this:

So I'll see how that goes.

One of the best lessons of this project is something that isn't really specific to technology but kind of a huge deal for me: things are so much easier if you take some time to plan them out first! Going to work on being more prepared in general.

Flipchart

I really enjoyed using the flipchart for the interactive white board once I got the hang of it. I am not sure if it is something I would use for every lesson, but if I could get more in the groove of it and make them faster, it's definitely something that's a lot more engaging than a powerpoint, and a great way to incorporate multimedia into a whiteboard.

Interactive White Boards

The reading about interactive white boards was kind of funny to me, but made sense. Most teachers aren't utilizing the IWBs because they haven't been trained in how to use them. I'm having flashbacks to the ordeals my grade school teachers went through to make a VHS work.
I doubt it will ever make like, a massive difference in student achievement, but I think it can make class more engaging and make incorporating different multimedia elements more seamless for the teacher.
This is the first area of the class where I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and no frame of reference, so I'm a little nervous, but it's also one of the parts of class I'm most eager to learn! Hoping it goes well.

Baby's first technology class

Going into this class, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not completely inept when it comes to technology, but some of the specific tools and techniques we are using are new to me, so there still is a bit of a learning curve. I feel bad whenever I don't get something immediately, but the pace of the course has been comfortable for me to experiment and try new things and still be able to fix it before it's due. I think it has been a really long time since I was in a "skill" vs. discussion/analysis type class so this is a novel experience for me, one that I am trying to make the most of.

Digital Images

Picasa is a great online images tool for many reasons, including its great layout, organization and ease of use, but let's be honest: the main benefit in using it is its integration into the rest of the google apps. You can easily access your photos stored there when working within any other google product, like Blogger, Google Docs or presentations. That alone makes it a winner. Seeing as most image store utilities do their assigned function reasonably well, this is reason enough to choose Picasa. I'll definitely use it in the future.

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are amazing and fun activities for the classroom. The main thing I love about them is how they are a continuation of inquiry-driven activities, but more open-ended. They not only give a student a chance to learn how to best use resources, but allow them more freedom of choice in choosing what to discover and explore. I really liked doing the activity with the camera, because I got to physically move and search and it was really exciting, but I also liked the online scavenger hunt, because of the autonomy I had in choosing what I was interested in.