Photo Story3...The Rough Side

Ok here is my rough draft!  I haven't gotten to the point of adding voice to it quite yet but I was able to add some background music.  I decided to use Photo Story3 because I have been reading a lot of blogs in the last few weeks where people seem to really enjoy this tool and find it very user friendly, and I have to agree. 

I have to say I did not run into any problems (so far  any way) where I came to screeching halt.  I liked the easiness there was with moving back and forth between images, and with adding words to the actual pictures, and also having the option to prepare my script for when I do add my voice.

I still plan to add some more images because I would like to have at least two minutes of footage as an introduction to students so they know what to expect as they move through the admissions process at Goodwin College.  I welcome any feedback as this is my first time making something on Photo Story3.

Oh one thing I did fumble with was adding the video to my blog.  I got an error message twice, so I tried saving the file as a Windows Media Player file so I could add it to my blog.  I played around with it and I am not quite sure what I did, but it worked.  I just hope I can figure it out again when I am ready to add my final draft!

Digital Storytelling

The Digital Story examples were very helpful especially because I have never created one of my own before.  It was great to be able to see the many ways that it could be put together, and really each of them had something brought something different to the table.  Many of the examples were done using Photo Story3 and the feedback from each blog I visited helped me to decided that this was also the program I wanted to explore with creating my first digital story.

I really enjoyed how each video transitioned so smoothly.  I have to admit I am a little nervous about creating one because I have never put my voice to anything!  I liked Rubi's  story because it showed her actions while the video was taking place, and in Megan's story she talked about herself and her hobbies but it was more like a slide show with different transitions going along with her voice.  Both versions are very cool, and I really enjoyed them both.  I think Photo Story will be a great place for me to get started with it being my first time creating something like this.  Have any of you used Photo Story3 before?  Do you know of any challenges I may run into trying to get my project going?

Twitter

I have always heard of Twitter, and have even seen hash tags floating around Facebook posts, but just never explored it myself.  Before taking this course I had no desire to check Twitter out, and I was so busy trying to catch up with all the changes being made on Facebook.  Well in class the other night I created a Twitter account and with some guidance saw how this Social Media website can be used in an educational way.

I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the amount of information I could have access to by doing a simple search.  The content embedded within each individual post was pretty cool.  I can definitely see how educators use this tool to their advantage.  They are able to tap into new ideas and tips for their class rooms in the matter of a few minutes.

I definitely plan to familiarize myself with Twitter a little more now that I know of its capabilities! How are you guys using Twitter right now?  More for personal or professional?

Blog on Iowa!

 

I enjoyed reading through the Iowa blog posts, because with most of them you are able to see the student’s personality show right through especially if they happened to be passionate about the topic.  Giving students another outlet in which they are able to express themselves through writing is awesome.  They will more than likely be eager to complete class assignments because it wouldn’t seem so tasking in the form of a blog.  Of course not every assignment can be done by way of a blog, but giving student the option to write in this type of format on a variety of assignments can let them explore different writing styles and techniques. 

Principle Miller's blog post says it the best!  He breaks down all the benefits of introducing blogging to students, and I think it is awesome that he is introducing it to students in his school as early as second grade!  Because blogging is being utilized more in the classroom I think messages like Principle Miller help to put parents at ease if they are ever uncertain if their child should participate in such assignments.  He does a great job of talking about the safety, and benefits students and teachers will gain from such opportunities.  If your child's principle encouraged blogging in your child's school would you support his efforts??

 

 

Literacy ≥ Technology

Is Literacy greater than, or equal to Technology? 

I personally cannot pick one or the other especially having learned so much about how technology can go hand in hand with literacy. I am now a strong believer that one can help to support the other after having taken my last class and having been in this class that last few weeks.  Literacy is a huge part of education and the current tools used to have children learn and comprehend can only be enhanced by the technologies that are constantly being  produced.

Though I am not an educator not I think for the teacher who is not completely comfortable with using technology in the classroom the key may be in really finding the tool that is a good fit for them, and their classrooms needs.  Once they discover that tool and begin taking some time to familiarize themselves with they can being to introduce it to their classroom.  Blogging is a great example because teachers can use it in many ways to get their students to write and still maintain the safety of the students when doing these activities.  The student and the teacher will begin to see the benefits in carrying out blogging exercises in the classroom and you can review some of the benefits of using blogging by clicking here