Week 4-Practical Experience with Garage Band (Post #3)

Tried to loop on this one, but just had to record continuously

As mentioned in Post #2, I wanted to learn a bit more about loops in Garage Band.  As I opened it up, I never realized that there is a separate component of Garage Band specifically for loops.  I was a bit upset that as I clicked on loops, most were not available and needed to be downloaded.  I was a bit apprehensive because I did not know that if I would be charged for downloading it.  It is not really what I thought it was, so now I want to go into putting effects into my tracks.  How do others put echos and scary sounds in their music?  Is it like inserting sound in iMovie?  There is a part on the track header that will allow me to add effects.  They have the female voice one, so that will help me sound more natural on my recordings.

Week 4-Practical Experience with Garage Band (Post #2)

Mixing via apple.com

One thing I would like to learn in Garage Band is to mix and loop tracks.  I know it can be done, and if I want to repeat a sound, it would be much easier and more consistent...and professional!  First, about mixing.  From researching online, and playing with Garage Band with tracks I already had, I learned how to look for if a track is clipping, and how to moderate the single and master tracks to prevent clipping.  It is very important to look at the volume monitor, where there are green and red colors.  If it gets to the red color, the track or whole set will clip and the volume and quality will be compromised.  Not everything on the loud setting would suffice for professional work.  As I record now, I will monitor track levels and adjust accordingly.

Week 4-Practical Experience with Garage Band (Post #1)

My first experience with Garage Band

My only experience with Garage Band is with making podcasts.  I was so scared to use this tool initially!  I had to play with it for a second, because unbeknown  to me, the top portion is the part that I needed to work with, especially formatting it in the correct voice.  I didn't know how to cut audio so I would re-record over and over again until I had it perfect in one take.  This was very frustrating, so I started to conduct research.

Week 3-Practical Experience with iMovie

iMovie is one of those programs that has been on my Mac for years and I never really opened it.  I saw it as something that video people and the like would use.  I'm not one of those people, until now.  I have found using iMovie very easy to use as I have gotten better and better as the Full Sail program has progressed.  There are still some things that I would like to learn, especially if I would like to use it for my Action Research project.

First, what I have learned in the last couple of months.  I know how to record video into iMovie.  This was my first experience with it.  I also learned how to cut video and audio, add effects, and do voice over.  As someone who has never used it before June 2010, I'm getting pretty good.

Now, to what I would like to learn further.  I would like how to cut my video and audio with more precision.  I know that iMovie is not Final Cut Pro, but it is still an Apple product.  If you have been around any Apple product for some time, they are at a higher caliber and make it seem like your projects are on the professional level.  That's what I love about them and iMovie is just facilitating that idea even further.  I would also like to use green screen and step it up on my effects.  I would love for my movies to move from amateur to professional grade.  

Week 3-Practical Experience with Flash

Adobe Flash tutorial from howcast.com via YouTube

As I installed the Adobe Suite the first couple of days of having my new Mac, I was so excited to preview all of the programs.  Some of them I have used in my undergraduate studies, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, and others I use almost every day, like Acrobat.  

One program I would like to learn about is Flash.  I've heard about it, but really don't know much about it.  As I opened the program on my computer, I see some templates that remind me of Illustrator.  I open up the Advertising template and chose a size to work with.  It opens up and then I'm stuck...don't know where to go afterwards!  So, I looked on the learn section which led to the Adobe website.  I guess that I am a visual learner because all of that text was overwhelming!

So I finally went on YouTube, my answer and best friend in life.  I saw a video that explained how to create a simple animation with a blue box.  Then I realized what Flash is.  Flash is the component to websites that allows pictures to move, or animate.  Then I watched a video on how to create a Flash website.  It was a step-by-step process that seems pretty easy.  I will just have to sit down one day and play with it and see what happens.  I will also go onto Lynda.com and see what tutorials they have on Flash.  It seems like a very interesting program and I would love to gain more knowledge about it.

 

Week 3-Practical Experience with Google Docs

My Google Doc page...a little Full Sail & high school work!

I tend to find and create documents for school at home sometimes. For me to get it to and from school, my flash drive has been my best friend. But sometimes that best friend is lost, or taken by my 13 month old, and never found again! This is why I started using Google Docs. I love that I will never have a conversion problem because I am using a Mac at home and a PC at school. Also, I don't have to worry about losing my important documents again.

I would love to incorporate Google Docs in my action research.  I think that it will be a great tool for my students.  The only problem is that it is blocked by my school district.  It would be a great way for my classes to collaborate and to share items with one another.

As far as proficiency, I am good at basic creation, uploading, and sharing a doc, but that is about it.  I had no idea that you are able to create surveys, forms and draw on a Google Doc.  That is what I want to learn more about.  In TMD class, we created a survey from there and I thought that it was so cool!  With the templates and help section, it was definitely easy.  I know that I only scratched the surface though and want to learn more.  I know that on Lynda.com, there are tutorials on Google Docs, so I will be looking into that very soon.

Reading

BP11_OMM_SweetSearch

BP10_Comment to Jason

Follow this link to my comment on Jason's blog.

Jason Peglow's blog on Prezi

What a great idea Prezi is! It is cutting edge, professional, and out of the norm for us "common folk". It is a great way to bring attention to information in videos and as you pointed out, our common place Powepoints and Keynote presentations. Yet again, another great Web 2.0 tool to incorporate with my Action Research.

BP9_Comment to Leland

Follow this link to my comment on Leland's blog.

Leland Kreigh's blog post on Wallwisher

Instead of creating real sticky notes, doing virtual ones on Wallwisher are more "green". This is an excellent idea for virtual learning to encompass sharing amongst the learners. This can be another Web 2.0 tool I can place on my website for Action Research.

BP8_Sweet Search

A snapshot of Sweet Search

My Web 2.0 for this week is Sweet Search. It is a site where your students can safely search online through filters.  Instead of watching over your students during research on Google, Yahoo, or other search engines, Sweet Search watches them for you.  Many of the sites have been pre-approved from other educators, media center specialists, and others in the education realm.  I like this idea.  Although my school restricts certain websites, and add more when necessary, there are always ways around them, especially if students know anything about proxies.

There are also different versions of Sweet Search, such as SweetSearch2Day, a site where students can learn something new every day.  SweetSites has grade level appropriate and subject related searches. SweetSearch4Me is SweetSearch's engine for emerging, or new users to the internet, as you can bookmark sites and link to your Facebook and other networking sites.  SweetSearch Biographies profiles over 1000 important people, such as entertainers, explorers, and philanthropists.  Most likely, I would use the latter site in general because in Social Studies, we are constantly learning about important people in history.  I rather students use this site instead of "looking on Google" as they say or on Wikipedia, where the information may not be legitimate.  I would use SweetSearch for my Action Research project by linking it to my site, so then my students will know and understand that this is the site that I would like for them to start their research at. 

This site is not a new idea, as there are other search engines that block or limit content, but SweetSearch is able to find the most relevant results from a list of credible resources.  It also makes it easier for students to find primary sources, such as pictures, letters, and other historical items.

BP7_OMM_Quizlet

BP6_Comment to Dena

Follow this link to my comment on Dena's blog.

Dena's blog

From Dena Moncrief's blog, I liked her Web 2.0 Tool of choice, Schoology.  She had a great explanation of the site's uses and features.  It is basically a way for teachers, student, parents, and administrators to connect and interact with one another in a user-friendly environment.  I would like to use this tool on my website for my Action Research Project.

BP5_Comment to Everett

Follow this link to my comments on Everett's blog.

Everett's blog

Everett Jones has posted on his blog site about his subscriptions of Google Reader.  I like his suggestions posted to the site, but one that I did not personally do in my Google Reader was for the White House.  As a U.S. History teacher, I think that this site will be beneficial to me as well.  I can keep my students informed about President Obama, his cabinet, and the entire government. 

BP4_Quizlet

My Quizlet page for my Social Studies class.

The Web 2.0 tool that have used and will start to use again is Quizlet.  I used it with my 7th grade Geography class 2 years ago as a study tool for vocabulary words learned in class.  They loved it!  Before the unit, I would upload all of the vocabulary.  As students finished assignments, I would allow them to log onto Quizlet to review.  There are multiple things they can do on the site.    They can learn the set of terms posted by the teacher,  test themselves, and play games.  There is also a feature where they can interact and chat with one another.  Any user of Quizlet can use other sets posted by users, so you do not always need to create new ones.  I would like to use this with my high schoolers and place it on my website for my Action Research project. 

Reading

BP_Diigo Group

My Diigo Group page...in process!

For my Diigo group page, I have started some research in regards to my Action Research Project.  I have found some useful items via Diigo, such as a Web2.0 group.  Many of the followers of this group are in the education field, and contributed to the site with what they have found online to be useful.  

One of these sites are documentarywire.com.  This site allows its users to watch documentaries for free online.  As a history teacher, I can use this website in my classroom as a follow-up to lessons from class.  There are documentaries of the Nazis, the African Slave trade, and even about Hurricane Katrina.  I have always found that video lessons have been enjoyable to most students and we are able to have meaningful discussions afterwards.  This website will be a great tool to have. 

As far as Diigo in general, it is alright.  I think that by bookmarking my websites on a web browser, like Safari or Firefox, that I would be more apt to use them than Diigo.  I do like the sense of sharing these links with others who are interested, but again, I can do that from Facebook or similar websites.

BP2_iGoogle Screen Shots

iGoogle Home Page

FSO Page

AR/CBL Page

ETC Page

Here are the screen shots from my iGoogle Page.  Setting up my PLE, or Personal Learning Environment via iGoogle was interesting.  Many of the widgets such as Google Docs, Google Reader, and Facebook are very familiar and I use on a daily basis.  I have heard of Linkedin and Flickr but never thought to use them.  These items along with Twitter and some others I will definitely need to read up and learn about.  Google has made the integration of these other sites fairly easy and have many gadget that will fit many people's needs.  I remember I used iGoogle several years ago.  I did not keep up with it, probably due to lack of knowledge.  Seeing that many of the EMDTS courses encourage us to use it, it is probably a worth while tool.  Perhaps I can use this in my classroom?  Only if they would unblock some of these sites so the students can fully utilize it...we will see!

BP1_Google Reader

My Google Reader on USHistoryBlog.com's feed.

Orlando Sentinel

I subscribed to this site because seeing that I am a Social Studies teacher living in Orlando, I like to provide the latest information to my students.  I do not always have the time to sit and watch a newscast or read a newspaper, so this is the most convenient way to stay connected to my community.

Free Technology for Teachers
I like this blog as it infuses teaching with the latest technology.  One of the latest blogs on the site deals with alternatives to YouTube.  I believe YouTube is a useful technology tool but is blocked in many school districts, including mine.  As a teacher, I believe it is important to find engaging, meaningful activities for our students, and I think that this site provides information that will prepare myself for such activities.

iLearn Technology
This is another site that encourages technology integration in the classroom.  I chose this one because, again, I want to find as much information as possible on the topic. The site gives you ideas on building lessons with your students the old way, such as word sorts, and integrating technology tools with it, such as pictures and links to related sites.  This site will be especially helpful to myself because I can use my old paper and pencil lessons, and implement similar technology-based lessons.

The Modern Historian  
This site will help further my knowledge of history and have talking points with my students.  Each day the site provides a snippet of what happened that day in history.  My students and myself can discover these nuggets daily in out reader without hesitation. 

US History Blog

This site is similar to the Modern Historian site, but also provides lesson plans and Twitter updates on history.  I subscribed to the site not just because of these ideas, but for the categories the site provides on the left navigation panel.  It is quick and easy to use in this manner, and makes impromptu discussions with students easy to have.  I have subscribed to this site due to its content in History.