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.

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

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. 

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.