Assignment Title: Multimedia Glog
Uses in the Classroom: A glog could be useful in the classroom for a teacher to display content for a unit that the students can interact with. This could be presented at the beginning of a unit to get the students interested in the topics they are going to learn.
At the conclusion of the unit the students could be required to create their own glog to summarize what they have learned over the course of the unit.
Issues to Consider: One issue upfront is that a paid membership is required for teachers to create items for use in their classroom and manage their students. This can be an issue for some schools as funding is very tight.
Another issue is it is all web based software and the students must have access to the internet to use the software. Also, if the teacher can't pay of a membership and uses the free public version some of the media on the website may not be appropriate for the age of students you are working with.
Copyright: Graphics were provided by Glogster for free. Images and video are original works of the owner. Paper - Yoon, S. A., & Wang, J. (2014). Making the invisible visible in science museums through augmented reality devices. TechTrends, 58(1), 49-55. Retrieved from http://0-download.springer.com.catalog.lib.cmich.edu/static/pdf/290/art%253A10.1007%252Fs11528-013-0720-7.pdf?auth66=1394569557_bcc828a3f2c24490b14cd5cff305d97a&ext=.pdf
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Mind Mapping
Assignment Title: Mind Mapping
Uses in the Classroom: Mind mapping can be used by both the teacher and students. From the standpoint of the teacher, mind mapping can be a significant tool for guiding classroom learning. A teacher can create a mind map as a tool to guide students through a lesson. The mind map developed by the teacher can be provided to students as a handout.
For students the mind map can be a tool to help them summarize what they have learned into a quick reference guide. After completing a unit a student could be tasked with developing a mind map to demonstrate their understanding of the topics and concepts and present their map to fellow students.
Issues to Consider: The biggest hurdle to creating an effective mind map is the large number of sources that would need to be used to find all the appropriate material. Once all of the material is located, it can be hard to keep track of those resources and make sure they are cited properly. In the example above I used a total of 6 references. The more in depth the concept the more sources that will be needed.
Another factor to consider is that to make an effective mind map most of the sources would need to be electronic. So students must be given the appropriate amount of time in school to complete the assignment because not all students have access to the internet at home.
Copyright: Bernstein, A. (2008, July 28). Carl M. Brashear; diver persevered after amputation. Retrieved from Carl Brashear.Org website: http://www.carlbrashear.org/carlbrashear.html; (n.d.). Nassco launches the newest auxiliary dry cargo ship, USNS CARL BRASHEAR. Retrieved from Carl Brashear.Org website: http://www.carlbrashear.org/usnscarlbrashear.html; (n.d.). Kentucky map collection. website: http://geology.com/state-map/kentucky.shtml; (n.d.). Virginia map collection. website: http://geology.com/state-map/virginia.shtmlhttp://geology.com/state-map/kentucky.shtml; (2014, March 1). United states navy. website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy; (2013, October 2). Master diver (united states navy). website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Diver_%28United_States_Navy%29
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Image Editing
Assignment Title: Image Editing
Uses in the Classroom: Image editing has several uses in the classroom; especially in a graphic design class. In graphic design image editing is a primary topic to discuss and as the students learn new concepts, the teacher can assign several projects to ensure the student understands the material and can apply it through synthesis of new images.
The teacher would guide students through understanding the image editing software's key functions. Then the students would be given an assignment where they would take an image and apply various tools to create a new image. This could be as basic as simple color correction to advanced animation and integration with other products.
Issues to Consider: A major aspect of image editing is the software needed for image editing and the computers needed to run the software. Most image editing software is a very expensive investment for school districts. Also, image editing resource intensive on computers, so a computer that can run the software efficiently is also an expensive investment for a school district.
For the same reasons that listed above it can't be expected that students would have access to the software or computer hardware at home to perform assignments as homework. Assignments in image editing should only be given to students if the teacher has the time to allow students to complete them in class.
Copyright: Hall, D. (2014, February 22). website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonhouse/12723766465/
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Infographic
Assignment Title: Infographic
Uses in the Classroom: Infographics could be very useful in the classroom. They could be used by the teacher as a quick introduction to a lesson to get the students interested in the topic they are preparing to learn.
They could also be used by students to summarize their research work. The could be given a research assignment and upon completing their research they would create an infographic to present their findings to the class.
Issues to Consider: Many of the programs to create infographics are web-based and contain many examples of other peoples work. Some of the examples provided may not be appropriate for the age of students you are working with. If you are using this in the classroom you must be able to closely monitor your students to ensure they don't access any inappropriate material.
Also, since not every student has internet access from home this is an assignment that would need to be completed at school and assigned as homework.
Copyright: (n.d.). Active shooter/mass casualty incidents. Retrieved from The Federal Bureau of Investigation website: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cirg/active-shooter-and-mass-casualty-incidents
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Instructional video
Uses in the Classroom: Instructional videos can be very helpful in the classroom. One very useful area is to create a video library where students can go if they need help with a task that they've been assigned. The teacher can create instructional videos to help the students refresh their memories to stay on task and complete their assignments.
Another use for instruction videos is provide students with learning disabilities another venue to learn the subject material. They may not be able to keep up with the class if material is only presented in the standard lecture format. But videos that they can view at their own pace can help keep them on track.
Issues to Consider: Videos can also be a source of distraction for some students. In the example of the scenario provided above where a teacher creates a video library for the students to use when they are stuck on a project can end up being a means for a student to abuse and play with to keep from working on an assignment.
Instructional videos are very good at helping students who are visual/auditory learners. If your class has very few of these types of students these videos are most likely going to of very little help to the majority of the class.
Copyright: All media are original and developed by the owner.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Photostory
Uses in the Classroom: Photostories can be used in a variety of ways within the classroom. One use would be as a project itself. You can create a project in which students must tell a story through photographs, music, words and other media. This is fairly straightforward and should be easy for students to grasp.
Another option would be to have students use a photostory as a digital work log for other projects in class. They would need to take pictures of the project they are working on and at the end of the assignment take all of their photos and detail the goal of the project and explain how they completed the project. With a discussion on their method of problem solving throughout the project.
Issues to Consider: When working with technology like this you must consider your students. One issue is that video editing software can demand a lot of resources from a computer. Some of your students may not have access to computers outside of school that are capable of running video editing software.
Another issue to consider is that based on personal beliefs some students aren't allowed to use computers or record themselves in a digital means. If that's the case you will need to find other ways for your students to complete the intent of the assignment.
Copyright: All media are original and developed by the owner.
Screencasting
Uses in the Classroom: Screencasting can be a useful tool in the classroom when trying to teach students how to use computer software that they may not have any previous experience with. Software today can be very difficult to learn how to use due to the large number of options and features software programs have. Take for example if you're a graphic arts teacher introducing students to Adobe Photoshop. That program has enormous potential for design work. But the sheer number options can overwhelm students. But creating screencasts you can lead students through the assignment and help keep them on track.
Another use would be to use the videos students create of work they have done to help them determine where they made errors. You can review the videos of them working on computers to make sure the followed the correct procedures.
Issues to Consider: As with any software the are pros and cons to weigh. The are free versions of screencasting software available to use. But some of the free versions lack the functionality of software you have to pay for. You need to determine how you intend to use the software to decide if the free version will fit your needs.
Another item to consider is that video recording and editing are very demanding on computer resources. So make sure that the computers you have in your classroom will handle the stresses that the software will place on the system.
Copyright: Video made demonstrating the use of Microsoft Outlook 2013.
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