Week Twelve- WebQuests

WebQuests are a great tool to engage your students in an interactive online experience that usually tagets a real life question or situation that allows students to connect to the activity on a level that is deeper than merely solving a problem.

This week we explored some online resources for creating your very first WebQuest:
http://questgarden.com/
http://webquest.org/

We also took a virtual look through some previously created WebQuests, such as this one, " Modern Museum of Romanticism."

Dr. Lux created a template using Google Sites for you to use in developing your WebQuest.

Login  to your Google Account.
Select "Sites" and "Create" to begin creating your new Google Site.

Next, select "Browse the gallery for more" and search for "MSU EDU370". Make sure you type it exactly as it is in this post.

Once you have the template selected, follow the on screen prompts to continue to create your new webquest Google Site.

Once you have successfully created your site, follow and replace the information in the the template with your content. Upon completion of your WebQuest, please email the link to both your lecture and lab instructors as well as composing a new post in your blog describing the project and providing the link.

Here is a link to tutorials on editing a Google Site:
http://www.google.com/support/sites/?hl=en

Your WebQuests are due at the end of lab during week 13- Dec. 1.

Good Luck!

Week Eleven

This week we tried our hands at podcasting using two of three tools. We explored Vocaroo, Podomatic, and ipadio as simple, yet unique podcasting tools that are available free to teachers.

Vocaroo is a very simple tool that does not require an account to use. Simply push the record button, allow the program to access your computer, and begin your podcast. When finished, click the stop button. You can preview your podcast before you save it. You can also copy and paste the embed code into a blog or website to easily share your podcast.

Podomatic is another good resource for easily creating podcasts. To use podomatic, you will need to create an account. Podomatic allows you to create a simple podcast or upload files to create the podcast. It comes with a pretty robust online editor as well.

iPadio is the third podcasting tool that we will be exploring today. iPadio allows users who have signed up for an account to create a podcast feed where new podcasts are added to the users feed automatically. Users can, like Podomatic, upload files to create podcasts, and unique to iPadio, users can also create a new podcast simply by calling a designated phone number on their phones and recording the podcast via phone. A great feature that adds a great deal of flexibility.

Your task this week is to record a one minute podcast simulating a classroom scenario. Use two of the three tools and embed the final products from both podcasts into your blog...

Happy podcasting!

Week Nine

Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute, Day by Day
http://goo.gl/lhr1P


This week we had a classroom discussion on the importance of assessment and began to explore some tools that could be used in the classroom environment to assist with gathering data.


Resources:


http://4teachers.org/
Rubistar- online rubric maker, Quistar, PBL Checklist


http://sites.google.com
Electronic Portfolios using Google Sites


http://docs.google.com
Google Docs and Forms created for assessment and data collection/analysis
(don't forget about Flubaroo in the script gallery!)


Mobile Assessment/Learning Tools:


http://www.polleverywhere.com/

http://classparrot.com/

https://studyboost.com/

http://www.mobiode.com/

http://textthemob.com/

http://www.scvngr.com/

Week Eight

Presentation of your Digital Stories...

Week Seven

This week was spend perfecting your digital story.

A few resources that we used this week:

http://zamzar.com/
A great resource for converting files and downloading YouTube videos.

http://saveyoutube.com/
Another method of saving a YouTube video to the desktop of your computer. Type the word "kick" in front of the YouTube URL. This will take you directly to the download options.

http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
Download Jing onto your computer for an easy to use tool that allows you to capture and record directly from your desktop.

Week Six

This week you will be working on your digital stories, submitting your paper story board, and developing your conceptual analysis.


Here are a few resources to help you along your way:
iMovie Tutorials:

Get Started

• iMovie '11: Import video
• iMovie '11: Start a new project
• iMovie '11: Add video to your project
• iMovie '11: Enhance your project
• iMovie '11: Create a trailer
• iMovie '11: Share your movie
• iMovie '11: Organize your video

Other resources that may help you on your way:

http://www.storycenter.org

1. Point of View            

• What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?

2. A Dramatic Question  

• A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.

3. Emotional Content            

• Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the story to the audience.

4.  Your Voice            

• A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.

5. The Power Music           

• Music or other sounds that support and embellish the storyline.

6. Economy            

• Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.

7. Pacing            

• The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

Find Media

• Pictures/Images

• Google Image Search
• Picsearch Image Search
• Alta Vista Image Search
• Flikr Creative Commons Photos
• Morgue File Images (not what you think!)
• Wikimedia Commons Images
• Behold
• PicLits
• 4FreePhotos
• Veezzle
• Ookaboo

• Audio

• PodSafeAudio
• FreeMusicArchives
• Sound Bible
• The Free Sound Project
• Royalty Free Music
• Jamendo

Have fun!

Week Five- Introduction to Digital Story Telling

Track One Students be looking for an email in D2L advising you of your placement. Be sure to check this email often...

Track Two Students should be getting started on the research phase of your project/mini teach lessons.

Diigo is a great tool to keep track of online resources. Diigo allows you to take personal notes and highlight text information on web pages just as you would on a piece of paper.  You can then bookmark and save this information for further review, while adding tags to keep everything organized.  In bookmarking this information, you can also choose to share with colleagues and friends to allow them to access the web page, view your notes and highlights, and add their own annotations.  All of this information is also saved online and can be accessed by any computer or browser, including cell phones with browsing capabilities. (http://www.rcgov.org/pdfs/Library/Diigo_Description.pdf)

This week we discussed the form and methodology of creating an engaging digital story. We looked into using such online tools as Voicethread and Glogster as potential tools to create our digital story.

Other Resources:
Searching Google using "Advanced Options"

Creative Commons Image Search

Jamendo is a good resource for audio/music files. All music on Jamendo is free to download and licensed through one of several Creative Commons licenses or the Free Art License, making it legal to copy and share, as well as to modify and make commercial use of for some, depending on the license.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamendo)

Week Two- Setting Up a Blogger Account

If you haven't done so already, you need to make sure you have selected your track for the lab section of this course. Please visit http://goo.gl/x9Rbj and complete the form to reserve your position in the respective track.

If you have signed up for TRACK #1, please complete your background check/fingerprinting as soon as possible.

You will need a Google account for access to many tools in lab. To sign up for an account, please follow the steps below:

A Google Account will give you access to a variety of Google products, including Docs, Calendar, Blogger, YouTube and many more. To create a Google Account, follow these steps:

1. Visit the account creation page.
2. Enter your current email address. (not your MSU account)
3. Choose a password. Read our tips on choosing a smart password
4. Verify your email address by clicking the link in the email sent to your inbox.
   When creating an account, please keep these guidelines in mind:
   
   
   • Don't re-use your password on other sites across the web. Learn more about choosing a smart password.
   • Creating a Google Account doesn't automatically give you Gmail. However, you can sign up for Gmail by visiting the Gmail homepage and clicking the Sign up for Gmail link under the sign-in box. If you're interested in learning more about Gmail, please visit the About Gmail page.

Google Docs:




Blogger:

Week Four-Create and Collaborate

This week we will explore a few online tools:

1. Google Maps
2. Google Earth
3. Google Lit Trips
4. Google SketchUp
5. Google Sites
6. Google Picasa
7. Picnik
8. Google ArtProject
9. Diigo

You will be placed in groups to research/evaluate each tool.

In your group you will then use this template to create a presentation that you and your group members will work collaboratively to complete.

You and your group will present your findings to your peers.

Copyright and Fair Use

http://copyrightconfusion.wikispaces.com/

Copyright Confusion

Week One- Starting Off Slowly

This week's lab was our first meeting in Reid 425. We had an extended discussion about our Track #1 and Track #2 options.

Remember that Track #1 will require you to visit schools on Tuesday's and Thursday's to assist with an after school program that we have labeled "Tech Club and Keyboarding". You will be asked to visit your assigned school four times throughout the course of the semester. Upon doing so, you will be working with elementary students from 3:30-4:30PM. Upon completion of your time in schools, you will be asked to provide group presentations reflecting upon your field experiences.

Track #2 is labeled the "Mini-Teach" project. Students will peer select groups who will then work on a group research project which will culminate with the group teaching their classmates how to use the technology integrated into a content rich lesson. These groups will also be asked to develop a Wiki to store and share resources that are aligned with their research project.

We explored the anatomy of a Google search and compared search results from various search engines. We discussed how searches are conducted and what to look for to validate informatio

n that is found on web searches. We used the following sites as examples

of web pages that contain information that may not be valid:

• Martin Luther King
• Male Pregnancy
• Northwest Tree Octopus

We used a simple method of reviewing online information:

5 A’s

1. Authority
1. does the author have credentials to be an expert on this information
2. Authorship
1. how is this written...slant, grammer, basic writing
3. Accuracy
1. information true, relevant, and up to date...
2. can you find sources that are real and relevant
4. Appropriateness
1. age and development appropriate
5. Accessibility
1. content readily available.

Remember, a good website evaluation resource is available on page 15 of your lab manual.

Looking Ahead:

Next week we will begin exploring some of the free Google tools. If you have not already done so, please create your free Google account by following this link: http://goo.gl/Vov3

See you all next Thursday!