It has been a great year of learning! I am so glad I completed all nine challenges of the "Digital Learning Challenge." I have learned to incorporate so much technology into my teaching and even set up a classroom blog titled "Reading Rocks & Math Matters." If you'd like to view my classroom blog go to the Swift River School home page and click on "Links." This will take you to my blog.
With Title One money I was able to purchase an ELMO document camera, projector, and laptop to use in my classroom. This has been amazing! No more making charts and laminating, or writing problems on the board. Just slap up the page and zoom in as much as you want. Write on the paper or write on your white board. Want to show a video about hurricanes before reading a story? Just hook up your laptop to the projector and show the video right on your white board. I used my laptop and projector to introduce Reading Street vocabulary, to show videos, and to practice math skills with fun games.
I learned how to make a Voki of myself to introduce a lesson and our Book Swap, and then had my fourth grade students make a Voki to tell us about the invention they researched. I learned how to put my photographs to music using Animoto. I learned how to make a Podcast using Garage Band, of my first grade students reading a Reader's Theater script. I learned how to use Wordle to make word clouds after reading all about whales. These are just a few of my technology highlights.
My final thoughts are...if it wasn't for this challenge, I wouldn't have found all these cool ways to incorporate technology into my teaching. Technology Rocks!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
DLC #9 Creating a Podcast Using Garage Band and iPhoto
Creating a Podcast Using GarageBand and iPhoto
&
Uploading it to My Classroom Blog as Video
Standard 18: Dramatic Reading and Performance
Students will plan and present dramatic readings, recitations, and performances that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience and purpose.
Standard 27: Media Production
Students will design and create coherent media productions (audio, video, television, multimedia, Internet, emerging technologies) with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium.
Step 1:
First grade students will rehearse a Reader's Theater of the poem "Metamorphosis."
Step 2:
Students will draw illustrations to go along with the poem, showing the different stages.
Step 3:
Using GarageBand, choose Podcast (new project) to record Reader's Theater. Break the poem into small sections and record each section as a new project. (I used "Creating a Podcast with GarageBand '09" handout given during the school year to help.) Once you have recorded each section, save the file in GarageBand.
Step 4:
Take the completed illustrations and scan them into iPhoto so that they can be added to the final Podcast.
Step 5:
Using GarageBand, choose Podcast (new project) and name it for the final project. Next, select the Podcast Track at the top of the window. Then, click the Media Browser button at the right corner of the GarageBand window. Click the Photos tab at the top of the Media Browser and scroll down until you find Photos. Once clicked, you will find the photos you scanned into iPhoto.
Step 6:
Drag the photos onto the Podcast Track in the order in which they appear in the Reader's Theater. Then click the Audio tab at the top of the Media Browser and you will see each separate Podcast of the Reader's Theater. Drag each audio segment to the proper illustration, leaving a little extra audio time on the final audio piece to prevent a quick cut-off. Each audio track will be longer than the photo, so drag the gray section of the photo to the end of each audio segment. Once all audio segments have been added, match up all photo and audio segments end to end so that they will play continuous. Rewind Podcast and hit play to preview.
Step 7:
When Podcast is finished, save the Podcast to your desktop. Remove .m4a and add .mov to the end of your file name. You will also need to delete .m4a in the file name. This saves it as a movie.
Step 8:
Go to YouTube and click the Upload tab at the top of the screen. Then click Upload Video in yellow and you will be able to select your saved Podcast from your desktop. Make sure you select "Private" under the Privacy Settings below. It takes a few minutes for the video to be uploaded to YouTube. Then your video is ready to share.
***If you have a classroom blog, Step 9 will tell how to upload the video to your blog.
Step 9:
Sign in to Blogger and click on your blog. Go to New Post, give it a title, write a little description, and then click Upload Video. You can upload your video right from YouTube and place it on your blog to share with others.
Reflection:
During the year I had experimented using a Podcast to record some of my students while reading for fluency. They enjoyed this activity. I decided to have a small group of first grade students do a Reader's Theater of the poem "Metamorphosis." I have never made a video before using my own audio and illustrations. I have only uploaded photographs to Animoto and then put them to music.
It took several days to complete the finished project. My first grade students enjoyed recording the audio and completing the illustrations for this poem. They were excited to see their completed Podcast and to share it with the rest of their classmates. The technology teacher's input was helpful in guiding me through the process from start to finish. I can't wait to try another! Next time I may use KidPix for the illustrations because that is an application I have not used very much.
If you'd like to view my blog visit the Swift River School home page and click "Links."
You will find my blog titled "Reading Rocks & Math Matters."
If you'd like to view my blog visit the Swift River School home page and click "Links."
You will find my blog titled "Reading Rocks & Math Matters."
Monday, March 14, 2011
Voicethread DLC #8
I did it! First, I used Photobooth to snap a phot of myself and then I uploaded it to Voicethread as my identity. Then, I made a comment to the question about advice for new teachers. Very easy! More new learning!
DLC #8
Challenge #8
I created an account at Animoto and created a music video with pictures and sound. I have always wondered how people do this and it was so easy!! I can create 30 second videos for free and for a small price per month, longer ones. Then I can share these videos with family and friends. I definitely will make another. At school, I can see this being used to highlight special projects, field trips, the science fair, the MCBA party, etc. Very cool! Is this how Christine puts her videos together on the Swift River School page?
Next, I read about a Prezi and that sounded helpful for presentations. Sometimes presentations can be so boring. It lets you use ideas, video, and images to tell your story. You can also zoom in and out. It's all done on a huge white board, without slides. Something I may try in the future.
I also watched a video on "Wikis in Plain English". Now I understand what a wiki is and how it makes more sense to set up a wiki instead of sending emails because you can edit, write, and save. I liked the example of the camping trip and it was easy to edit, write, and save so that the campers had everything they needed for their trip. Is this similar to google docs that we looked at earlier on in the challenge?
Lastly, I viewed Voicethread and will get back to you soon and let you know how that went as soon as I complete it. Challenge #8 almost complete. Yahoo! Don't forget to check out my video from Animoto.
Next, I read about a Prezi and that sounded helpful for presentations. Sometimes presentations can be so boring. It lets you use ideas, video, and images to tell your story. You can also zoom in and out. It's all done on a huge white board, without slides. Something I may try in the future.
I also watched a video on "Wikis in Plain English". Now I understand what a wiki is and how it makes more sense to set up a wiki instead of sending emails because you can edit, write, and save. I liked the example of the camping trip and it was easy to edit, write, and save so that the campers had everything they needed for their trip. Is this similar to google docs that we looked at earlier on in the challenge?
Lastly, I viewed Voicethread and will get back to you soon and let you know how that went as soon as I complete it. Challenge #8 almost complete. Yahoo! Don't forget to check out my video from Animoto.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
DLC #6 Thoughts About the Challenge & Job Alike
At first I was unable to post a comment, but then realized that I probably had to be signed in to Blogger and that was the case. So far I have enjoyed the Digital Literacy Challenge! I have been introduced to so much technology that I had no idea existed. It's been fun creating the word cloud, setting up my blog, creating a music station, and creating a google document together as a staff. I have also enjoyed exploring podcasts and videos to enhance my lessons.
The January 5th Job Alike at Erving was okay. I signed up for Petting Zoo and did have the chance to try out the ipod touch and ipad. I had never used an ipod touch before, and it took me a few minutes to learn how to navigate. Yikes! I better get with it! I felt like an idiot for a few moments. Trudy and I tried a little recording, but had some questions about how to use that specific camcorder, because it was different than the one I own. I also checked out another type of document camera, but it was very fuzzy. It was not an ELMO, and was very difficult to focus. I guess I would have loved a little more modeling before sending us off. Even if we had a brief explanantion at two stations and then had time to explore. Then move to two more stations, get an explanation, and then try out. For myself, and not having much prior knowledge of the items, it was kind of frustrating. I actually want to learn how to create a link to a Title I page that I would like to create in the future and how to make a power point presentation.
The January 5th Job Alike at Erving was okay. I signed up for Petting Zoo and did have the chance to try out the ipod touch and ipad. I had never used an ipod touch before, and it took me a few minutes to learn how to navigate. Yikes! I better get with it! I felt like an idiot for a few moments. Trudy and I tried a little recording, but had some questions about how to use that specific camcorder, because it was different than the one I own. I also checked out another type of document camera, but it was very fuzzy. It was not an ELMO, and was very difficult to focus. I guess I would have loved a little more modeling before sending us off. Even if we had a brief explanantion at two stations and then had time to explore. Then move to two more stations, get an explanation, and then try out. For myself, and not having much prior knowledge of the items, it was kind of frustrating. I actually want to learn how to create a link to a Title I page that I would like to create in the future and how to make a power point presentation.
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