Glogster

The Learner is a Computer Processor Glog

The Learner is a Computer Processor: text, images, music, video | Glogster EDU - 21st century multimedia tool for educators, teachers and students

With my partner, Lorena I completed a Glog on cognitive theory. We had a good working relationship and it all worked out well. It is good to work with someone that has a strong work ethic and is detail oriented. I know she will never read this post but regardless I wish to thank her for making this experience very enjoyable.

PhotoPeach

After working on both Animoto and PhotoPeach, I prefer the latter. Students have more options for editing the video. They can add captions, insert slides with information and create fun quizzes. Students can create great presentations easily and can express lots of originality and creativity.

Panama Canal Dec. 11, 2009

Panama Canal Dec. 11, 2009
Animoto is an easy to use site that allows the user to create digital videos of personal images of other media content. You can make free 30 second videos or upgrade to a pay account that has more video possibilities. The user can upload their own music or purchase samples from the site. This is a great tool that would motivate students to create entertaining presentations for class. Since the length of the videos is brief, this task could be done easily in the confines of the classroom.

Wallwisher

Wallwisher  is an Internet application that allows people to express their thoughts on a common topic easily on a "wall". A wall is basically the 'web page' where people actually post messages. It is easy to post a comment and attach links to your message. I could utilize Wallwisher to collect ideas for  class projects and lesson plans. These ideas could be gathered individually or in groups. It could be utilized to share resources on class activities and gain feedback after completing such lessons. Finally, I think Wallwisher could be used as a "Thank you" wall so students and teacher can acknowledge the hard work of  fellow classmates.

Glogster

OMG this was such a fun activity. I used it as a practice tool for my team assignment due soon. Additionally, I was able to brainstorm ideas for my final project on the Panama Canal. The site is easy to maneuver once you get used to the strange set up for the pasting of files. Upon completing this activity I realized why educators are so excited about this learning tool. It is easy to use, it allows for lots of creativity and it can be informative as well as entertaining. As a future teacher I would certainly use Glogster. As mentioned in class web page, the fact that you do not have to use ink or glue is awesome.

Wordle

I spent a couple of hours studying, practicing and creating my Wordle. This is a great site to use with no registration requirements. The words I used are the people, sites, landmarks, political and cultural characteristics of Latin America. Students could use Wordle to create themes and characters from a book, as thank-yous for teachers and loved ones and as vocabulary enhancement skills. As a teacher I could use Wordle to demonstrate class rules, class concepts and information review.

Motivator Poster

The motivator assignment was easy to complete because I read the material and already had the message I wanted to convey. The most challenging part was finding a copyright free photo on Pics4learning.com.Once I located the image I was able to create the poster.


This would be a great activity for students as long as they are guided to use copyright photos. Young people today assume that because an image is on the internet it is acceptable to utilize its content. As a teacher it is my role to steer them in the right direction. Motivational posters could be used to get students to promote diversity in the classroom. It could also be a nice way for students to express their feelings to loved ones.

RSS Feeds

Adding RSS feeds to a blog or a home page is a great time saving device. With the click of a button you can go right to the blog or website you wish to read. It is a great way to keep you up to date on news, events and people. It was also great fun to create a Webpage Aggregator that could be used as my homepage. I used netvibes and created my own content and design. Both of these challenges were fun and easy navigate.

Only2Clicks and Widgets Challenge

Only2Clicks is a great source to combine your favorite or most visited websites in one place. Once you read the tutorials is is extremely easy to use. As an educator, using this site will  assist students in locating accurate resources and learning tools on the web. It can be updated based on the composition and content of the class. After you assign the page an URL it can be accessed by anyone. However, only the creator of the site can edit its content. From a professional and personal perspective it is a great way to organize your life.
Please check out my choices.
Widgets are just as easy and fun to research. Google blogger alone has hundreds of them. These two challenges kept me entertained for hours.

Education Cuts

Watching and reading about all the cuts in education I wonder if I am still in the right career path. Most people know that I have always loved training and development. Loosing my job at Crate taught me that education is what I enjoyed most about that job. Preparing others for success in life is very important. Why is education being threatened all over the states. Wisconsin's teachers are under fire by legislatures that want to cut their benefits and right to collective bargaining. Other Midwest states are trying to do the same thing. In Florida Rick Scott has proposed huge cuts to education.
At my age, 46, I am uncertain about my job prospects after graduation.I have lots of questions and no answers. All I know is that I am staying on the path but will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.

The Past Couple of Weeks

This class has been very challenging the past couple of weeks. I have realized that being a digital immigrant has its limitations. I have been working very hard on all the assignments but feel I am taking longer to complete them  than is necessary. It makes me wonder how other students can wait to the last minute to complete the assignments. If I did not plan ahead I would not be able to complete all my work. I realize this is what it means to be an educator in the 21st century, but I look forward to the day I can do it all with ease and competence.
Creating the wiki site has been the most difficult of all the assignments. It is not just coming up with ideas for the pages but also filling them with content. I think I have done a good job filling my wiki with topics about Latin America. This is such a huge subject that I tried to put enough content to make each page interesting. Just like all wikis, more content is added as the semester progresses. I look forward to updating and adding more content in the future. As I finish this post I realize that college is supposed to challenge and motivate you. This class and others I am taking are doing just that.

I keep thinking about spring break in a couple of weeks; Ft Lauderdale here I come.
Till next time.
RAFE

ToonDoo Challenge

This week I had to create a ToonDoo strip for my classroom. I decided to do a strip about the use of social media in the classroom. Since I eventually wish  to teach college level students, this would be an appropriate topic.At first I was a bit confused on how to use the website. After lots of trial and error it became very easy to use.
I can see using this site to illustrate rules and guidelines at the start of every class year or semester.  ToonDoo could be used to create fun presentations for the classroom wiki or newsletter. Students could use it to create brief presentations on current events.
Any way you use it, the possibilities for creativity are endless.

Group Activity

Last week was my first Group Activity. I was a bit hesitant due to my previous frustrations with groups in the past. I was expecting commitment and tardiness issues from some members of the group. Much to my surprise this did not occur. Initially two group members responded quickly to my first communication and the work process was in motion. The three of us made every effort to gain the involvement of  the two other members. It was not till the end of the week that one of them communicated with us. This team member jumped on the bandwagon and completed her part amicably.We worked well as a team and respected each other's schedule and time frames. In the end we were able to submit a good presentation.

As for me,  I worked on my need to be in control. I was able to trust my team members and knew that everyone was committed to the project. This new mindset freed me to enjoy the process. I was able to enjoy the interaction with my team members as well as focus on creating a great presentation.

I look forward to working with these people in the future.  

The process continues....

RAFE

Podcasts

This week I was assigned to work on creating a podcast. My first reaction was why would I want to record my self; and who would want to listen. Upon reading all the materials I realized how effective podcasts can be in educating students. As a teacher,  you can record class lectures, complementary materials such as videos, and group discussions. Podcasts can also be used to motivate students to create their podcasts on current class topics.
Being an avid traveler,  I realized I could utilize podcasts to document my trials and tribulations. I currently use  Facebook to post comments and pictures. However, the added use of a podcast could help me recall my experiences more fondly.
And the journey continues....
RAFE

Profile Picture

This is a photo taken at Machu Picchu, Peru,(http://sacredsites.com/americas/peru/machu_picchu.html) in Dec of 2009. It was a dream come true to be able to  experience this wondrous place and country. The people of the Cuzco region were very friendly and  a lot of them spoke English. In the past twenty years the region has become a huge tourist destination. I hope you take the time to follow the link and learn a little bit more about this beautiful and enchanting part of the world.
 As I mentioned in my profile I love to travel. I look forward to sharing more photos of places that have great history and cultural significance.

Creating a Voki

Voki is a free service that allows you to createpersonalized speaking avatars and use them on your blog, profile, and in email messages. (Voki.com) Now that you know what they are; I can tell you how it could be beneficial in the teaching career. 


1. Students and educators can use them to introduce projects and assignment on social medias and blogs. 
2. Can be used to create greeting messages for loved ones and special occasions. 
3. Are a fun tool to use to get students excited about subjects such as, science, math and history. 
4. They can be used as a tool to introduce team members in a group assignment. Allows for individuality within the   group environment. 
5. Allows teachers to send personal greetings and words of encouragement to students that might be sick or did great on a test. 


I would have never known anything about this site if not for my EME2040 class. As I was completing this project I felt like a kid back in art school. It was a refreshing change from all the reading in all my classes this semester.


I look forward to the other challenges ahead this semester. 

Blogs I liked

A enjoyed reading the blog 'Principle Page" by Michale Smith. Mr. Smith uses charts and graphs and great visuals to illustrate his points. He also does not hesitate to give his viewpoints with section on questions and answers. I also liked "Kindel's Classroom" . This blog also has great visuals and interactive components such as the gingerbread houses judging post. The author utilized the blog to post information about the midterm review. This is exactly what an educator should do to assist their students succeed.  

More to come.

The Beginning

As a digital immigrant I look forward to using this blog to chronicle my successes and challenges at UCF. There are so many new technologies that I need to learn  and in time use in my profession. Just like my future students , a blog is a good tool to share my personal and professional experiences about  technology with others. The interaction with other individuals and the potential to gain insight from them is very exciting. After reading some of the sample blogs it is my view that the most effective use for a blog is to have a collaborative relationship with your fellow students or peers. The blog should motivate students to do further research on a topic of interest to others in the class. The blog should also allow the parents to see the what their children are learning. Parents should also have the opportunity to add to the discussions in class with insight from their own past education and professional experiences.
I look forward to continuing the dialog...