My first attempt at video...

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Check out this link...

This is a great example of what technology, music and social justice can be when all put together....and created in a Manitoba classroom! Very impressive!
http://oddfellow-music.blogspot.com/2010/04/listen-song-mosaic.html#comments

Class 12

Wow...where has the time gone? I can't believe we have come to the end of this course already? I'm actually kind of sad about that? I mean, I don't need another paper to write, but I will miss learning the various apps and discussing them with Glen and the rest of the group. This has offered me a tremendous opportunity to really dig in and play with all of these apps in a non-threatening environment. I truly am the best advocate for the course, because I have been singing it's praises to all of my colleagues. Despite this being a tech course, the knowledge is being perpetuated, the old fashioned way in discussions and conversations with other educators as well as through email, twitter, blogs and wikis. I do see myself utilizing the apps I have been exposed to, and plan to utilize my wiki in my professional life next year. I am a writer at heart though, and I am even contemplating a blog in my personal life. Thanks again everyone....it's been great! Have a wonderful summer! h

Monday, June 14, 2010

Class 11

It seems like this is the point in the course that everyone is scrambling trying to get everything done. Couple that with the typical year-end panic at school, and I think I am not alone in feeling just a bit overwhelmed.
I think I have completed all of the assignments, but I do want to go back now and play with them to become more comfortable. I need to keep using them because it is so easy to forget!
I have pretty much completed my paper. I mostly just have some editing to do. I did write it in Google Docs, and didn't realize there was a template for APA papers in Google Docs. Unfortunately, I didn't find the reference page very user friendly though, and the template indicated that it was not very easy to manipulate. I then went back and uploaded my references back into my original google doc that I had been sharing with Glen. Perhaps if I had originally started working in the template, it might have been easier? I do find it awkward when working in google docs, because it is just one long running document, and not broke into pages until you print it. I also miss some of the functions that I am used to using in a MS office document, but I am persevering. Maybe there are more functions in google docs that I just haven't found yet! Next class, Wednesday night I think is our final one. Where did the time go?

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Class Ten

Well, it seems that I do a lot of my work on this course in the middle of the night, however, perhaps it's quicker to get work uploaded! I was not able to make class tonight, but with some difficulty have gotten my video created. I had thought I would do a simple one in Movie maker, however, since my video cam is an external one, movie maker had some issues with that. I then thought I would use my son's camera to record my own video, but after getting the software loaded on my machine, it would not recognize the camera! Apparently my son knew this was an issue....forgot to tell Mom!!! So, that camera needs to go back I guess. So my third attempt was borrowing a flip camera from one of the schools. I did piece together a rather shaky video and put it together in Movie maker, but then had some more issues converting the Mpeg files to AVI....finally complete and uploaded to Teacher Tube!!! I am waiting for Teacher Tube to approve the video and then I will link it to my blog.
Yikes, I like technology, and I was getting pretty frustrated, so no wonder those educators that are a little hesitant get very frustrated with technology when it doesn't want to cooperate! Oh well, video done, check, next stop, Wiki!