Image Editing

Classroom Uses:
As a teacher I would use image editing to enhance a geometry lesson.  In 5th grade math one of the Common Core Standards is, "classifying two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties."  When I used Photoshop to create my animated gif I noticed that you were able to easily create a number of two dimensional figures.  I would create an animation that demonstrated the hierarchy of the two dimensional figures. As I was teaching my lessons on this particular standard I would be able to show the animation to my students.  It would be a great tool for visual learners. I could also have the students demonstrate their knowledge of classifying two-dimensional figures by constructing their own model of hierarchy.

Issues to Consider:
The first issue that comes to mind with creating an animated gif is the level of difficulty.  I watched countless tutorials and spent hours making my gif.  I think that expecting elementary students to be able to create an animated gif would be a large task to take on.  Also, Photoshop is expensive and with the degree of difficulty and time it takes to learn the software I'm not sure if it would be the best use of money in the classroom. 

Infographic

Assignment Title: Inforgraphic

Uses in the classroom:
I think that inforgraphic's could be used in the school setting to provide important information to students.  At my school every morning we have morning announcements.  During that time the classroom is usually chaotic and most of the students miss the announcements.  The announcements always contain important information about upcoming school events.  We always have students asking about activities, and clubs (etc.).  I think it would be so great to create infographics for these types of events and have them posted in the classroom and around the school.  The infographics could be created to have the most important information stand out so that students can easily find the information.

I created my inforgraphic based on a mnemonic device that I use for active listening.  I like how bright and simple the inforgraphic is.  I think it is a great tool for our visual learners.  In the future I will create infographics for the mnemonic devices we us in math and put them up around the classroom. 

Inforgraphic's could also be a great way for students to display information or data they have collected.  For example, in my science class the students have planted a variety of seeds in different types of soil.  They  are measuring their plants growth and recording it daily.  At the end of this experiment students could create a inforgraphic to present their data to the class.

Issues to consider:
One of the issues that came to mind while I was creating my inforgraphic was the access to a color printer.  The color in the inforgraphic is a very important part of the visual.  At the school I currently teach at I do not have access to a color printer I would need to use my home printer.  Another issue that I came across was I liked so many of the templates but the majority of them were only available if I upgraded my membership by paying.  I could also see this being a complicated tasks for students to complete and I think they would need a lot of practice and guidance before they could create one independently.


Copyright:
I used easel.ly.com to create my inforgraphic

Instructional Video

Assignment Title:  Instructional Video

Uses in the classroom:
Instructional videos can be used to enhance and support classroom instruction in many different ways.  As I was creating my instructional video I was thinking about my students who often miss class time and instruction because of their severe emotional impairments. I could support these students by having them watch the video in a safe, quiet environment and they could also access the video at home.  The students would then be able to demonstrate their knowledge by completing a set of problems on the topic the video covered.    An instructional video is also a great way to get information out to students who have been absent.  They can still be held responsible for learning a skill/topic without the teacher having to re-teach.

I also think that instructional videos could be created by students to teach their parents about new skills they are learning.  So often we hear parents saying that they are unable to help their child with the math homework because the math curriculum and standards are so different these days.  By creating an instructional video the students are applying and demonstrating their knowledge.  The teacher could then use the video as an assessment tool to track student understanding.

Issues to consider:
The first issue that comes to my mind is the accuracy of the information in the video.  When creating a video you need to be presenting factual and accurate information to your audience.  There are so many videos out there and teachers need to be very careful when making a selection.   I think that you must watch the video the whole way through before you choose to show it to students.  The other issue that I encountered while creating my video was the pacing.  I struggled with adding my narration and making sure it didn't go into other slides or leave huge gaps in my video.  I think that if you want to hold the students attention you need to be very mindful of the pace of your video.


Copyright:
Created with Windows Movie Maker
Doceri App to create chalkboard drawing
Keep Calm and Divide Decimals image was created on www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk
Audience Applause Sound Effect www.soundjay.com

Screencast

Assignment Title: Screencast

Uses in the classroom:
When thinking about ways to use a screencast in the classroom the first thing that comes to my mind is using it for parents.  This school year during open house I was introducing a number of different technologies that students could use at home to their parents.  As I looked around the room I saw blank faces and several parents whispering to each other.  Specifically, I was speaking about our class Wiki and a website that students could use to practice math.  I could tell that I was speaking a foreign language to most of the room.  A screencast would be such a powerful tool to share with parents so that they could better understand what their child is doing in the classroom and support them at home. 

While I was creating my screencast I was also thinking back to a recent Power Point project my students had completed.  The whole week I was running around the classroom like a crazy person trying to teach the whole class how to add special effects ect. to their presentation.  It would of been so much easier to create a screencast that demonstrated all of the thing you can do in Power Point to enhance a presentation.  My students could of watched a screencast and then applied their knowledge to their presentation.

Issues to consider:
I have to be honest and say that this was a very frustrating task for me.  I had a hard time finding a web based screencast that would work on my computer and the software that I downloaded was too complicated for a beginner.  I am also a perfectionist and I found myself getting very annoyed with all of my mistakes.  I think it is very important to have a well thought out plan and script before you record your screencast.  This is something that I would stress to my students and I think I would have them turn in a plan and script before I allowed them to record. 

Copyright:
Microsoft Office Word
Co-Writer computer software is licensed to Farmington Public Schools (district I work in)

Digital Storytelling

Assignment Title: Digital Storytelling
Uses in the classroom:  I used digital storytelling software to create a social story video.  As a special education teacher I work with a number of students who have Autism.  Many children with Autism are very sensitive to loud noise and disruptions in their usual schedule.  I have had students in the past who are terrified of fire drills and their reaction is to scream and sometimes run.  We often use social stories to prepare our students for these events.  In the past I have always just typed up a word document and inserted pictures.  I loved using digital storytelling to create a social story.  I think digital story telling software allows the teacher to really tailor the video to a specific student. If I was to create one for a particular student I could add music that I know calms them and use actual pictures. 

I could also see myself using digital storytelling in the classroom for personal narratives.  So many students are reluctant writers and giving them the option of creating a digital story would really differentiate the task and meet a variety of needs.  With the new Common Core standards students are expected to master speaking and presenting.  As a teacher I am always looking for ways to cover as many standards as I can with one assignment.  By using digital storytelling students are writing, presenting and speaking.

Issues to consider:  The biggest issue that comes to mind is making sure that students are following the copyright laws.  I myself found it difficult to find pictures and music that were licensed under Creative Commons.  For myself the other issue to consider with a project like this is the access to technology at my school.  Creating a digital story is a large task and without enough computers it could take a very long time to complete.

Copyright:
Video created using  Photo Story 3 for Windows
Pictures-Microsoft Office 2013 Clip art 
Music-"Peace of Mind" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/