Virtual Class Meetings

I am not completely on one side or the other when it comes to virtual class meetings. I prefer face-to face classes for several reasons. First, you can collaborate in person with other people. Second, since this is a technology class, I particularly like live classes because it is nice to actually watch someone walk you through a program or software. Live classes are just more authentic to me. Plus, I've met fabulous people and have learned so much form each and every one. However, I have learned as much through our discussions, bookmarks, blogs, etc. It is just nice to put a face with a name, I guess.

As far as virtual meetings, it is a nice break from the drive to class and the strict 5-8pm hours of class. That is also a double-edged sword because I tend to find other things to do and not devote the entire class time to the class (I think I just told on myself). I find myself cooking supper, taking the dog out, then getting online for class. By that time, I am behind because people have been chatting and trying things for an hour. Then I rush and feel terrible. I really am not a slacker! It is good that there are tutorials and other links available to walk you through programs and sites that are new to you. Exploring on my own forces me to take ownership for my learning and try things I may have never tried had it not been assigned. I am grateful for that!

My Voki

I created my voki tonight, but it took forever. This is so cute, though. Kids would go crazy getting to create their own little character. I hope the link works.



Get a Voki now!

WOW! Look at What I Can Do!

I can't believe the semester is about to end. It has been a great class, a challenge, but a good one. I think we all need challenges to keep life interesting. The new technology skills I've acquired will hopefully make me a better teacher. I am already using some of them with my students and hope to incorporate even more next year. Technology is not as scary as I once thought, just a different and modern way to approach and enrich instruction in the classroom.

Gabcast...Tried and True! It worked-Finally!

I think it works now. Crystal and I tried yet again without fail this time. We are so excited. We took our kids into the computer lab and they got a chance to go back onto Gabcast, search for the title and listen to to their Reader's Theater individually. They were just as excited as we were. I can honestly say I will definitely use this a lot now that I know how to use it. I have so many ideas for what to use it for: kids following along with books I've recorded to build fluency, book reviews, interviews, class discussions, and so much more. I love Podcasting!



Gabcast! "Pet Care Kids" #1

Podcasting

Today, Crystal and I tried to do a Reader's Theater podcast with our kids and it didn't work, but we will try again on Wednesday. However, I decided to take everyone's advice and use Gabcast to do a podcast. I recorded a story as a podcast, so I hope you enjoy it. Hope the link works.

Gabcast! Lisa Heffner #1

Digital Project

I completed my digital project using Jumpcut and it was fairly easy. I had a few problems when I started adding my audio files to it, but with a little assistance I finally finished. Basically, I took a children's book and added the scanned pages and uploaded them to jumpcut. Then I recorded my voice reading each page and added that to it as well. The only problem with jumpcut is that you can only add one sound file, so I wasn't able to add my background sounds to my project. I was a little disappointed, so I would like to try the same book using Moviemaker. I can see using this for repeated readings in a listening center or whole group. I think kids would enjoy making a project like this too, but I would want to master it myself first. I think I need a little more practice. Please check out the link below to view my movie.

http://www.jumpcut.com/view/?id=6E7C192C09C411DD9F3E000423CEF682

Wow! Wikis are easy!

I have finally learned about wikis. I had never heard of them until this class, but now I sure do know what they are AND how to create one! It was an easy task, but I think I still prefer blogs. I don't like the fact that people can change you comments or add something that may not be true. However, the feature that allows them to be private is a good thing. Some things I like about wikis is that they are continually updated, and the time and date is not as relevant. They are more of a collaborative writing, which would be good for teachers and students. I think it would be great to give students a group work research topic and then have them each add the information that they find. Building upon each other's knowledge makes for good modeling.

Check out my wiki that is linked below.

http://zeno.ced.appstate.edu/wikis/RE5532/index.php/Social_Bookmarking

Tutorials: Tricky But Too Cool!

I really liked making my tutorial once I got the hang of it. My husband is quite impressed and wants to do one now. Although I got frustrated with trying to make one at first with Jing, I just decided to do it the easy (but effective and still good) way. I created my tutorial on a Word document and I used printscreen to show what the user's screen should look like with each step. I feel like my tutorial is more geared towards adults or middle to high school students. I look forward to seeing what others have done with their tutorials and if Jing worked for them. If time wasn't an issue in my position, I think it would be neat for students to do a "how-to" tutorial, maybe with a partner. Then let fellow classmates try to follow the tutorial. It could be something as simple as how to make cupcakes to something more difficult like how to build a treehouse. I have linked my tutorial on the left hand side of my blog under "assignments"; please feel free to check it out.

Unsure About Social Networking

I am officially a member of two, yes 2, social networking sites now. However, I am not totally convinced about the educational implications in regards to using them with my students. After reading about MySpace, Facebook, and Ning, I feel a little more comfortable with Ning since it is more used by educators. I like the fact that your profile can be public or private and administrators can sensor the content that their students let others view. Additionally, the fact that Ning doesn't require a lot of personal information to get started makes it more attractive to me. I personally can't see using it with my students mainly because I don't have my own classroom. I work with small groups for 30-45 minutes at a time, with those groups constantly changing and sometimes being cancelled without notice. I also don't think parents would be keen on the idea of their child using a social networking site without their constant supervision, like when they're at school. That being said, I absolutely think its a great idea to communicate with students using other media tools that are available. For example, I really want to try Gaggle, although time will still be an issue. I'll let you know how my students feel about it. In the meantime, my Ning address is : lheffner.ning.com and you can also find me on Facebook under the Appalachian network.

Digital Book

I finished my digital book, Seeing the World with Different Eyes. I had fun making it and my students had a great time helping with pictures and recording the text. I would like do this again, but this time let my students compose a book by themselves. I know it would take some time, but it would be worth it to see the joy it would bring to their educational experiences. Usually, just going to the computer lab makes them excited.
Putting this book together was not a chore and I will definitely do it again. I am actually working on a prent brochure that I am going to make digital. Then I will post it on our schools website so parents can view it at their convenince. Click on the link to the left under "My Assignments" if you would like to see my book. It is short and sweet. Hope you enjoy it!

Webquests

I just finished creating my very first webquest. It is a great feeling to accomplish a new technology task (well, it's new to me). I had fun doing it and it wasn't as difficult as I thought. I usually freak out about trying new technologies, but then I'm grateful to have tried, because I ultimately succeed. I showed our librarian as well as others in my school. They were excited to see it and will hopefully find it useful. I would like to try another one soon, but I will probaly not use Zunal. It is quite boring to look back at it. You basically add a picture and type in your text. There's nothing really creative or exciting about the appearance of the webquests created through that site. However, for a first timer, like myself, it was just what I needed, SUPPORT! Check my webquest out if you have time.

http://zunal.com/webquest.php?user=7647

Social Bookmarking

I have enjoyed setting up my delicious accout for social bookmarks. It will be useful to me because I always have trouble remembering where I found certain teaching ideas or resources. Check the link below out if you want to view my bookmarks. Also, take a peek at my tutorial on social bookmarking if you want to set up your own! Look to the left under "assignments" for that link.

http://del.icio.us/lheffner

My kids are an "Inspiration"

Wow! These kids are amazing. This is just one example of how quickly our kids caught on to using Inspiration 7. Crystal and I combined our reading groups and had them read a book and create a character map using Inspiration 7. They did a great job and had a blast. They showed me things I didn't know yet and weren't afraid to click on different icons. I am so proud of them!

My Baby!

Since we are suppose to add a picture, I thought I'd share a photo of my baby, my very sleepy baby!

Springdoo does work!!!!!

I have encountered lots of trouble with Springdoo this week, mostly just getting into it. I finally got it working and made a couple of videos. I feel like I know so much more just in the last 3 weeks of class. I hope my videos come through okay and I wish everyone else luck with it too. I LOVE my webcam though. It is ironic that my husband and I were going to get one anyway after Christmas. Almost everyone in his family has one and since none of them live close, it just makes sense.

I hope the link to my video from here will work, try it!

http://www.Springdoo.com/M1FBF6FB42FDC02F22

Technology KWL

This was easy and actually kind of fun. I have played around with Inspiration and I have decided to definitely use this more often. So far, so good!