One of the elements we'll be covering in this session will be videoblogging.This is the ability to post more than just text to your blog, but entire videos to help support your lessons. I've shown you a few examples on our class blog this semester. One of the great things about this tool (there are many to choose from) is that every resource and skill I will be showing you can be done for free.
Here is example of a college using a vodcast (a video podcast), to help them solicit prospective students. They've posted this to YouTube so whenever a prospective student does a search for Franklin College they'll receive this video as part of their results:
You will have the ability this session to go into as much depth as your curiosity allows. There is basic, elemental information available, as well as advanced information, instruction tutorials, and text directions for you to recreate and duplicate what these models show you.
Good luck, have fun, and keep an eye on the clock.
DF
Here is example of a college using a vodcast (a video podcast), to help them solicit prospective students. They've posted this to YouTube so whenever a prospective student does a search for Franklin College they'll receive this video as part of their results:
You will have the ability this session to go into as much depth as your curiosity allows. There is basic, elemental information available, as well as advanced information, instruction tutorials, and text directions for you to recreate and duplicate what these models show you.
Good luck, have fun, and keep an eye on the clock.
DF
26 comments:
I found this session to be quite interesting and useful. I am often sent forwards which have youtube videos. I never thought much about them but was astounded by the number of videos available through the web! Most of the forwards I get are funny video clips and so I was surprised to learn that many are also educational.
I had never paid much attention to the fact that google has videos available for free viewing, never mind the fact that they have different genres! I searched through the educational videos and found one that is appropriate with something I already have a thread to on my blog. It has to do with global issues. I tried to figure out how to link it onto my blog but am a bit confused on how to go about doing so. I am not even sure it is possible to post videos on my blog due to the fact that it is through the school website and not a blog provider. I will need to check with someone from the technology department to see if this is doable.
I think it could be quite beneficial for my students to view short video clips that I provide to them through the blog. Many of my students are visual learners so the video clips could act as reinforcements to them after a lesson.
I think it is great that some schools/classrooms are using electronic devices to teach or evaluate students. In my school, like many others, electronic devices are not allowed and it would not be appreciated if students were using them in the classroom never mind during educational class time. I think before this happens in my school or any other a discussion would need to take place amongst teachers and administrators to come up with rules regarding electronic devices in the classroom and how the use of them would be appropriate. If used properly, I feel student’s personal electronic devices could promote more of an interest in learning and provide a “fun” way for them to learn since these gadgets are motivating to them.
So, I see I have some work to do. First, I need to contact the tech. department to determine if videos can be added to my blog. Second, I need to figure out how to post a video onto my blog directly (like Professor Fontaine did for us regarding Franklin College) without just providing the link. Third, I need to find the time to sit down and do all of this
Session 6 Comments
I found this session most interesting and encouraging. When I tried to enter the sites David gave us on an early slide, I found that my district blocks three (through “8e6R3000 Enterprise Filter”). I was able to visit the “AOL” and “Teachers’ Video” sites though. As I continued through the slides, I became more confident that I will be able to and be willing to post videos to my web blog. I saw how Dr. Tyson from Mabry Middle School had done so in order to facilitate and encourage communication with his parents and community which is exactly what I hope to do with my blog. The statistics about the number of people with video capable IPods and cell phones made sense. I quickly thought about how I take away those items from students every day because using them in school is against our school policy. Then, I get to David’s next slide on Lesson Plans on IPods and about how we need to encourage the use of the same in our classes. It really made me think that if we are to spread the use of these devices in classes, then we have to have a discussion about changing not only teaching and learning techniques, but also about changing the culture of the school. Please note that I initially have trouble thinking of these issues from other than my administrator’s role, one of enforcing the rules more so now than teaching in a classroom. I am committed though to the adaptation of blogs to the teaching and learning at NKHS, as they can be a valuable addition to teaching techniques and practices.
John Lalli
I agree this sessions PowerPoint was extremely informative. I didn't really get into the whole
YouTube/Google Video thing until recently. Just watching squirrels waterski or William Shatner singing wasn't that interesting to me. I was enticed by the ability to watch some old TV specials
that I long forgotten (I'm a closet David Copperfield fan, so that big hair and crazy wardrobe was that much better 15 years later). But the the technology of video clips is something I've always wanted to incorporate since the early days of MPEG.
I remember cut clips up for my sister with two VCRs long ago, then transferring video into a
computer with special "video toaster" equipment, but nowadays it's so easy to do. It's amazing
and fun because the visual experience is so visceral. Students of all ages remember the movie days of filmstrips/film reels and even more expect it today. With some many areas schools having LCD projectors and TVs in the classroom, how can avoid it. Still, I know like many of you, we have a filtering issue. My school like many others, uses RINet and their filtering system, which blogs all of these fun technologies (blogs, video streaming, podcasting, ARGH!!!) Somedays, I have to fight tooth and nail to get access to educationally appropriate resources (Internet Movie
Database for citation purposes) while other times the equipment needed is being used for slow,
text-based PowerPoints (sorry to be a bum, but I would like to argue that more sophisticated
technology should take precendence over electronic chalkboard notes).
However, I've noticed that I've been able to download many great clips and integrate them with
several great programs for interactivity. A great investment is the Camtasia Studio package
(which is pricey) but extremely powerful. Camtasia allows you to capture video from equipment or
on-screen (including streaming video). Additionally, it allows you to create narrated tracks,
interactive Flash and SCORM quizzes, and HTML driven presentations. For instance, you can have a little web page that allows users to read each slide on one-side of the screen, while an optional video plays on the other. Or, your can create an in-class video quiz, where students watch a quiz than answer the question to move on or go back and review. If you don't feel tech saavy, don't
worry, the instructions include a Wizard to walk you through all of this. I found it very engaging during my summer school experience when discussing the differences between Native Americans in North Dakota and those on the East Coast. I went so far as to include clips from Google Earth, just to show the landscape and the nearby towns.
I like the point John made about the lesson plan for Ipods, which is an extremely valuable resource for all of us. I am familiar with the incredible studio that NKHS has for film and news, and I would imagine that it would be a great resource for making this possible. Additionally, I appreciate that through grants we have access to the United Streaming video clips from PBS, which offer great enrichment or activators for lessons pertaining to a wide-variety of subjects. I hope to continue to find many other great resources that (cross your fingers) won't be blocked!
I realized that I must have skipped this lesson, way back when, and so went back to it last week. I found that I had a very emotional reaction to this slide show. Up until now, I have been in awe at all the technology out there that could be used in so many ways within the classroom. At first I thought just blogging was so amazing, but then podcasts seemed so cool, and then videoblogs were even more incredible, etc.
Initially, I found myself with my mouth hanging open on this particular slide show, but then I began to get this sick gut feeling. For example, you asked us to look at the educational site to find something that might be useful in our classroom. I found an obscure videoblog about the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. In my 5th grade, one of the reading assessment books we use is a brief summary of the day Mt. St. Helens erupted. One of the questions asks the students to describe what the mountain looked like after the volcanic eruption. The students, esp. the ESL ones, find this so hard to do, because they can't reconcile the idea of a mountain and a plateau in the same breath. However, if they could see this video after reading the article, it would make it so visually clear to them what happened.
Additionally, the clip on the video for trigonometry, with the teacher's actual handwriting going on the screen was amazing. I thought about how terrific it could be if I could individualize lessons on the computer, with mechanical illustrations, that would be at each student's level of understanding. However, I was also left with this very disturbing feeling. It is the same one that I feel every time I walk into a Stop and Shop and see the declining amount of live cashiers, and increasing number of automated lines.
I began to wonder where and when this technology will end. I thought to myself, will teachers become obsolete within the next decade? I mean if you can hear the voice, and see the handwriting and explanations, why go to school? How disheartening to think this might be the future of schools.
Anyway, I know it was weird,and all the things you presented are exciting and very useful, but that just was my reaction to this slide show.
THIS ENDS THE COMMENTS, REFLECTIONS, AND INSIGHTS OF EDC921-SUMMER '07 PARTICIPANTS.
I found this session very interesting. It is amazing what is out there. It seems like it would be a valuable tool to use with students in the classroom. I’m curious how time consuming it is? I wonder if students would take over after awhile. I can also see how it can be used as a tool for teaching students as well as students publishing work. As I’m thinking about the new graduation requirements at my school, I think it would work out great for the students’ portfolios. The students would be publishing work with technology.
I was curious about the lesson plans with Ipods. I was not able to access that site. It stated it could not be located. Did anyone else have that problem?
It definitely allows you to think of all the possibilities. This has opened my eyes to what we have available to use in the classroom.
Lisa here, Just want to share something from Curriculum Connections Fall 2007 in case anyone has thought about a Podcasting lesson (Dave take note!! and excuse any typos):
"Educators in -12 public, private and charter schools are invited to apply for a podcasting grant from Tool Factory and Olympus. To apply, teachers must submit a lesson plan demonstrating how they would use the technology in their curriculum. A 30 day trial version of Tool Factory Podcasting can be downloaded. Grants will be judged based on the effective integration of the Web 2.0 tool into the curriculum, the use of all the resources provided by the grant, the involvement of the entire class in the project, and the creativity of the project. Each winner will receive a Tool Factory Podcasting site license worth $1,000; three Olympus digital voice recorders ($600); four headsets and microphones ($40); subscriptions to Clip Art Station, Worksheet station, and Webpage Station ($400 each); and the book/CD Tool Factory's Simple Guide to Podcasting ($20). The Deadline is December 30, 2007; four winners will be chosen. For more information, click on toolfactory.com/olympus.
I enjoyed learning about Podcasting. I am planning on downloading a New Yorker Podcast and trying for Says You, a show on NPR that I can never get on the radio and can videostream on itunes except my laptop has abysmal sound.
At this point I don't see it's application with my students I'd rather work on getting wikis and blogs under my belt and saving the lessons for later or perhaps an afterschool program.
If anyone is looking for some great video clips try the Internet Archive (http://archive.org/index.php. From books to old Max Fleischer cartoons to goodness knows what I think you'll have a great time tooling around this site, so very much more intelligent than youtube.
Before this class, I didn't even realize what a blog was. Now I seem to hear about them everywhere. On the news today, they were discussing a group that had been victims of domestic violence. The group was reading a book and had a class blog. Just thought I would share.
Video streaming has revolutionized how we are entertained and how we take in our entertainment. I don't have to watch an entire newscast, but I can catch watch/listen to the stories I want to hear.
Instead of watching TV when networks want me to, I can watch it online at my leisure.
In addition, the ordinary person can become an Internet sensation through YouTube and other video blogs. It's all rather exciting.
Video podcasting can do so much. For instance, my dad the techie, surprised me when told me that he didn't understand RSS feeds. So I directed him to this site:
http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
And video podcasting doesn't have to be expensive!
Look at the Flip Video:
http://www.theflip.com/
It's just $140 or so. I can write a grant for these and work on a documentary project with one of our classes.
I can create tutorials for my students: How to use the OPAC or use the SMART Board Software (http://tequipment.com/softwaredownloads.html) to create a tutorial on how to work out a math problem, use software, etc. Then I can post it online for my students.
Video clips: United Streaming or EdOnline (which I get free through PBS and NYC) allows me to download videos for students.
There's Teachingbooks.net which creates video interviews with authors and interviews.
my head is spinning.
Wow!
Keep and eye on the time - you weren't kidding!
I am so interested in topics like this, but I am also so discouraged in many ways.
I would love to try creating videos in my classroom - to tie into the Election project I do with my kids each year. Jumpcut - which I am playing with as we speak - would be the perfect solution, allowing students to edit video via the Internet. Then reality sets in - I have outdated computers in my classroom, that may not be able to complete the task.
I try to keep a sunny disposition, by telling myself that some kids will have access at home and can complete the activities at home, but I like to be there to see the creation process.
I guess I feel like there was a large push to get technology into the classrooms years ago, but with no real plan to update over time.
Even still, I love to learn. I am determined to be ready when new computers magically appear in Room 130.
I also enjoyed this session. So much to learn and view that I really had to take notice of the time. I think there are some great uses for videoblogs in an educational setting. After checking out some of the examples and subscribing to TILT (Teachers Improving Learning with Technology), I thought about how they can be used in the classroom as well as with administration. TILT is a very interesting blog with lots of great information. I've already taken a look at several videos on different tech topics. (tilttv.blogspot.com)
For visual learners, ESL or Bilingual students, this technology can be quite helpful. To see and hear rather than having to read about a topic of study can really improve one's comprehension of an idea. These videoblogs can be accessed over and over so the students can watch and learn and then put into practice what is being taught all at their own pace. Lessons to reinforce particular skills, language, etc could be created and used in the classroom on a daily basis.
Administrators could create a videoblog for teachers and parents. School policy, noteworthy news, important procedures, etc. could be shared. Teachers can even create lessons to use in their absence. The possibilities are endless but of course, all of this depends on one's capability to create a video as well as the school district's acceptance of this technoogy being used in the classroom.
It makes me wonder how far behind our schools will actually be when these technologies are considered acceptable tools to use in the classroom? Seems like we are leagues behind already in my district.
For now, I'm still working on the blogging concept. I've incorporated a good video from TeacherTube about students blogging in the classroom. I'm trying to get the word out to my colleagues about the implications blogging has on education. It's been a slow process but I've seemed to reach a few who are also reading more and exploring these technologies. I'd love to explore videoblogs more when I have some time. Hopefully I'll have one up on my blog before the end of the semester.
THIS ENDS THE COMMENTS AND REFLECTIONS OF EDC921'S FALL '07 PARTICIPANTS.
DF
Session 6:
Wow, now I know what Dave meant about keeping an eye on the clock. I spent all last night viewing videos and only got through a couple of slides in the powerpoint. It really gets addicting. In the past, I never really looked for any videos on my own, only ones that were sent to me.
I got a couple of laughs out of some of the videos.
For all the librarians in this group check out the video on copyright. "A Fair(y) Use Tale" on TeacherTube. There is also a funny teacher parody on plagiarism "Before He Cheats: a teacher parody".
I'm interested in finding out what other videos some of you discovered.
I don't see myself creating any videoblogs right now, but I do think I would use some that are already out there. Especially the 2 that I just mentioned. In the future I would like to create a library orientation video. I think that would be really useful.
To avoid getting too overwhelmed, I focused my attention on two of the links Dave listed in the session 6 Power Point: teachertube,com and teachers.tv/video. I was most successful at teachertube.com in my search for videos related to the quadratic formula (the topic I am currently working on with my Algebra 2 class). I found a great series of videos that show step-by-step solutions and I even posted one to my blog! (historyofmath.blogspot.com) I don't know that I'd actually make a video myself, but I certainly will post instructional videos on my blog that others have made.
I also took a look at the Calculus and Trig videos, and they were also good. The only issues I had with them had to do with how the solutions were being explained more than anything! The format is great, and I can see how tremendously useful it can be.
Dave did mention something in the Power Point about digital textbooks, and our math department actually chose the texts we are using for our Algebra 1 and 2 courses in part because the text is available online. Scattered throughout each chapter are links to online examples and lesson tutorials. We have a password that we give to our students, and then they can access their text from any computer in school or even at home. I have many students who say they really like the tutorials.
On another note, I have been using the blog in both of my Algebra 2 classes for about two weeks now. I have had a great deal of participation, although not 100% of my students have posted comments (despite the fact that they were homework assignments). For the most part everyone has been really great, but I did have one unfortunate incident. Since I moderate all comments before they are posted, I receive emails that show all comments. The other day I received one (posted anonymously) that said something rude. The class is aware that I moderate the comments, so whoever sent this intended only for me to see it. I was terribly disappointed, but I think I was most frustrated at not being able to pinpoint the culprit. I didn't require that my students register in order to post, so I knew it would leave me open to potential problems. I will definitely need to rethink the whole registration idea for future classes...
It hasn't discouraged me though! The benefits still outweigh the negatives!
If you haven't looked at Andrea's blog yet, you have to go. I looked at the tutorial posted and even I think I could solve a simple quadratic equation! As I said before, I'm somewhat of a mathphobe but this tutorial was great. It's great how many things are out there for us to use and we don't have to go about reinventing the wheel.
Over the last two months I have attended two workshops having to do with different computer technologies. Our school is looking at doing a trial with tablet computers. One of the features that were shown is that you can display your work during class and then save it and post it. Before this week I thought you could only do this with a tablet. I'm really interested in working with several teachers (those who aren't afraid of new technologies) to create screen captures of their lessons. We just began using an online service that allows teachers to post grades online and allows parents to view their children's grades, homework assignment due dates, important school news, etc. I can only imagine how the parents would respond to being able to see the lessons as their child was doing homework. Great PR for our school too, and that never hurts!
As I said last week, my experiment with blogging with my 8th grade class was a total bust. The last assignment I had them do through the blog and I had more of them not do homework than any other assignment this year. Needless to say, I'm really excited to have them vlogging. My 8th grade class is studying movies, movie making, etc. For the final semester, I want them to make their own movies. Again I am thinking of PR. I would like to have their videos posted to our school website so prospective parents can see some of the things we do.
This past Tuesday I attended an all-day workshop hosted by Discovery Channel focusing on UnitedStreaming. If you subscribe to this service, many of their videos are available for editing. I'm going to have them work with Movie Maker editing some clips so that they can practice editing. One of the presenters mentioned he uses an inexpensive video camera, available for less that $100. At that price I can afford to purchase at least 5. If this doesn't get my students excited about new technologies, I don't know what will.
Love the Podcasting. My kids have shown me many funny ones. I think its great and I could use it in my law class. Showing clips of movies would really be great.
Mary Sizeland
Although I'm not quite ready to use this technology--yet, my sons and nephews are seasoned veterans on youtube. Check out The Battles of Mason X, a series of three video blogs; they're really funny!
Melissa Berenberg
Reading Teacher
Session #6
I wonder if labtops and ipods will be used in the classroom oppose to pencil and paper.
I am interested in the screen cast as implementation for mini-lessons. Also, if students are viewing the screen cast it allows teachers more time to work one-on-one with other students. More time and opportunities are always a desire for today's classroom teacher. If a student is absent one day, the screen cast can be accessed from home or viewed the next day in school. It is important to have information available from daily instruction accessible for students, parents, and the school community. These screen casts and videoblogs could also be used to show parents how to effectively help support instruction outside of the classroom.
When I accessed the metric conversion lesson and trigonometry lesson, I felt that I was in class using a dry erase marker and overhead for instruction. I really enjoyed the narration and visual aspect of this technology. Podcasting and videoblogging seem like valuable motivational tools that encourage social interaction.
The ipod lessons available from apple can be a good tool for students who are struggling with reading. Weekly podcasts of students performing plays would improve fluency. I got a great idea from one teacher who uses podcasts for interviews and to enhance literacy skills such as vocabulary enrichment and writing skills.
Podcasting in education is a motivational tool that integrates student interest, different modes of learning, as well as participatory media. I like how music, audio, and visual content can be utilized to enhance learning.
Joanna Knott
4-6 grade, Librarian
New Oxford, PA
Session 6
Google Videos
I did a search in Google Videos for educational resources. Since I work in the library, I tried searching “Dewey Decimal.” (It’s about the least video-like topic I could think of!) Surprisingly, I found a few hits. Our district filters YouTube, but some of these weren’t off that site. The first hit was titled “Dewey Decimal Time” and even though it received four stars in its reviews, was a wonderful example of what NOT to show your kids.
So, on a more forgiving topic, I searched both “internet safety” and “online predators” as I teach this to all three grades. In particular, I often show sixth graders real news reports of incidents involving predators. Happily, Google returned a combination of about 2,000 hits.
When I looked at CNN’s videos that were available, I was really surprised to learn that they could be downloaded. Even though the homepage doesn’t look the same as when David made the powerpoint, I was able to search through videos easily. Again, I searched for “internet predators,” and amidst the few risqué videos that would be too mature for students, I found a few gems. I didn’t, however, figure out how to download them.
I had never heard of screencasting until Mr. Fontaine’s courses. Once I opened the links, viewed some, and then searched for my own, I realized just how often I’ve seen these videos. I was just always under the assumption that they were made with Flash and not a free web tool.
On a side note, someone had mentioned United Streaming in their comment. Our district subscribes as well, but I have had little success using this resource. Teachers find it more useful than me as they can now show a 3 minute clip rather than a 30 minute movie, but our district has only recently allowed streaming during school hours. Up until now, clips were saved to a queue and then downloaded overnight. Not very useful for those “gotta have something fast and easy now´moments. Since I have worked in our building, I have burned only 5 clips to DVDs (three years).
Even though YouTube is blocked, I have found some other valuable resources through this lesson that I think my peers would appreciate searching through!
If you don't subscribe to TechLearning, it's worth a look. The following was an interesting article posted on 3/10/08. This is something I want to share with my administration.
Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom
Joan O'Halloran
Once again, technology has amazed me. I never thought of using videos from the web to illustrate science concepts in my classroom. After spending way too much time on TeacherTube, I cannot imagine not taking advantage of this resource. Tomorrow, I plan to show a video that I found today on gravity and orbits - it should (hopefully) get my point across - after all, a picture if worth a thousand words! I even managed to link it to my as yet unused blog.
For some reason, I could not access the Apple information - I'll try again another time - and I wasn't impressed with Google, but Teacher Tube and Teacher.tv were very useful. There really is a large amount of 'junk' out there and I do not have the time to filter through all of it. (I watched some pretty useless stuff)
The math tutorials included in the powerpoint highlight the value of this technology in any classroom. Wouldn't it be great to post notes on the web for absent students or for students who need to 'hear it again'. I also like the idea of referring to these videos as 'study casts'.
I am very interested in somehow integrating video/podcasts into my classroom. Right now, this is all very overwhelming. Frequently, my students give me the 'push' to try something new - hopefully, I'll be ready!
Right now, I am very curious to find out more about wikis. I came upon an amazing wiki created by a biology teacher. The set-up was a little too sophisticated for middle school, but it had all the elements that I envision.
I found video blogging to be very interesting and motivating. I am thinking of using video blogs with my current students to help them build fluency skills and other reading skills. During guided reading and center time I have a difficult time getting lower students to read familiar stories and respond to stories. I think video blogs will motivate them and provide a purpose for reading and responding. I wonder how much space I have available to post videos and what the copyright laws are and how it is tracked?
Hello All,
Wow...the more I learn, the less I know. I'm very excited about podcasting and videocasting. Our team is planning on doing an interdisciplinary unit on Hiroshima and Internment camps in WWII in a couple of weeks. We've done this unit for the last two years, and each year we refine it. I met with our social studies teacher today and proposed having students post their final projects to a wikispace, rather than a "hard copy" format. Besides using powerpoint, I'd like to have students add a podcast--either an interview, poetry reading, or whatever they can come up with. One of the ideas on Apple's ipod education site was to create a radio play about a historical event--I think this idea could work well for part of our project, but time is a factor (about 4 weeks to end of third qtr--yikes!)
We'll be doing Shakespeare sometime in May, and I found a google video on Shakespeare that I thought could be useful, as well as a funny video (not sure where I found this one) of the Beatles acting out part of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I can't imagine having the time to sort through the thousands out there to find "use-worthy" videos.
I did take a look at one of the screencast lessons involving radians and degrees. It was so interesting to watch how the teacher drew out the lesson and narrated at the same time. Wow! What a wonderful resource for absent students, study review, and extra help for parents too. This could be an awesome tool for NECAP test prep. Practice lessons could be posted, etc.
Another idea would be to have this year's students create an "Everything You Need to Know About Eighth Grade" video for incoming students. Also, I've had students do their own commercials in the past using specific marketing devices that we discuss in class. Some have created well-done and hysterically funny video that was burned to a DVD/Cd then watched in class. How great would it be to be able to post these videos on a class blog for students in other classes to see? As we all agree, the possibilities are endless.
Joanna mentioned video streaming. I have used this in school and found some of the videos to be useful--one an interview with a Japanese citizen who was interned during WWII. We can use it on-demand at our school, which is good, but finding a video that is the length you want and not too boring for the kids is sometimes a challenge.
Ann Howard also mentioned using videos to help with PR between schools and parents--I'm all for that!
I still worry about copyright issues. I'll have to go back and look at the Open Media Directory site for copyright free materials in more depth.
One of the things I wonder about is whether or not schools and educators will catch up with these amazing web2.0 tools. We can't even access blogs (yet) from our school and don't have computers in every classroom. Our libary is booked everyday and we have 30 laptops available (usually booked as well). In our district, the vast majority have sophisticated technology at home, but what about those that don't?
Lastly, balancing curriculum restraints and all this great new "stuff" presents challenges; however, I see these tools as being too valuable to ignore. I think I know what I'll be doing this summer.
Steph Z.
Re: podcasting
Okay, so I’ve attended a few podcasting sessions through RIEMA and I thought I had some idea of what was out there; after viewing the PowerPoint links I’m staggered by how much farther I have to go. I am also excited by the possibilities.
I was most intrigued by the vodcasts about schools. Like some of my colleagues have already mentioned, I think this would be a great tool to promote our school libraries, and to use as a learning tool! Imagine vid testimonials from kids, about libraries, for other kids to see (Open House, Parent Conference Night…). Imagine book reviews, by kids, for kids (How much more valid a recommendation when it comes from a peer). Imagine tutorials about sections of the library (better than the YouTube Dewey videos Joanna Knott located; C’mon, we can do it!), about our online catalogs, or myriad other topics.
Of course, I’ll need to check with our principal about publication permissions and students. I think we’re on to something here. As the examples we viewed demonstrate, this and more can be done.
There is so much info to sift through on the net that it returns me to the question… Has everyone earned the right to be heard? Sounds a little harsh, I think, but there is so much crap out there it’s hard to find the really good stuff. Your honor, I submit Exhibit A from teachertube.com Math Rapper
WOW! The epitome of a bandwidth LEECH!
OK… Now that I have unfairly leveled the math rapper, I submit Exhibit B, my miggity.edublogs.org podcast post. Two podcasts that I think have some teaching and entertainment value are there. I think it’s pretty funny but that certainly is in the eye of the beholder.
One of my students has to create a news story about an invasive organism/ animal that dramatically offsets the balance of the ecosystem. I am trying to get him to write and record a radio message from the emergency broadcast system. If he allows, I’ll post it.
I agree with miggity, that there is so much on the web that it takes alot of time to weed through the crap to get to the good stuff. However with the websites that I looked at this week, it really weeding out much of the junk.
I have used youtube before for personal and educational purposes. I was not aware until this week that there was a teachertube. I was able to find some useful and relevant videos. The one that I will be using in the next two weeks was a tutorial on comic life. This week has been another extremely educational and
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