Animoto in my Classroom

Animoto is a great way to introduce students to slideshows other than the Powerpoint format. Because Animoto allows very little text, this would encourage students to learn more about the topic of their presentation since they can't just read off the slides (like Powerpoint). This goes both ways: the teacher can teach more about what's on the slideshow rather than the students just reading off of it. Also, this type of presentation addresses different learning styles than the traditional lecturing does. Visual and auditory learners will love presentations like this. 

Also, you can't deny that this type of presentation is just plain more fun and more interesting than a Powerpoint presentation. You can include music in the background, the way the pictures move around and change are visually interesting, and Animoto presentations will definitely grab students' attention better than Powerpoints. 

Animoto presentations could be used for just about anything. They can function as the main presenting material, or they can function as supplemental material. They can be fit to any topic and time period. They are fun, colorful, visually interesting, and easy to make. Teachers and students alike will love these presentations. 

Using Twitter as an Educator

I have to admit, when Twitter first came out, I thought it was one of the most insignificant, shallow things that could ever be invented. Up until a few weeks ago, when I was assigned to create a Twitter account and use it, I still held this belief. As time goes on, my heart softens toward Twitter, especially when I get on and see what all of my education and politics "followees" have to say. I still think that using Twitter for the purpose of informing all your followers that you just went to the bathroom or got a new pair of shoes is plain stupid, but I definitely see how it can be used for intelligent endeavors.

For one, it is useful for spreading news quickly. This is always good because we live in a fast-paced world; there is no time to wait on information to arrive. Also, you can include links to articles or resources so that there is no searching for a topic someone may have mentioned; the path is already there for you. If I were a teacher using Twitter, I would use this capability to link students to specific help website, websites with supplemental information, or just cool websites that have something to do with what we're doing in class. Also, if the students find websites or resources that could be helpful to others, they could tweet them and help other people. I think a cool way to maybe do extra credit or just have fun would be to tweet a question and have your students tweet back ideas or answers. This could be used in virtual classrooms, on snow days, or over the summer to keep in touch with students and to keep them from losing a lot of information they learned during school.

I've only listed a few ideas and thoughts about Twitter here, but there are tons of possible ways to use it in an educational setting, among educators, among teachers and students, or among students. Plus, kids will appreciate their teachers making them do something other than type a paper or fill out a work sheet. Supplemental activities don't have to be boring and old-fashioned.

CDK's Website

While exploring CDK’s Education Technology Place, I discovered a lot of helpful technological resources for teaching and for general use as well! I learned about her family, her educational philosophies, and education technology colleagues and others like her out there. The first link I explored was the KSU Catalyst link. The Catalyst provides resources, technology, creative and instructional support, technology training seminars, and many other things for education students to utilize; it also coordinates with the other technology labs and organizations on campus like ITS and iTAC. The next link I explored was the “100’s of Teaching Resources” link. There were literally hundreds of teaching resources that would be extremely easy to understand and use. Although we discussed the blogs you follow in class, I took the time to look at a few, read, and appreciate them. I found not only a lot of wisdom from experienced professionals, but also a bit of humor and satire. I enjoyed this very much and appreciate good humor, especially in the face of some of the ridiculous situations teachers face these days. Another link I explored was the “Celebrate Kansas Voices” link. This was a link to a website that is part of an initiative to preserve oral history (of Kansas, in this instance) through digital recording; I think this is a brilliant way to preserve the oldest form of historical archiving through one of today’s forms of historical archiving. The last link I explored was the “Creative Excuses for Not Using Technology” link. Here I found lots of excuses why people don’t want to put the effort into using the technology they have, and I think this is a clever way to convince those who aren’t so eager to make the most of their technological resources to change their minds. No good teacher should pass up the opportunity to teach their students or broaden their (technological) horizons. I am also glad to have access to other DED 318 students' websites, so I have an idea of what I will accomplish in this class. This is a very resource-rich website, and I am glad that I have this in my arsenal for use as a future teacher.  

Technology Bits Bytes & Nibbles

Technology Bits Bytes & Nibbles has so many resources and information it is a little overwhelming at first. You can search by blog CDK follows, you can search by tags, or you can search by keyword so you can get down to business if you’re looking for something specific, or you can browse and check out anything that looks interesting. Everything is also archived by the month it was added to the blog. The post at the top of the page when I happened to begin my investigation of the site was a short article about DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org is a website that matches anonymous donors to classroom supply requests usually from underprivileged schools. I appreciate the fact that this blog gives publicity to philanthropic sites such as Donors Choose, as well as keeps teachers on the cutting edge of classroom technology. I also love the little philosophical things here and there on the blog, such as the video from Jay McTighe. He discusses how he gained a newfound appreciation for young learners and encountering frustration and difficulty as he learned to surf at 57 years old. He said, “it’s a reminder, to all of us in a learning profession, what it’s like to try to learn something new.” I also find websites like these helpful because it makes technology not seem as daunting as it did before. As a future instrumental music teacher, I never thought I’d have to use much in the way of technology, other than audio recordings and the occasional YouTube video. However, with resources like this website, I’m sure I will find lots of things that will make teaching easier for me and learning easier for my students. Music has been taught the same way for hundreds of years, and it might just be time to freshen up the methods used in the band room.