5/29
Today we worked with Dreamweaver again developing our website for the class assignment. I was completely lost at first and began to become so frustrated I almost gave up. However, after a lot of help from Denvy, watching those around me, and looking at the powerpoint for tips, I finally was able to make a functional if barebones website.
My opinion has not changed but maybe softened to the point that a person with no technical background doesn't have a need for a program like dreamweaver. I was too overwhelmed by all of the little details and options for changing every thing from the text to how the page was laid out. I'm content with a free website designer that provides cookie cutter designs for you to choose from for now!
I do totally see the benefit of a program like dreamweaver, so don't think that I hate it. This program lets a person completely customize a website to their needs and there are many who would love that amount of freedeom. There is also a fun feeling of power and satisfaction knowing that what you see on the screen is something that you created all by yourself.:)
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
5/22 Website design
Today we worked on website design. The assignment is to create a website with at least 5 pages outside of the home page and a link on every page that leads back to the home page. We searched "webpage" in web2.0 and tried several webpage design sites that help you build your own site. I used Kafafa.com. I love this site! Its free for simple page design, which is all I'd use it for and it was very easy to use. One of my ideas for my future class was to creat a class website so this assignment is right up my alley. I was able to throw together a skeleton of a site in only 30 minutes with links to helpful resources, and pictures.
Next we were introduced to the dreamweaver program. This is another program that helps you design a website. I can't say that I enjoyed dreamweaver. It is very technical and you need a background in computer code to understand how to use it and be successful in the design of your page. I can't see myself seeking it out in the future for my class webpage. I'd be much more likely to use a simple and free program to create something for my kids and their parents.
I'll have to clarify in the next class whether we are required to use dreamweaver to make our site for the assignment or if we can use the free program we used on web2.0. I REALLY hope I can use my Kafafa page because I'm already excited about its possibilities. Also, I think that I wouldn't be able to edit a dreamweaver page outside of this class without a Mac, but I have to double check that too. If that's the case, I'll just create a random site versus a class website.
Next we were introduced to the dreamweaver program. This is another program that helps you design a website. I can't say that I enjoyed dreamweaver. It is very technical and you need a background in computer code to understand how to use it and be successful in the design of your page. I can't see myself seeking it out in the future for my class webpage. I'd be much more likely to use a simple and free program to create something for my kids and their parents.
I'll have to clarify in the next class whether we are required to use dreamweaver to make our site for the assignment or if we can use the free program we used on web2.0. I REALLY hope I can use my Kafafa page because I'm already excited about its possibilities. Also, I think that I wouldn't be able to edit a dreamweaver page outside of this class without a Mac, but I have to double check that too. If that's the case, I'll just create a random site versus a class website.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
5/15 What I learned today
5/15
Today we learned about several types of technology. My group mostly worked with the ipad which was very fun! I've been considering buying one for school, but I'm still undecided after our time with is today. We were to try out several apps and functions of the smartboard, ipad, and ipod to decide on a lesson plan incorporating one of these for the classroom. They are still pretty expensive and I wasn't able to spend enough time seeing what programs were provided on the ipad that I wouldn't have to buy right off the bat for school.
We found a fun app called art maker that allows a person to create their own play or show. There are different characters and backdrops to choose from. One you choose to record, you can record your voice to the story and touch the characters on the screen to move them around. Audio and movements are recorded. Then you can play back the video to share with your friends!
The ipad would be agreat resource for the classroom. From what little I saw, there are many educational apps available to teachers for free or low cost. I think this would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom while making learning more fun for the students.
Today we learned about several types of technology. My group mostly worked with the ipad which was very fun! I've been considering buying one for school, but I'm still undecided after our time with is today. We were to try out several apps and functions of the smartboard, ipad, and ipod to decide on a lesson plan incorporating one of these for the classroom. They are still pretty expensive and I wasn't able to spend enough time seeing what programs were provided on the ipad that I wouldn't have to buy right off the bat for school.
We found a fun app called art maker that allows a person to create their own play or show. There are different characters and backdrops to choose from. One you choose to record, you can record your voice to the story and touch the characters on the screen to move them around. Audio and movements are recorded. Then you can play back the video to share with your friends!
The ipad would be agreat resource for the classroom. From what little I saw, there are many educational apps available to teachers for free or low cost. I think this would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom while making learning more fun for the students.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
5/1 and 5/8 What I learned
5/1
Today we investigated the validity of different websites. We analyzed and checked out background information by looking up the names or organizations of the website in search engines like google. I was entertained by some, like the website where you can choose your sins and confess them to get a list of prayers to say to be forgiven: http://www.absolution-online.com/
The premise behind this lesson was to show us that just because a website may seem valid, there is no guarantee that it really is. A teacher must be very careful when choosing websites for her information. Also, you can't just let students loose on the internet to do a general search on a topic. First, do your own research and choose a few valid and appropriate websites for your students to find their information!
5/8
Today we started working on a podcast. I am encouraged by how simple it is to create your own. I am kind of disappointed because some of the more fun and creative things we are learning about in this class are limited to MAC and I have a pc. I think most schools have pc, too. I would be tempted to switch to MAC for my next computer to get the programs like video editing, photoshop, and the podcasting program. I think podcasting is a great resourse for the classroom. Again , a teacher would need to be careful and selective of the material to be presented to her class. However, there are many great resources for most of the school subjects in itunes. For example, I found several short videos in science and social studiesthat would make a great hook or closing to a lesson. Creating your own podcasts could also be useful in the classroom. either the teacher or the students, could create them to go along with what is being learned in the class. Parents could watch the videos to stay up to date and connected.
Today we investigated the validity of different websites. We analyzed and checked out background information by looking up the names or organizations of the website in search engines like google. I was entertained by some, like the website where you can choose your sins and confess them to get a list of prayers to say to be forgiven: http://www.absolution-online.com/
The premise behind this lesson was to show us that just because a website may seem valid, there is no guarantee that it really is. A teacher must be very careful when choosing websites for her information. Also, you can't just let students loose on the internet to do a general search on a topic. First, do your own research and choose a few valid and appropriate websites for your students to find their information!
5/8
Today we started working on a podcast. I am encouraged by how simple it is to create your own. I am kind of disappointed because some of the more fun and creative things we are learning about in this class are limited to MAC and I have a pc. I think most schools have pc, too. I would be tempted to switch to MAC for my next computer to get the programs like video editing, photoshop, and the podcasting program. I think podcasting is a great resourse for the classroom. Again , a teacher would need to be careful and selective of the material to be presented to her class. However, there are many great resources for most of the school subjects in itunes. For example, I found several short videos in science and social studiesthat would make a great hook or closing to a lesson. Creating your own podcasts could also be useful in the classroom. either the teacher or the students, could create them to go along with what is being learned in the class. Parents could watch the videos to stay up to date and connected.
Friday, April 27, 2012
April 24th--What I've learned
Today we worked with google maps. I absolutely love it!!! I've always wanted to try using it at home, but my internet is too slow and I didn't understand how to use it. I think the program is not very straightforward, but I learned a lot from the presentation and examples. This program would be an awesome resource for the classroom. As a teacher, you could create presentations like we did in class highlighting certain areas or places. Students could create something similar.
What a fun day!:)
What a fun day!:)
April 10th and 17th--What I've Learned
4/10
Today we worked with Photoshop! I have the lighthouse program on my personal computer and never had any clue how to use it so i was excited to learn a bit about photo editing.
I could see how this would be useful in the classroom, by showing students how easily pictures can be altered--and to point out that just because they see something in a book or magazine, the photo may not actually be real and unaltered.
4/17
We started a video project in imovie today. This is another program I'm totally unfamiliar with. Even using the video camera was fairly new to me. I do feel like Imovie was pretty easy to use, the videos uploaded and after a short introduction, we were able to navigate without much trouble.
Imovie could be useful in the classroom for creating a variety of projects. Maybe the students could create a commercial about an important social studies issue.
Today we worked with Photoshop! I have the lighthouse program on my personal computer and never had any clue how to use it so i was excited to learn a bit about photo editing.
I could see how this would be useful in the classroom, by showing students how easily pictures can be altered--and to point out that just because they see something in a book or magazine, the photo may not actually be real and unaltered.
4/17
We started a video project in imovie today. This is another program I'm totally unfamiliar with. Even using the video camera was fairly new to me. I do feel like Imovie was pretty easy to use, the videos uploaded and after a short introduction, we were able to navigate without much trouble.
Imovie could be useful in the classroom for creating a variety of projects. Maybe the students could create a commercial about an important social studies issue.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
4/3 Web2.0 experience
I was completely confused about go2web20.net at first but know that I've gotten a chance to play with it I think it's very useful. I'm going for my ECE/Elem certificate and would like to teach third grade. Some of the sites I found could be helpful in my future classroom.
I tried out three sites :
1) picfull.com
The functions of the website met my expectations. It was free, you don't have to sign up for junk mail, and it was straightforward to use. I don't consider myself tech savvy and I found it very easy to navigate.
The purpose of this site is to enable you to easily edit photographs.
I was surprised how quickly my picture popped up on the site. I have very slow connection speed in my area, so that was impressive.
That said, the actual editing process was a bit slow. If i chose an option to apply to the photo it took about a minute to finish.
The intended audience could be kids old enough to grasp photo editing and adults. I don't think it could very usefully apply as a classroom lesson but teachers could use it to create fun effects with classroom pictures.
2) Trello.com
This website is kind of complicated. Someone like me would need a lot of practice to use it. But its free and you can use your gmail account to sign in.
The function of this site is to create an organized layout for projects for an individual or any number of people. Its basically a complicated to do list that can track what stage of doneness each task is at.
If I had the time to figure out the intricacies of the program, this would be a great classroom tool for older students with computer access. I could use the program to track individual student progress on different projects. This tool might also be motivating for students since they can see what they've accomplished and what still needs to be done.
What worked well is that the layout is pretty straight forward. I can tell a lot of thought went into the different components of organization.
The problem is that this site would take a chunk of time to figure out how to use to its fullest extent.
The intended audience could be for adults, teachers, or older students. I do see how great it could be for organizing a group of people on one task, or project.
3) Littlebirdtales.com
This site met all my expectations. Its free, you do have to create an account, and I don't know if there will be spam, but so far I haven't seen any. This is a super child friendly and safe site.
The purpose of the site is to provide a fun outlet for children's creativity. They are provided the tools to create and record their stories.
This would be a great teaching resource for the classroom. Students could create their stories based on an an assigned topic or make up their own original idea. You could also have the students share their stories with their classmates.
This site is easy to use and I think a child would be able to figure it out with little help.
The intended audience for this site is for parents and children, but teachers could also make use of this resource. I would think any grade could use this. Grades below 3rd would probably need help from an adult.
I tried out three sites :
1) picfull.com
The functions of the website met my expectations. It was free, you don't have to sign up for junk mail, and it was straightforward to use. I don't consider myself tech savvy and I found it very easy to navigate.
The purpose of this site is to enable you to easily edit photographs.
I was surprised how quickly my picture popped up on the site. I have very slow connection speed in my area, so that was impressive.
That said, the actual editing process was a bit slow. If i chose an option to apply to the photo it took about a minute to finish.
The intended audience could be kids old enough to grasp photo editing and adults. I don't think it could very usefully apply as a classroom lesson but teachers could use it to create fun effects with classroom pictures.
2) Trello.com
This website is kind of complicated. Someone like me would need a lot of practice to use it. But its free and you can use your gmail account to sign in.
The function of this site is to create an organized layout for projects for an individual or any number of people. Its basically a complicated to do list that can track what stage of doneness each task is at.
If I had the time to figure out the intricacies of the program, this would be a great classroom tool for older students with computer access. I could use the program to track individual student progress on different projects. This tool might also be motivating for students since they can see what they've accomplished and what still needs to be done.
What worked well is that the layout is pretty straight forward. I can tell a lot of thought went into the different components of organization.
The problem is that this site would take a chunk of time to figure out how to use to its fullest extent.
The intended audience could be for adults, teachers, or older students. I do see how great it could be for organizing a group of people on one task, or project.
3) Littlebirdtales.com
This site met all my expectations. Its free, you do have to create an account, and I don't know if there will be spam, but so far I haven't seen any. This is a super child friendly and safe site.
The purpose of the site is to provide a fun outlet for children's creativity. They are provided the tools to create and record their stories.
This would be a great teaching resource for the classroom. Students could create their stories based on an an assigned topic or make up their own original idea. You could also have the students share their stories with their classmates.
This site is easy to use and I think a child would be able to figure it out with little help.
The intended audience for this site is for parents and children, but teachers could also make use of this resource. I would think any grade could use this. Grades below 3rd would probably need help from an adult.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)