Our most ambitious project this semester was the creation of our own website using Google's platform. If you like, you can visit my site: Mr. Troupe's Classroom.
What went well/not well?
Being a google product, the web creation was straightforward, but not without its share of glitches. I found it difficult to get the text to format the way that I wanted it to. The choices for fonts and other design options were pretty limited, and I sometimes had trouble getting gadgets to work (like my Google slideshow from the Scavenger Hunt project). All that being said, it was remarkably easy to create a website...and FREE! The rubric and instructions made the structure of the website pretty clear.
What would you change?
I don't know that I would change much with this assignment. I feel like the experience of creating the website was good, and having the website as an artifact is even better. It definitely felt productive.
How do you plan to use in practice?
I plan to use this website as a personal resource and as a showcase to potential employers of my technology skills. When I have a classroom of my own, I will link my school webpage to this website in order to give my students extra resources for the class. Now that I know how to create and edit on the web, I will continue to refine and expand the site to suit my future classrooms.
Class Evaluation:
I consider myself a reflective user of technology. I'm rarely an early adopter, but neither do I shun all new technology. That being said, I learned about a lot of new technology in this class, and even more so, I learned how to effectively use that technology in the classroom. I think the most valuable things going forward will be the resources that my fellow social studies teachers found, the website that I created, and the knowledge of how to use the interactive whiteboard. The class was a lot of work, and I think that things could be pared down a little to focus on the most important technologies and go a bit more in depth on those.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Digital Story
This week we created digital stories using iMovie. Here's my video:
What went well/not well:
Overall, I think the project came together nicely, but it was a lot of work and struggle. IMovie is mac-easy but that means that if anything does go wrong, it can take a while to figure out how to fix it (for those of us who are native to PC). Having high quality pics from my own camera and saved in dropbox made the process easier. Also my basic story was flexible enough to accommodate different pictures if one turned out to be poor quality.
What I would change:
The main thing that I would change is to have taken better photographs in the first place. I am not a professional photographer, but I found that it was easier to use my pics off of the camera than to find high quality, non-copywrited versions on the web.
How I would use it:
This is a rather involved project for high school students, and I would not want to use it with middle schoolers at all. Even in high school, I might restrict this project to upperclassmen. For students who can handle it, this project would display both their technology skills and their ability to present History or Geography in simple, concise stories. I could easily see using this as part of a senior project.
What went well/not well:
Overall, I think the project came together nicely, but it was a lot of work and struggle. IMovie is mac-easy but that means that if anything does go wrong, it can take a while to figure out how to fix it (for those of us who are native to PC). Having high quality pics from my own camera and saved in dropbox made the process easier. Also my basic story was flexible enough to accommodate different pictures if one turned out to be poor quality.
What I would change:
The main thing that I would change is to have taken better photographs in the first place. I am not a professional photographer, but I found that it was easier to use my pics off of the camera than to find high quality, non-copywrited versions on the web.
How I would use it:
This is a rather involved project for high school students, and I would not want to use it with middle schoolers at all. Even in high school, I might restrict this project to upperclassmen. For students who can handle it, this project would display both their technology skills and their ability to present History or Geography in simple, concise stories. I could easily see using this as part of a senior project.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Animoto
Check out this video I created with Animoto, an online video collage software.
Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Google Forms
Today, Kristen and I taught a lesson on Google Forms. I blogged about Google Forms earlier in the semester, so I will just say a few words about the presentation.
What went well/not well?
The presentation went pretty well. All of our fellow students were already familiar with Google Docs, and I perhaps assumed a greater proficiency than I should have. Our original plan was sidetracked a couple of times because of the way that our example forms worked (or didn't work). That being said, I am confident that most of the students know what a Google Form could be used for and how to create one on their own.
How would you change?
If I could redo the presentation, I would probably spend more time showing them how to create a form in a step-by-step manner. I would have the whole class try to create the same form with me as I demonstrated on the Promethean board.
How would you use this with your students?
As we discussed today, this tool is ideal for informal class surveys and formative assessments. I may use it to give a quick quiz or to learn something about my students at the beginning of the year. I might use it to allow the class to vote on some issue or even it for teacher evaluations at the end of the semester (if I am brave enough).
What went well/not well?
The presentation went pretty well. All of our fellow students were already familiar with Google Docs, and I perhaps assumed a greater proficiency than I should have. Our original plan was sidetracked a couple of times because of the way that our example forms worked (or didn't work). That being said, I am confident that most of the students know what a Google Form could be used for and how to create one on their own.
How would you change?
If I could redo the presentation, I would probably spend more time showing them how to create a form in a step-by-step manner. I would have the whole class try to create the same form with me as I demonstrated on the Promethean board.
How would you use this with your students?
As we discussed today, this tool is ideal for informal class surveys and formative assessments. I may use it to give a quick quiz or to learn something about my students at the beginning of the year. I might use it to allow the class to vote on some issue or even it for teacher evaluations at the end of the semester (if I am brave enough).
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
ActiveInspire/Promethean Board
Our latest project was to create an interactive whiteboard presentation using ActiveInspire software. I created a presentation on the build up to the Civil War and the Compromises of 1820 and 1850.
What went well/not well?
I found the ActiveInspire software very easy to use. The potential for interactivity is great, I only wish that I had more time to explore all of the features. Some of it seems a little gimmicky for high school students, but in general I think the interactivity could really improve some very dry History lessons. If anything did not go well it was only because of my poor eye for design and lack of time to fully explore the software.
What would you change?
I doubt that I would change anything. I only scratched the surface of ActiveInspire for this project. I don't think the software was too complicated to use, but I was glad to have the tutorial from Ginny Britt when getting started. For someone who is used to Powerpoint the interface was a little difficult to get used to.
How do you plan to use this with your students?
Interactive slides everyday! History teachers have to cover a lot of content every day. The interactive whiteboard will allow me to incorporate a little activity into some otherwise dry material. Of course, I was already planning to use plenty of pics and short audio or video clips, but this just gives me the ability to get my students moving and thinking.
What went well/not well?
I found the ActiveInspire software very easy to use. The potential for interactivity is great, I only wish that I had more time to explore all of the features. Some of it seems a little gimmicky for high school students, but in general I think the interactivity could really improve some very dry History lessons. If anything did not go well it was only because of my poor eye for design and lack of time to fully explore the software.
What would you change?
I doubt that I would change anything. I only scratched the surface of ActiveInspire for this project. I don't think the software was too complicated to use, but I was glad to have the tutorial from Ginny Britt when getting started. For someone who is used to Powerpoint the interface was a little difficult to get used to.
How do you plan to use this with your students?
Interactive slides everyday! History teachers have to cover a lot of content every day. The interactive whiteboard will allow me to incorporate a little activity into some otherwise dry material. Of course, I was already planning to use plenty of pics and short audio or video clips, but this just gives me the ability to get my students moving and thinking.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Inspiration...the software
Here's a little screen shot of my latest Inspiration project:
What went well/not well:
Overall, the software was very easy to use. At the suggestion of Chris Richeson, I used the outline function to start my diagram. This did make it easy to create the structure. From there it was a matter of changing the look. This is where I ran into a little bit of trouble, since my design skills are a bit rusty. But with a little guidance from Dr. O'Bannon, I managed to create a diagram that is fairly well organized.
What would you change:
I think the software is very user friendly. I messed around with the software a little before class, but I still found this to be a time-consuming project. I still don't know that I would change anything. Some things just take time to learn.
How do I plan to use it:
As a social studies teacher, I love charts and graphs. I can see myself using this tool all the time to create charts and diagrams for presentations. Also, this would make a great project for my students. For instance, I could have students create a diagram showing the checks and balances of the 3 branches of the government or diagram the flow of capital in the European Union. I don't think I would use it as a student project very often though. It is just a little too time-consuming for the uninitiated.
What went well/not well:
Overall, the software was very easy to use. At the suggestion of Chris Richeson, I used the outline function to start my diagram. This did make it easy to create the structure. From there it was a matter of changing the look. This is where I ran into a little bit of trouble, since my design skills are a bit rusty. But with a little guidance from Dr. O'Bannon, I managed to create a diagram that is fairly well organized.
What would you change:
I think the software is very user friendly. I messed around with the software a little before class, but I still found this to be a time-consuming project. I still don't know that I would change anything. Some things just take time to learn.
How do I plan to use it:
As a social studies teacher, I love charts and graphs. I can see myself using this tool all the time to create charts and diagrams for presentations. Also, this would make a great project for my students. For instance, I could have students create a diagram showing the checks and balances of the 3 branches of the government or diagram the flow of capital in the European Union. I don't think I would use it as a student project very often though. It is just a little too time-consuming for the uninitiated.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Smilebox
Smilebox can be used to create collages, video collages, thank you notes, and myriad other artifacts that can be fun and informative in the classroom. Here's a fake newsletter that I created:
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