Saturday, April 29, 2017

Final Blog Post

Probably the biggest takeaway from this course for me was learning about ALEX and AVL. I am not teaching yet, so exploring these websites helped me learn what they are for and how I can use them.  I especially loved that I can on ALEX you can search for lesson plans that have already been created by other teachers. There is are so many resource out there for teachers, and I am still learning about a lot of them.  It is my goal to create relevant lessons that are rich in content, and sometimes you have to go outside the assigned curriculum to find additional material that will enhance your lesson and engage your students, and really get them excited about learning.

The second biggest takeaway for me was the chapter/activities on distance learning.  I know that education and technology are steadily moving forward, and the idea of distance learning is becoming more widely practiced.  In fact, teachers, parents, and students are using technology more than ever to communicate with each other about student progress, assessments, and homework. I think learning shouldn’t end when a student walks out of the classroom, and using distance learning as a way to further a student’s educational experience at home or on the go is a step in the right direction.

The third biggest takeaway for me was probably just learning about new ways to incorporate technology in the classroom.  There are so many options for keeping students engaged.  I don’t think school should ever be boring, and keeping your curriculum relevant makes students more apt to learn. It also allows the teacher to provide students with those technological skills that they will need in the future.  Students need to be given the opportunity to both formally and informally collaborate and communicate with other students, engage in critical thinking and problem solving, and learn about/experiment with new media like Prezi, Social Media, apps, blogs, and wikis.   Part of our jobs as teachers is to constantly asses and improve our professional development. Staying informed makes our jobs easier, and makes learning a lot more fun.

My favorite assignment was when we learned about video production during week 8. I had fun creating this video, so I know my future students would have fun with a similar assignment. I learned not only how to use the iMovie video editing app, but I also learned about the Kahoot platform and how it can be used in the classroom.  This assignment took me a while to complete, but I guess that is because learning how to successfully edit videos is complicated.  I also enjoyed learning how to do audio recording, and splicing and cutting certain scenes for the video. It was time consuming, but I think the more I do it, the easier it will be.  The great thing about video production that everyday new apps and programs come out that can simplify how we make videos.  I think videos are particularly useful because they can be used in both lesson instruction and enhancement.


I really like the idea of digital storytelling and I plan to use this in my future class. I would like to create a digital story of popular summer reading books.  I think a quick summary of the book paired with some biographical information about the author would be inspiring to students and may make them want to read more. I also think that I will use some of the digital assessment tools we learned about.  Websites like Quizlet are great for introducing new concepts or reviewing older ones.  I also like the idea of using videos to help struggling readers. Students who have trouble with fluency and comprehension often take turns reading aloud and to other students, but students could also record themselves reading and teachers can assess where they need work. Not to mention, they will benefit from listening to their own expression and pronunciation. Prior to taking this class it would never had occurred to me all the versatile ways video production can be used in a classroom. I know I will continue to benefit from the knowledge I have gained in the course, both in my career as a student and in my future classroom. I plan on continuing to explore new and innovative ways I can engage my students with the help of technology. 

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Digital Portfolio

This week we created a "Digital Portfolio" highlighting how the work we have completed aligns with the EDM510 course standards.  Here is link to the PDF of my digital portfolio.

Faun Holmes Digital Portfolio

Friday, April 14, 2017

Tools For Delivering Instruction

This week we explored different tools that can aid in the delivery of instruction.  I chose to explore the app called Explain Everything. This app allows you to create lessons, presentations, and projects using various media tools like text, video, and pictures. I was a little overwhelmed by all the options available to create a project with, so I kept it simple and created a quick lesson on Independent and Dependent clauses, mainly because I know I could use it later.  It took me a while of just playing around on the app to figure out how to do this, and I watched the tutorial, but I honestly did not find it very helpful.  I do like that you can highlight parts of the project for emphasis and also record a voice-over.  I like the idea of this app and I think that teachers could collaborate and edit lessons together through their devices which is beneficial. There is also a discover feature on the app that allows you to browse lessons and projects created by others, and you can edit them for content if you need to. I had a bit of trouble navigating this app, however I had the free version, so maybe the full version would be more user friendly, or maybe I just need to play around with it more.

 Here is a link to my lesson: Faun's Lesson

Monday, April 3, 2017

Digital Storytelling

I had a lot of fun with this week's assignment.  I chose to make a digital storytelling video, and I chose to tell a story about my favorite subject, my son. My story gives viewers a glimpse into my life as a single mom with my son. I used Windows Movie Maker to make this video, which was a lot better experience for me than my previous experience with iMovie. It is more user friendly in my opinion.  I made the video using photos and music I already had on my computer, and was able to make an actual credits clip, which was something I could not figure out with iMovie. As a future English teacher, this type of product could be used for student projects, or book trailers that students could watch/make if they wanted to learn about a book.  It was actually a fun process making it and it could really be used in many ways. Here is my video:


Wednesday, March 15, 2017

My Visual Products

This week I created three visual products, and discussed each product. Here is a link to the PDF file that contains the products I created.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6shIV6ePiiTN3VaMlp2TU11TGs/view?usp=sharing

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Creating A Video "All About Kahoot" Using iMovie

This week I created a video about how to use the platform "Kahoot" using iMovie. I got started by downloading iMovie from the app store onto my iPad.  I have always heard how it easy and fun it is to create videos using iMovie, so I was excited to get started.  There are several ways to make videos using this app.  You can use videos you have filmed or create a video with pictures from the camera roll.  This part was simple enough, but editing and timing the transitions was a bit challenging.  I played around with the app for a couple of hours, and eventually had what I wanted.  I did a voice-over recording, explaining the way Kahoot is used in the classroom.  I really liked that iMovie allowed me to go back and edit any mistakes I made in my recording, and that there was music that was included.  The only downside to using iMovie was that I could not make rolling credits, and maybe this is only true of the iPad version, but I assumed that any movie editing software would have a credit function. In the end I was able to transition to some basic screenshots of the credits.  Overall, iMovie created a professional quality video, and even though you have to pay for it on the app store, I think it is well worth it because I feel like I can use it again. Here is my video "All About Kahoot."


Sunday, February 19, 2017

Exploring Web-Tools

This week we had to create a presentation that explained the concepts of Web 2.0 and 3.0.  I used the website PowToon.com to create my presentation.  This website allows the user to create animated movies and slideshows.  It is a really fun website, and is extremely user friendly. I had never heard of this website, but was able to create my presentation with ease.  I like that you could select pre-designed templates, or start from scratch.  I chose to start from scratch because I knew what information I had and how I wanted it presented, but it was time consuming.  The best part was choosing the graphics, fonts, colors and pictures. It even has stock photos and music you can add to your presentation, some of which require a membership, but others are free.  I also liked that I could export my video directly to YouTube with the click of a button.  Overall, this website is extremely fun and effective in creating presentations, especially if you are like me and are drawn to the funky graphics. This tool could easily be used to present various information in class to students, or in an informal presentation for colleagues in much the same way you can use PowerPoint.  I feel like elementary students would especially appreciate the fun graphics.

Here is a link to my video:

https://youtu.be/Wp3diL4MfF4