Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
How to Use Prezi to Create a Project
How to Use Prezi to Create a Project - Geography
1. In a geography course, students will pick a region of the world. (ex: Latin America, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, etc.)
2. Students will research the people of the region (religion, cultural elements, language, etc.), places (mountains, lakes, seas), things (artifacts, monuments, historical sites, battlefields, etc.), and ideas (political ideology, cultural standards/mores, etc).
3. Students will prepare a Prezi using frames organized by people, places, things, and ideas. They will also use paths to organize their information. Students will incorporate both text and visual elements in their Prezi. This requires them to upload photos/images/clipart using the file feature. Overall, students will use Prezi and the necessary tools to prepare their information for presentation to their classmates.
4. Students will present their research in class. This project could be worked on either individually or in a small group.
1. In a geography course, students will pick a region of the world. (ex: Latin America, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, etc.)
2. Students will research the people of the region (religion, cultural elements, language, etc.), places (mountains, lakes, seas), things (artifacts, monuments, historical sites, battlefields, etc.), and ideas (political ideology, cultural standards/mores, etc).
3. Students will prepare a Prezi using frames organized by people, places, things, and ideas. They will also use paths to organize their information. Students will incorporate both text and visual elements in their Prezi. This requires them to upload photos/images/clipart using the file feature. Overall, students will use Prezi and the necessary tools to prepare their information for presentation to their classmates.
4. Students will present their research in class. This project could be worked on either individually or in a small group.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Steps to Create A Video
Steps to Create a Video
1. Utilize a program such as Windows Moviemaker or iMovie - the program needs to allow you to edit photos, edit movies, add music, etc.
NOTE: The newest version of Windows Moviemaker is available for download via the Internet. If you have a Windows Live account (if not, they are free! Sign up!), you can download it. This is helpful because it automatically converts any video footage into a usable form for Moviemaker. The newest version available utilizes automatic conversion for movies.
NOTE: When adding music, movies, and photos, you will have to search through the files on your computer or desktop. If you want to pick multiple images or files, click on them while also holding the ‘Ctrl’ button.
2. Using the add movie/photo button, add movie footage into your file.
3. Using the split and trim buttons, edit the movie to be the segment you want by splitting it into segments or trimming specific movie footage.
4. Using the add movie/photo button, add a still image to the file.
5. Using the mouse, drag and place the movie clips and photos into the order desired.
6. Using the visual effects/animation buttons (found in the toolbar), you can add transitions, change the visual appearance of the video, and add effects to a still image. To do so, have the toolbar ready to pick your transition, effect, etc. Click on the photo/image in your project and choose the desired transition, effect, etc. It will automatically apply it.
7. Using the add music button, add music to your file.
8. Using the music toolbar, edit the placement of the music, start, stop point, volume, etc.
9. To preview the movie, click on the play button beneath the mini-screen. This is also accompanied on the left/right by buttons that will allow you to move one second at a time.
NOTE: If you click on the save button, you will only be saving the project and NOT creating the movie itself.
10. When you are satisfied with your work, click on ‘Save Movie.’ This will convert the movie into the best form for your computer. If you need it to be in a particular style (for High Definition, etc.), click on the dropdown menu for Save Movie. This presentations various options for saving/creating the movie. Either way, this final step creates your movie. The movie will take a few moments to convert and will be available for viewing.
1. Utilize a program such as Windows Moviemaker or iMovie - the program needs to allow you to edit photos, edit movies, add music, etc.
NOTE: The newest version of Windows Moviemaker is available for download via the Internet. If you have a Windows Live account (if not, they are free! Sign up!), you can download it. This is helpful because it automatically converts any video footage into a usable form for Moviemaker. The newest version available utilizes automatic conversion for movies.
NOTE: When adding music, movies, and photos, you will have to search through the files on your computer or desktop. If you want to pick multiple images or files, click on them while also holding the ‘Ctrl’ button.
2. Using the add movie/photo button, add movie footage into your file.
3. Using the split and trim buttons, edit the movie to be the segment you want by splitting it into segments or trimming specific movie footage.
4. Using the add movie/photo button, add a still image to the file.
5. Using the mouse, drag and place the movie clips and photos into the order desired.
6. Using the visual effects/animation buttons (found in the toolbar), you can add transitions, change the visual appearance of the video, and add effects to a still image. To do so, have the toolbar ready to pick your transition, effect, etc. Click on the photo/image in your project and choose the desired transition, effect, etc. It will automatically apply it.
7. Using the add music button, add music to your file.
8. Using the music toolbar, edit the placement of the music, start, stop point, volume, etc.
9. To preview the movie, click on the play button beneath the mini-screen. This is also accompanied on the left/right by buttons that will allow you to move one second at a time.
NOTE: If you click on the save button, you will only be saving the project and NOT creating the movie itself.
10. When you are satisfied with your work, click on ‘Save Movie.’ This will convert the movie into the best form for your computer. If you need it to be in a particular style (for High Definition, etc.), click on the dropdown menu for Save Movie. This presentations various options for saving/creating the movie. Either way, this final step creates your movie. The movie will take a few moments to convert and will be available for viewing.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
How to Create a Project Using Powerpoint
How to Create a Project Using Powerpoint - Behavioral Sciences
1. Working in groups of 3 to 4 persons, students choose a behavioral theorist from a list presented in class. (ex: Auguste Comte, B.F. Skinner, Jerome Bruner, etc.)
2. Working with their collective group, students research the background of the theorist and his/her theory.
3. Students prepare a Powerpoint presentation of 15-25 slides with the information found from their research. Students present the presentation as a group with each group member sharing part of the presentation.
4. Students present an interactive activity to accompany their presentation. (ex: Bruner = constructivist educational activity)
5. Students print off a copy of their powerpoints for class/individual student reference. Each group must have enough copies for the teacher and the students in the class.
1. Working in groups of 3 to 4 persons, students choose a behavioral theorist from a list presented in class. (ex: Auguste Comte, B.F. Skinner, Jerome Bruner, etc.)
2. Working with their collective group, students research the background of the theorist and his/her theory.
3. Students prepare a Powerpoint presentation of 15-25 slides with the information found from their research. Students present the presentation as a group with each group member sharing part of the presentation.
4. Students present an interactive activity to accompany their presentation. (ex: Bruner = constructivist educational activity)
5. Students print off a copy of their powerpoints for class/individual student reference. Each group must have enough copies for the teacher and the students in the class.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tips on Using Instructional Videos for Teaching
Tips on Using Instructional Videos for Teaching
1. Students with special needs - For students with special needs, utilizing video technology or providing an instructional video may help them with a particular area of difficulty. For example, for children with serious health impairments that cause them to miss school frequently, video technology can record class sessions or be used as a specific instructional tool on how to complete an assignment, project, etc.
2. Tactile/kinesthetic learners - Creating an instrucational video is a hands-on activity. This appeals to kinesthetic learners because it allows them to create and work with their hands rather than sitting and listening. This may allow this type of learners to better understand the technology itself and accompanying in-class lecture material.
3. Multiple Intelligences - Creation of an instructional video or how-to video could address many, many topics, including how to play a piano, how to address a golf ball, how to find and class different types of flowers, etc. This appeals to the multiple intelligences of students, including bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic, naturalistic, etc.
4. Choice - As a final project or assessment, students could create an instructional video explaining a topic that has been discussed/learned about in class. For example, in a math course, students could prepare a how-to video on solving quadratic equation, or in a chemistry course, students could explain how to prepare a particular chemical solution. This allows students to demonstrate their knowledge without some of the anxiety of taking a test. It provides choice to the students.
1. Students with special needs - For students with special needs, utilizing video technology or providing an instructional video may help them with a particular area of difficulty. For example, for children with serious health impairments that cause them to miss school frequently, video technology can record class sessions or be used as a specific instructional tool on how to complete an assignment, project, etc.
2. Tactile/kinesthetic learners - Creating an instrucational video is a hands-on activity. This appeals to kinesthetic learners because it allows them to create and work with their hands rather than sitting and listening. This may allow this type of learners to better understand the technology itself and accompanying in-class lecture material.
3. Multiple Intelligences - Creation of an instructional video or how-to video could address many, many topics, including how to play a piano, how to address a golf ball, how to find and class different types of flowers, etc. This appeals to the multiple intelligences of students, including bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic, naturalistic, etc.
4. Choice - As a final project or assessment, students could create an instructional video explaining a topic that has been discussed/learned about in class. For example, in a math course, students could prepare a how-to video on solving quadratic equation, or in a chemistry course, students could explain how to prepare a particular chemical solution. This allows students to demonstrate their knowledge without some of the anxiety of taking a test. It provides choice to the students.
Friday, July 15, 2011
How to Create a Project Using Video
How to Create a Project Using Video - Social Studies
1. Students will work in pairs. Students will pick a historical event that interests them (world or U.S. history). Students will prepare and write a script for an interview segement between the two students. (ex: Students choose Pearl Harbor - prepare script for interview with Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor)
2. Students will prepare two segments for their interview: overview broadcast (ex: Breaking News! Pearl Harbor bombed...) and a mock interview or question/answer session. Overview broadcast will include the what, when, where, etc. of the event.
3. Students, if possible and appropriate, will also prepare a visual (map, photo collage, etc.) for use during their broadcast.
4. Students will edit the presentation to include music segment, title/end credits, still image, etc. to fit within a 4 to 5-minute time frame.
5. Students will present their projects during an in-class viewing session.
1. Students will work in pairs. Students will pick a historical event that interests them (world or U.S. history). Students will prepare and write a script for an interview segement between the two students. (ex: Students choose Pearl Harbor - prepare script for interview with Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor)
2. Students will prepare two segments for their interview: overview broadcast (ex: Breaking News! Pearl Harbor bombed...) and a mock interview or question/answer session. Overview broadcast will include the what, when, where, etc. of the event.
3. Students, if possible and appropriate, will also prepare a visual (map, photo collage, etc.) for use during their broadcast.
4. Students will edit the presentation to include music segment, title/end credits, still image, etc. to fit within a 4 to 5-minute time frame.
5. Students will present their projects during an in-class viewing session.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
How to Use Webquests for Teaching
How to Use Webquests for Teaching
1. Allows educators to cover a topic in depth or breadth - for example, a webquest focused in geography could cover a variety of nations briefly or one or two countries with greater depth.
2. Integrate other subject matters - for example, a webquest focused in geography could also include a link to a website that features literature from that country or region of the world.
3. Appeal to different learning styles/different multiple intelligences - for example, the webquest is a tactile/kinesthetic activity. However, one could link to a site that shows a dance that are native to a specific country. Students could create their own dance or write a song that is similar to the music used. This focuses on a kinesthetic activity. Another idea would be to ask students to review art from the chosen country or region of the world and create their own artistic work. This focuses on kinesthetic intelligence and visual-spatial intelligence.
4. Use activities from the learning pyramid - after completing the eduator designed webquest, students could create their own webquest (practice by doing) or teach others how to create a webquest (teach others/immediate use).
1. Allows educators to cover a topic in depth or breadth - for example, a webquest focused in geography could cover a variety of nations briefly or one or two countries with greater depth.
2. Integrate other subject matters - for example, a webquest focused in geography could also include a link to a website that features literature from that country or region of the world.
3. Appeal to different learning styles/different multiple intelligences - for example, the webquest is a tactile/kinesthetic activity. However, one could link to a site that shows a dance that are native to a specific country. Students could create their own dance or write a song that is similar to the music used. This focuses on a kinesthetic activity. Another idea would be to ask students to review art from the chosen country or region of the world and create their own artistic work. This focuses on kinesthetic intelligence and visual-spatial intelligence.
4. Use activities from the learning pyramid - after completing the eduator designed webquest, students could create their own webquest (practice by doing) or teach others how to create a webquest (teach others/immediate use).
Monday, July 11, 2011
How to Create A Project Using Blogs
How to Create a Project Using Blogs - Social Studies/U.S. History
1. Create a blog centered on events in United States history - this would include events centered around economic events (ex: Great Depression), geography (ex: acquisition of the Louisiana Territory), and/or history (ex: Vietnam War).
2. Write a brief history for the event, including why it happened, where it happened, when it happened, etc.
3. Explain some of the cause-and-effect relationships within the event (ex: Great Depression led to New Deal, etc.)
4. Find corresponding events in current history and/or explain similarities between the past event and a current event (ex: The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s, and we are currently experiencing a recession.)
1. Create a blog centered on events in United States history - this would include events centered around economic events (ex: Great Depression), geography (ex: acquisition of the Louisiana Territory), and/or history (ex: Vietnam War).
2. Write a brief history for the event, including why it happened, where it happened, when it happened, etc.
3. Explain some of the cause-and-effect relationships within the event (ex: Great Depression led to New Deal, etc.)
4. Find corresponding events in current history and/or explain similarities between the past event and a current event (ex: The Great Depression occurred during the 1930s, and we are currently experiencing a recession.)
Friday, July 8, 2011
La tecnología en la clase (Technology in the Classroom)
Is the use of technology in the classroom advancing students' knowledge or is it creating a dependency? One of the most important parts of teaching is being able to connect the core material or subject to students' lives. Without this connection, many will ask the dreaded question - "When am I ever going to use this?" So, when contemplating whether or not technology is relevant in education, the answer is a resounding yes. Technology, whether as simplistic as using a white board to illustrate a concept or as complicated as an iPad, is a necessity to teach and motivate students in the learning process. Nonetheless, the use of technology can create a dependency. Can you function without your "i" product? How many pieces of technology do you use in one day? Would you be lost without your cell phone? So, what do you think?
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