Linz1212's Weblog

Project Analysis

linz1212 — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:56:05 +0000

Well, for our ECMP 355 class, we were asked to do a final project. I decided to do a video. I decided to do a how-to drawing video! I was showing how to do a quick sketch of Jessica Rabbit from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” I have always been interested in drawing. Before the video I was trying to use the advice I was using in class. I decided to draw on a board (with marker) instead of drawing with a pencil because it was easier to see it when it was recorded. I tried to put on as must lighting as I could in my room. I was trying to describe what I was doing while I was drawing…which I usually don’t do haha so it was interesting. I noticed that a few things could be tweaked, so I received the advice of Rushton. He is involved with nextvista.org. I’m hoping the end result is positive and that other people find it useful. ^_^

Mentorship

linz1212 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:24:10 +0000

For Dean,
Based on my classes and how busy I have been, I think I did a good job blogging to the students. When the students blogged to me, I would reply to them. When I had free time, I would go onto the students homepage and blog to them. I would vary my replies and give positive feedback to their work. By being a part of mentoring, I realized how big technology has become in the school. I am glad that I had this opportunity. The children seemed really excited knowing that someone was reading their material and replying to them.

Rating 10/10

Social Learning

linz1212 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:14:19 +0000

For Dean,
I have left blog comments here and there on other people’s blog. I don’t usually talk to them a lot on the internet, but I see most of them all of the time out of this class experience. I usually talk to them in real life. If we are stuck on tech tasks we get in touch with one another and help each other out. We even meet each other and talk things over. We are able to learn through each other. I have made posts based on conversations I have had with people in our class, school and the world. I am continually learning and expanding my ideas.

Rating 14/15.

My future classroom…

linz1212 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:01:27 +0000

My future classroom will be a positive environment. I will incorporate technology in order to expand on my teaching strategies. Computers will be used in order to explain things that can not be shown on a chalk board. My students will be encouraged to use typing programs to better their typing skills. I can introduce new technology to the students, but I believe in using textbooks. I will probably allow cell phones into my class as long as they are turned off. If a cell phone disrupts a lesson, it will be taken away. My students will be aware of all possible sources of information (ex. library, internet, dictionary, and so forth).
http://smarterkidsbookco.com/SmartKidReading.jpg

Reflective Podcast

linz1212 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:16:33 +0000

I did a reflective podcast of my recent awareness of podcasting. Here it is. I did this through gabcast.com.

Podcast #2

linz1212 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:27:16 +0000

I went onto itunes and listened to the podcasts from “The Ellen Degeneres Show in a Minute”. I love the show as it is on TV, so I really enjoyed these podcasts. I didn’t find these podcasts as funny as watching the show, but to each their own. Ellen is hilarious. There are interviews, stories and interesting people. Some of the stories made me laugh. ^_^

Podcast #1

linz1212 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:01:32 +0000

I downloaded the TEDtalk podcasts. Our ECMP class looked at the site prior, but I find it very educational and beneficial. The TED conference hosts some of the world’s most fascinating people. These podcasts capture some of the most extraordinary presentations delivered from the TED stage. One of the podcasts I listened to was by David Keith called ”A surprising idea for “solving” climate change.” It was a good podcast and his humor made the podcast intriguing to listen to. I recommend watching some of the podcasts. If you don’t feel like listening to the podcast through itunes, you can access the website. www.ted.com

Tech Task 14 (Part 3)

linz1212 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:47:33 +0000

I revisited http://k12onlineconference.org/ and found a presentation called “We Like Our Blogging Buddies: The Write Stuff with Blogging Mentors.”Kathy Cassidy and Patrick Lewis joined forces to do a mentorship program. Patrick’s University of Regina students mentored Kathy’s grade 1/2 class. This video reminded me of my classes current situation. My university class is mentoring with other classes (that are different grade levels, ex. 7, 3, 4, and so forth). The children are excited about blogging. The students are happy to know that there is someone else reading their blog (the university students). By blogging or messaging back and forth, the children become more skilled in proper grammar. In the video, the teacher reviewed the student’s work and used it as research to see if the children were becoming more literate. The children were definitely getting better at writing proper sentences. The video talked about attitude and achievement being hand in hand with one another. Here it is.

The difference between this situation and our own is that we will not be meeting our blog buddies and they don’t really know what we look like. But, we do look forward to talking to our buddies and vice versa. It is a really good experience and I am glad that I had the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Tech Task #14 (Part 2)

linz1212 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:48:35 +0000

I revisited http://k12onlineconference.org/ and watched a video by Matthew Neddleman called “Kicking it Up a Notch Film School For Video Podcasters.” The video consisted of Matthew talking about making videos and the other aspects related to videos. I really liked this video. The beginning and ending of his video was very cute. He treated the scenes as if it was an older version of a detective/mystery movie. He went into the importance of transferring information into something visual. By using visuals the observer will be able to understand the video and become more interested as well.

He talked about storyboarding and the importance to plan ahead with your ideas. Each frame should make the visual intriguing. First, you should draw the images you want to capture, then place a frame on the image in order to get the effect you want. Once you are on the set and making your movie, one does not have to follow their prior sketches, but they are helpful.

He made an interesting point in his video. He said that most children do not read books, yet we teach them to read and comprehend text in school. The media is always around young children. By making a video, the children become aware of the affects that media play on them. They learn that music, shots, and other aspects of a movie are influencial. Everything in movies reflect the story and the message/theme. When making a video, we should follow the rule of thirds. The shot should be on the intersecting lines on the screen (if you ran three columns vertically and horizontally on the screen, ex. looking like this #). Matthew gave the viewer tips on the equipment that is useful in video making (such as light and sound). All in all, it was a good video and I enjoyed it. Here it is.

Tech Task #14 Part 1

linz1212 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:40:55 +0000

I went onto http://k12onlineconference.org and watched a 23 min video. It was about a superintendent being introduced to the internet and certain websites. He talks about getting involved with Web 2.0, flickr, Voicethread, and so on. He talks about his introduction to Web 2.0 (by MP3, presentations, messaging, and so forth). I didn’t really find this presentation very interesting or educational. Here it is. I believe that he is correct, in the sense that everyone will have to learn how to use the computer sooner or later. I honestly believe that some aspects of life have become to dependent on technology. Everyone expects information at their fingertips…right now!