How I Came to Un-dread the Voicethread

This quarter, my classmates have impressed me with their knowledge and command of current technological innovations. What has been particularly thrilling is the usefulness of these applications. Our forward-thinking instructor, Dr. Darci Harland, introduced the course using a program I had never seen before. It was a slide presentation accompanied by the teacher’s voice and a pop-up window that presented the text of what was spoken.

“What a great way to present information,” I thought. “How neat that our teacher did that!” And then, one dark week, the professor urged us all to make a Voicethread of our own. Impossible. It might be hard!

Dr. Darci provided us with – of course – another voicethread giving us step-by-step instructions.

Hmmmm…make a PowerPoint^TM and then save the slides as jpeg files. We can save PowerPoint slides as jpeg files? Very useful information! I must admit that the process seemed a tiny bit complicated. I saved my slides halfway through and it stored them as individual jpeg files. Then I didn’t know if I could add more slides to that file so I continued on the regular PowerPoint and ended up with about four separate saved copies that I had to keep straight.

I created an account with Voicethread, and immediately began uploading my slides. Simple! Then I recorded my script. I don’t have a headset microphone, so sometimes I sounded a bit loud – I tend to be highly critical of what I sound like – but again, the process was easy. I forgot to type in the script and had to add it later. For some reason, I could not copy and paste from a Word document so I had to re-type my words – Hello! IT people? Was it something I said?

All in all, I really had a lot of fun making my first voicethread. After making my second, I realized these little slideshows could be quite addictive… the possibilities were limitless…

References

http://emmiepeace.edublogs.org/files/2011/03/32126-Clipart-Illustration-Of-An-Expressive-Yellow-Smiley-Face-Emoticon-With-One-Big-Eye-Stressed-Out-Or-Nervous-1eglcri.jpg

http://images.firstcovers.com/covers/flash/t/to_infinity_and_beyond-1585762.jpg?i

http://synergiseducation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VoiceThread_image.jpg

https://voicethread.com

Blogging, Blogging, Blogging – Keep those fingers typin’ (New Rawhide lyrics)

         While I am not new to blogging, I am new to blogging consistently. This course has pushed me beyond class discussion boards and scholarly journals to the realm of application in laymen’s terms. I found the process of setting up my blog on blogger.com (I cannot make that a live link! It goes straight to my Google login site) to be fairly simple. I like the fact that it is FREE. I found several other blogging sites that actually charge a fee. I have not taken the time to compare and contrast benefits and drawbacks, but I am very satisfied with the free service.

         The experience also pushed me to read my classmates’ blogs and enjoy the wealth of information presented in a user-friendly format. On the blogger.com site, I have the opportunity to follow fellow bloggers and read them all in one place. For the busy student (busy parent, busy human being, etc.) that is a nifty option. Incidentally, I discovered my stepmother’s blogs and added hers to those I follow. She decided to try her hand at painting a few years ago and her talent is amazing so it is fun to see some of her work. She does occasionally mention my dear old dad, which is an added bonus.

         Blogging has also made me more sensitive to and aware of blogs that I see on Facebook or when doing research.

For example, I recently watched a video in a webinar series that talked about “mindfulness” – a buzzword if there ever was one. As part of the ongoing research to teach children mindfulness as it is manifested in self-control and empathy, two video games are being released. Tenacity and Crystals of Kaydor serve unique purposes according to an Education Week blog. Tenacity uses awareness of one’s own breathing to teach concentration and Crystals of Kaydor focuses on players’ responses to the emotional countenances of game figures. This particular game helps rewire brains to be more empathetic - an extremely useful goal for our students.

         

References

Blog image. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Blogs&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=5594F7AE00D7FE7FCE98B89673D6F36054510EF5&selectedIndex=2

Researchers see video games as testing, learning, tools. (2013) Education Week, 32(37), 14-15.

Technology a Grandmother Can Love

One of the great joys of being a grandmother to three lively boys is the opportunity for snuggling time when we can read a story together. As a younger mom, I read constantly to my oldest two sons, not as frequently with my youngest son, and then fairly often with my two girls during our homeschool years. Interestingly, the youngest son married a woman who loves books and he read Where the Wild Things Are to her pregnant belly for weeks! 

That little guy, now four years old, absolutely loves to have reading time. However, when he was only six months old, his parents had the temerity to pack him up and move a thousand miles away! (Never mind that I did the same thing when I was their age…). Now not to worry, one very cold winter and 328 “gray” days later, they returned with their happy son – and another one on the way.

To ease the acute pain of separation, I found a Hallmark recordable book – The Night Before Christmas -

and I shut myself away in my room and read it to sweet Jude. The books are expensive, but my other daughter-in-law gave me coupons that reduced the price to about $20 per book. I recorded The Very First Christmas

for my other grandson. It gave me joy to read the books for those little boys and my youngest son and his wife reported that it became Jude’s favorite book.

Recordable books are not entirely new, but they are evolving and the selection is growing. Market demand has also helped the price go down! But what we all know is that reading to children helps them learn to read. My favorite book as a 5-year-old was Sam and the Firefly.

I learned to read it by memorizing it.

These books use simple technology and their use is expanding. Interview books are available where one person asks a question and the other person responds. What a marvelous way to record family history! Additionally, Cosmato (2013) maintained that recordable books encourage a love of reading and help children make connections between what they hear and what they see and “lays a solid foundation for future literacy skills.”

Cosmato, D. (2013). Trends worth trying: A review of recordable kids books. BrightHub Education. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/parenting-preschoolers/122884-a-review-of-recordable-kids-books/

People Who Need People Are the Most Technologically Advanced People in the World – with apologies to Barbara Streisand

People Who Need People Are the Most Technologically Advanced People in the World – with apologies to Barbara Streisand

Our foray into the significance of social networking reveals an interesting dichotomy: social networking sites can allow for greater communication between individuals, but also contributes to less physical interaction. Social networking naysayers cite increased isolation, potential addiction, and decreased productivity. However, in his inspiring blog, Satell (2013) explores the more positive and far-reaching aspects of these new technologies. For instance, overpopulation has been a grave concern for decades and many dire predictions have been made, but even though the world’s population continues to grow, life is better than ever. Satell credits technology and specifically social networking because, “More people means more scientists and more entrepreneurs, more brains with new ideas who can more easily find other, like-minded people to collaborate with.” His fascinating discussion of Tasmania relates to isolation and not only the loss of technology, but regression. It seems, after all, people need people for technology to advance.

Satell’s (2013) emphasis on collaboration shows far-reaching effects for education, business, and more technology. He credits the theory of the strength of weak ties with enhancing and improving relationships and opportunities for connections – and the surprising twist (as the theory’s name implies) that it is not the closest connections that create the greatest prospects. I have seen this in the classroom when students are put in groups. Information is exchanged and someone who knows someone (or something) provides a necessary link that opens doors for employment, housing, or entertainment – creating a human bridge. Let’s say Student 1 needs a place to live and Student 2 has a friend who has a connection with a housing manager. Student 1 then can employ Google or some other search engine to find the specifics. This may seem like a commonplace occurrence, and indeed, it is, but social networking increases human capacity for sharing knowledge and creating larger networks.

Follow Satell’s blog at digitaltonto.com.

Ali, S.N. (2012). Social media: A good thing or a bad thing? Social Media Today. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/syed-noman-ali/608781/social-media-good-thing-or-bad-thing

Satell, G. (2013). How social networks drive innovation. Innovation Excellence. Retrieved from http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2013/09/13/how-social-networks-drive-innovation/

Kno What You Know!

I discovered Kno shortly after I began my doctoral studies. Frustrated with the Kindle because, too often, page numbers were missing from books, making it quite tricky to cite passages, I searched for a better alternative. I love the Kno App! I have been able to purchase several of my required texts and not only make efficient use of the search option, but I can highlight, underline, and write notes right on the pages. I use the iPad version, but it is also available for other devices.

                                                            

                                                                                                      

         It is very easy to set up a semester or quarter, add individual classes, and download PDFs into my study materials or open documents with DropBox.

More information is available from a Kno blog: Intel Education Welcomes Kno to the Family and the Kno website/video.

         When I read a textbook, I like to make notes in the margins or put a star at the top of relevant pages. With the Kno app, I can easily make as many notes as I want. Using the app follows an active, constructive, interactive teaching/learning methodology that helps students assimilate knowledge in a meaningful way, creating brain connections that improve cognition (Chi, 2009). Additionally, multiple students and teachers can share the app and all are able to share notes and comments, thus making the experience interactive. I recommend the app to my students and my Composition Two literature book is available to rent on the Kno for a very reasonable price. Using Kno makes studying a bit more fun – thus creating a positive emotional experience that enhances the learning process. Yay!

References:

Chi, M. T. H. (2009). Active-constructive-interactive: A conceptual framework for differentiating learning activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1(1), 73-105.