I found Jing very easy to use. It was easy to download and self explanitory. I just hooked up the mic and off I went. The web 2.0 tool that I chose to talk about was teacher tube. Here is my video on it.
Three other web 2.0 tools that looked cool are math tv. This is a site that is basically an online book. The cool part is all the videos that come with it. Without buying the book you have access to teachers explaining how to do different math problems. You can choose what teacher explains the problem and even some of them are in Spanish. Another one was prezi. It is a different way to make a slide presentation. It looks like the video we saw on facebook that we had to read words that were emphasized on a larger picture. One last web 2.0 tool that looked cool is Grockit Test Prep. This web site is a social network. This network is for studying. There are instructors online to help. You also have options to get tutoring, study in a group or study alone. There are quizzes that you can take and earn points. They advertise their SAT courses. This is not a free site. I signed up for 3 free days but if you want the full features you have to pay.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Cloud Computing
I have heard this term on commercials and thrown around and really was not sure what it was. I watched several youtube videos and think I have an idea. We have now been used to uploading and making material on the internet. We now do not even have to save it to our computer. We trust that when we log back into the site our information will still be there. Where does it go? I really don't know but I think that it goes into this metaphorical cloud. That is what cloud computing is. All of the computers and SMART phones are now a network and our information is saved somewhere out there. The best explanation that I heard was that cloud computing does not include any hardware or software from our computer. It is like when we go to google docs. We do not have to download any program or have to access it from the same computer. Any computer has access to it and your document is always there. This means no more worrying if your computer dies and all your programs and saved information is gone. It will always be there.
Do I think that cloud computing is the same as web 2.0? I think that they intertwine but are not the same think. Web 2.0 refers to the interactivity. I can make something on the internet or post something and it can be changed by someone else or commented on. Cloud computing is referring to the network of information that is out there and accessible from any computer.
Here is a video I found that I thought was really good.
Do I think that cloud computing is the same as web 2.0? I think that they intertwine but are not the same think. Web 2.0 refers to the interactivity. I can make something on the internet or post something and it can be changed by someone else or commented on. Cloud computing is referring to the network of information that is out there and accessible from any computer.
Here is a video I found that I thought was really good.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Photo Story vs Animoto
First I would like to say that I really like Photo Story 3 much better than Animoto. I just like to make my video do what I want and look how I want. I did not feel that I had too many options on Animoto. I could not put any text over photos. I could not change how long a picture was up. The main thing that bothered me is I could not type very much in when I chose text and could not do voice overs. This is very important when you are trying to teach a math lesson. The one thing that I liked about this program was that I finished this assignment in about 30 minutes when the other one took about 4 or 5 hours. I think Animoto would be good if someone just wanted to upload pictures and have music put to it. The program did a good job of creating the whole video on their own. I really just like putting the details in myself.
I really liked Photo Story 3. It took me a lot longer to finish this video than the one in Animoto. I really liked all the details that I could put into this video. I especially liked that I could talk over my slides and keep them up as long as I thought it needed. This was especially helpful when I need to leave time for the student to read the slide or work out a problem. The only problem I had with this program was I had to come up with the background to type over when Animoto had ones to choose from. I really think that this is minor when it comes to all the other things that I like.
I think this program would be fun to put videos together of my family but I can also see how I could use it to teach a lesson at school. I used it to teach a pre-calculus lesson. I wanted to try it with an upper level math class lesson to see if it was applicable even with harder concepts. If I had the time this would be great to put into my school website for students that are absent or did not quite catch the lesson of the day. This would also work great for students in ISS. They could log on and hear my voice teaching the lesson. The only problem is it took so long to make this. I know I would not be able to do this for all of my lessons, but wouldn't that be cool.
I have embedded my Photo Story video for your enjoyment.
I really liked Photo Story 3. It took me a lot longer to finish this video than the one in Animoto. I really liked all the details that I could put into this video. I especially liked that I could talk over my slides and keep them up as long as I thought it needed. This was especially helpful when I need to leave time for the student to read the slide or work out a problem. The only problem I had with this program was I had to come up with the background to type over when Animoto had ones to choose from. I really think that this is minor when it comes to all the other things that I like.
I think this program would be fun to put videos together of my family but I can also see how I could use it to teach a lesson at school. I used it to teach a pre-calculus lesson. I wanted to try it with an upper level math class lesson to see if it was applicable even with harder concepts. If I had the time this would be great to put into my school website for students that are absent or did not quite catch the lesson of the day. This would also work great for students in ISS. They could log on and hear my voice teaching the lesson. The only problem is it took so long to make this. I know I would not be able to do this for all of my lessons, but wouldn't that be cool.
I have embedded my Photo Story video for your enjoyment.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Pi day podcast
Here is the podcast I made. It is about how I like to celebrate pi day, if anyone is interested.
The music used in this podcast came from audionautix.com.
The music used in this podcast came from audionautix.com.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My thoughts on copyright
I believe we are all teachers here and have been through the copyright professional developments. If you are anything like me you found it boring and stop paying attention after the first minute or two. I knew it was the wrong thing to do but there is so much to it. I also saw the fair use table in the copy room and never read it. I guess I am lucky that no one has ever checked on me.
Here is my understanding of copyright. There is a copyright on anything that is an original work, creative to a minimal degree and in a fixed or tangible form of expression. The copyright gives you the right to say how it is used. You can say how it is reproduced, distributed, make derivative works, public performance(tv and radio), and publicly display. If someone else decides to use your work they must have permission or pay royalties. The copyright lasts the life of the creator plus 7years.
There is no need to apply for a copyright anymore. As of 1978 any work created assumes these rights as soon as they reach tangible form. Before that year someone had to apply for a copyright. Also even if something does not say it is copyrighted you can assume that it is.
There is a difference between copyright, a patent and a trademark. They all do pretty much the same but apply to different things. A copyright applies to an original work of art or literature. A patent applies to something that is discovered or invented. A trademark is for words or a design that represents a company or product.
People are allowed to use these works of art if they follow the fair use policy. According to 10 Big Myths About Copyright, a copyright allows for commentary,parody, news reporting, research and education. Most teachers understand that if they just use a little portion of something then it is ok. There are 4 standards, according to Fair Use and Copyrights for Teachers, for determination of the fair use exemption. These are
1. Purpose of use: You can use small parts for specific educational use, especially if the copies are made spontaneously and used temporarily.
2. Nature of the work: Copying of paragraphs is ok but chapters are questionable.
3. Proportion/extent of the material used: Duplicating excerpts or segments that do not reflect the "essence" of the work.
4. The effect on marketability: It cannot create a reduction in sales.
I am not sure how I would approach this with students. The only thing that I found good for teaching was a video that I saw in my intro class last semester. It is a youtube video that explains copyright and fair use using small excerpts from Disney cartoons. The person explained they used Disney cartoons because that company has been known to sue for copyright quite often.
Here is my understanding of copyright. There is a copyright on anything that is an original work, creative to a minimal degree and in a fixed or tangible form of expression. The copyright gives you the right to say how it is used. You can say how it is reproduced, distributed, make derivative works, public performance(tv and radio), and publicly display. If someone else decides to use your work they must have permission or pay royalties. The copyright lasts the life of the creator plus 7years.
There is no need to apply for a copyright anymore. As of 1978 any work created assumes these rights as soon as they reach tangible form. Before that year someone had to apply for a copyright. Also even if something does not say it is copyrighted you can assume that it is.
There is a difference between copyright, a patent and a trademark. They all do pretty much the same but apply to different things. A copyright applies to an original work of art or literature. A patent applies to something that is discovered or invented. A trademark is for words or a design that represents a company or product.
People are allowed to use these works of art if they follow the fair use policy. According to 10 Big Myths About Copyright, a copyright allows for commentary,parody, news reporting, research and education. Most teachers understand that if they just use a little portion of something then it is ok. There are 4 standards, according to Fair Use and Copyrights for Teachers, for determination of the fair use exemption. These are
1. Purpose of use: You can use small parts for specific educational use, especially if the copies are made spontaneously and used temporarily.
2. Nature of the work: Copying of paragraphs is ok but chapters are questionable.
3. Proportion/extent of the material used: Duplicating excerpts or segments that do not reflect the "essence" of the work.
4. The effect on marketability: It cannot create a reduction in sales.
I am not sure how I would approach this with students. The only thing that I found good for teaching was a video that I saw in my intro class last semester. It is a youtube video that explains copyright and fair use using small excerpts from Disney cartoons. The person explained they used Disney cartoons because that company has been known to sue for copyright quite often.
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Opinion on RSS Readers
RSS Readers
By: Melissa Boyer
An RSS Reader or news aggregator, in my own words, is either an online or downloaded program that helps you keep up on your favorite websites. You can subscribe to a website and check this program everyday and it will let you know what is posted each day. These are most commonly used to follow blogs. Instead of going to each different website you just check your RSS Reader.
The technical definition of an RSS(Really Simple Syndication) reader according to ProgrammerWorld.net is a program that continuously checks websites for updated content. The reader uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language) code in the browser. The HUD website stated that the feed you receive contains headlines, summaries and links to full news stories or blogs. What you must do first is subscribe to an RSS reader. They can be either web-based, like google reader, or a small program that you can download, like Feed Demon. Once you have done that you just have to subscribe to the blog or website that you would like to follow. To subscribe you go to the website and copy the URL and paste it in the ‘Add New Channel’ area in the feeder. Some readers have an easier option that shows up in the address bar.
I really did not know what to expect when I used a reader. I read the comments on facebook and on the blogs to give me some ideas. They pretty much put me in the direction of what program to use. I wanted to use Google Reader because I have used other google items and already have an account. I decided to download Feed Demon because someone said that you can link it to your google reader to easily follow the same websites. I did not know what to expect from there.
Comparing the two I think that I like Google Reader better. I found it more user friendly. The set ups were just about the same but I like that when you click on the blog that Google Reader brings up a new window. I tried the same thing in Feed Demon and it opened up the blog in the same window and I think my computer had some trouble with that. I tried to use it to post on the class blogs and somehow my comment was not posted so I had to do it again.
One problem I felt that I had was trying to find good sites to follow. Since I am a math teacher I really wanted to follow some cool math blogs. I really did not find many out there. I used the search item in my google reader to do this. It came up with maybe 10 and most were only updated every month or two. I went out and googled “math blogs” and found more that way but for some reason I couldn’t subscribe to one. I don’t remember what the problem was. I tried to copy and paste the url and it did not do anything. Luckily I found three that looked like they were updated every week or two. I thought that I had found a fourth but it turned out not to be a real math blog.
I then had the idea to follow some educational technology blogs. It did not have a long list either. So I subscribed to two of them. The other sites that I subscribed to were news and entertainment sites.
One blog that I have found that I like is “Wild About Math Bloggers.” This site updates with some cool problems and news about people that like math. Yesterday there was a link to an article about a girl named Vi Hart. She has put up some videos on Youtube that talk about some patterns that you see in math that she explains using her doodles. The article said that her videos are popular with teenage girls.
I found two educational technology blogs that I have found interesting. One is by Bill Mackenty, who is an instructional designer at a school district in New York that has a 1:1 ratio of students to computers. He talked a lot about how to integrate technology into your classroom. The other site is “The Power of Educational Technology” written by Liz B. Davis who works at an all boys school in Boston, Massachusetts. She seems to blog more about technology in general and not just technology in the classroom.
The use I see of this in education is mainly for teachers. The math sites that I followed gave me some good ideas for problems to use in class. I think some education sites could give you good ideas to use in the classroom. I see this replacing the educational magazines that we subscribe to. We can catch up on the new educational news for free on our computer. This would be real easy to show any teacher or administrator to use.
One use I see for students is in English class to follow a current author. They could subscribe to an author they are currently reading and put some of that information in their book report. Another idea I had was that in any class if you have the students blog about a specific question they can use it like we are. They could subscribe to each classmates blog and comment on it through their RSS reader. Also in my math class I could have the students solve one problem a week from a math blogging site of their choice. Although since I have not seen too many I am not sure how good this idea is.
All in all I think that this is a helpful invention for someone who likes to read several website everyday. I personally am not a person who does this. I find the programs rather overwhelming. There is so much there to read. I think I need to figure out how to delete the blogs that I have read and that may help. It has given me a chance to look for some different sites that I have never seen before. I just think, for me, it is better to just follow a couple of sites rather than ten or more.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Open Source Applications
After some reading and watching youtube videos I think I have a basic understanding on Open Source Applications. Basically they are programs that you can download but are able to access the code. It kind of reminded of me of a wiki for programmers. The code can be changed by anyone that has access to it to improve the program. This is different than just free or proprietary applications. These applications you cannot access the code and change the program. What you buy is what you get.
According to the open source initiative there are a few licenses that an open source app can apply for. First the program must go through a public review process by an application and then it can be licensed. The most common licenses are the GNU or General Public License, BSD, MIT license, Mozilla public license and a few others.
While I was researching educational open source applications I found many cool free programs. I thought since I was a math teacher I might look more into what can be applied into my classroom. The first one I researched a little about last semester. It is called GeoGebra. If any of you are familiar with Geometer's Sketchpad it is very similar. It is known as dynamic math software. This means that you can make drawings or graphs and manipulate them to figure out properties of the shapes or graphs. It also shows the measurements of angles and length of sides so students can see how the measurements change as they change the figure. The second application that I saw that looked cool is called GraphCalc. It is a free graphing calculator. It seemed more user friendly than the others I looked at. It had nice menus and would explain what each button did. It has the capabilities to graph up to 6 equations at once using a different color for each. It can save the past expressions that you have typed in for future reference and even has several constants already programmed in. It sounds like it has many of the capabilities of a normal graphing calculator but it is free. I definitely plan on playing with this before I go back to teaching. Anything to save money for this technologically savvy teacher.
According to the open source initiative there are a few licenses that an open source app can apply for. First the program must go through a public review process by an application and then it can be licensed. The most common licenses are the GNU or General Public License, BSD, MIT license, Mozilla public license and a few others.
While I was researching educational open source applications I found many cool free programs. I thought since I was a math teacher I might look more into what can be applied into my classroom. The first one I researched a little about last semester. It is called GeoGebra. If any of you are familiar with Geometer's Sketchpad it is very similar. It is known as dynamic math software. This means that you can make drawings or graphs and manipulate them to figure out properties of the shapes or graphs. It also shows the measurements of angles and length of sides so students can see how the measurements change as they change the figure. The second application that I saw that looked cool is called GraphCalc. It is a free graphing calculator. It seemed more user friendly than the others I looked at. It had nice menus and would explain what each button did. It has the capabilities to graph up to 6 equations at once using a different color for each. It can save the past expressions that you have typed in for future reference and even has several constants already programmed in. It sounds like it has many of the capabilities of a normal graphing calculator but it is free. I definitely plan on playing with this before I go back to teaching. Anything to save money for this technologically savvy teacher.
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