Multi-Media Project

I have been recently experimenting with the web based tool called Screenr. This tool is used for creating screen cast for others to watch what you did on your screen. Screenr could be used to give examples of what you would like others to do or learn. It could be used as a tool in the classroom if you need to have your students navigate their computer to a site or program that is difficult to explain without seeing it done. You can post your screen cast through many different options like twitter or embed it in your personal blog. There is no need to install software on your computer and the user interface is very friendly and easy to operate. You simply click on the record button and the stop button when you are done. You even have the ability to take and re-size the screen that you want to record so that people are not able to see all of your screen. Overall Screenr can be a great teaching tool if used properly in the class room. I have attached a screen cast of me embedding a screen cast into my blog.

OTEN Conference

The 2011 OTEN conference took place at Willamette University on Saturday the 24th of September.  This conference is a place for educators in training to get an overview on current trends in technology for teaching.  The key note speaker was Joe Morelock, who is the director of technology and innovation for the Canby school district.  He did a great job of explaining the need for new technology in classrooms today.  Canby is a school district that has put technology as a very important piece to education and they show some very impressive results due to their commitment to innovation.  I went to two speakers presentations after the keynote speaker and I have included my thoughts to them on a yodio presentation that is attached here.

Google Presentations

In my ED Tech class I was assigned to a group to learn about the google application called Presentation.  We as a group were to create a google presentation and then talk about what features are available and how this program works.  This tool is a great alternative to power point because is is web based and free to anyone.  You are also able to work on it anywhere because it is web based which is a great tool for any educator that is on the move.  I felt that this program was very easy to get to learn and maneuver through.  The one thing I noticed was different was that there is no animations, which is fine with me because they can be distracting sometimes.  It was easy to get materials on to the presentation as well.  I contributed to this document by setting it up and adding most of the slides and the backgrounds.  I placed the group picture on the page and started the typing on each.  Overall this is a great productivity tool.  Here is a link to my groups google presentation talking about the pros and cons of the web based program. Click Here

My Favorite Web2.0 tools

If I were to define web 2.0 tools, I would describe them as programs that are all on the internet and need no special software installed on a local computer to use besides an internet browser. Many people talk about the cloud and I would describe the cloud as information and data that is web based so that you may access it anywhere at anytime. I have found that the web tool called Dropbox is an extraordinary tool for file sharing. I would define Dropbox as an internet storage site for any files you want. These files and folders can be shared with others or can be kept private. Dropbox is accessible from any internet based tool, such as IPads and IPhones. This application can be installed on multiple computers so that you can drag and drop files into your dropbox folder and they are automaticly updated online and on all of your other devices. This eliminates the need for emailing files and the need for flash storage. Here is a link to a guide on the use of Dropbox http://tinyurl.com/Dropbox-Guide1 This tool could be invaluable to any student or teacher for many of the uses that I have already stated above. For a student that might be working on some large research, they would be able to keep all of their large files that could be hard to keep track of all in one place. They would also be able to access and work on their project wherever they are even without their main computer. As a teacher you might use this tool to manage files between your work and home computer so that there is no need for portable storage.