Of all the assignments in this course, I think the screencasting project was the most helpful. I learned the technical aspects of how to screencast and how to use Screencastify, but I also learned about some of the many ways I could use them in my classroom.
I had used Screencastify once before, so I didn’t have much experience with it. Even after completing this assignment, I am not completely comfortable with it. It was a challenge to say exactly what I wanted to say exactly when and how I wanted to say it in one “take”; it took me several tries to get my short video just how I wanted it. If I were to use this consistently in my classroom, I think my students would just have to deal with my slight hesitations or mistakes! The best part of this assignment was learning from my peers. Many of them seem to have been using screencasts in a variety of ways, and it was great to hear how they have used that technology in class. I especially love the idea of creating screencasts to use while a guest teacher is in the classroom. This assignment really encouraged and inspired me to learn from those around me. Here is a link to my screencast assignment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plHV5tGcn1g
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The Video Book Trailer was one of my favorite assignments to complete. First of all, I was happy it was done because it took me many, many tries to get it right, so it was a relief when I was finally happy with it. Secondly, I loved making the book trailer because I used a brand-new tool and learned so much about it by trial and error. I also chose a book that I had just finished reading, so I was still pretty pumped about it! I used Adobe Spark for the first time for this assignment. I had never even heard of it until I attended the ICE conference in February, and this seemed like the perfect chance to try it out. While the final product turned out just fine, it was quite time-consuming to get it that way. I do not think that was the tool’s fault, though; I am a perfectionist about certain things, and the timing of the audio on each slide was just “not right”. I kept recording over and over again until I could figure out how to make it “just right”. Other than my own personal challenges, Adobe Spark was easy to use and will be much faster for me next time! At the ICE conference, where I first learned of Adobe Spark, examples were given in the form of student websites. Teachers had students set up digital portfolios in the form of a blog or website, very similar to what we are doing for USF. I would love to incorporate this practice into my teaching in the future! Teachers could also use Adobe Spark exactly how the assignment intended – as book trailers or book reviews/reports. Thanks to this assignment, I forced myself to work outside of my comfort zone and learned so much from doing so! Link to Video Book Trailer: https://spark.adobe.com/video/1KinELwKaVp9V Was there any article in coursework that has stuck with you?
I really enjoyed the articles and course resources about graphic design, especially about the psychology of colors. That is something I’ve always been interested in so it was great to have the chance to learn more about it as part of our course. It really hit home for me that it is true when they say that every decision you make can change the outcome. While designing a newsletter or logo may not be life-changing, it can make or break communication with families, colleagues, and the community. Did you have a Discussion with your classmates that made a difference in your learning? Discussions with classmates absolutely made a difference in my learning! I was always anxious to “hear” what others thought of my experiences and ideas, and I learned about new tools to use as well as new ways to use tools I already use. How have you grown as a connected educator? I have grown as a connected educator by discussing common themes with other educators. I love that we can make personal and professional connections to others in the course no matter what subject or grade level we teach. Essentially, teaching is teaching regardless of the who, what, and where. Where will you continue your learning? I will continue my learning in my classroom with my fifth graders as we try new things, and in upcoming USF courses. I am enrolled in three courses for the summer, so I will be doing plenty of learning on my own! I plan to continue practicing and learning more about using screencasts in my classroom, as that is a tool I will most likely use with my future students. This is your time to reflect and share your thoughts about the multimedia tools in the classroom. I sincerely enjoyed this course! I am so happy to have learned about several new tools to use (or at least try) in my classroom. My favorite is using screencasts; I had done it once before but I hadn’t thought about all of the possibilities. Creating them to use when guest teachers are in the room is a genius idea!! My peers were so generous with comments, questions, and ideas; I am so grateful to all of them for helping to make this course a successful one for me! I'm not an official graphic designer, of course, but teachers are doing the job unwittingly! We develop and design hundreds of things each year: newsletter, notes home, websites, and so much more. Each of these has a specific purpose, and our design choices can make or break their impact with students, parents, and colleagues.
Incorporating graphic design into our classrooms can be so valuable! This video from Column Five discusses "making data powerful through visual representations." (2011) The data we are sharing can be any piece of information, but we can make all of it more effective by knowing how to use graphic design to our advantage: the color, size, shape of text and visual cues. As I mentioned already, I am no graphic design, but I found out that I have been following the "two font rule" that Heather Dowd mentions in her slideshow "Tell Me With a Graphic." (n.d.) I didn't know it was a rule - I just knew more than that was too much. Too many fonts on one page distract readers from the message. If we are creating classroom materials with a brain-blistering visual, you can bet that they are not absorbing the message that we intended! My students are generally either kinesthetic or visual learners (and often both). (Institute of Learning Styles Research, n.d.) They learn and remember best when there are motions taught along with whatever they are learning, or by writing something by hand. Seeing a video or graphic also helps them understand and remember. I draw lots of terrible sketches for the sake of teaching. (I should probably be embarrassed about my lack of artistic talent, but at least I'm entertaining my class while also teaching...?) I can support their kinesthetic and visual tendencies by including well-designed graphics and videos in my lessons. Using my new-found knowledge of graphic design basics, I can prepare more effective (and definitely better-looking) graphics and videos to illustrate my point rather than free drawing something in the moment. Dowd's slideshow was very informative in regards to designing digital and print resources effectively, and absolutely plan to use it! (n.d.) In our next literacy unit called "Exploring New Worlds", students will be participating in a simulation. They will act as explorers planning a trip across the sea to discover new lands. Their first tasks will be to name their ship and design a flag to hoist when they set sail. The graphic design lessons from this week's module will help tremendously with this activity! I can prepare examples ahead of time, one following the graphic design rules that Dowd discusses and one breaking those rules. (n.d.) We can use them to start discussions about which one is more effective and why. When students start designing their own flag, they will know at least some of the things to watch for in their own graphic design experience. Originally, I had little to no interest in graphic design; after this week's readings and resources, though, it is a fascinating topic. It is amazing how many aspects of what we see can affect our subconscious, mood, and thoughts about a topic. I hope that I can harness and use that power for educational good! Reference List Column Five. (2011). The value of data visualization. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/29684853 Dowd, Heather. (n.d.). Tell me with a graphic. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Y5LAxlRhRGgkqbFGKu9f5ZdZx2RwhlxZAC9eeJyUZ5Y/edit#slide=id.g162b29ada5_0_0 Institute for Learning Styles Research. (n.d.). Overview of the seven perceptual styles: Kinesthetic modality. Retrieved from https://www.learningstyles.org/styles/kinesthetic.html Thank you for visiting my blog! Let me apologize in advance because I've never had a blog before. Website? Yes. Twitter? Yes. Facebook? Yes. Instagram? Yes. But a blog? Never.
My name is Stacy, and I teach fifth grade dual language in Woodstock, Illinois. (Woodstock is "famous" for the movie Groundhog's Day - it was filmed here! I think it's kind of funny that we're still claiming that fame, though.) I have taught in Woodstock for four years. Before becoming a teacher, I also worked in the district as a substitute, Pre-K associate, and student teacher. I taught kindergarten my first year. That was a hot mess. No exaggeration. I was NOT good at that. The next year, I was transferred to my current school to teach a 2nd/3rd split. I was a little better at that, and was more comfortable teaching anyway. My third year, I asked to teach in a new position in 5th grade for DL - and here I am! I love fifth grade! Finally, I feel like I'm at least okay at what I'm doing, and the students "get me". This year has been a big technology year for me! My school is 1-to-1 with Chromebooks, so tech is part of our everyday lives. I am my school's ClassDojo Mentor, recently became a Flipgrid Ambassador, am pursuing an endorsement in Technology, attended the ICE Conference, and will be attending the ISTE Conference in June! I'm looking forward to working more with technology, and hope to share what I learn with other teachers. Outside of school, I love to read, knit, dance, sing, and do Zumba. I have a nine-year-old daughter, a hubby who was my high school sweetheart, and a minpin named Molly who is lucky she's cute. In the fall, I also teach the color guard at my old high school. It's a busy life, but I love it! |