Final Reflection

I have researched many apps and websites.  I consider myself to be a techie kind of person since my job before I become a teacher was a Technology Technician.  And I know there are many new apps and website that I will need to learn technology changes on a daily basis.  As I think back on the course that I am finishing up.  There were some technology apps that I really like, ones that caused me to be frustrated and will never use, and others that I used in the library the next week. Also there is some I will never get to use because of the websites being blocked.

Which ones I liked the most?

I really enjoyed using ToonDoo to make comic strips.The comic strips were also fun and students love doing them.  I have used this site with my older students and they enjoyed it.  This was a great way to pull my students into a unit and let them show their knowledge in many different way.  Students beg to do this program, so we use it at least once every nine weeks.

There is so much information on YouTube that my teachers and I use it all the time.  Our students enjoy it.  Students can use YouTube to help with homework.  QR codes are great for the classroom as they also the students to get to sites quickly without fumbling through URLs and students love to have scavenger hunts.

The screencasts are beneficial and in my favorite.  At the beginning I had problems using it but after using is for a while it became user friendly.  We use screencast for book trailers, directions, and interviews.  Students also use screencast to make book reviews and help other students understand a concept.

Which ones I liked the least?

Some of my least favorite apps and websites are the social media sites, like Vine and Instagram.  These are helpful in sharing information and getting my students to buy in the assignment. This is valuable because this is where the most of my students live.  They were fun and interesting but like any other social media site must be kept up with.

I personally do not like podcasts.  It is a great way to give directions to students but I have such a strong Texas accent that I sound funny.  I use it for different stations but let students record the directions.  The students take ownership to each podcast.

I was not so impressed with the online book communities.  I cannot connect with other readers on Facebook because of the block site.  They were fun and interesting.

I was not impressed with Piktochart either.  It was difficult to use.  I will not be using this product.

There are so many applications on the World Wide Web that are great for education.  The only bad thing that I have found is that my school blocks so many sites and to get them unblocked you have to write why you want it unblocked and how you will use it.  Who has time for this!

Funny Library Cartoons

Instagram and Vine

Instagram and Vine

Instagram and Vine are social media platforms to connect with students. Students are always posting pictures with Instagram.  Instagram allows you to take pictures to share with your followers.  Vine allows for short 6 second videos.  Both have great possibility to be a great tool in the classroom. Students can showcase their work for open house or sneak peek for their parents to see.  Students could do book trailers or book reports using either one of these program.  Students could record steps on a “how to” or even science experiment. At my school the technology department has block on all social media platforms so I will not be using either one of these programs at my school.

Instagram
Instagram was easy to use but I would not use with elementary students because of time. I would use this picture as a writing prompt with my students.

Dinner

A photo posted by Nancy McKneely-Stevens (@nms029) on Nov 15, 2015 at 11:27am PST

Vine
Vine was not as easy as Instagram and I would not use it with elementary students because of time and ease of using it.
Please click below!
Cause and Effect

Screencast

Screencasts

Screencasts are great ways to connect with students at any age or at anytime.  You can create almost any kind of video that students can access anytime day or night. For this post, I used two sites, Screencast-O-matic and Jing. I looked at a third website but it was retired.

Screencast-O-Matic (http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/)

Destiny Quest

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Screen-O-Matic was not easy to use I had to change browsers than download java. Which I could not do at school because only technology technicians can do this at my school.  There will be no way of using this with my students at my school.   Registration is typical for web applications in that you use your email and create a password for your account.  A free account allows you only a 15 minute screen cast.  You can opt to use your webcam, publish to YouTube.  If you want more editing features, then you opt to purchase a Pro account that costs $15 per year.

Recording, you click "Start Recording" and you set the screen outline to record. Once you are done, you can hit to the stop button and then review your screencast.  You will be able publish the video to YouTube, publish to screencast-o-matic, or download your video.

I will not be using Screen-o-matic because it will not work well at my school.


Screenr (https://www.screenr.com/)

I tried Screer but could not use it because of it's retirement this month.

Jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)

Symbaloo'

Please click  below!

http://screencast.com/t/bsE0EsH5

I tried and tried and Jing will not upload or open in my blog!  So this to me would only frustrate the students like it has me!

Jing allows you to capture images and videos on your computer screen and share them via the web.  Jing is no registration is required and is a free download.  I used Chrome as my internet browser and I was able to easily install Jing and launch.

Once I launched Jing, the symbol appeared on the top of my screen.  I selected "Capture" and then selected what part of my screen I wanted to use.  You have two options at this point: to capture an image or video.  I chose video.  After a three second countdown, my recording began.  Once I was finished, I clicked stop, I recorded with ease and I was able to review my video. I could saved but not sure why it saved as a PDF file, every time I save is saved as a PDF file. I tried everything possible to switch it to a jpeg. It started up loading but stops in the middle.  I recorded again and the same thing happens.  Like I said this problem has frustrated me so I know it will frustrate my students.


Which will I use?

I think I might use both applications and it depends on the project I am doing.  I have never used either one of these programs but if I had to choose I would choose Screen-o-matic.  I think Screen-o-matic is easy to use and would be a great option to create online video.  If I'm sending an email, Jing would probably be the application I use. 

Cartoons and Comics

Book reviews, book talks, creative writing, vocabulary words, research projects, and character viewpoints are a few of the great ideas that can be used in the classroom using comic strips.  Students who don't typically like reading, read graphic novels at my school.   I think those students would enjoy writing using this format.  ToonDoo, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix are a few of the sites that offer free accounts.  ToonDoo and Pixton require users to create a profile using an email address, but MakeBeliefsComix will let you get started right away.  

ToonDoo

ToonDoo starts out prompting the user to begin by creating a site layout. I would have liked to be able to use more different characters to make the cartoon strip.  This site had a lot of editing options and creative tools that would help the older student make an extravagant comic but for younger user I don’t think this is the site to use.  It was difficulty to move and use the different characters and backgrounds for me.  I don’t think I will use this site with my students.

Pixton

Pixton was the easiest of the three comic sites.  This site is great for teachers looking to create an account for the classroom.  The only drawback is the price, the account will cost $8.99 month plus 30 cents per student. This site was the most user friendly site and could be used with young children with ease. 

MakeBeliefsComix

MakeBeliefsComix

A perfect site for users to use quick to create a comic without paying or loggin.  It was easy to save in my documents and paste it in my assignment.  I will be using this site with my students in the future. I like the part about emailing it to someone or to yourself.  The graphics are great and kid friendly with many different types that gives a variety for any student to use.

The three sites are easy to use.  I will recommend MakeBeliefsComix to my teachers and students if they need to do a quick and easy comic.  I feel this site is one that young or older student will use over and over to do all kinds of projects.