Training Module for Online Communications Class

The materials video tutorial is for a training module on using our new library online computer catalog. Materials in the module include the ADDIE lesson plan,the user guide, and this short video tutorial. 

Camtasia vs. Jing

Camtasia is a great tool for producing video tutorials. I like the ability to record multiple clips and combine into one video plus the ability to cut and remove mistakes. I am sure my inability to talk and manipulate programs at the same time will diminish the more I work with this type of project but in the meantime, being able to edit out some of my mistakes is a good thing. This made using Camtasia easier than recording the same presentation in Jing.  Adding a background music track was fairly easy using Camtasia.  The process of saving and uploading to youtube was extremely simple as Camtasia does the formating work for you. Overall I preferred Camtasia for creating the video.  I will use Jing for screen captures but not video. Below is my Camtasia example and the Jing for comparison is in the previous post.  

Jing & Other Web 2.0 Tools

I found the Jing application very easy to use.  The screen capture program is great for adding screen images into presentations or for creating short video tutorials.  Users have to get used to talking and manipulating what is being demonstrated on screen and the one drawback for me was having to record the entire presentation without making a mistake in my narration--practically impossible for me.

Looking at different web 2.0 applications this week, I found some other interesting ones to try out.  First is Zooburst which is a free app for creating 3D pop-up books.  A great way to use digital storytelling in the classroom.  I can't wait to try this out during library class this fall. Citebite is a free application which allows users to have quotes from online documents linked to the exact text quoted in the online source.  Great tool for helping students cite sources.  Feel like creating your own flash games, Stencyl can help with that. It is also free.  Tuxpaint is an application for children ages 3 to 12 who like to create their own artwork.  And for creating colorful, animated timelines, check out Tiki-Toki. Timelines can be created using both video and images and the basic level is free.  Have fun checking out these applications!

Here is my tutorial example in Jing.

Mobile Technology in Education

While researching mobile apps this week, I came across Mastery Connect, a recently announced set of apps copyrighted 2011, which are designed to allow teachers and administrators to collaborate and share formative common assessments.  The apps are available for download on a pc, ipod, or ipad.  The components include Mastery Tracker, Common Assessments, Learning Community, and Progress Reports.  These are fee-based apps which allow users to evaluate and track individual student needs using real data along with providing access to a collection of peer-created common assessments.  Given the focus on measuring student progress through assessment, this set of apps blends technological features to make tracking and evaluating student improvement through assessment easier.  Mastery Connect also has a free Common Core standards android app which allows anyone to locate K-12 common core standards for Math and Language Arts.  


Motutu is a new homework assistance app aimed at students in grades 6 through 12. During the introductory period, the service is free for a limited time.  After the introductory period is up, then a 20 minute help session will cost students $4.99. Additional minutes will run $1.99 each if a session goes over 20 minutes.  The app is currently available iOS platforms but not for android technology.  Students are able to connect with tutors who hold university degrees in related fields for math and science help. The service sends users a session summary which can include screen shots and transcripts of the chat session.  This allows students to refer back to the information at a later time.


Another app I discovered this week is Thoughtboxes which is an organizational tool.  The app allows users to organize their to-do lists by topic or what they refer to as “trains of thought” with color-coding.  Important tasks can be highlighted and checked off when done.  Thought trains can be shared for collaboration.  The app offers a free version with 3 thought trains.  Full access for unlimited trains of thought is available for a fee.  An app such as this could be used for organizing assignment tasks in the classroom or for organizing group projects through collaboration. This would be a way to integrate technology so students’ can visually track what they need to accomplish and help them foster individual responsibility for completing their assigned tasks. 


I have heard a lot of talk about using QR Codes in the classroom.  QR stands for quick response and a QR Code basically functions as a short cut to a website.  QR apps can be downloaded to mobile devices and then when users take a photo of the QR code, the device opens the webpage.  I see these a lot in periodicals.  They are those funny looking squares with the black boxy designs inside. This would be a great application for use in the library.  If QR Codes were placed on books, students could scan them and be directed to websites with reviews and information from or about the author.  I think this will be a type of app we will continue to hear more about.


Mobile technology will have many benefits in the classroom, but it often comes with a hefty price tag which may slow the integration into educational settings.  Many students have access to this technology through their own devices so the question is raised should students who have the technology be allowed to use it in school and how will the technology be provided for students who do not have their own devices. Other issues arise for older buildings that were not constructed for wireless connectivity. Integration of mobile technology will require creativity on many fronts.

Copyright

Copyright and fair use are difficult concepts for students and equally as difficult for adults.  Copyright law is long and hard to interpret.  The permissions and restrictions vary by type of material and type of user.  Freedom to use images, audio, and video clips is important to education as students complete multimedia projects. For example if you are a teacher and want to use video for a project, you are limited to a maximum of 10% or 3 minutes but if you want to show a full video in the classroom, it must be for instructional purposes and not as a reward.  That means as a teacher, anytime you show a video, there should be correlation to your GLE’s.  I provide my teachers with a chart from the Technology and Learning website which is handy to keep by the computer when they need some basic copyright and fair use information plus copyright information from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These materials are provided to them at the beginning of every school year as part of a required building inservice.  I also keep copyright manuals in the school’s professional collection.  As the library media specialist is usually considered the building “expert” on copyright, staff is referred to the library when they have a question.  Since I do not have a legal background in copyright, I provide the staff with the best resources I can on the topic and if we can’t find the answer in those, then we forward the questions onto someone who can provide an answer.  Fair Use takes into consideration the nature of the material, the reason for use and who doing the using plus monetary value of the material.  If these affect the creator negatively, it is not fair use.  The United States Copyright Office has extensive copyright and fair use information.  Creative commons licenses provide users with limited rights to use various works depending on the type of license purchased.  One thing that I have learned is to always cite sources and if in doubt, then it is best to ask permission from the original creator. 

When teaching students about copyright, it is best to keep it simple.  Elementary students have difficulty paraphrasing and putting things into their own words.  They like to just copy and paste text from websites into their projects.  I use a couple of different fiction picture books which talk about copyright in a kid-friendly fashion.  The Cyberbee website has a good interactive tool on copyright that I use for my younger students.  We work on the concept of giving credit where credit is due by including citations in our projects.  

I have created the following podcast on copyright and fair use for teachers which is stored on podbean.com.  

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PhotoStory vs. Animoto

Both PhotoStory and Animoto have their advantages and depending on why you are creating a video factors into which program you would choose.  PhotoStory is a completely free download to your computer but with Animoto, there is a subscription fee if users want to create movies longer than 30 seconds.  Animoto is a web-based application.  Both programs allows users to import their photos.  One trick I learned several years ago and I have taught it to my students, is very simple but not many people think of it. Powerpoint slide shows can be saved as jpegs and then imported into a photostory, just like a photograph.  This will work in Animoto also.  I like the advantage to set the start and end point of a photo in PhotoStory.  That way I can eliminate any parts of unedited photos I do not want to display.  I can rotate and crop photos. Being able to adjust how many seconds you want a photo to display is also a plus.  Animoto does not have this option.  Users can add text to photos and they can also choose the style of the font—another plus.  Users are also able to add effects to a photo like sepia, washout, or watercolor.  I did not find any of these features in Animoto. Photos need to be completely edited prior to uploading into Animoto.  Users can add text in Animoto which appears between photos as the movie plays.  Both programs have music in them.  PhotoStory allows users to create computer generated music while Animoto has a database for free music available for use.  In both, users can upload their own music.  In PhotoStory users can add narration, which I did with my photostory example, but it did not appear to be an option in my Animoto version or at least not in the plus plan that I could see. There is no time limit in PhotoStory but if you are using the free version of Animoto, there is a limit of 30 seconds.  I did like the layout board better in Animoto.  Seeing all the  photos on one screen in a grid allowed me to rearrange the order more easily than in the scrolling bar at the bottom of the PhotoStory screen.  Both are good options for creating multimedia but it all comes down to the users purpose for use and preference for available features. I will use Animoto to publize the current book award nominees in the upcoming school year and I will probably have the students try it out but for finished research productions, I think I will probably stick with PhotoStory as I like the functionality better. 

PhotoStory Example


Animoto Example

Site Recommedations From My RSS Feed

Using RSS feeds, I follow several blogs in different categories.  For teaching, I follow several library and technology related sites. If you scroll to the very bottom of this page, I have a list of my favorites not included in this review. 
One of my favorites is ilearntechnology which recommends websites and technological tools for use in the classroom.  I use this site to locate and evaluate websites before I recommend them to teachers in my buildings.  Usually those who post on ilearntechnology have used their recommendations, know what works and what doesn’t plus give suggestions for implementation in the classroom. 
The second one I find useful is Free Technology for Teachers.  This blog also recommends websites, applications, and technology tools for use by teachers.  There are also an assortment of tutorials and ebooks for teachers which provide lots of information on using and teaching with technology. 
One of my favorite blogs, one related to nonfiction books, is the I.N.K blog. I found out about this blog when author Cheryl Harness was speaking at a meeting of the Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians.  This was about two years ago when the blog was first beginning.  In addition to Cheryl Harness, you can find posts by other published authors like Steve Jenkins, Loren Leedy, and David Schwartz.  I use this blog as a materials selection tool but it also provides information from the authors on the research and writing process plus gives readers a lot of insight into the viewpoints and personality of the contributing authors.  I like to provide my students with some background on how a book develops and this has been a great resource for those lessons. 

I hope you can find something here you can use.  Enjoy!