Overall Final Reflection

This class has given me the opportunity to use several different types of interactive media to create tools that can be used in instruction. As a classroom teacher, the features I most appreciate about the tools we learned to use are that they are free and that they are easy to learn to use. The expenses are minimal in both financial and time costs. The advantage for little to no monetary investment is obvious, but the advantage of not having to invest a great amount of time to learn these tools is also very advantageous.  The demands on classroom teachers do not allow for time to sit and learn complex software applications.

I learned about many new tools that I have not used before. I had the opportunity to use the tools to create projects using GoAnimate, YouTube, and Layar that were used by my school for promotion of different school wide events. I created projects to use during instruction in my classroom using Wix, VoiceThread, Thinglink, and Glogster. I used Screenr to create a tutorial for use by the other teachers in my school. Although the projects I created using Dermander and Animoto were not for use in my classroom instruction, these tools could easily be used to create media for classroom instruction. In addition to the previously mentioned tools, I also learned of many other Web 2.0 tools available to use at http://www.go2web20.net/.

The class uses the social network mixxt.com as a place for online meeting, sharing, and collaboration. The class site is private and requires a password to access documents such as the syllabus and assignment details. It provides a place to share files, post comments and messages, and send private messages to other class members.

I will definitely take the tools I have learned in this class and use them in my classroom as well as share them with my coworkers so that they may create instructional tools for their own classrooms. The uses for the tools we used truly are limitless. They can all be used by the teacher to create interactive instructional materials. They can also be used by students to create interactive, digital projects which is a Common Core State Standard in the grade I teach (5th grade) and in many other grade levels as well.

 

Final Project

I used Wix to create a website to accompany the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. This book is one that I read with my fifth grade class in the spring semester. The website provides a place to combine several resources that are used while reading the novel. The home page displays an image of the book cover as well as a summary and quotes from two reviews of the book. There is another page dedicated to background for the book. Students are provided with information about the time in which the book takes place. There is also a presentation that was created using Prezi as well as a YouTube video that provides information about one of the events that occurs in the book.  There is a page with more information about the book, a page for the movie, and discussion questions for each chapter of the book. There is a blog that was written from the point of view of the main character. There are various assignments on each page of the website for students to complete.

This was the first time that I have used Wix to create a website. I found it very user-friendly. It did not take much time to set up an account and get started on the creation of the site. It was very easy to make the site look the way that I wanted it to look, and there were many options available from which to choose. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone who wants or needs to create a website. The link to the site I created is listed below.

Instructional Media Final Project

Presentation

Each member of the class was required to choose a Web 2.0 tool for a presentation assignment. We were asked to choose a tool, learn how to use it, and present it to the class. The tool that I chose to present was ThingLink. ThingLink is a free tool that lets the user create interactive images and videos for web, social, advertising, and educational purposes. Any image can be used to add links for video, text, music, and more. Although the tool can be used free of charge, teachers can create a premium account for only $35 per year. The free account provides many features including the ability to create classes and add an unlimited number of students. It works across all platforms and all web browsers.

The ThingLink I created is one using the parts of speech and School House Rocks videos. My students sometimes struggle with the parts of speech, and they really enjoy watching School House Rocks videos. They can now enjoy the videos while reinforcing their knowledge of what they have learned in language class. The link for my ThingLink is posted below.

Parts of Speech ThingLink

An Instructional Media Selection Guide for Distance Learning: Discussion Two

Summary

Sections VI through VIII discuss blended classrooms, synchronicity and elasticity, and virtual learning environments.   Blended learning deals with integrating appropriate instructional media in instruction, based on the learning objective. Considerations such as whether instruction is synchronous or asynchronous and which media would be most effective in each situation. Virtual worlds include an real or fantasy environment in which avatars are the representations of the users of environment.  Virtual worlds afford users the ability to experience first-person exploration of different environments without physically leaving their present location. They also allow users to work collaboratively in a virtual environment.  One model of distance learning is not superior to another. The learning objective to be achieved should be considered when choosing the media that will be used.

How could teachers/instructors use the material/information addressed in these sections to help improve their online instruction or professional development?

Teachers/instructors can use the material/information addressed in these sections to help them improve their online instruction by paying attention to the blended learning model components diagrams and blended learning concept map. There are variables listed for instructors to consider about the media they select to best suit their learning environment and objective goals. There is also useful information regarding learning environments, instructional media, and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

What did you learn from reading these sections? 

In these sections, I learned different types of instructional media correspond to different levels of thinking. As educators, we are striving have our students use higher order thinking skills. I had not considered that different types of instructional media are more likely to achieve this goal. Of course after reading the information, it makes perfect sense. With creating & evaluation being at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy, it makes perfect sense that the tools in the top half of the chart are those that would be used to create or evaluate.

An Instructional Media Selection Guide for Distance Learning: Discussion One

Summary

Sections I-V of the provided text gives an introduction to distance learning. It begins with its history and discusses different medias used to deliver distance education along with the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of each type. There has been an evolution of distance education over time. Both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning are addressed along with strategies that can be utilized in both situations. The last two sections of this part of the text provides descriptions of different instructional media as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each type mentioned.

How could teachers/educators use the material/information addressed in these sections to help improve their online instruction or professional development? 

First of all, teachers could use the information presented in these selections to understand exactly what distance learning is and the different types of media that can be utilized to facilitate distance education. Some may still believe that distance education is only  correspondence between a teacher and a student. They may not realize that the correspondence can take place synchronously as well as asynchronously. Technology enabled distance learning can come in many different forms such as videos, computer based conferencing, and virtual worlds. The way in which information is transferred from the student to the teacher is limited only by the teacher’s imagination.

The portion of the information that was the most informative/useful to me as an educator is the part that breaks down different types of instructional media. There is a detailed description of each type of instructional media along with the appropriate instructional strategies that suit each one. There is an additional diagram that distinguishes media based on whether it is synchronous or asynchronous and lists the instructional strategies for each one. This is a very useful reference for an educator to use when planning instruction to be sure that he or she uses the appropriate media to accomplish the goal(s) of the lesson presented.

What have you learned from reading these sections? If these sections did not reveal any new information, explain what you already know about the topic and how you gained that knowledge (e.g., experience, word-of-mouth, research). 

I did not learn any new information from reading these sections. I have had this same information presented in other classes that I have taken while working on my MSIT Plan of Study. Although the information was not new to me, I found the way that it was presented very useful.  I would much rather have information presented in diagrams or charts than presented in regular text. In Section V, I found the sections that described each type of media along with the appropriate instructional strategies for each one useful. Figure 4: Synchronous Media Mapped to Instructional Strategies and Figure 5: Asynchronous Media Mapped to Instructional Strategies were both very useful to me. I like the way the diagram distinguishes between the two types of instruction and provides the media as well as the instructional strategies that can be used with each one.  This visual representation of the information is a very succinct reference for educators to use when planning instruction.

Augmented Reality with Layar

Augmented Reality using Layar is something that I had never worked with before. I think the technology is very interesting, and the applications are only limited by the user’s creativity. With Layar, digital media can be added to any print text or image. The Layar app is available for iOS, BlackBerry, Android, and Google Glass. For example, a photograph and contact information can be added to a resume’ or business card. Video highlights can be added to a player’s information stats sheet as well as links with contact information. 

My AR campaign was created for use with my school’s book fair. The book fair letter is something that every student received to bring home at the start of the book fair. If parents downloaded the Layar app, they could scan their child’s letter and immediately find links to email the librarian, shop online, download the Scholastic app, and view a presentation about reading. A copy of the letter is found on the right. Click the letter to enlarge, then scan it using the Layar app to view the interactive media.

 

VoiceThread Online Digital Story

VoiceThread affords users the opportunity to create media rich, asynchronous conversations. Responses in conversations do not have to be immediate, so there is the opportunity for reflection, which leads to a more meaningful response. Connections can be made using more than just text. Text response is an option, but one can also reply using his or her own voice. This option makes the VoiceThread conversation more personal and human.

VoiceThread can be used in any setting. There are possibilities in both the educational as well as the corporate world. I chose to use VoiceThread to create an online digital story about the American Revolution. This topic is one that I was teaching at the time this assignment was due. My students enjoyed viewing the thread. I probably would not use this tool in my classroom. The reason I would not use it is the price. It is $79/year or $15/month for a single educator license for up to 50 student accounts. I have more than 50 students, so I would be required to purchase additional licenses. In spite of that, it is a great tool that would allow students to engage in dialogue about any given topic while using pictures and videos.

American Revolution Voice Thread

Glogster Interactive Online Poster

Glogster is an online tool that can be used to create media rich posters. Users may choose to add text, audio, video, photographs, or outside links to their unique Glogs. There are many pre-designed templets from which to choose, or users may create their own. Both free and paid accounts are available. I originally created a free account several years ago. I created another account for the purpose of this class, and the information I was given upon the account creation was that the account was only free for seven days. However, I can still view and edit the Glog I created with that account, and several weeks have passed.

Literally any topic the user can conceive can be used to create a Glog. I chose European Settlement and Exploration for my Glog content. It is a topic that I teach in my social studies class, and I felt that my students would enjoy viewing the content in this way. I also used it as an example for students to see so that they could create their own Glog at a later time.

European Settlement and Exploration Glog

GoAnimate

GoAnimate allows users to quickly create professional, animated videos without requiring sophisticated training. After creating an account, you can choose the type of account that works best for you. There are free accounts as well as different levels of paid accounts that have different types of features.

I used GoAnimate to create a short animated commercial featuring my school’s fall carnival. After my principal saw it, she asked me to revise it to include some more specific details, and she had it added to our school’s webpage on the district website.

The animation was fairly easy to create. There are many free characters, backgrounds, scenes, and props to use in the animation. There is a time limit on the free account, but it was sufficient for my needs. Animations can be created that are promotional, instructional, or informative.  What can be done is only limited by the user’s imagination.

GoAnimate Video

GoAnimate Video – Take Two

 

Screenr Online Instructional Video

Screenr is a web-based screen recorder that allows users to easily create and share screencasts. It is free and does not even require the user to create an account. Screencasts can be distributed to anyone easily by sharing the link. They will even play on iOS devices.

I used Screenr to create a screencast explaining to teachers how to create an assignment on Study Island. Study Island is a program my school uses, and I am often asked to help other teachers create assignments. By creating this screencast, I can now just send the link to the teacher that needs help creating the assignment instead of demonstrating the same task to different teachers repeatedly.

I think this tool has the potential to be very useful in many different fields. Teachers can use this tool to help students navigate websites or software. Employers can use it to help employees complete tasks that are computer based. The possibilities are endless.

Creating an Assignment in Study Island Screencast