Cyber Bully PSA Photostory

My Cyber Bullying PSA Photostory was a real treat to develop. A photostory is a video displaying still images that is sometimes accompanied with an audio track. My photostory is on cyberbullying, which is a big deal in the recent digital social media boom. If you use the Photostory 3 program, be sure to convert your story from the .wp3 file format into a video format for YouTube to run the file. The story can also be found below:



This activity ISTE NETS T two by designing a learning experience for my visual and auditory students that puts a twist  in the learning without me standing up in front of them in a lecture style. This activity also meets standard four, because I can use this artifact to demonstrate to my students how technology can be used of effectively and responsibly to communicate and educate others!

Conversion Program

I have used the Bender Converter to convert a downloaded YouTube video of the .mp4 file type into the .avi file type. This free online service is easy to use with no program download required. The service is very quick and easy to use. You can either convert a YouTube video into a video file you can download via the YouTube video URL or you can convert any video file on your computer into another video format that can be downloaded back onto your PC. Overall, a great service.

This activity meets ISTE NETS T 4, because I can demonstrate the use of technology and file conversion services to my students through a free and safe site. I can also address my need and the needs of my students when it some to digital file conversion. I have also met standard three, as I have demonstrated my fluency in this digital age and modeling effective use of a current digital tool.

Jing Screencast

Screencasting is a great way to communicate knowledge through video and accompanying audio. I used the Jing program to capture my audio of my voice and a video of my desktop. I created my screencast on subscripting text on a typed chemical equation. Take a look, you'll be glad you did. The video file Jing produces is a .swf file which can be stored on your PC or the Screencast service online. Try it out, you'll love it!



This exercise meets ISTE NETS T 2 by creating an activity that meets the needs of students with multiple learning styles, i.e. visually viewing the video lesson, audibly listening to the video, and kinestetically performing the activity on the student PCs by the students. It also meets standard 3 by using a digital tool often not used in the classroom to effectively communicate to my students in a different and interesting way.

Looping a YouTube Video

I have edited the URL of a YouTube video to allow for looping. You should watch the looped video of erosion and deposition! Below you can find the looped video below as well:

Gotta Catch 'em All, YouTube Videos!

Have you ever wanted to get that internet video and use it in class? How about if that video or website was blocked or the internet at school was down? What a bummer! Should you students miss out? NO! It's easy to download a video from YouTube or any other website hosting a video. Just use KEEPVID. KEEPVID is a free to use internet tool (no tool download required!) that you can quickly use to download videos to your PC. All you do is copy and paste the URL of the video into the text box at KEEPVID and click download. The process starts automatically and you can choose where the video is saved. The resulting file format is an mp4. Now you have that great video the school computer guru blocked even though there was nothing explicit in the video. Problem solved!

This activity meets ISTE NETS T one, because I've used new digital technology to solve a 'real world' problem of not having access to a great resource (YouTube) at school. I can use this knowledge to teach my students how to save a copy of a video with which they can use an a companion in a presentation (just one example). This activity also meets standard number three by proving that I am growing in my digital literacy and can apply this knowledge to provide for my students by using a video to communicate relevant ideas to them.

My, what a short url you have!

The longest URL I can find: 1700 characters. A Tiny URL: http://tiny.cc/ywnlh. The Tiny URL tool allows you to take outrageously long urls and condense them into very small satellite urls. This is the magic of Tiny URL: it take the unmanageable and extremely long URLs of today and makes them fun again and allows you to 'stick it to the man,' by reducing the URL length to combat link URL limits.

This activity meets ISTE NETS T 2 and 3 by my learning a new ability or knowledge about the digital world which I can pas onto my students and being able to manage my digital resources in a confluent and easy-to-use way for my students; all the while indirectly demonstrating to my students the ease of using digital tools.

VoiceThread

Give those fingers a rest and use your vocal cords! Voice threading is using your voice to comment and share in a digital social network. This is the first time I've used a voice threading tool. I used the VoiceThread tool to listen to my peers' descriptions of who they are and added my own to the gambit. I like the "human" element in these threads, but prefer text over the audio form for digital communication.I do like how you can judge communication and attitudes of the person you are communicating with through voice and not just the non-emotional text. This activity meets ISTE NETS T number four, because I now have a better understanding of the benefits provided by vocally communicating and that a recorded voice can impart just as much information, if not more, to a social interaction.

Podcast

Podcasting is something I've always wanted to try. This activity gave me that chance. I created my podcast on Science and Technology with the Audacity audio tool. I have also made my script available for viewing. I plan to use this podcast in all my science courses at the beginning of every semester starting this Fall semester. My podcast was made for a 10th grade biology class in WV and meets the following standards: WV CSO number SC.O.B.1.3, SC.O.B.1.4, SC.O.B.1.6, ISTE NETS T 1 and 2, and ISTE NETS S 1, 2, and 4. At the end of the lesson I group my students in threes and have them synthesis and design an experiment as well as have them edit and revise their peers' outlines. I plan to store this podcast, along with all my other digital resources, on two flash drives and on "the cloud." I hope you enjoyed my podcast, feel free to use it anytime!

This activity met ISTE NETS T number 1, because I am having my students collaborate with me and other students as they create their outlines and are direct by me through this digital podcast tool. I have also met standard 2 by creating a digital teaching/learning tool for my students to follow, even if I am absent from the classroom.

Jeopardy Labs!

Ever played Jeopardy!? How about one you made tailored to fit your classroom, and no PowerPoint needed, just internet! Jeopardy Labs is the answer, as it is free and extremely easy to use. The program allows you to create a Jeopardy game and it presents just like the one on TV! I created one for future Human Bio classes as a review of the first unit. You better check it out! Students want to be entertained, we want to teach them. This tool meets both needs!

This activity encompasses ISTE NETS T 2, because I have created a digital age product and when I use it I will provide my students with a digital age experience. Also, standard 5 is met by using this teachnology that I gained through a global and local digital community!