Once again my colleagues have offered some great suggestions for helping me to achieve my GAME plan. Thank you to Jewel for pointing out that MovieMaker can also be used for audio slide shows, making it a good choice for digital storytelling; that information may come in handy for our upcoming assignment on developing a lesson with digital storytelling.
Thank you also to Christina, who recommended Avid Liquid in case I want to take video production to the next level. I have only briefly investigated Avid’s products, but they sound amazing. For anyone interested in more advanced video, this would probably be good to look into.
As I review the GAME plan I posted several weeks ago, it seems that some parts will be easier than I anticipated, but other parts will be trickier. Because our district has subscribed to My Big Campus, my students can now easily create wikis. They can even post on each other’s “walls,” very much like Facebook, but completely within the system. I will be trying this out in summer school, starting next week. So I am very close to achieving the first part of my GAME plan—using Web 2.0 resources to engage students “in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” (ISTE, 2008).
The second part of my GAME plan—using virtual environments for learning (ISTE, 2008)—will be trickier because of Skype being blocked at school. My Big Campus does not seem to have a videoconferencing application. This is an area that will require additional planning and collaboration with our technology department. I believe we can eventually get some type of videoconferencing capability, but it may not be for a couple of years. In the meantime, I may concentrate on developing our use of video and video editing software since MovieMaker will be readily available.
References:
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Posts
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteSometimes as we make two steps forward, something pops up that places us four steps backward, but it is all a part of the process of planning, implementing and monitoring projects. Usually, setbacks also prepare the way for an even greater breakthrough.
This week, Vickie Davies mentioned two unique ways that can facilitate the kind of online collaboration and networking that we would want to encourage amongst our students. She mentioned the Wiggio.com site as well as establishing our own educational networks with fellow teachers.
Does the state system allow you to chat online with other teachers? Perhaps this could be an avenue that you could investigate.
All the best,
Jewel Meikle
Hi, Jewel. I investigated wiggio.com, and it looks promising. I haven't had a chance to try it out at school yet, but I'm teaching summer school starting tomorrow, so I will try it out before or after class. It looks useful, flexible, and easy-to-navigate. Have you used it? What did you think?
ReplyDeleteI visited the site of our state education department, but there doesn't seem to be any type of online chat. Thank you for the idea, though.
Becky