Voice Thread by Dustin Cope

What is a Voice Thread? If you want to use a video for your classroom, would you use a voice thread? Why?

Voice Thread is a means of communication which utilizes technology. You can add pictures and videos, while having the opportunity to post comments on previously added photos and videos.You can post comments using a variety of different methods such as; texting from a cellular phone, using a web cam, and by voice recording. You are also able to draw on pictures or video clips while they are loaded. Another cool feature is the ability to zoom in and out on pictures.

Voice Thread is an interesting feature that could be highly useful and fun to use in the classroom. If I were going to show a video in my classroom I would personally not use a Voice Thread. I say this because I do not believe that the Voice Thread is necessary for a physical education class, especially on the primary or secondary education level. This type of technology would be better suited for a college classroom. Also, physical education teachers usually do not have access to classrooms where this type of technology is available. If I were to show a video I would simply use a DVD or VHS cassette to illustrate my point of instruction. That would be a much more convenient resource that is readily available at all levels of education.

Desktop Publisher

I think that the activities that we did with Desktop Publisher went well. I experienced no difficulty in maneuvering the application. I was already familiar with publisher from ETEC 224, so this was merely taking what I had previously learned and applying it.



I enjoyed creating the brochure. Publisher provides many different templates and layouts for you to choose from. I believe that creating a brochure to hand out to parents at the beginning of the year is a great idea. This allows the parent and child to see the outline of the course and my educational background. The brochure also provides the parents with the information that they would need if they ever needed to contact me. My schedule is also displayed in the brochure so they can see when my conference period is.

There is not any issue that I have at this time using desktop publisher. It is real easy to use, at least in my opinion.

I really was pleasantly surprised that I like Publisher. It has a lot of neat features that I was not aware of prior to this course. Well as I stated in the previous paragraph, I have used Publisher in a prior course, so I already had an idea of how to use it. This class though has allowed me expand upon that base of knowledge and learn the intricacies of the program. I did not know that you could create a resume in this program which I also found interesting. You can change the background themes which makes your resume catch the eye of potential employers. I will definately be creating the brochure for my classroom. As I have stated that is a really useful resource for the parent and child.

Dustin

Dustin's Spill on Video Games and Education

I believe that teachers should use the technology used by their students. The purpose of education is to peak the interest of the learner so that they feel what they are being taught is of useful. What better way is this achieved than by using technology that the students utilize the most? When the student can relate to what is being taught and actually uses the technology outside of the classroom, I believe that the student will be more attentive and will have a positive learning experience.

Online chatting and instant messaging can be of great value in the classroom. In my opinion, utilizing these tools in no different than me typing this blog. The only difference is the format in which it is presented and viewed. As I stated in answering the previous question, I believe that anytime that the teacher uses technology that the student utilizes the most, it will lead to a positive learning experience. So in answer to the question, no I do not believe that these tool have an adverse effect on the learner.

Text based communication is useful for asking questions pertaining to the lecture that is conducted. I am a supporter though of face to face interaction. From my own learning experience, I learn better in a face to face setting. I just feel as if I can get all of my questions answered this way. I am more of a visual learner, so at times I can easily get confused or misinterpret what the teacher might be trying to convey through a text based lecture. Now, I believe that text based learning is appropriate and beneficial for those situations when you might have a question or two. For the most part though, I believe that face to face interaction is more learner friendly. It is not as convenient, but speaking for myself, I find that I learn much more in this setting.


I am not a supporter of the podcast as a learning tool. I believe that is it just another way to passively deliver information. From my perspective, if a student can not sit in a classroom and absorb the lecture in person, I do not believe it is feasible for them to by listening to a podcast.


Video games are not apart of my study routine, although I believe that there are benefits to playing them. Video games help to build stronger hand-eye coordination. Some games also are strategy latent, in that you really have to use your mind and think outside of the box in order to defeat the game. I agree with the article in that children learn better from their peers. I do not think that this is a direct correlation to video games, but instead, for the mere fact that children can present the information to one another with clarity. I would allow my child to play video games everyday. As a youngster I played video games daily and I experienced no adverse effects from doing so. I believe that the notion that video games make people do irrational things is not sensible. If someone can be that easily influenced by a fictional game, than that individual is not mentally stable to begin with.

Dustin's Blog over Delicious

Delicious is an innovative way to save bookmarks and share websites. It is also very useful in allowing individuals to access websites in an efficient manner. I will personally not be using the delicious site. The reason that I will not use delicious is because I do not have the time nor the patience to properly utilize the d site. As I previoulsy stated, delicious is a great tool for networking and would be highly useful for someone working in the business field. I just believe that for my line of work, physical education teacher, that this tool is not of utmost importance.

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet is a very useful tool for teachers. In the school that I attended that is how all of the grades were kept. I enjoyed learning the different features of creating a spreadsheet, because as I stated previously, it is highly useful for teachers.
The reason teachers use spreadsheet is good is because it more convenient and easily accessible. With spreadsheet you can just punch in the grades and the program will calculate the grades for you. While I think that spreadsheet is a great tool, and plan on using it in my classroom in the future, I still think it is wise to keep a handwritten gradebook in case the computer system were to crash.

Dustin

Inspiration Blog

After watching the video over inspiration, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Inspiration is a great tool for organizing ideas. It makes allows you to brainstorm and construct a web for organizing your ideas. From my past experiences, brainstorming my ideas has been a confusing process because my ideas were all scattered and had no order. I wish that I would have had the opportunity to use a program such as this. This could be used in the classroom for writing papers, so that the students can organize their thoughts in an efficient manner.


I believe the best way to integrate technology into writing is by doing assignments that require the students to brainstorm ideas. The whole basis of inspiration is to assist the student in more effectively organizing their thoughts so that the writing process is much easier. Research papers can also be incorporated into this realm because inspiration allows you integrate web research and findings into the inspiration program.

I think that students can best help each other by getting into small groups of 3-4 people and take turns reading and critiquing each others papers. This allows for multiple perspectives on ideas and techniques to better improve the individual's writing style. I have participated in this technique in my education experience, and found it to be positively reinforcing and informative. I believe that it improved my writing because you can learn different things from other people. This also allows the teacher to mingle amongst the group and give the students feedback. As far as incorporating technology, blogging is an excellent way for the students to communicate. I have really enjoyed this experience and found it to be convenient and helpful. Reading other people's perspective and expressing my opinion and them doing likewise, has been an awarding experience so far.

Dustin's Blog Experience

Prior to this course, I had no previous experience using blogs. In just the few times I have used it so far, I think that it is a very useful tool. Blogging makes communication between the class much easier. It allows for students in the class discuss different issues and express their opinions. I believe that blogging will revolutionize education in that it could be an alternative to meeting face to face. You could have discussions online through blogging which would present you an opportunity to voice your concerns and opinions. Having this as an alternative form of presenting and discussing material would be a useful tool in the education system. To those who say blogging is a waste of time I would say they need to try it first before disregarding the idea. It is a convenient way in which to conduct a classroom lecture, without having to actually meet in the classroom. I mean today is prime evidence of this. The weather has not allowed us to meet in class, but we are still able to communicate and complete the assingment.t

Dustin Cope