Week 4 Google Maps

This week we worked with Google Maps. I really like this assignment because I can see myself using Google Maps within my future classroom multiple times, and in multiple content areas. For our assignment we mapped out five locations in Oregon and created a tour of the five places. My tour was on public colleges in different regions in Oregon. These five school included Western Oregon University, University of Oregon, Southern Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, and Portland State University. My favorite part was learning the codes for inserting a picture and a link to be able to click on for more information in the bubble that pops up at the location. Also, I liked being able to change the colors and markers for each location.

As a future teacher I think the Google Maps program will come in handy. It is very easy to connect maps into your lessons. For example, if we are studying physical education we can map out a tour of a biking trail, just as I did for this assignment with colleges. Or if we are talking about a place across the world I can use Google Maps to virtually take the class to the place we are studying. One last example is I could show apart of the world on Google Maps and use that as a writing prompt for a journal write for the day. There are multiple ways Google Maps can be used in a classroom, both in simple lessons and more advanced lessons. I can not wait to use Google Maps in my future classroom.

Week 2 Collage

For week two we started creating our picture collage. We used three different pictures, one from the Internet, one scanned onto the computer, and one taken with a camera. Then, using the photo shop program on a Mac, we cut out different parts of each picture and put them all together to make a picture collage. For mine I used a beach scenery as the background (a picture from the Internet found by using Flickr), cut and pasted hot air balloons from a scanned picture, and cut out different pictures of myself from a camera and put them into the beach scene. I really enjoyed this assignment because I have always found any type of photo shop really interesting. Also, I have always wondered how this kind of picture cut and paste method had worked, and now I know!

After we finsihed completing our collage, we posted them onto Flickr where the rest of the class could see them. I enjoyed going through the pictures and seeing what my classmates have come up with for their collage. To finish up the assignment we commented on each others pictures about what we liked, or what we did not like.

Next time I do a project like this I would like to learn how to add shadows to the picture. I think it would have given it the final touch to make it more realistic.

Week 3 iMovie

Last week during class we began our iMovie project in groups. My group is creating an awareness 30 second video about bullying. We took the time to learn how to use video cameras and then walked around campus searching for a variety of people to give us their definition and thoughts about what bullying is. Then using iMovie on the Macs we started the process of making our movie. It was pretty tricky trying to learn how iMovie worked, but I think we have the basics down. We met on Friday as well to try and deeper our understanding of how the program works.

Some of the important points I would like to remember about using iMovie is the difference between events and projects and how to correctly save a safe iMovie document. Events are the movie clips that you have recorded on a camcorder that I have been put onto the computer. These clips can be cut and then moved into the project window. Projects are what you are putting your clips from events into. This is where you are creating your movie that will be finalized and shown. Also, this is where you can add different effects, such as music, transitions, cropping/zooming in on clips, etc. When you are finished working on your iMovie it is important to remember how to correctly save it in a safe place. This is especially important when using computers at the school. It will save in your Movie Events and Projects, but to make it safe you need to highlight it and move it to the classy_bucy file and give it a name that you will later recognize. This process is used to re-open the project later, but reversed. You must high light and move the files back into your home drive and then open iMovie. Your project and events will be there and ready for you to work on.

Week 1 Web 2.0

The first day of ED 421 was full of creating and discovering new things. For example, this blog. As a class, we took the time to set-up a g-mail account that would allow us to set-up a blog through blogger.com. Setting up a blog was a learning experience for me. I have never blogged before, therefore, I have never set-up a blog. However, blogger.com is a simple way to set-up a blog for yourself. It even allows you to customize the font, color, and layout to your liking. During this first class we also visited bighugelabs.com. Here we each chose a section to look at as far as it would let us before asking for money. I chose PopArt. It was a place to upload your own photos giving it a "pop-art" feel with bright colors and multiple copies. Then we shared what we had learned to the rest of the class using the SmartBoard. This was a fun and new experience too. Just in the few minutes of sharing I could see some of the positives and negatives that come along with the use of a SmartBoard.

Our homework for the day was too look over web 2.0. A website full of programs used online. I was not sure what to expect before visiting the site, but right away many of the program icons that popped up I was very familiar with. There are over 70 pages of icons of different programs, and some of the programs that I am familiar with include Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Pandora, StumbleUpon, and Chegg. I like how this site is set-up because if you run your mouse over an icon that catches your interest it gives a quick description of what the programs is. For example, when I came across Pinterest, the description given was "an online pin board". If you are still interested and want to learn more after the brief description you can click on the icon for more information. Then you can learn a little more about the site, and if the site offers a free membership. The icons I clicked on were mostly free, there were only few that required money for a membership. Web 2.0 is a website I would always like to remember for fun new programs online.

Week 1 Expectations

By being enrolled in this class I expect to gain a better understanding of the use of technology and different types of technologies that will be useful in an elementary classroom. I expect to use what I learn from this class in my future classroom as a teacher to enhance multiple lessons, and to connect to my students using a variety of different teaching strategies. I hope to use technology to create student interactions and to gain the interest of my students. However, I also expect to never overuse technology and to not stray away from the classic techniques used in a classroom. I still believe using pencil and paper is very important along with group and class discussions. Also, it is important to me that my students are always engaged in the lesson and participate in total body movement in lessons when it is appropriate. There is a line that needs to be drawn when using technology, however, the use of technology in classrooms today is important if used correctly and is not overused.