Week 3: Videos

This week we were introduced to our video assignment and to iMovie. We started out by watching a few videos about high school students making videos and how it effected their lives. They were very moving and really good to start with. We were introduced to the basics of iMovie and how to use and create our movies on it by combining clips and different sounds. It seems pretty simple to use but I actually haven't gotten a chance to mess around on it yet because my group did not get any shots that day in class. I liked the video that we watched that explained how to use iMovie and I think that if I ever used this as a tool in my classroom that it would be a good resource to use to introduce how to use iMovie. I do not know exactly how to incorporate this tool into my classroom but I think that it could be really good for students who are interested in making a movie for a project or assignment. I think that being open minded about assignments and giving students opportunities to be creative is good because it allows them to find enjoyment in school. I am looking forward to being able to create my 30 second video and I really hope that it turns out like I want it to turn out.

Week 2: Photoshop

In class this week we worked with Photoshop. We started as a class looking at photos online to decide if they were real or fake. I enjoyed this activity and thought that doing this was very worth while. It got us looking at all the different parts of a photo and different things that make a photo look fake. Next we watched an example of  of how to do different things in Photoshop to help with our collage assignment. For the assignments we have to combine three photos, one taken on a camera, one from online, and another that we scan onto the computer. We must also add text to our picture and use a creative technique for our text. Then we had to post our collage on flickr.com. I used a picture that I took at Silver Falls State Park as my background. Then I found a picture of a dinosaur online using flickr.com and added it to my background. Then using a scanner I added what I think is a bobcat to my picture. I just need to add text, I am going to find a quote to use, make it unique, and then I want to add shadows to make it a little more realistic. Then I can upload it to flickr.com to finish up. Using Photoshop was a little confusing at first and I still had to ask questions every once in a while but i found this lesson very useful. I would love to be able to use this in my classroom. I think it could help students be creative, and even if I do not use it in lessons I still think that it could be useful when helping to decorate my classroom. I can create pictures, posters, and/or collages to go in my classroom. There are so many fun and creative things to do using Photoshop!

Week 1: Web 2.0

The first website I visited from Web 2.0 was called Photopeach.com. This website is used to help people create slide shows for various purposes. I think that it is geared towards upper elementary or middle school aged students however I think that people of any age and place in life could benefit from this website. I liked how you could do more then just create an average slide show. You could add music to it, you could add captions and you could even turn it into an interactive quiz. I think that this website would be a very great tool for people to remember to use for presentations.

The second website I visited was called flipsnack.com. This website is for turning files into flip books. I think that this could be used for any sort of presentation at almost any grade level. The only thing I found a little weird was that you have to have your files in PDF format to be able to upload them and turn them into a flip book. Other than that I think it is a really cool tool that people can use to turn things into a presentation for others to look at. I like that once a book is made you get a link to it and then this link can be shared with others so that they can see your flip book.

The third website I visited was called littlebirdtales.com. I really liked this website. It is a website where kids can create their own books or slide shows of pictures. I think that this would be a good presentation tool for people of any age but especially for elementary school kids because it lets them add a creative touch of using their own voice and artwork in the presentation. I think kids would love using this website. There are so many cool things that this website does. You can use their art studio and create work on there, or you can scan your artwork and upload it onto the website. You can also use real pictures too. Then words can be added and you can even upload your own voice narrating the book. Just like the previous website I visited you can also share your finished projects with other people by sending them the book through email.

Goals

This blog is for my ED 421 class and our first assignment is to blog about our life goals. Well obviously one of my biggest life goals at the moment is to become a teacher. I want to teach somewhere in the kindergarten to second grade area. I look forward to getting my own classroom and becoming a real teacher after getting through the education program here at Western.

One of my big goals in life is to travel all over the world. Ever since I was very little I have wanted to see the world and learn about different cultures. I remember learning about New Zealand and Australia in school and deciding that someday I was going to travel to those places. As I grew older I discovered a love for Europe as well. Someday I plan on backpacking through all of Europe. Of course I also want to travel around North America too. I have never been out of the United State and the only states I have been to are Oregon, Washington, and California. I hope to someday be able to say that I have been in most or all of the states. I also hope to someday visit Canada. My sister is going to backpack through Panama this summer and I am so jealous of here! I can't wait to hear all about her stories and I know it is going to make me want to live my dream as well!

Other than that I have the basic dreams to have a family and a nice big house someday. I hope to live out in the country so I have lots of land for my kids to be able to play around on, however I want to also live near enough to a city so it is not like I live in the middle of nowhere. I have lived in the middle of a big city my entire life and I think not having a city nearby would make me go crazy. I also hope to have animals. I really want to have horses and a big barn.