Sharing Tips and Tricks of Using Technology in the Classroom Part 2

[Carrie Albin]

In your courses you have been asked to share your tips and tricks of using technology in the classroom. 

[Susan Wright]

This is the first time I've heard of this resource. It sounds like it would make a wonderful alternative to PowerPoint and Google Presenter. I'm going to bookmark the URL in my Delicious account. Thanks for sharing=8-)

[Marcus Clark]

VoiceThread seems to be a great tool to use when face to face meetings or dialogue is needed. So many times, I give students information on work that they have missed via email and 7 times out of 10, the students don't quite understand the assignment or what it is for them to do or how to get started. If we had VoiceThread, I believe that would help eliminate the confusion and misunderstanding of most assignments.

Also, we just used a tool called animoto. Animoto is an exciting a 21st century powerpoint presentation. It gives more life to the information and gives a great step by step how-to on putting on together. Its a free package with sign-up and has the option of a subscription. The free package limits the use of the most advanced features. My students loved using the tool because most students do not have music on the computer or do not have any means of getting the tools needed. The program offere images and music that are all school appropiate

[miztech]

Oh, the trauma of forgotten directions. You are right about using a tool like Voice Thread for storing those homework directions. A reminder would be to repeat them in different ways - repetition with a difference. One or two strange or unknown words might mean the difference in understanding for a youngster. Thanks for the tip.

[Karey Klemm]

I have been thinking a lot about digital storytelling lately. I came across a really great website that allows students to create 3-D digital stories. The website is http://zooburst.com/index.php. It is free to access the basic functions of the website. Students can use it to create a fictional story by adding graphics or they can upload their real pictures to create a non-fiction story. The website also allows for the students to add audio to their book in addition to their writing. If the students want to explain a picture they can have their voice added to the book. I am picturing using this for students to create an end of unit project. It would be a great way to showcase what they have learned during a unit of study.

[miztech]

This is sooo cute. I love that all the books are popups. What fun for your students! I just wonder if there is enough in the free version for students to really be able to do a lot with a project. I will be checking the out in more depth. Thanks for sharing this one.

[Antonio Aguillon]

Hello Everyone.

Wow! All the postings on this site are full of helpful hints. I am bookmarking this page to comeback for advice whenever I need help.
My tip for the benefit of the audience is to install Team Viewer . Team Viewer is a small remote desktop application that will allow you to connect to other computers from your own. One practical use for this type of technology is file access/transfer. For instance, if are at work and all of a sudden realize that you left a very important document on your home computer you can easily remote your home computer and retrieve that document. Team Viewer also comes in handy if you have friend who see you as the tech savvy of the group and often call you with computer related questions. It is very simple to take control of your friend’s computer and diagnose and fix technical problems.
If you attempt to connect to or from a work computer be aware that your organization’s IT department may have firewall settings in place which may require special modifications. Most IT departments also have internal remote control programs they use as part of their asset management system. Check with your IT department before installing any software on your work computer.

I hope you find this information helpful. Have fun testing.
This tip was provided by Antonio Aguillon Huerta as part of a homework assignment for CEP 810

[miztech]

Antonio,

This makes me a little nervous. How open does this leave your computer to unwanted company? What is the downside to this product.

[Antonio Aguillon]

It can be setup to require a password before anyone can remotely connect to your computer. So unless you give them the password and accept the remote connection they can't do anything. It's mainly intended to be used by a single individual or for collaboration situations where you know and trust the the person connecting to your computer.
On the downside, it is internet based and like any web technology it could potentially be hacked and misused. It is a powerful tool but it also opens the doors for potentially unwelcome visitors.
My recommendation would be to only use it to connect to computers you own and/or to setup the password protection feature so that no one can remote your computer without your authorization.

[miztech]

Anxiety diminished. Thanks for the clarification.

[Alejandro Gonzalez]

I am a fan and avid user of this program. I think it's one of the best remote desktop applications out there. The free version is fairly robust, being able to have a list of computers under an account is very convenient.

[J Loznak]

I was just reading through about SreenJelly. I do something similar with another program. Our school system has Promethean Boards which are like interactive whiteboards. Promethean allows you to take screen shots, shots of particular things on a screen (any screen on your computer), and record videos of the screen. For lessons, I will record a part and post to the internet for students to see at home. I write on the board like I normally do and hook up a microphone to the computer and it lets me do voice over as I write. Additionally, before using the recording part of the Promethean, I used to write on PowerPoint using a Bamboo tablet rather than the mouse. It was especially helpful because many students have PPT and they could download the slides from our school's website and ppt is something that most computer have. Students can not see documents from the Promethean Software at home. Writing on PPT is also useful for students who are absent.

[Susan Wright]

Wonderful idea! I think I shall experiment with my Mobi and mimio to see if they possess the same capabilities. This would be a great way to post content to Blackboard or Moodle for students to access at home.