Week 4 - PE - Final Project

Wow!  That was a great side trip from the continuing paddle trip around the state of Florida!  I decided I needed to teach a lesson on iVoted and Quizlet.com, so I did with a group of fellow faculty!  We had a blast with a Caribbean theme running through it!  My staff members just jumped on the chance to infuse some new technology into the classroom.

You can take a rainy day and still make it shine with a good time, like sharing Web 2.0 tools!  Oh, no...what am I saying?  I have become Tech-O-Lated!  I am proud of it and I am on a mission to share it!  Below you will find my corrected Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenario (RILS).  Then watch my short Documentary on my RILS in  action!

Relevant and Innovative Learning

Name:  Michaelann S.

Step 1 Target Audience – My Target Audience will be my fellow faculty!

Step 2 Materials – I will need to utilize:

A Conference Room       My computer

A Projection System       Staff will need their computers

Fellow Faculty                iVoted and Quizlet.com

Step 3 Objectives

After this presentation the student will be able to participate in answering questions in the iVoted poll by using email.

After this presentation the student will be able to produce a set of flash cards using Quizlet.com

Step 4 Procedures

1.  Invite staff to a fun adventure into learning in the conference room.  I think a jungle theme will be fun!

2.  Whilethey are coming in, on the projection screen there will be an iMovie playing with a black back ground with the words fading in and out using iVoted, a free Web 2.0 tool, free polling, instant results, group participation and show the logo shot of the website.  Then the iMovie will continue with the same format for Quizlet.com, a free Web 2.0 tool, make flash cards, games for learning, text reading available.  These will run for about 3 minutes and be pre-exposure.

3.  I will have the team read my blog about the iVoted Web 2.0 tool and watch the OMM.  Then I will have them read my blog about the Quizlet.com and watch those videos also.  They did this as I explained my objectives for the class.

4.  I will then work through explaining each piece of iVoted and how it works.  Then I will make a poll question and answers regarding their comprehension of the material. 

5.  I will then work through explaining each usable element of Quizlet.com and how it works. Then I will make a poll question and answers regarding their comprehension of the material.

6.  I will break the participants up into small groups and have them create a set of flash cards to share with the class.   This did not occur, because of such a small group so we all work together on the exercises.

7.  I will also poll the students on what particular elements of Quizlet.com they feel would be beneficial to use in the class.  I did not do this because the staff had great ideas they were sharing back and forth!  I ran with it!  Then came back to my lesson plan as these ideas we slow down.

8.  I polled staff at the end of the presentation to see how effective the teaching was!  I asked, “Was the instructor engaging and motivating?”  I received a resounding, yes!  I added the no just for fun!

Step 5 Web 2.0 Tool

Both iVoted and Quizlet.com will be used in this lesson.  The students were University instructors and I found none of the staff had used either of these programs.

Step 6 Social Participation/Social Learning

My students will participate in numerous instant polls via email and see the results instantly.  They will also be creating a set of flash cards in small groups.  Finally, they will vote using iVoted to select which features in Quizlet.com they would like to use in their classes.  The students would need to discuss what questions they would want to pose for either the iVoted or Quizlet.com.  The group of students will need to sign in for free to both iVoted and Quizlet to use them in their group activity.

Step 7 Making Connections  

My students will be taking this new knowledge from Quizlet.com and using with their students online or in class.  The one lesson in particular this is related to is the Study Aid Creation assignment.  Here the college students read about and take tests for Cognitive Learning styles, Brain Dominance and Multiple Intelligences.  They must pick a topic from one of two chapters and put it into a study aid that will work with their two highest cognitive learning styles.  For instance, I am a visual and kinesthetic learner.  I would do very well using the flash cards available in Quizlet.com. I could create my study aid and use this website.  Even if I was auditory I can use Quizlet.com since it has voice capability now!

Step 8 Create/Produce

In Step 6 of my procedure my students/staff will be able to create a set of flash cards in Quizlet.com and then be able to use them in the Scatter game.   In turn they will be able to teach their students how to use this Web 2.0 tool.

Step 9 Assessment

I will use iVoted to poll my participants to see how much final knowledge they have obtained.  Also, I will have the small groups present the set of flash cards they created.  In closing I would poll them with iVoted and see if they feel this presentation was enjoyable, understandable, and usable.

Step 10 Reflection

Part 1 I will reflect on the process of the presentation.

Did it go smoothly?  Did the pre-exposure upon the student’s arrival to the room peak their interest?  Was there enough novelty in the jungle theme to keep then entertained?  Did the students learn effectively how to use iVoted by answering using email?  How well did students create their flash card sets?  Was the presentation of the Quizlet.com overwhelming?  Was there resistance from the students?

These are some questions I would like to evaluate once I have completed the presentation/lesson.

Part 2 the students will need to reflect on the presentation and process.

Were they entertained?  Was the instructor engaging and motivating?  Do I feel the Quizlet.com is a useful tool for my students and me?  Will I be able to get my students to want to use Quizlet.com?  Will Quizlet.com work for my visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners?  Do I want to pull my hair out now?  Why did I have to be the monkey in the jungle?

Here are some questions the students may contemplate at the end of the presentation/lesson.

I have corrected my RILS per Rena's instructions.  Also, I altered my theme from jungle theme to Caribbean theme.   Staff loved it and it went very well!

Now, check out this rad documentary I made about it, man!



http://www.viddler.com/explore/Carrie40/videos/18/


Well, I am heading back to my tent for a great nights sleep! I bet I have a few dreams of all the great software out there for education!
 

PE5 - Quizlet.com

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are having a good day!  I am thankful, I am!  It is a good day to just sit your rear in the sand on the beach.  Let that bleached white sand fall through your fingers.  Now, dig your toes deep into it and feel the coolness beneath the surface!  If you just contemplate the water and scan slowly from left to right you will be rewarded with the sight of a dolphin or a pod of them passing!  Maybe even the big nose of a manatee will appear!

Well, I went on the great Quizlet.com adventure.  I have found out a great amount about it and want to share it with you!  First, I jumped into the Home page to see what was there for me to use.  They have a place for you to link to Facebook.  I am not a big Facebook user, except for class, so I will not take advantage of that function.  Next, I looked down the page to find Quizlet News and new sets of flash cards.  I then moved to the center of the page and found under "Quick Links" my settings, invite/find your friends, Say thanks and Logout.  Below this I found where I could easily get to my sets of Flash Cards and they are listed by their names.  Finally, I looked into the Group Activity.  Here is a quick gander!

All the while I am thinking how will this site help me motivate my fellow faculty to want to infuse more technology into their classes.  Well, I feel part of motivation is purpose.  If you find value and purpose in an item you will be more motivated to learn about it, use it.  So, this will not only be a tool the students can use for one of our assignments.  It is a tool they can use through the rest of there college courses!

As you can tell I like to have fun!  So, why not play games while you are learning material!  There is a game called Scatter on the site. You can play this game against the clock and it will keep score!  You can also play against friends that you invite or are in your group!  I did a little video to fill you in on fun and learning!

 

I was impressed with the ability of the site to read your flash cards to you!  This is a great feature!  I have so many auditory learners that will benefit from this!  There are a couple of places you can use this feature and I have detailed one here for you in this video!

 

It is not only about your sets of flash cards or your group's sets of flash cards.  You can search for other subjects in flash card sets!  I looked up Psychology and found everything form Abnormal Psychology to some Psychology subjects I have not even heard of.   Also, you can use images now on the flash cards!  I found a great set of flash cards that used pictures of our Heads of Government.  They started as high as the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States and moved on down through Secretary of Defense, and so on.  The front of the card had a photo and the back of the card had the title of the individual and the name of them.   I will not admit to how many I did not know...

In a nutshell, or coconut you find bobbing in the Gulf of Mexico.  I really, found great value in this site.  Not only for staff to give to students for one particular assignment, but for a whole college experience.  Next, it was easy to navigate and use.  It did not crash or hang up on me.  Also,  it was fun!  I know this material I entered, but I still had to search for it in the game Scatter!  I have only one comment to make that is not positive.  The site is to white!  If the site used two eye soothing colors it would be so much more tolerable.   I had to do videos with blue beginnings and endings, since I could not stand just the straight white photos I would have embedded into my blog.  Notice my site is not all white!  LOL

Well, it is time to get the sand out of my britches!  Heat up my alcohol stove and cook up a nice meal! If you hear bad singing of show tunes coming from the shore, just paddle on by...  Unless, you want to join in!

PE4 - Quizlet.com

Ahoy Me Fine Mateys!

Oh, wait! I am mixed up here! It has been the week for it. I want to thank all of those who I shared with and you were supportive. I want to thank those that did not contact me, but shared positive thoughts and prayers for those involved.

Part of this week reminded me of my second trip to Cumberland Island, GA. We left from the boat ramp at Crooked River State Park. Then we paddled 13 miles to Brick Hill Bluff on the north west side of Cumberland Island. That day the winds were consistent at about 17 miles per hour with buoys clocking gusts to 22 miles per hour. The water was horribly rough, with waves and swells. Not to mention paddling into the wind during part of this trip!

I was never so nervous as I paddled out of the boat ramp with an 18 foot boat into a 7 foot long swell running about 6 foot deep with a 4 mph current going out. SCARY! Anyway I made it through but I had no knees left when I got through it. I had a rear end on the seat of the boat and feet on the foot rests. No knees, they were passed being rubber or jello. They finally came back. I can say now. I am finally coming back!

This picture is on Crooked River with me looking at the Naval Base with binoculars.  I am in my 18ft Eddy-line Falcon!  This was the first trip to Cumberland Island GA.

Onto the amazing Quizlet.com!
I have already reviewed and learning about LetterPop and iVoted. In this post I am going to look at Quizlet.com. I was at first not to impressed with the site. It was glaring white! Not much interesting images to entice my visual needs! It was like kayaking on a sunny day with no sunglasses. The glare will destroy your eyes. I decided to delve deeper. I immediately signed up for the free version of Quizlet.com. Then I jumped over everything to make a set of flash cards and here they are!

I looked around the site and went to my dashboard to do a bit of organizing and see what else I could do. I found out I could see all the sets of flash cards I created. I also had access to multiple ways of organizing my flash cards or other sets of cards. It even shows what I have studied and how! It gives a place for your discussions, group names and keeps statistics on your progress! I am in love with this site!

I am very pleased this site was mentioned during our Wimba session on Tuesday night.  It was great to hear about each persons finds!  Just like a treasure hunt!  Especially, with a great group you know did in depth, reliable, valid research on the Web 2.0 tool!  I need to investigate this fine jewel a bit further!  Stick around more fun to come!  What else would you expect?

I need to turn in now.  After reliving the harrowing Cumberland Island paddle trip again.  I am worn  out!  I am looking forward to turning into my tent and leave one flap of the rain fly rolled up to feel the gentle breeze coming through the no-see-em netting.  It is relaxing to lay on your side and see the clouds puff past the moon.

Good night and thank you again for all your support and caring!  My best to you all!

BP7 - One minute video

Follow this link to a one minute video for iVoted.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Carrie40/videos/17/

BP6 - Link to another's blog

Hi Everyone!
Get ready to enjoy a great adventure in the Low Country with Fari!  She has a great blog on iMovie!  So, grab your favorite medium blade paddle and follow this link to her incredible site! 
Fair Winds!
  Michaelann

Here is a preview of what is available in Orlando!  This is Cinderella's Castle in the Tragic Kingdom, oh I mean Magic Kingdom!  I do digress from my paddling adventures, but I like being a little kid too!  This pic is taken from a bridge leading out the the Tomorrow land bridge!  Enjoy! 

BP5 - Link to another's blog

Hi Everyone!
I want you to know how lucky the kindergarten children in Robeson County are!  Follow this link to Rosalyn's blog to find out!
There might be rough waters getting there so where your PFD (personal flotation device)!  Also, you will need to keep your safety whistle with you at all times, it's the law!
Michaelann

This is a picture taken from my kayak in the middle of the Silver Springs Attraction off hwy 40 in the town of Silver Springs, Florida.  My friends and I paddled up the Silver River (6 miles against a 2 - 3 mph current) to the head of the springs in the park.  Waterways in Florida are public so we had as much right to be there as those original aluminum glass bottom boats!  The tourists love seeing us, but the captains of the boats just want us out of the way.  LOL  We wave and say "Hello" all is good!

PE3_iMovie

Well, I am now nice and comfy by the campfire!  The crickets are singing in the back ground as the bushes rustle with the creatures of the night.  Yeah, those creatures of the night want to raid my food and trash, but I store it in the dry storage of my kayak.  Ha!  Ha!
This has been one of my longest days paddling!  I have worked diligently on my iMovie course from Lynda.com and here is the proof!

It reminds me of fresh water lilies we have in lakes here in Florida!

Well, I have added music in the background before, but not with voice over and Foley!  I had a great time creating this compilation of tasks from the iMovie course.  Let's use this picture as a reference:

As you can see at the beginning I used an intro with background and titles!  Then I added music and sound effects onto that.  I also had to use Ducking for the music.  Next, I incorporated a transition which I feel moves you into the video smoothly.  I only used 5 transitions through the whole video and they were all the same.  Damian who taught the iMovie course was very clear on not using to many transitions.  Then I went into iMovie and grabbed some footage I had of my poodle Truffles speaking.  Actually, licking crazily at the roof of your mouth, which I put honey on for a previous video.  I then created a voice over for her!   Went in to iPhoto and grabbed a bunch of stills of my pets.  I added titles to the pictures and adjusted the Ken Burns affect.  Again, I imported some previous footage of me showing my ferrets to friends via video.
I fell in love with this part!  Picture in a picture!  I knew I wanted to try that out on this video!  I took myself showing the ferrets in a video and had smarty pants Truffles make comments on top of it!  I hope you find it funny, because I was crying/laughing when I finished it!  (Truffles is obedient and very smart, but a bit of a brat!)  So, I just showcased it here!
Next, I added some video of the ferrets that was not originally in iPhoto or iMovie, but still on my video camera.  I continued to add music, sounds and voice over until the end shot!  I had a blast with this!  It was so much easier than anything I had done before and was higher quality!  Not to mention I was done in almost half of the time!  Gee, am I proving I am kinesthetic and do not read the instructions first?

 

Above you can see the video shots I imported and used sections of!  Where the orange lines are in the videos shows the copies of what I used in this final video for this particular blog!

Get Ready!  Meet my hairy, four, legged family!  (Not responsible for wet britches from laughing hard!)

{Just so you know my Duncan is a 15 yr old poodle and is blind in his left eye.  That is why the eye has the cataract in it.  He is fine and still can chase around the yard with his 4yr old sister Truffles!  All of my pets are someone's trash, they are all rescues!  Consider a rescued pet the next time you want a new member of your family.}

Well, I am heading to my tent and a nice 40 degree sleeping bag.  It is a bit cool tonight here in Florida.  I am glad I brought my warmer bag!  Sleep tight and don't let the bugs bite!  Oh wait, let me check that I pulled the kayak up far enough on shore so the tide does not come in and take my boat out to sea!  Great, now I have use the potty again!  Good night!