Google Forms

OK. I thought this was another cool project. I've learned how to use a very flexible tool that I can use to communicate with students, parents, other teachers, and my family members.

Once I located the Google Forms start page - which took me longer than I thought it would - I found creating this form to be very easy. Google appears to have thought of everything. This tour of Google Forms addressed all of the questions or problems that I encountered. Wait! I can just embed that:

For the purposes of this activity, I designed a survey related to an upcoming summer vacation with my extended family. We is still have over a month to go before the actual vacation begins and yet the family drama has already started. Great. Anyway, it's clear that little more planning and communication would have prevented - or at least minimized - some of the drama.

Anyway, I created a 9 question survey using each of the available formats. I also made a handful of the questions mandatory. You can link to my survey form here. As you can see, it's a simple form that is clean and easy to understand. Once you've created a survey form, you are given the option to create a spreadsheet that will automatically capture the responses to your survey. This is where the real value of this activity is to be found - data collected and organized while you focus on other tasks. To view the spreadsheet associated with my form, click here.

Sharing the survey form with other people is simple. It's a matter of entering email addresses into a field. My sister completed and returned her survey with no trouble and no questions asked. She didn't even need to be a Google Docs user. Very cool. I did have to grant permission for access to the spreadsheet. I chose to allow access to anyone who has the link - which should mean that anyone that reads this blog can access the document. 

I can imagine using this tool to collect information about students, to gather feedback on a particular task, and to help plan events. It's a very practical and easy to use.

Relationship to Standards - the Google Forms activity relates well to the following standards: 3(a) in that Google Forms allows teachers to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies; 3(b) in that Google Forms is an unbeatable way to communicate with students, peers, parents and community members using digital tools; and 3(d) in that teachers can use Google Forms to model and facilitate the effective use of current and emerging digital tools to analyze and evaluate information.

Presentation 3 - Prezi

The last time (also the first time) that I used Prezi, I was not impressed. I thought it was a clumsy tool that didn't really add much value to presentations. This exercise has changed my perspective. I dig Prezi. I based my new Prezi on the PowerPoint presentation that I developed for an earlier exercise - the topic was the Gettysburg Address. You can link to my latest Prezi here or you can review it below:

Pretty cool, huh?

Obviously, Prezi is a lot like PowerPoint. And I think that they each have their place. In my mind, PowerPoint is perfect for super-short presentations where you just want to convey a few points and share a few images. Otherwise, I think Prezi has the upper hand. I now think it is easier to use, more flexible, and sexier (if I may) than PowerPoint. I think that the ability to embed video in Prezi (which might be possible in PowerPoint - but I can't find the option) is what really won me over. When I consider the possibilities for teaching social studies with a Prezi, I am blown away. Imagine a short presentation on WWII that included footage of Hitler, the bombing of London, Normandy, and Hiroshima - no pausing to load this video or that video, just a seamless presentation. Can't beat that.

Relationship to Standards - this Prezi exercise relates well to the following standards:   2(a) in that Prezi allows teachers to design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools to promote student learning; 3(a) in that educators can use Prezi to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies; and 3(c) in that the use of Prezi allows teachers to communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students using a variety of digital age media and formats.

Presentation 2 - iMovie

For this exercise, I decided to develop this short presentation about the American bison:


I thought that this was another cool exercise. All in all, making the video was pretty simple although it was a lengthy process. It took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. While I thought that through, I downloaded a bunch of photographs that looked like they might be useful. In the end, the hardest thing for me to do was to record the voice-over portions of the movie without sounding like a moron. I totally failed at improvising from a few notes and ended up writing out a script for the whole presentation. I don't think it sounds too bad.

Relationship to Standards - the iMovie Presentation exercise relates well to the following standards:   1(b) in that the effective use of iMovie will allow teachers to develop engaging presentations to help  students in exploring real-world issues using digital tools and resources; 2(a) in that educators can use iMovie to design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools to promote student learning; and 3(b) in that the combined use of iMovie and YouTube allows collaboration with students, peers, and parents using digital tools to support student success.

Presentation 1 - PowerPoint

OK. This was a cool exercise. I have to admit that developing a quality presentation that doesn't rely on blue screens and bullet points was difficult but I like the final product. Check out my lesson about The Gettysburg Address on Dropbox. It was fun to make and it certainly beats the presentations I have assembled in the past.

One of my favorite parts of this assignment was reading about The Enemy. I also came across Jay Lehr's rant on boring presenters and loved it. After reading those articles, I can't imagine creating another crappy PowerPoint presentation.

Anyway, I think that the takeaway lesson in this exercise is that we do not need to be boring! With a little additional thought and effort, we can put together good, clean presentations that will keep our students interested in the subject matter. Better yet, with tools like Dropbox, we can share these presentations with colleagues. No reason to reinvent the wheel.

Relationship to Standards - the PowerPoint Presentation exercise relates well to the following standards:   1(b) in that the effective use of PowerPoint in an classier style will allow teachers to engage students in exploring real-world issues using digital tools and resources; 2(a) in that educators can use PowerPoint to design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools to promote student learning; and 3(b) in that the combined use of PowerPoint and Dropbox allows collaboration with students, peers, and parents using digital tools to support student success.

(PS: It's 3 days later and I've been back to look at my presentation on Dropbox twice since I first posted it - it has looked different each time. Letters are mixed up, fonts are changed...in the future, I am thinking simplest is best. It usually is.)

Jing Screencast

This morning I learned how to create a Jing Screencast. It was incredible easy thanks to this tutorial video from Jing. In fact, I made a number of mistakes in my first few takes and it still took me less than 30 minutes to come up with a final product.

Anyway, I've developed a screencast that will teach my students how to embed an artifact - in this case a Prezume - in a blog. Please take a few minutes to watch Embedding Your Prezi.

Jing allows you to create a digital movie (called a screencast) without a digital camera. Your screencast is created when you capture the image on your computer's screen while you narrate a story or lesson. You can then share that screencast.

The Jing 'Sun' has three prongs and each prong allows you to access different Jing related tools. The first prong is the capture tool. You use this tool to capture still images or video from your computer's screen. You determine the capture area for your screencast by using a set of crosshairs to create a frame around the area you want to include in your video. The free version of Jing creates videos in SWF flash format whereas Jing Pro creates videos in MP4 format.

The second prong allows you to view your Jing history at Screencast.com - every artifact that you create in Jing can be saved to your history for future access. Once an artifact is in your library, you can push it to the internet or share it with other folks by emailing the URL or embedding it in your blog. In addition to saving your creations to your Screencast.com library, you can save your screencasts to your computer's hard drive. I simply saved mine to the file folder that I am using for this class. If necessary, you can upload the file from you computer to your Screencast.com library so that you can share it with other people.

The third prong allows you to access your Jing preferences, send Jing feedback or get Jing help.

Relationship to Standards - the Jing Video activity related to the following standards: 1(a) in that Jing will allow educators to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking. A teacher could use this tool to teach students about an infinite number of topics; 1(b) in that Jing could be used to solve authentic problems using digital tools;  2(a) in that Jing incorporates digital tools to promote student learning and creativity.

Jing Image

This morning, I downloaded Jing and used it to develop a graphic for a U.S. government lesson about Washington, DC. The graphic can be found here. I've included the Jing image below, as well:

Click here or on the image below to see another effort :

I like working with Jing a lot. Jing generates PNG files that are automatically saved to your clipboard so that you can paste the URL in the document of your choice. You can also save your document to your computer. Best of all, Jing saves your documents to your own Jing/Screencast library so you can come back and access your Jing history. Screencast images can be shared in many ways. You can share a link to the URL for your image on your blog or you can send the link out via email. In addition, you can embed Jing images in your blog or distribute them via Twitter. The bottom line is that publishing and sharing information on Jing is very easy. It's a great tool.

Relationship to Standards - the Jing activity relates well to the following standards: 2 in that Jing allows teachers to design and develop authentic learning experiences incorporating contemporary tools and resources. Why just talk about Washington, DC or Mount Rushmore when you can show your students detailed and annotated images of the topics?; 2(a) in that Jing allows teachers to design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools; 2(c) in that Jing allows teachers to customize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles.

Diigo

I set up my Diigo library today. I've also added a link in my link list. All in all, this was a very user-friendly experience and I think Diigo could be a very useful and interesting tool both personally and professionally.

What is Diigo? Diigo allows users to bookmark, highlight, and annotate online content. Essentially, Diigo users can build a personalized library of internet content and then share that content with other users who have similar interests. Diigo will also generate personalized recommendations based on your reading history. It's a cool tool.

Opening a Diigo account was simple. I allowed Diigo to access the information in my Google account, picked a username and a password, and I was up and running. My next task was to add Diigolet to my web browsers. I alternate between Safari and Firefox so I decided to add Diigolet to both of them. Diigolet is the web browser add-on that creates the interface between the browser and Diigo. Like other add ons, Diigolet increases browser functionality. Once the new add on was installed, I could highlight, bookmark, or use sticky notes to annotate the articles that I was reading online. I expect that it will take me a little while to remember to use Diigo when I browse the web but once it becomes part of my routine, I can easily imagine building an extensive library.

This is the first time I have used an add on. Frankly, I've been nervous that other add ons would create security issues for me and so I have avoided them. After this experience, I suspect I will be a little more open to the add on concept in the future.

Relationship to Standards - I think this activity most closely matches the following standards: 1(d) in that Diigo is a great tool for modeling collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in a virtual environment; 2(b) in that Diigo will allow me to develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and manage their own learning; 3(d) in that the use of Diigo models the effective use of current digital tools to locate, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

Prezi Template

I spent the morning developing my Prezume. The final product can be found here.

And for the sake of simplicity, here's an embedded version:



I am still trying to decide how I feel about Prezi. My gut reaction was very negative. Although I understand the benefits of using graphics to convey a message, something about this program turned me off. It might have been the tutorial video that compared starting a business to climbing a mountain - I almost puked (and, yes, I've started a business and climbed mountains). My negative reaction might also be related to my experience and the concept of a Prezume. I've sifted through a lot of resumes over the last 20 years and I have a feeling that a Prezume might end up on the fast track to the round file with the resumes that contain misspellings and typos. Call me old-school. Or linear. I don't know. On a related note, I spoke to two close friends about Prezumes.  The first guy is in business development in DC and the second guy is in venture capital in Silcon Valley. Both asked the same question: Why would you use a Prezume when you could develop a LinkedIn profile? I think they have a point...

As for working with Prezi...well, I wasn't too impressed with that experience either. I thought the graphics tools were limited. For example, I couldn't stretch a shape into the size I wanted to use. I could only make the provided shapes bigger or smaller - no long skinny rectangles or ovals. Also, the small delay that occurred as I navigated around the page was annoying. Finally, I could not figure out how to simply highlight and delete the many text boxes provided on the template. After too many minutes, I realized if I typed text into these boxes I could then highlight and delete them. Enough Prezi bashing.

Have no fear, the technological marvel that is Prezi is not lost on me. I know there are lots of people in the world that love graphics and who don't think in the linear fashion to which I am accustomed. The fact that there is a program like Prezi out there and available is amazing. And it's easy for me to see the benefits of Prezi over programs like PowerPoint especially when it comes to developing presentations. Maybe someday all resumes will be Prezumes. Stranger things have happened.

Relationship to Standards - the Prezi Template exercise relates well to the following standards: 1(a) in that it promotes, supports, and models creative and innovative thinking - Prezi could definitely be used to replace PowerPoint or in place of a written book report; 1(b) in that it promotes student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking - Prezi provides endless opportunities for conveying different understandings; 3(d) in that it models the effective use of current and emerging digital tools to use information resources.

Revisit Resume

This afternoon, I submitted my resume to Rezcore.com for evaluation. I was pleasantly surprised by the results - I was in the 87th percentile! Here's a shot of the report:

After reviewing the results from my first submission, I set about to tune-up my resume. Rezscore recommended that I sell myself more persuasively but I am not very good at selling myself. And, yes, I know that's what a resume is for. Anyway, I decided to focus on strengthening the words that described my work experience and added terms like excellent and extensive. My first revision wasn't very effective. I got another B+ and scored in the exact same 87th percentile. I didn't take a screen shot of that effort because it was more or less identical to my first evaluation.

In my second revision, I focused on rearranging sentences and making sure that I used strong action words to describe my experience. For example, I revised one sentence so that instead of starting with the words "Responsible for managing..." it now begins with the words "Managed the day-to-day operations..." The effort paid off:

I liked this exercise for a couple of reasons. First of all, I've tuned up my resume and I think it's better than it was this morning. Second, I've learned about an internet service that I didn't know existed. Rezscore is a great business idea and the free evaluation is definitely a great way to get a handle on how your resume rates. Very cool.

Relationship to Standards - The revisit resume exercise relates well to the following standards: 1(a) in that the lesson deals with relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity; 1(c) in that the lesson addresses students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources; 3(a) in that the lesson demonstrates fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies. 

More Family Fun with Piccasohead

The 5 year-old figured out how to work with Picassohead with a minimal amount of instruction. It was particularly interesting to watch him figure out (in seconds) that these two icons meant the same thing:

     

Anyway, here is his self portrait:

He is especially proud of his mustache. Fun with Picassohead.

Family Fun with Picassohead

The 10 year-old's first self portrait:

I think we've found an activity for the day...

Self Portrait

I developed my self portrait on Picassohead. Here's what I look like on this Tuesday morning:

My self portrait can also be viewed in the Picassohead gallery here.

I found Picassohead to be very easy to use. It was also a lot of fun. The limited number of tools and the specific list of features that you can add to your portrait (ears, lips, eyes, etc.) make this a very accessible and user-friendly website. I'm going to have my 10 year-old spend some time on the site later this morning - it will be interesting to see what he comes up with and how long it takes him to figure things out.

Relationship to Standards: The self portrait exercise relates well to the following standards: 1(a) - the activity promotes, supports, and models creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness; 2(a) - the activity is a relevant learning experience that incorporates digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity; 2(c) - the activity can be used to personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles and abilities to use digital tools and resources.

Screen Capture

I spent time today learning how to use my Mac’s snipping tools. As far as I can tell, I have two options. The first is an application called Preview that I found in the Applications folder:

The second is an application called Grab that is located in the Utilities folder:

Prior to this morning, I had used Preview a little bit but I had never even opened Grab. As it turns out, Grab is less flexible and less user-friendly than Preview.

Here's what you will find as you start to work with Grab:

 On the other hand, Preview will allow you to draw shapes and create text boxes:

When it comes to creating files, Grab will only allow you to save screen grabs as TIFF files. Preview allows you to save screen grabs in six formats including JPEG, JPEG-200, PDF, OpenEXR, PNG, and TIFF.

Finally, the Grab application quits when you close a window and you have to back into the Applications file to restart the application. Preview is much more convenient because it stays open in the Toolbar until you quit the application:

Until I learn about a better option for screen grabs, I think I will keep using Preview. And I think that the benefits to using a screen capture tool are obvious here. You can use screen captures and the related editing tools to show students how to use technology. Or you can use the tool to remind your brother that the weather at his favorite place is nice today:

Relationship to Standards: The Screen Capture activity relates well to the following standards: 1(b) - engaging students in solving authentic problems using digital tools; 3(c) - communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students . . . using a variety of digital media; and 4(c) - model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.