Lesson Proposals

Hi everyone--

I just finished reviewing and rating my classmates's lesson proposals and I'm impressed with the amount of creativity displayed throughout the lessons.

One of the proposals has the class participating in Second Life, which most of us know is a virtual, 3D environment where we enter into another world as an Avatar (and who doesn't like that idea after watching a movie about Pandora and the Na'vi) where you can change your appearance and invent a new, cool name for your avatar-self. This sounds like a really interesting lesson and I'd like the opportunity to explore more in that virtual world but I am concerned about the learning curve involved in using this platform.

The other lesson proposal I read was about using mobile technology to learn with videos and recordings. This lesson was lower on my desirability scale only because I don't have a Smart Phone and would find it hard to complete this lesson without one. I just recently upgraded my phone but since I only use it call and text people I don't have access to the internet. And considering how many hours in a day that I spend on a computer and on the internet, I don't want a phone that makes me feel like I'm sitting on my PC or laptop.

Whatever lesson (s) are chosen, I think we'll all have a good time learning new technologies and expanding our thinking when it comes to education. 

Until next time!

tm

Team proposals/Introductions

Hi everyone! I'm back this week with another posting about my emerging technology experiences. 


This has been an interesting week in that I've learned a new technology as well as learned about a lot of different technologies! During the partner introductions my classmates used some very interesting formats like YouTube, Second Life, Wordle, and Jaycut just to name a few. So many technologies, so little time. 


I also learned this week that you can create videos without even using a video camera or even a webcam! Our team proposal involves students creating a video using whatever they method they choose. I'd like our proposal to be chosen just so I can learn a new way to make videos!


More next week! 

Vuvox

I looked through a lot of different technology trying to decide which one to use for my classmate's introduction. I decided to use Vuvox because it creates interactive slide shows and a user can include as many or as few photos as they choose. You can decide how long or short the slide show will be, and once the photos are in place you can add comments. Vuvox can be used for videos and presentations and is even compatible with Flash; it's very user friendly and can be learned in a short period of time.

Of course, there are a few disadvantages to the program, such as the fact that Vuvox is not compatible with Linux because Flash doesn't work Linux, and the maximum size file that can be uploaded is 100MB. If you have something larger than that, you'll need to link it to your slideshow.

Overall, I had a good time learning how to use the program, and thought it made a great interactive presentation for my partner's intro. You can find it at www.vuvox.com so go make one of your own!

tm

Tia's Tech Talk

Hi everyone! 


I created this blog in order to discuss new and emerging technologies. As a second-year graduate student I've learned how to use many new technologies, from the simple (Podcasts) to the complex (Elluminate). 


Over the past year and a half I've had a good time learning how to use programs such as Voice Thread, Wikespaces, YouTube, Nvu, and Weebly, just to name a few, and I'm looking forward to learning about even more of them over the next 16 weeks. 


Throughout my tech journey, I'll be coming back here to discuss them so I hope you'll tune in occasionally. 




Let's talk tech! 


tm