Thing #8: Screencasts

There are many options available if you want to create and use screencasts in your classroom. I can see this being a beneficial teaching tool for older students especially. The teacher can instruct them on a new skill. Then later once the students have mastered the concept they can create their own screencasts to teach others. This would also be a good way for the teacher to test student mastery as well.

I made a screencast using Screencast-o-matic. I showed how to leave comments on a blog. I could not get it saved though onto my computer. (The link did work for me though when I tested it the first time.) It was very easy to create and I liked that I didn't have to download anything to use it. I told my husband I thought this would be a beneficial tool for him to use in presentations for his work as well.

Thing #7: Video resources

There are so many video resources available on the Internet.

Here is one i found on TeacherTube. I thought this would be cute to show a class of students learning the letter sounds. Kids this age would enjoy seeing other children perform and then they could create a video of themselves after they learn it.



Another is called Why does the moon look like it changes? from neok12 site. This would be good to use with a science lesson on the phases of the moon. The class could then make up their own questions to "ask an astronomer." I really liked all the categories on this site and it was fun to look around here.

Thing #4: Video Hosting (YouTube)

Here is a video I put on YouTube. It is made with Animoto using the same pictures from our trip but a different song.



I've used YouTube often to watch videos. I don't make many videos so I have uploaded only a couple to the site. Videos online can be helpful to teachers for them to learn new ways to teach a concept in the classroom. They can gain ideas from other teachers of things that have worked. Students would enjoy creating and posting their work online as well for others to view. This would be a convenient place for students to upload their work for the teacher to look at every one's projects in the same place.

Thing #1: Introduction

I watched The Networked Student. It is amazing to me to think of the vast ways that students can learn now compared to just a few years ago when I was a student in college. The video touched on a small sampling of ways for a student to connect with others for learning purposes. The teacher's role is a facilitator and modeler. She can direct the student to new areas of information to help him through the learning process to help him be successful. I think librarians can help in this regard. The librarians can be the source of information for the teachers as well as the students. The librarians need to be the "experts" so they can teach the teachers how to use the various online resources to pass on to the students.

Thing #20

I have used YouTube often but had never heard of TeacherTube until now. I found many videos on "technology in education" on YouTube. Here is one of them:



I had fun exploring the videos on TeacherTube. I searched for videos about phonics and found several. I wasn't impressed with the information presented through some of the videos, but there was a good variety of lessons available.

Resources such as these are a valuable tool for the classroom. Students would enjoy creating their own videos. One of the advantages of having these videos available is that it gives teachers a new way to present information. I think students get tired of seeing the same things class after class. The videos can give the teachers new ideas as well as be shared with students to present the information in a new way.

This was a fun lesson for me!