Week 6 Reflection: WeVideo

This was the week I have been waiting for, WeVideo. I have briefly used WeVideo in the past, but never really actually completed a video or really explored all the different features. For this video I really tried to explore through all the options and include them in my video. I added still photos, videos, voice recordings, music, and all the other effects and features. Fortunately I don't think it came out too cheesy, which I was little worried about, when one adds to many "bells & whistles". 

Video creation for students is a powerful way for students to demonstrate learning. They are a fun alternative to written assessment, give students a new way to express their voice and creative ability. Students watch videos all the time nowadays, and not just for entertainment reasons, they are watching videos to learn how to do things. We need to capture this interest and have them create their own media production. Not only is this engaging and helps student retain what they've learned, but it is also teaching them how to analyze and understand the media that they are watching. This type of creativity also involves higher order thinking skills, teamwork, writing, planning, producing and sharing.

 There are many ideas for student created videos. They can use them to tell a story, create a personal narrative, record a screencast demonstration, highlight a cause, interviews, create book trailers, demonstrate a science lab.... the list goes on and on.

WeVideo Movie

For my WeVideo project I decided to create a video for our art teacher, who just received the UVM Art Teacher of the Year award. The projects she does with students is amazing and so creative, that I thought it would be great for me to learn how to use WeVideo by creating a video about her art work at school. I have briefly used WeVideo in the past, so this time I really tried to explore all the available features. You can see this through my video, with all the different effects. I also recently got a voice recording microphone that I hadn't yet tried out, so I used it to include the voice of some teachers. I included still pictures and videos as well. I really had fun creating this video. I can see why video editing can take a long time, I kept going back and adjusting and fixing pieces. I'm pretty happy with my first real WeVideo creation and can't wait to share it with my faculty and especially my art teacher Katie.

Week 5 Reflections: eBooks

For this week's learning I decided to create a Jeopardy game that I would be able to use with students who are currently studying Ancient Greece.  As I was using the master template, I thought about having students make their own Jeopardy games.  I think it would be fun and motivating for them, and it would certainly make them learn about Ancient Greece.  I've done a lot of presentation in Google Slides, but I learned a couple tips off the Beautiful and Awesome presentations videos and Kelly Fitzgerald, that I will definitely be using on my next presentation.  My new learning was about master slides- this will make it much easier!

I really like idea of creating a collaborative ebooks.  Publishing it on Issuu gives it that book feel, which makes it come alive.  The "Big Red" stories were great!  Now with Google Draw we could give students the option to hand draw or Google draw.  We could also record their voices reading their stories.  I'd like to take the ebook idea back and talk with my teachers to see how we might use them with students.  I have a couple teachers in mind that I think would really jump on this idea.  

Having students participate in projects like these, really utilize the great features of docs and slides.  It is more engaging for students, taking them away from the tradition writing lessons we usually have them do.  It also then allows their work to be shared with others outside the classroom, which we know that students will work harder on their projects if more than the teacher is viewing them.  I have some great new ideas I can't wait to share with my teachers. 

Week 5- Jeopardy Game

This week I decided I would try to make a Jeopardy game.  My 4th graders are starting to study Ancient Greece, so I decided I would would make a game that they could use.  This was my first attempt at making a Jeopardy game.  Overall it was pretty easy to do.  I used a template that was provided in the class.  The hardest part was deciding on the questions, so I went to a 4th grade teacher and found out some of the topics they would be covering.

I'm also thinking about suggesting to these teachers to have their students make ebooks for this unit of study.  This is the second year these students will be using Google Docs, so this might an idea they would be will to try out and the topic would fit nicely into a collaborate ebook.  I meet with the 4th grade teachers weekly, so I'll see if it is something they might be interested in trying out.

Ancient Greece Jeopard Game

Week 4 Reflection: Visual Literacy

For this week's creation tools I decided I would try out Canva, which I had never used before and Pixlr, which I have used a couple times before.  I have used Sumo Paint and PicMonkey, so I wanted to explore some different tools.   I found Canva pretty easy to use, the quick tutorial was helpful.  This one starts with asking to pick from a template of designs, so I chose to make a presentation slide for an upcoming workshop.  Overall it was pretty straightforward to use, but what I didn't realize was that some of the features I had chosen cost money, so when I went to save it wanted me to purchased the image.  I wasn't about to purchase it, so my work around for this was to take a screenshot of my work.  

Next I used Pixlr, which I have used a couple times before.  I like this tool, because it is similar to PhotoShop Elements, a program I have used in the past with my art teacher and integrating technology.  I like the basic tools it provides, it give you much more control over your photo manipulation than PixMonkey.

I think these types of creation tools are wonderful to use in school.  It gives students the ability to share their ideas, imaginations, and understanding through a combination of original artwork, text, and images.  Using these types of technologies supports a variety of learning styles, encourages creativity, thinking, and communication skills.  It gives students a sense of pride in their work and fosters determination to achieve and share.

There are lots of ways students could use digital art in school.  Some things I've been thinking about are create anti-bullying posters, take pictures of themselves and manipulated them, add text to photos takes on field trips.  They could make themselves into a superhero by replacing their face with the superhero's face, or create logo parodies to support our Be A Star Program. This can all then be shared out through their blogs, webpages, and other social medias we use.

Passion Creations

The first tool I tried was Canva.   I thought I'd make a presentation slide for an upcoming workshop.  I replaced some of the little pictures with Google icons.  My thinking was to hide some of the Google apps icons with a bunch of other things to reflect the workshop title- "No so Apparent...".  This one captures my passion for sharing knowledge and learning to others, which is part of my job and the many presentations I give.  

The second tool I tried was Pixlr, which I have used a couple times before.  My design below is of an image I took of Mount Mansfield one morning to work.  The original photo is in the center.  I then recreated that photo with different filters, cropped the images so they would fit, then reconfigured the layers so I had them set where I'd like.  I chose this image because of my love of Vermont and all the things that come with being a "Vermonter".  When I think about what gets me excited, flowing, and inspired, it's the things I do because I live in VT- gardening, beekeeping, hiking, winter fun, running, outdoor activities with friends and family, and so much more!