Monday 25 February 2013
treasure hunt feedback/ review- wallwisher
may be easier to go to the actual wall so you don;t need to scroll to see my other questions. double click anywhere to type a response
Monday 18 February 2013
Strip cartoons and easy animations
Pixton- http://www.pixton.com/uk/ create single panel, 3 panel or full page comics- students love making them- can be collaborative or individual and be related to a topic under study. Or you can use them to make a point. As you can see from this screen dump below there are a range of sharing options though I have to say the 'embed' code didn;t work on this site. There is a schools option which looks very exciting but, as with a lot of things that ecite, that version comes with a fee.
Or you could use this ‘film’ tool Dvolver: http://www.dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html it's simple interface where you choose backgrounds, scenarious and characters then type in their words. It's a little limited and some of the characters are a bit 'oddly' dressed but I have seen it used well to set up a scenario and even to present the aims of the session.
I did try http://www.xtranormal.com/ xtranormal which promised so much….text to voice for a start but my first project (about 2 hour’s work) crashed. May be worth another fiddle.
stixy
http://www.stixy.com/ is a collaboration tool that is surprisingly easy to use. The idea is that (after creating an account) you open a page then invite collaborators by e mail to contribute to the page. You can upload documents though there are other tools that work better for collaborative editing. I have seen it work especially well for group discussions about collaborative projects and especially with the photo upload function for critiquing and commenting. The best way is to try it with a friend. I now have a stixy page open every day which I use to communicate with non-work people. It means I don’t have to be as prudent with comments as I would with e mail!
giving video and audio feedback to students
I have piloted both video and audio feedback. What I mean by this is giving both formative and summative feedback on video or in audio recording format supplemented by a few bulleted pointers (rather than the essays I had got into the habit of writing). With the video I experimented with a web cam but found that the resolution was poor. I also had problems with synching of picture and sound that were only partially resolved when I switched to a hand held TRAVELLER video camera (I bought it in Lidl for 49.95). I then had to convert the video (I used zamzar.com) to a common format (I chose wmv) then put them on CD for the students. Some couldn’t read them so I put a low res version on YouTube which was only accessible to that student. I felt in the end that the qualitative benefits were outweighed by the fiddlyness and time but now feel that with the FLIP cameras I have got I should try again. I would also upload each file to box.net and proved a link for each student to access it. There are other issues such as how I felt about having my face on people’s PCs and TVs but I soon got over the self-conscious side of things.
The audio is by far and away simpler but then the non verbal communication and subtle nuances are lost that video has. Even so there’s a lot that people pick up form the voice that is missed on paper. I have experimented with audio boo (www.audioboo.fm ) using the Iphone to record but this isn’t private (i.e. you have to get permission and make sure students are aware that anyone can listen). Of course you don’t have to name anyone if you keep close track and all students can listen to all feedback and in theory ‘learn by other people’s mistakes’. I also use the basic recorder on the iPhone, e mail it to myself then convert in batches in zamzar. Once this is done I upload to box.net and send a unique link to each student. This sounds fiddly but once you have done it once it gets easier and easier. It is also very well received. I have also used a handheld digital recorder- quality is better but it does take a bit more time. I have included some student responses further down. The bottom line is this: once you have cracked the technical side a) it takes less time to mark big pieces of work and b) most students feel there is more quality and depth to your feedback.
I had read some enthusiastic bits of action research about video feedback- this presentation, for example, deals with a big experiment and ‘did it properly’ http://www.slideshare.net/robinkay/video-feedback-in-online-courses
Interesting case study on video feedback: http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/publications/casestudies/technology/camtasia.php
Why and how of video feedback: http://ideaconnect.edublogs.org/2010/08/14/student-assessment-using-video-feedback/
This is a piece of software that takes it to a new level. With or without it, it does give pause for thought about how immediate and impacting this sort of thing can be:
Another interesting take on audio/video feedback- using Youtube: http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.org.uk/mashe/2010/07/using-youtube-for-audiovideo-feedback-for-students/
Short case study on audio feedback: http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/projects/merry.aspx
What students thought of audio and video feedback:
I think the feedback on CD was very helpful. I personally prefer it to the written version as the meaning of what you were saying comes across very well. I find it hard to understand the tone when someone writes feedback down anyway so thumbs up from me.
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I found this a very interesting way of giving feedback and something that I feel would be a way forward in my practice. For myself I preferred this as you highlighted some problems I have in using language in a much more in-depth way.
I understand more now about joining up thinking between the journals and using the action plan to emphasis problems I have encountered with the two departments working together.
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As someone who has ME/CFS, I find listening to feedback much easier than reading and this had a much more positive impact on my learning. I was able to take in the information and evaluate it better. My mind made more sense of what you were saying to me and I was less confused. Thank you for sending the CD, it has made me realise I really can still learn and reflect but in a different way than I have been used to.
I had only one tiny criticism and that was that it was not loud enough, however that may be my PC. I had my speakers on full but really had to strain to hear everything you said.
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Having received both written and video feedback on my assignment, I feel I must comment.
First, I found your comments very helpful, particularly as I had to resubmit the second part of the assignment. Most useful was that you could give more help and advice than you could have done on paper. Also, as you mentioned in your introduction to the video, your body language sometimes reinforced your comments. What was interesting was that you explained what you were thinking as well as the practical aspects of the feedback, which you would certainly struggle with were you to try to write that down.
Did you mark the assignment first? Or was it on the fly? I am asking because I might be able to use this method of feedback myself, particularly with my Employer Responsive candidates, as I only get to see them once a month.
The telephone ringing, your mobile alerting you to a text, and you traversing back and forward on your chair (Health and Safety issue?), I think should have been edited out. You had already said that there may be pauses. However, it didn’t detract from the overall message and I could ignore it.
The sound and vision quality was constant and the CD played through Windows Media Player without me having to download any viewers. Was this something you planned, or did you trust that everyone would be able to view the video?
Could this be used “live”, for instance using one of the many chat clients? I feel that it might be more effective with a two-way conversation. I know time is an issue, and with many candidates, the technology could be too, but it would have allowed me to explain some of the issues you raised.
For example you commented on the use of the word “Logarithmic” – I agree entirely now in hindsight, but as I had just heard the same statement on the BBC programme “Click”, I didn’t think to check the meaning. So much for trusting the Beeb!
I thought about putting this on a video too, but thought better of it as I need more practice!
Thanks for asking me to be part of your “experiment” I enjoyed it and have learned some good lessons from it.
Presentation tools
It’s not only PowerPoint that has become clichéd but also the notion of ‘death by…’. There are other options that change the look and feel of presentations and some which may be a preferable option. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for Prezi at the moment but for pure simplicity I like Empresser.
1. This is a sample of a presentation made using the tool in google docs. https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dfdnq5jm_17cg84f7cn Google docs presentation tool- done online- link easily shared- similar to powerpoint- can import slides like I have done here
2. Empressr – to create account go to http://www.empressr.com To see my example: http://www.empressr.com/View.aspx?token=dFKLqBUEOn0%3d
3. Prezi- sign up for (limited space) but free account at www.prezi.com see one I made on behaviour management here: http://prezi.com/bbd76ro8vwhj/managing-the-classroom/
4. www.ThinkFree.com is like the office suite, provides 1GB of online storage and is Free, as the name suggests. You can create (or upload) powerpoint presentations here. You can then share them online like this one: http://member.thinkfree.com/myoffice/show.se?f=1ed8bdba1ce3039e38f0d41fde4ffb82
5. Prezentit http://prezentit.com/ is a simple online tool- easier to use than those above but a little limited in what you can do. Very easy to create online and share (for editing) or publish for viewing Sample: http://prezentit.com/mattthfc/2
6. Slideshare is a good place to upload presentations http://www.slideshare.net/mattTHFC/childrens-illustrations (sample)
There are loads of things out there- these are just a few
Polls and surveys
An excellent free tool is available at http://www.polleverywhere.com/ I use it for feedback or for diagnostic purposes. It can be embedded seamlessly into PowerPoint or used online. Students text message responses to a prompt question.
A free account at http://www.surveymonkey.com can be great for reviews and feedback though Google docs gives you more flexibility with the data once generated. Google docs require you to have a Google account but this is quite useful for a number of things such as creating a blog or a site (albeit under the Google internet hegemony).
self marking quizzes
A place where you can make interactive quizzes is the popular http://www.quia.com but this is only free for 30 days– It’s ease of use and variety has prompted a lot of teachers to get an account though. The free version (with advertising) of http://www.ProProf.com is an easy (ish) tool to use to make quizzes in basic formats. They can be embedded fairly easily too.
No doubt you will have heard of Hot Potatoes. It is no longer supported but is still one of the best tools for creating self marking and printable resources. Takes patience and maybe a bit of support from someone who’s used it before. Available from: http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
worksheets and IWB quick quizzes
http://classtools.net/ has a collection of easy to use tools that work well with an Interactive whiteboard. They are a bit clunky at times but are very easy to set up and use. The random name picker is popular (if a little irritating with the sound on).
Sometimes you might want to use the web to make worksheets (not interactive)- http://www.easytestmaker.com
Is a good place to start and has the added bonus of generating answer sheets too. The preview allows you to copy and paste into word.
There are a lot of online quiz tools reviewed here with samples
http://www.quiz-creator.com/blog/2009/09/free-online-quiz-creator-tools-create-online-quizzes/
blogs
A lot of the trainees here at Bradford opt for a blogger (search in Google for ‘blogger’) account which is good for personalization, videos and images but less effective for embedding documents in the way that Posterous ( http://posterous.com )does.
http://wordpress.org/ is another popular tool with apps for iphone and ipad which are (apparently) very easy to use. I wasn’t bought an iPad for Christmas so I don’t know.
For teachers who will be working with younger folk http://kidblog.org/home.php is very simple to use and can host multiple users. No reason why any age shouldn’t use it actually.
Probably better in the image section but since it uses the word ‘blog’ I’ll include www.scrapblog.com here. Designed to generate income from making personalized card it is a nice template for uploading and making available collections of images.
http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbid=2893126 to see quick one I made.
http://www.slide.com/ is an easier alternative but not quite as slick.
social networks
You could write a book about the pros and cons of using social networks in teaching. Indeed several people have. I have used www.facebook.com but with an institutional rather than personal account.
www.twitter.com is popular and a lot of the twitterers out there who are interested in learning technology seem to think that this tool represents a view of how collaboration and learning might be shaped in the future.
For now, I prefer www.friendfeed.com where multiple users can use the same (or their own) accounts to collaborate, share ideas and brainstorm.
There are also plenty of places where, if you’re concerned about stepping over professional boundaries and the like, you can create your own social network: http://www.mixxt.com/ (limited space on free account)
http://www.socialgo.com/ (limited storage + advertising on free account) or http://www.spruz.com/ (similar limitations)
by the way, I have set this blog to auto feed into Twitter and Facebook accounts that I have. It improves the hit rate because it enables fans of those sites to see your post without leaving the comfort and warmth of their preferred social network- not sure if that’s a good thing or not now that I just typed that.
Time Stealers!
http://thisissand.com/ oddly soothing
http://www.bigcarrot.com/ get prizes for solving some of life’s unfathomables
http://blabberize.com/ make pictures talk
http://www.voki.com/ create personalized speaking avatars
http://chir.ag/stuff/sand/ another sand thing
http://listen.grooveshark.com/ brilliant music player– free
The most useful one for me is the last one- to be able to have pretty much any song or genre playing at the start, during or post session can help establish a mood or illustrate something or even help change the pace of a session
video and image
You will no doubt have heard of www.YouTube.com and www.TeacherTube.com but may not have used other video sites. A useful technique is to create your own channel where you can corral useful videos and upload your own.
http://vimeo.com is a good place to start. It combines some social networking tools with an easy interface. Collect or upload here and avoid a lot of the offensive garbage that seems to pollute YouTube these days. I have started one at http://vimeo.com/pcet That’s all that needs to be remembered.
Photoshop is great if you can afford it but you’d be surprised at how familiar www.pixlr.com is and how much you can do. Even if you don’t know much about image editing it’s easy (and no account/ log in etc. needed) it is to apply a filter and make images look great.
Short animations or ‘films’ can be created very quickly using ‘dfilm’ http://www.dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html Great for summaries or novel ways of introducing the day’s objectives. Watch for how some of the characters are attired though!
Wikis
A wiki is a space online for collaboration. It’s somewhere that contributors can change, update and review ideas, images and each others’ writing.
They come in many shapes and sizes and different ones are good for different things.
http://www.stixy.com/ is a very user friendly tool that is great for sharing quick comments (post its), to do lists and images. Create an account and invite people to share by e-mail.
http://www.wikispaces.com/ is a more ‘traditional’ wiki. You can create pages which can then be edited by invitees or anyone depending on the settings employed.
http://www.ietherpad.com/ is a place where up to 16 people can simultaneously discuss issues and ideas or can respond to prompts. Good for feedback, brainstorming, discussions
audio
Www.audioboo.fm is a site that works best with the audioboo app on an IPhone or Blackberry. Up to 5 min audio clips are instantly uploaded to your account page. My test page is here: http://audioboo.fm/PCET
http://www.yakitome.com/ is a free text to speech tool. Convert text to MP3– voices are stilted but it’s pretty good. A quicker alternative is http://vozme.com/
Which is instant but is limited in terms of amount and quality
Podcasts are easily managed at http://www.podbean.com/
For examples of how we use them in teacher ed have a look at our account http://pcet.podbean.com/
Quizlet
This site is well worth a search even if you don’t sign up for your own account. It’s a flash card making tool that allows you to pair items. Especially good for language teaching it also seems to work very well for jargon busting. There’s a whole bunch of stuff on there already; for example, I found some pharmacy jargon and hairdressing terms yesterday. The terms can be viewed for revision, in the form of a test or as a game. If you’re familiar with the QUIA matching activity, it’s like that only more sophisticated and flexible.
wordle word cloud
this was made by pasting the link to this bloginto the www.wordle.net word cloud creator. great for covers, front pages of presentations or.... I don't know- they look nice anyway.
Issuu
This is a great site if you want to create your own online magazine. Thanks to Lisa for flagging this particular issue up- it has masses of stuff in it to add to the many things below. Click on the magazine to view full soze then follow the links from there.
link in case embed code doesn't work: http://issuu.com/cyndidannerkuhn/docs/resourcesmostlyfree/1
Dragon app on iphone
I'm testing this Dragon NaturallySpeaking app on the iPhone to see how or if I could use it for giving feedback to students and their assignments.they claim it is five times faster than regular typing speed and if that averages probably 10 times faster than my typing speed.i'm talking at the moment into my phone using the Dragon app and I'm Gonna upload this to one of the blogs to see how accurate the whole thing is.
Domo animate
This is a great animation tool that does what Dfilm Movie maker has done for a long time but on a new level. The example below gives a feel for what you can do. The best use I'd imagine is to get the students themselves to make animations based on aspects of a topic.
site: http://domo.goanimate.com/
Welcome to Year 5 by missb<br/>
e-textbook
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16634097
I can see why this was always a likely development but there’s a part of me that will always prefer to turn pages. I even miss getting in a mess with the old style giant Guardian.
some prezis
http://prezi.com/gz2djfdwsbzr/teaching-and-supporting-students-with-disabilities-and-specific-learning-difficulties/ here I used a notice board as the main holding frame
these two have been done by my boy- the first one is a very simple way of seeing the whole and then the parts: http://prezi.com/mkenayd-ktvs/class-status-media-studies/
this one I like for the iceberg metaphor and the whole picture you get at the end http://prezi.com/fhmr6ztlrpyg/aqa-extended-project/
this one I did using one of the templates- it’s basically the lesson structure rather than info giving so it has tasks and questions built in : http://prezi.com/xsqge7vht7fr/grading-and-observations/
this one on behaviour management probably has too much info on it but the idea was to have ups and downs and an underlying visual metaphor http://prezi.com/bbd76ro8vwhj/managing-the-classroom/
JISC Digital Creativity Event 1
Things that stand out from session 1:
-"Augmented reality is all about context""Leap Motion" (50 x better than Kinect) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6hCwjwzUHg
-Inception app for Iphone augments sound according to environment
-Lots of 'cool' things, lots of jargon
such as out of body experiences using 'cybermind goggles' My view/ first response:The problem with this is that ideas about augmented reality need to take account of real reality which is a world where the real world is much more accessible to most students, most instituions and most teachers than an augmented one. It's about cost and infrastucture of course but also about senior managment vision, external drivers and impact and influence of government. The aurasma tool enables you to do snazzy things with phones and on computers but I'm not convinced that we're ready at our college for this sort of thing unless we're actually learning about the thing itself, if you see what I mean.
this is brilliant
second session not started yet but I have already learnt something useful: To play a video from a particular point in youtube: right click on the video and choose "URL at current time" Like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSsZPHL22RU&feature=player_detailpage#t=287s
digitial storytelling
This afternoon we're considering the nature of narrative in learning. In particular we're looking at the idea of digtal storytelling. It can range from simple voice overs to existing footage through to non-linear 'mash ups' using a range of tools. He's reminded me about 'animoto' which I should have definitely done more with. Will do something tomorrow! http://animoto.com Voicethread is another tool that can help create group stories. I made one to send to colleagues who missed a presentation but have come nowhere near using it to its full potential. here's one I made before: http://voicethread.com/share/2351192/ Finally we looked at http://storify.com/ - I have never played with this so this is another target for tomorrow Later this afternoon we're looking at xtranormal http://www.xtranormal.com/ which is a bit like goanimate http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/featured/36/the-big-lebowski
using audioboo
The PGCE students produced a poster each on a learning difficulty or disability. They displayed, peer reviewed and then presented an overview of their own work. After this they were asked questions by tutors and peers (having already answered indepth questions from peer buddies). After they had all gone home (glowing with pride and satisfied with a job well done, it has to be said) I recorded a quick 'boo' for each one based on the notes I and my colleague (thanks Paula) took when assessing. These were then instantly uploaded to my account page online http://audioboo.fm/PCET. Some of them have a picture of the poster included on the relevant page. I did all this instantly from my iPhone using the audioboo app. It was only when I reached the fourth one that I realised I should have been attaching accompanying pictures of the posters themselves. I can remedy this later on the site itself. I then collected them together in one 'playlist' for ease of reference: http://audioboo.fm/users/38785/playlists/1130-disability-and-learning-difficu... Audioboo allows me to instantly post to Twitter or Facebook (which I have done on Cert Ed pages) and I can use the embed codes to include any of the audio files into blogs like this one:
My next job is to create a QR code for each boo (thanks Wendy for this brilliant idea) and attach a printed version of it to each poster. the biggest failing to this point I think is that i have recorded the summaries and not the students themselves.
My next job is to create a QR code for each boo (thanks Wendy for this brilliant idea) and attach a printed version of it to each poster. the biggest failing to this point I think is that i have recorded the summaries and not the students themselves.
Comic approach
Yesterday’s 2012 JISC e-factor ‘It’s all about the learner’ was indeed all about the learner. And fire alarms. And Moodle. And loads of other interesting things.
My tuppence worth was on using cartoons and comics. These are the two main handouts in case colleagues didn’t get copies. Feel free to use and adapt at your institutions if you feel they’re useful (A small, light font acknowledgement somewhere would be appreciated).
Link to the video of my presentation: http://youtu.be/YoHWZe8XlP4 (not brilliant quality)
me talking about what I'd seen that impressed me at the evnt. And blinking a lot. http://youtu.be/U_yaXE1-_Uw
Martin Compton
Ealing Hammersmith and West London College
spinner
We are busy, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes, in lieu of lunch, we manage to find 10 mins to do the Guardian crossword in competitive teams. To select these teams one of my colleagues has made a cardboard spinner with our faces on it. It’s novel but not really that ‘spinny’ if truth be told. Today, realising that there may well be an online solution I stumbled upon this: http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/spinner.php . It’s not just for maths. I changed the labels to names. You can change the number of sections and use it as a random name generator. One warning though: adjust the power and drag frequently or it ends up in the same areas.
two digital story ideas
There’s a how to guide on Go Animate! And a sample fakeconvo (looks like Facebook conversation) Go here to make your own http://fakeconvos.com/ uses facebook log in credentials)
Sample go animate (could I sound more awkward?) trying to illustrate the difference between the recorded voice and the robotic voice you get when you type: http://goanimate.com/videos/0cVK4-LKlMPE?utm_source=linkshare
Another example: http://goanimate.com/videos/0tCcDBxbXac8/1
XTRANORMAL
Grateful to FW for these materials
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13928795/an-overview-of-xtranormal-for-e-teachers
PowerPoint games materials anyone?
Hello everyone,
Here are some PPt games that can be sued for recap/revision that Liam Wild (Year 1 Cert Ed) passed on. There’s some good stuff in here but you will really need to know the actual TV game if you want to use the resource effectively. Many of them are not that interactive and are more of an interesting accompaniment for questions you ask orally or have on the board. Good for adding a bit of liveliness, perhaps. Brief summary below if you’re interested. These have been passed on to both Yr 1 and 2 Cert Ed/PGCE (DTLLS) groups.
· 20 Questions is quite interactive and lends a little spice as the learners get to choose questions ewithout knowing what answer is ‘behind’ the square. Quite good for random quizzes and recaps or even to establish the level of knowledge of a group. Could be mixed with ‘prizes’ or such behind certain squares.
· Blockbusters simply allows you to move questions over the squares, making more of a competitive score board than an interactive quiz.
· Deal or No Deal simply appears to be about choosing boxes. The instructions don’t state this, but it would need to be mixed with some kind of questioning or task to give it any pedagogic value. Perhaps if they don’t get an answer right they lose a box?
· I don’t know the Jeopardy game so I didn’t get this one. If you know the game I’m sure it’ll help.
· The millionaire activity is probably the most interactive, allowing you to type in and reveal answers as happens on the popular TV series.
· Monster hangman is a ‘Sponge Bob’ twist on the old game. Instead of drawing a gallows, you use the PPt to show Sponge Bob getting closer to monsters. If he gets too close, he’s eaten. Aaaaagh!
· The squares activity is a bit like a fancy ‘noughts and crosses’ and allows you to make notes in the presentation, thereby keeping score. You can also write Q&A in this one.
· The Weakest link is another scoreboard-type presentation that allows you to write the scores in the presentation with the added excitement of the graphics, albeit ones that are a little tricky to get the hang of at first. Verbal Q&A for this one.
· Wheel of Fortune is a spinner game that can be done a little more interactively with an IWB but if you don’t have one, it works quite nicely as a starter/review task.
Game on!
Ben
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