Monday, October 20, 2014

My Movie Maker

My Movie Maker was relatively easy software to use. The main issue I had with this assignment was the most time consuming part of this project - gathering the materials (images and music) for the movie. The software was free, and it comes pre-installed on most Windows computers. This software could be used by students and teachers in an elementary classroom. Students can use this software to make their own movies to display their work that they have done in the class. For example, it could be used as a digital portfolio. Teachers can use it to display projects, topics, etc. Using this software, or software similar to it, can help teachers meet ISTE standards by: designing and developing digital works, inspiring student learning, and promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility. Teachers will have to explain and ensure that students are aware of copyright laws and citing their sources, if they use anything that they didn't create. This software will help students learn and understand how to create digital projects that are meaningful to them. This will also help students learn how to integrate technology into projects that they might not otherwise use technology for. For example, students may want to take pictures of art projects that they have done, and create a movie of all their best work. Below is the project that I created using My Movie Maker:


Monday, October 6, 2014

Web tools and software


Web tools and software can be used to effectively create worksheets and activities for students and teachers. Teachers can use these web tools to design and create their rubrics, instructions, and guidelines. Rubistar.org is online software that can be used to create rubrics to use for grading assignments that do not have answer keys. The rubric can serve as a guideline for grading within scales. Quizlet.com is online software that can be used to create quizzes for students using vocabulary words or questions. It can also be used by students to create study guides or to test themselves. ABCteach.com is a website that can be used to find worksheets to give to students. Eclipsecrossword.com is free software that teachers can download that can be used to create crossword puzzles for students. They can use these crossword puzzles to help them learn vocabulary words or definitions. Using these web tools helps teachers meet the ISTE learning standards by helping them use technology: to create student learning activities, to create grading assessments, to display the skills necessary to demonstrate articulacy in the digital systems, and to promote and model digital responsibility. These websites and software will be helpful to me as a teacher, and I will be using these web tools in my classroom. Here are some examples of the  quiz I created using this software, as well as the free worksheet I was able to find on ABCteach: