Word Clouds

This assignment was to create a word cloud using the wordle program. Word clouds are a great visual tool that are fun and creative way to capture your student's attention. Wordle is a very easy to use program you have three different options to create your word cloud; you can enter in a bunch of text and hit create, you can type in a url of any blog, blog feed, or any other web page that has an Atom or RSS feed, or finally you can enter in a user name to see their tags. Any way you want to go about it you can create a word cloud from the method of your choice. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. After you have created the cloud of your desire you can then share it with friends or save it to wordle's gallery for all the public to view.

The assignment was to create a word cloud of something in your field and post it to your blog. I chose to create a world cloud using the star spangled banner. I chose the star spangled banner for many reasons but mainly because if I was teaching right now I would be preparing to reflect on the tenth anniversary of 9/11/01 the day that changed America. This would be geared for grades 3-6 the students would learn about the history of the star spangled banner, our flag it symbols and meanings. Students would be asked questions as to where they have seen the flag, what does our flag mean to them, and what do they think the flag meant to the men and women on 9/11. I would then have this world cloud projected on the screen or even laminated and posted on the wall. Each child would be given a copy of the star spangled banner learn to sing it and then discuss the lyrics. This wonderful lesson plan was inspired by ideas provided by scholastic learning if you would like to see more of this lesson plan you can always view it here.

As you can see above I changed the color scheme of of my world cloud to red, white, and blue to emphasize patriotism. I also changed the font to Berylium to add a little bit of old fashion hand writing to it. I left my layout at mostly horizontal because majority of the words were too long to go vertical. Overall, this was a short fun creative activity that can really leave an impact on your classroom if used correctly. My word cloud was saved to wordle's gallery. I also used jing to create a screen cast as another option for viewing. I think that this activity covers NETS-T 1 (facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity) and NETS-2 (design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments).

That wraps up this assignment hope everyone enjoys and has a happy and safe labor day!
Andria

Jing Image

Wow! I never knew so many different copy and paste tools existed out there! Today's assingment introdcued me to the copy and paste tool Jing. Once again I had never heard of Jing but now that has been brought into my life I think it will serve me well or vice versa either way I look at I know that I will get a lot of use out of this program. With jing you can take a picture or make a short video of what you see on your computer screen  save it your computer in the folder of your choice and then create a screencast (link) which then you can share it instantly with friends via e-mail, web, or social networking sites, or surprise a blog!Before I let anxiety hit me I watched this video to find out how jing was not going to complicate my browsing experience and work but it would actually make my life easier! Go ahead check it you won't regret it!

The image I created which you can see above is a blank food pyramid template. I  used Jing's image editng tools to create shapes, text boxs, and arrows to fill in the pyramid showing the learner what and how much they need to consume on a weekly and with some daily basis. I could use this in multiple ways whether teaching a introduction to health class or even as an athletic coach you could use this template to teach your students or athletes proper nutrition. I chose to use different colors because some individuals are visual learners and they might associate color with catagory so I wanted to make sure that I was in compliance with helping different learning styles. If you would like to see a larger image you can view my screencast by clicking here. I feel that this activity again helped me use a digital tool to models effective information to my peers and future students (NETS-T 3).

Learning about both the snipping tool and jing this week has not only extended my technology base but also has introduced me to a world of copy and paste that is only going to make working significantly easier and a lot faster!

Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool activity was an activity to teach us how to use windows snipping tool (something  I didn't even know existed! So basically this tool exists in Microsoft Windows 7 and Vista. You You can use Snipping Tool to capture a screen shot, or snip, of any object on your screen, and then annotate, save, or share the image. You can see for yourself by viewing this short demonstrative video.
As recommended by Dr. Pierce I see how this tool is most useful if you create a shortcut to your desktop so that you have instant access to it when needed. Learning how to use this tool definitely demonstrates that I can faciliatate effective use of digital tools to use information resources to support research and learning (NETS-T 3).

To demonstrate I snipped the course activity list for a couple of reasons. Reason one being that blackboard went down for a little bit today without having that access to the course list I was up the creek without a paddle in successfully completing today's activities. So after some resourceful thinking I obtained the link outside of blackboard and now have it located in my Diigo library, favorite places, and on my blog. I guess its safe to say I will never be in that situation again. Here's the screenshot of it and if any of my peers have any questions they now know where to look. The snip itself is a full screen snip in which I captured the entire screen. Once the snip I has been made you also have the options of highlighting what you want your classroom to pay attention too (you can see I highlighted the current activity we are on). Also you have a pen option in which you can make notes on the screen for demonstrative purposes I drew a star on the activity we are on.

This tool is very useful and practical and have a feeling that it will come in handy more times than once! So once again another day in Ed Tech and I just keep growing from information learned!
Until the next activity!
Andria

Self Portrait

Our assignment today was an artsy time travel to the world and vision of Pablo Picasso. Dr. Pierce wanted us to create a self portrait using Picasso Head. This website allows the user to create what they feel is a resemblance to themselves using the vision that inspired the legendary Pablo Picasso. I think this web site would be a lot of fun for elementary students to use when learning about art and different eras of art form. I am sure that they would get a kick out of making portraits of themselves, friends, or family while learning how a artist sees their object. You could then use their portraits at parent teacher conferences or the next room party for other people to see. Or you could incorporate technology even more and have the students e-mail their portraits to whomever inspired them that day. I think that an activity like this falls in line with NETS-T Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.

The site itself is very self explanatory and very fun to use. My biggest challenge was trying to figure out  what I think the shape of my head is or is this the best fit eye lash for the eyes I had picked out. It's cool too because you can add colors to it if you fee like it and you really feel as if you are Picasso or even a pre -Andy Warhol. After you complete your portrait there is an option to save it first you must title it then you e-mail it to friends, or in my case, myself so that you can later find it in Picasso head gallery. Feel free to view my self titled portrait Oh La Andria.

Hope everyone enjoys the "art"!
Andria

Diigo- Social Bookmarking

Our first true assignment for Instructional Technology was to sign up and get familiar with Diigo. Diigo is a free social bookmarking, research, and knowledge sharing tool created to mirror the art of taking notes while providing a network for sharing and discovering information. Part of this course is to share and create knowledge so getting familiar with Diigo and all its wonders is a top priority. Going outside of the box to try to discover more about Diigo I found this website, what is diigo, it taught much more about the network and what its benefits are. Each week are required to add 3-6 related news or scholarly links that relate to our field or anything relating to technology or educational technology research. Please feel free to check out my additions in my library you can find it here, AndriaS Diigo Library, or its listed as a gadget on the right hand side of this blog. So part of diigo is adding on the diggo web browser toolbar to your browser, a.k.a. diigolet. Some people, like me, would find this browser add on to be unnecessary and distracting others would welcome the convience. So I pose the question what is a browser add-on and are they necessary?

Browser add -ons or extensions are typically toolbars that can improve your experience on a website by providing multi-media or interactive content. Browser add-ons can be useful if they are adaptable to your current browser. I always check requirements and specifications before I download anything. I tend to stick to what's familiar to me so the addition of add-ons are not always welcomed but since the course required it I adapted to the change. So currently I am using the Diigo toolbar, I hate to admit but it is very convenient and useful when it comes to the Diigo community. I like most people spend a lot of time on my computer whether its social networking, shopping, web browsing, and of course homework and at any given moment I can come across something that is not only useful to my field of teaching but also to this class. With the Diigo toolbar I have instant access to bookmark that page make any highlights or comment I feel important and then share it with peers. The hassle of copy and pasting links is ancient history when it comes to social bookmarking, something I think we can all welcome! The installation of the toolbar was really simple you simply clicked the link accepted permissions and then within seconds the installation was complete. You did not have to reboot your computer just your web browser itself. Again very simple and very well worth it!
Another add on I currently use is google chrome. I personally like this because of the extensions you can add on like Speed Dial and Add Blocker. Again installation of this add on is very simple and convenient.

So what do add ons and Diigo have to do with teaching? The Diigo activity matches the ISTE NETS-T model digital-age work and learning model. Through the Diigo community teachers communicate relevant information and ideas pertaining to their trade through their bookmarks to perers and even parents if the parents are Diigo members. Also teachers collaborate with peers and diigo community members while using Diigo as a digital tool for research, feedback, and resource to further student success in the classroom.

I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with Diigo. And using it to see what resources I can find to help me better myself as a future educator. Until the next assignment...

Andria

Introductory Blog

Hello Blog Nation!
My name is Andria Snell a current graduate student at Fairmont State University. FSU is located in the hills of West Virginia in the friendly city of Fairmont. (feel free to check out the website http://www.fairmontstate.edu/). I am currently enrolled in Dr. Pierce's Instructional Technology class which is a class designed to proved students the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for integrating technology into classroom curricula. With this expectation set it is required for us to blog, something I 100% unfamiliar with! However, with the help of some step-by-step directions and a really monotonous video I have successfully created this blog you are reading! I think this new creation is going to be fun to update and I look forward to comments from my peers. By the way I am a picture crazed individuals so don't be surprised if you don't see new pictures on here quite frequently!
My concentration is Secondary Social Science courses and I believe that technology being integrated into these course are absolutely vital, which is why taking this class really excites me! During my undergraduate work I frequently visited this website and if anyone else is in my field should find it useful and please feel free to use. Teaching History with Technology.
I hope that everyone finds my blog to be educational, entertaining, and useful.
Good luck to everyone this semester!
Andria