Screencast.com

Screencast is a place for you to upload content to the internet for free. With Screencast, you are able to share digital content such as videos, images, and documents in multimedia formats. It allows others to observe your contents. One great feature is that you can hold the rights to your own content and you can decide who sees your content. TechSmith allows you to create a free account. With this account, you are able to have 2GB of storage space and 2GB of bandwidth a month. The bandwidth is used when people view your content. Therefore, if you have various viewers, it is possible that you would go through the 2GB quickly.

There is also an option of purchasing an account for $9.95 a month or $99.95 a year. With the Pro Account you would have 25 GB storage and 200 GB a month of bandwidth along with a customizable account.

Podcasts- Math

There are many great songs to help student memorize operations and strategies for solving math problems. My students always seem to forget the difference between mean, median, and mode. Due to this, I created a song to assist their memory! You can find the song on my classroom wiki. I put it here, hoping that it will give students an idea as to the variety of differnt ways they can post on our Math wiki.

Gcast

Gcast is a resource that allows you to record a podcast from your phone or by selecting something from your computer. If you already have audio production software such as audacity, you can upload your posts for free. This is a great option if you are not using a blog or a wiki. You do have to register for this service. In the past year, you also need to pay a $99 fee if you want the option of recording by phone. The great thing about creating a podcast from your phone is that you will be given an ID and PIN. The podcast will be added to your playlist manager and then you can publish it from y our phone. This site also allows you to mix different playlists or podcasts. As a teacher, you could mold all of your students' projects into one podcast. This could then be put on a classroom blog or wiki instead of having 25 podcasts.



http://www.gcast.com/

Using Jing to Teach Students

Jing is a great tool for teachers to capture images of your computer screen. You could then use your images to create instructions on how to complete a project. Students will be able to refer back to the notes instead of constantly asking the teacher, “What do I do now?” I have created a set of directions for my students about how to post on our classroom wiki. 

This free download can also be used to create a screencast. This is a short video clip that you can record of what you are doing on the computer. Another great feature is that you can use the voice-over tool to explain what you are doing. This would be another way to show your students how to do something. They can refer back to it if they have questions. One important thing to remember is that it only records for a maximum time of 5 minutes. I have also created an example of a screen cast to show my students how to create a simple PowerPoint. I was not able to load it to the blog.

How can the students use Jing to further their learning experience?

Students could use this tool to “teach” the class about a given topic. They could create a PowerPoint or a web in Inspiration. By recording their project and using the voice-over in Jing, the student could present their project to the class. The screencasts could be posted on the classroom blog or on Blackboard. All students can access the information at a time that is convenient for them. Due to the time restriction of 5 minutes, the student make decisions about what they are going to say and how they are going to present the information before they start recording. It forces the student to focus on the key points. By posting this on a blog or on Blackboard, other students will be able to comment on the presentation. The creator would be responsible for responding to his/her classmates.

My Classroom Blog

I have created a blog in edublogs to use with my students. This blog will have multiple purposes based on the assignment. I currently have two sections, Social Studies and Language Arts.

Social Studies
Students will go through an interactive site. After they have explored information about slavery, they will create a song and post it to the blog. The class will have access to the blog which will give the students an audience. They will be able to post comments about the songs that have been created. Parents will also have access to the account.

Language Arts
We are required to have a Concept/Question Board for our Open Court Reading series. The blog will be used for just that! This will be a place where students can post any questions, comments, pictures, or web sites about a given unit of study. I would like to communicate with other classrooms in the county to combine our Concept/Question board.

How do I create a podcast?

Before recording your podcast in any of the following applications, it is important to consider five key components: prepare, perform, produce, publish, promote. When you prepare for the recording, you will need to create a title the reflects what you are going to say. In some programs, you will also have the opportunity to add a picture. After you have prepared for the podcast and you have entered your title, it is time for you to perform, or record. When you play back the podcast you will listen to your production to determine if you want to edit it or publish it. You can publish your podcast in a variety of different ways such as a blog, wiki, social networking site, etc. 

I have created an example from http://www.blabberize.com/.  I acted as Thomas Jefferson and created a biography about myself.  Students could use this site in the same way!  They could use it to present information that htye have collected about a person or an event.  One great thing about Blabberize is that you can post the podcast on their site, you can save it, or you can embed it into a site that has already been created. 




Below I have found a few products that you may want to consider when creating a podcast.

vozMe

This is a great site because you can create a mp3 audio file by typing words in a text box. There are six different languages that the site offers including Spanish, English, and Italian. This is a great tool to type up a short passage to have kids post their work to the class wiki or a blog. The students will be able to listen to their work and make corrections based on what they hear. You can also install this on your browser and it can be used to listen to text on any page.  I did notice that the quality is not great.  However, students can still use it to practice and it is a great tool to change information to another language.

Try Audacity!
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audacity is a free source that can be used to record and edit broadcasts. You can download it at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/downlad/. After you download the software, you can easily record something by using an internal or external microphone that is connected to your computer.

Items to consider when using a blog in the classroom

Many schools have guidelines for using blogs in the classroom. I know my county only allows us to use www.edublogs.com, after we have taken a class to prepare us for use in the classroom. It is also worthwhile to look into your school’s acceptable use policy (AUP) and explain the policies with your students. The AUP should explain the terms and guidelines for students using the computers and the internet in your school. It should lay out what acceptable use of the computer/internet means and what it should look like. At my school, it is required that you have parental permission before you allow your students on the classroom blog.



Before you use the blog in your classroom, you should teach your students the importance of carefully considering the content of their post. Students should be taught safe, acceptable, and sensible behavior as online readers and authors. It should be stated that the blog is still a classroom, therefore, expectations of tone, respect, and consequences should be put in place. It is important that students know that content should be viewed as an opinion and therefore, it may not be factual information. Students and parents should also be aware of the privacy and security issues within your classroom blog.

Edublogs and Blogger are two blogging tools that are easy to use. As I said before, check with your administrator to ensure that you are able to use a blog in your classroom before you begin.

How can blogs be used in the classroom?

After looking through multiple pages on the internet, I was able to put together a list of ways that I feel a blog would be beneficial in the classroom.

Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teacher or students from around the world can collaborate on a topic of their choice. This is a great way for teachers to offer extra help on assignments by posting podcasts or vodcasts. Multiple students will be able to access help at the same time. The teacher could also offer tips for solving problems or suggestions for research. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.


Discussions
Blogs can lead to discussion outside of the classroom walls. Every person that has access to the blog has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. I like that students have time to reflect on what was taught in class and come back at a later time to post their thoughts. This can lead to a deeper understanding of the concept.


Student Portfolios
I really like the idea of having the students create a portfolio on a blog. Here they have a chance to present and organize their digital products for an audience to see. It will be easy for them to see how they have progressed through the year and intensify their understanding because their entries are archived. Also, the students will realize that their items will be published and therefore, they will most likely be motivated to produce a higher quality of work. By having their work on the blog, teachers and students can comment on their work and they can continually improve it.


Classroom Management
I had never thought of using a blog for classroom management until now! A blog could be used to keep students and parents informed instead of constantly sending home notices. This would be a great place to post homework assignments, projects, test dates, and it can also act as a question/answer board.


Information found at: http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/