Week 10 Synthesizing, Remixing, & Creating: Images & Slideshows

In week 10, I explored 3 slideshow tools and they are Animoto, Fotobabble and Photopeach. I like Animoto the most as the website was easy to understand and start up process was fast. There are a few background designs, lots of copy written background music and photos for you to choose from and all I have to do is to upload images.

Compare to Power Point, creating a slide show with Animoto is easier and faster and the most important, the show is more visually satisfying. However, with the limit of 30 seconds for free videos, I found Animoto is suitable for presenting a concept ,as an introduction or to provide a summary in a learning environment. In addition, the limited text capabilities only allow user to give a short description on the side of your images.

Like many other digital tools that I learned in this course, the projects that created with Animoto are easy to be shared online. However, I can also see some potential risk of using Animoto. As I build my reputation of how to be a good digital citizen, I am always on the alert for ‘doing the right thing ‘with the technologies and using images legally on a slideshow tool can be a challenge.

In the past I always know to download music from a shared forum is not legally but to ‘cut and paste’ a picture?? I’m sharing with friends, not for business use, why is it a big deal?  It’s there anyway! 

                                                      International Copyright Act of 1891

The unforeseen and unintended uses of online images seem like some common mistakes that are happening in the digital world and it is difficult to stop such activities completely. But the legal aspect of being a good digital citizen should be our major concern. “The issues of intellectual property rights and copyright protection are very real, and have real consequences for violations” (Ribble,2011, p.31). “Copyright  is the system of leagal rights that protects original creative works, including text, images, videos and artworks, from unauthorised copying, distribution, alteration and other uses” (Sites2See, 2012).

As a student and a technology user, this is my responsibility to obey and follow the rules. To respect the legal rights, I learned how to use an online work properly in week 10.  Website such asMediaSmart.com, The2Learn.ca and blog posted by Creative Common have given me a lot of useful information of how to cited online images, create and protect my own work and to remix online contents.  

This is truly an informative week and I believe my PLE has evolved to the next level. Slideshow tools become an important part of my learning elements when building assignments and doing project with others. Learning what is Digital Law is urgent, especially for our next generation. "The best time to begin establishing a culture of proper use is the first day you introduce your students to technology" (Starr, L. 2003). In Canada, copyright is governed by the Copyright Act(R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42). For instance, fair use of online source protects original and fixed products and also encourages us to learn and to create meaningful work.

sources

http://animoto.com/

http://www.fotobabble.com/

http://photopeach.com/

Starr, L. (2003). Tools for Teaching CyberEthics. Education World. Available at:http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech055.shtml

Sites2See. (2012). Copyright for Students (resource page). Available at http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8587/

MediaSmarts.com (n.d.). Fair dealing for media education. Available from http://mediasmarts.ca/intellectual-property/fair-dealing-media-education

The 2Learn.ca Educational Society. (2011-2012 ). Your Digital Presence. Available at http://www.2learn.ca/ydp/copyrightabout.aspx
Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website. Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985,c.C-42). Available at: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-42/index.html

My Animoto video - Digital Citizenship

It was a rewarding experience of learning Animoto in this week. I created a short slideshow to introduce the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship and I think it was a success.

Even the video is only 30 second long, the video was presentable. I enjoy the amount of options that Animoto provided and it allows me to make changes many time. Another point of interest when using Animoto was choosing the licensed audio, I didn’t have to worry about the copyright and it actually saved me a lot of time.

Animoto may seems like an individual show case, but it can really function as a collaborative tool in the classroom.

The 30 second (free) slideshow can be used any time during the lesson, for example..

1.       icebreaking activity at the beginning of the class,  

2.      visual aid of a case study and lead to group discussion

3.      summary slideshow

As a learner, I enjoy exploring and using technology as part of my learning, pictures and sound are engaged and help taking in information and this the key to education. 

Week 9 Practicing Digital Responsibility

VoiceThread has demonstrated a new way of communicating as it allows learners to response to threads via text, voice message and video. I had a very positive learning experience in learning VoiceThread and I think it support learning by promoting engagement and motivation. Especially nowadays, technology involved in almost everything in our lives, computer apps are fast and fun, when using VoivceThread, students are not limited in using text, they can speak or even act in front of the screen, and their recording can store in the thread and can be shared whenever others log in to the website.

On the other hand, digital tool such as VoiceThread has also changed the way of teaching. It changed the tradition lecture based classroom into an active learning environment. From the posting of Avery, on Apr7,2011, on the Teacher Challenge. edublogs, “We’re always looking to foster discussion and break down the barriers of the typical classroom walls”, it showed how important it is to  engage students and VoiceThread allows spaces for thinking and students gain different perspectives from each other.

Digital media has given the freedom of access on the internet; however, it creates some potential risks to user’s safety and wellbeing. “we are also one click away from making a public gaffe, mistakenly sharing information not intended for a wider audience, in the form of an email, a wall post, text or chat message.” (Levinson, 2012)

One digital citizenship that I have learned in week 9 is the Digital Literacy. “one of the most important aspects of technology is understanding how that technology works so that it  can be used in the most appropriate manner.” (Ribble, 2011, p.26). VoiceThread is easy to operate and can be a powerful learning tool but it would become a big issue if students use it with a wrong sense such as recording and posting inappropriate comments, images, audios or videos. As a cyber-learner, I wish Digital media will become a positive educational tool and I believe, it is the educator’s work to encourage such professional development, but it is also the user’s responsibility to practise the digital citizenship.  

I develop my PLE at the beginning of this course as a mean to support my individual and professional learning. Online course is a challenge for me; learning does not happen in a “click” on the mouse, but involves communicating with others. Sharing is the one of the main ideas in my PLE and VoiceThread is probably another powerful thing to make my PLE works. This new tool allows me to collaborate, develop and grow with my colleagues and I am looking forward to explore this visual rich technology with everyone again.

Sources

http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/04/07/free-tools-challenge-13-voicethreads-multimedia-slideshows-with-videoaudio-comments/

Matt Levinson, 2012, Mau 31, Think before you click: Internet safety tips for parents. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-tips-parents-matt-levinson

Technology Use Scenario #14

Scenario 14

Mr. Hutchinson wants to keep his students’ parents aware of classroom activities. He remembers hearing about blogs at a technology conference. After doing some research, Mr. Hutchinson finds both positive and negative viewpoints related to using blogs in the classroom. He believes that for what he wants to do – inform parents of their child’s daily work – a blog would be appropriate. Before setting one up, however, he consults with the principal and technology support person to see if there are any legal issues. Both say that what he wants to do is perfectly okay. Mr. Hutchinson then sets up a blog and informs his students and parents about where to find the information.

Analysis 

In this case, Mr. Hutchinson expresses how he cares about his students and wants to keep his student’s parents aware of classroom activities. Using blogs is one of the effective ways of communication and I think Mr. Hutchinson demonstration good practice of digital citizenship and the way he use the technology is appropriate.

Digital Communication - Mr. Hutchinson promotes the digital communication very well by using Blogs as a media to communicate with his students’ parent. “Digital communication provides users with instant access to others on an unprecedented level.” (Ribble, 2011). 
“Blogs are great tools to use for communication purpose bothe for students but also for your parents and the global communication” (http://aceconnectors.wikispaces.com)  Blog provides a platform for teaching, parents and students to share ideas. Besides, teacher can inform the parents of any class activities.

Flexibility - parents can check on their child/children’s works in class, anytime, anywhere.

Fairness – Class Blog opens to all invited students and parents, all the activities and notes will be published and updated by Mr. Hutchinson, therefore, all students and parents should be able to view the information at the same time. Such routine will minimize confusion and strengthen school-family partnerships.

Resources

http://aceconnectors.wikispaces.com/Using+Blogs+to+Communicate+with+Parents+and+the+World

Digital Citizenship in Schools, 2nd Edition By Mike Ribble 2011 ISBN 9781564843012 Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education.

VoiceThread

It was an interesting experience of learning about VoiceThread this week. VoiceThread is an interactive multimedia slide show tool, enable users to hold conversations with images, documents and video. I didn’t create a VoiceThread of my own this week, however, I experienced how to add my comments into three of the threads that were assigned in week 9’s learning.

VoiceThread is a user friendly digital tool. I followed the instruction on the weekly guide and opened an account with my email. The topics have been set up by our facilitator and all I need is to response to the discussion. 

My comments are all in text form this time as I think this is the easiest way to express myself clearly on VoiceThread. However, I review my colleagues’ post and I found using voice or video were also an effective way to comment. To record audio in  VoiceThread you will need a microphone (build-in or add-on) and to record video, you will need a microphone and webcam.

One thing I think I really want to do next time is to design my own VoiceThread. I will need to choose a meaningful discussion topic, upload images, document, audio or video, and then invite others to comment. 

Giving and receiving responses I believe is part of the most important components of a learning process. VoiceThread allows learners to response to threads and communicate with others via text, voice message or even video, and these ways of learning can be used to promote student engagement and motivation.

Link to VoiceThread Discusion
https://voicethread.com/?#q.b4264778.i21791857
https://voicethread.com/?#q.b4264778.i21791859

week 8 Wikis & Concept

Times and technologies have changed the way we learn and also changed the tools we use for learning. “A wiki is a strongly collaborative medium that forces people to be collaborative” (Lefever, 2005). After learning and using wiki in week 8, I have to agree with the above statement.

Wiki is a free digital tool and an editable web site for users to develop and share topics with other viewers that interested them.  To master Wiki, all you need is some good ideas and basic computer skills.

By following the weekly session guide in this week, I visited http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/05/10/free-tools-23-wikispaces/ and learned how to operate Wiki. I signed up an account and started to develop my own page via Wikispaces.

www.wikispaces.com is one of the first wiki services that educators embraced. There are thousands of Wikispaces that we can find on the internet such as http://digicitizenship.wikispaces.com/ and  http://aded1p32.wikispaces.com/1-HOME-Rights+%26+Responsibilities+Scenario. These wikis site are all to reflect wikis creator’s hard work.

Same as the other digital tools that I explored in this course, I think Wiki is also a well-developed, effective and user friendly tool, it is very similar to the word-processing programs that I usually use on my devices, after you finished writing and saved your work, the page is automatically posted online. In addition, the account creator has control on who to invite to the page and allow other users to view and edit the content anytime as long as the wiki password is shared.

Consider building my own learning or learning together with my colleagues, I think Wiki is a wonderful source for individual and professional growth.

To start a group project or open a classroom blog for example, a group of people will be able to access and edit content to the same wiki page, as a result, ongoing communication and collaborative learning is engaged. It is different from writing a personal blog, because everyone who has the rights to contribute to the same wiki content will also has to be responsible for the entire page, all members are learning and reflecting to each other and that will make Wikispaces become a great learning platform.

When I was enjoying the freedom to creating my wiki page, I noticed it is all about participating, communicating and giving out ideas through the internet. However, in the digital world, everything happens in front of a vast and often anonymous audience, I never know how other treats or feels about my work. As Clark (2012) mentioned in his article, “the impact of Wikipedia on learning is incalculable. Too often attention is drawn to the idea that it creates a ‘cut and paste’ culture of plagiarism”.  On the other hand, I don’t have full control of what would happen on the internet doesn’t mean I can get away with unethical or unacceptable behavior.

Right and wrong extend to our online life. Impart the value of becoming a good digital citizen is essential as technology can be misused but it also has the potential for being a powerful tool when handled responsibly.

      Digital Rights & Responsibilities

            Kawai Sabarillo cc. 2013

Week 8 references

Lefever, L. (2005). Wikis in Plain English. If you cannot view the video below, go to http://www.commoncraft.com/video/wikis

http://aded1p32.wikispaces.com/2-RESOURCES

http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/05/10/free-tools-23-wikispaces/

Clark, D. (2012). Wikis - wickedly clever, underused learning tool. Available at: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.ca/2012/12/wikis-wickedly-clever-underused.html

Week 7 Practicing Digital Literacy

I used Todaysmeet to creat an online meeting room in order to “meet” with and “talk” to my learning partner this week. 

I found TodaysMeet is a very easy tool to use. A private Chat Room is set up for the group by typing in a chat room name, a link will be created and all the group members can join the conversation with the link given. Linda and I were able to communicate in real time and also leave messages to each other whenever we want to. We had a nice chat and this is how we started to develop our course project. 

TodaysMeet is very similar to the Chat Room that in our Brock Isaak home page, however, I think it is always nice to have another option because I can use TodaysMeet  to "meet"people from work, create a "family room" and "chat" with friends that are outside the school, or even anyone around the world.

My other rewarding learning experience this week is to explore Google Docs, the free web-based word processor and spreadsheet.

Google drive screen shot, (cc) kawai Sabarillo, 2013

Google Docs allows user create and share online, it is a great collaborative tools.

Google Docs is not a new tools to me, although I knew I needed to learn much more so I can apply it to my class project. The activities and discussion that are related to Google Docs this week has brought me to a new learning level. My knowledge of technology and education development has increased more than I could have expected.

I especially like the offline edit function I explore on Google Docs, Google have launched offline mode for Google Docs for about two years, it benefits users who are always on the go and without a connection. As you enable the offline function, you can still view and edit the shared documents, save change and update when you reconnect.

I will be out of internet connection for 3 days, and the offline edit is going to make a different for me because I can still view and edit the file on Google Docs that I share with my learning partner.

If I have to update my PLE this week, both TodaysMeet and Google Docs will be add to the Processing category. TodaysMeet helps put all group members together which is a great discussion tool, on the other hand, Google Docs is an effective platform for people to processor the same file, make everything up-to-date, as long as you are part of the group, you’ll never miss a thing and I can learn from my group anytime, anywhere.

These collaborative tools reinvented my learning style and I would say the benefits are exponential.