LMS Evaluation

For this tech task, I worked with Emily, Colby and Brittany. We were to explore Learning Management Systems and chose to look at Edmodo and Schoology. Teachers can use learning management systems in conjunction with blended learning which is simply put as mixing face-to-face teaching and learning and an online environment. As a member of my group, I signed up for both of these systems. For Schoology, I created a student account, and for Edmodo I created a teacher account. Our group, collaborated using a GoogleDoc.

We each explored the accounts we created and combine our thoughts and ideas, answering the following areas:

– Key characteristics
– What the tools are designed to do
– Favourite features for each service
– Perspectives from student, teacher and parent accounts

You can also click here to view the document in a new tab or window in your internet browser.

Here are some of my reflections to a few questions for this tech task, based on my experience with Schoology and Edmodo.

– What are your thoughts on the design of these tools and how do these tools compare?

Both of these tools are similar in design, purpose and features. I would recommend Edmodo for younger classrooms and Schoology for older classrooms as the layout and access students have in Edmodo is simple and organised with a clear design. I like how Edmodo lets students customize their profiles, has a main feed stream on their home page, and individual streams for certain courses. Schoology is divided into specific sections for each class and has many sections such as pages, assignments, images and discussions. I feel both tools are great for creating an online learning space where students can collaborate, learn, discuss and share while they are in class and anywhere they have internet access. For teachers, you post quizzes and assignments, share grades and you can respond to your students discussions. I also liked how both services can allow to connect to larger communities of educators out there and how you can create and be part of a personal learning network. In the end however, I think that these tools are great and offer in general the same features and options, in the end, I feel that it comes down to personal preference of which program you would like to use.

– How easy are these tools to use and learn?

Emodo has a clear layout and I found it easier to use as opposed to Schoology. I used the tutorials offered by each site to find view the basic overviews of each program which I found helpful to get you started. One can also search Youtube for videos of how-‘s for Edmodo or Schoology. As an example, I searched for how to access and share a parent code for Schoology.

 

As well, there are also various blogs about Edmodo and Schoology that you can search. For example, I looked at:

• Edmodo with Ipads – which shows teacher and student perspectives about the program
• Edmodo as a Learning Management System – which shows how one teacher uses Edmodo

– Do you feel that these tools would be appealing to students?

I feel that both of these tools would be appealing for students because it is one more way that they can interact with their classmates and teachers using technology. Edmodo is similar to Facebook so students may feel comfortable using this program. Tests and quizzes online can allow students to see comments from their teachers, and their how their classmates view certain topics through the use of a poll. I think these programs are also appealing because students can send messages to their teachers and can ask for help with a question and can submit assignments if they are not at school.

– Is this something that you could see yourself using in your classroom? Why or why not?

I could definitely see myself using Edmodo compared to Schoology in my own classroom. I already have some many ideas in my mind about how using this tool could be beneficial in all subjects including language arts and social studies to name  few. I like how I can share resources with students, can post assignments or steps to follow, and can allow students to have discussions online. It seems like a great tool and can’t wait to try it out with actual students! I also think Schoology could be used as well, however, Edmodo appeals to me more in terms of features, layout, and tools offered.

 

Tech Task #9

This week, we were asked to watch rip! A Remix Manifesto – A documentary by Brett Gaylor about copyright and remix culture.

Check out the trailer:

 

“In RiP: A remix manifesto, web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.

The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, and a pop culture critic Cory Doctorow also comes along for the ride.

This is a participatory media experiment from day one, in which Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle” (Page 1) An Education Guide to rip! A Remix Manifesto.

The educational guide to this documentary offers thirteen chapter summaries and discussions teachers can have with their students. Many of these questions relate specifically to music and media studies but some there are also some general questions as well. We were asked to respond to one or more of these questions and to think critically about what is being asked and how we answer.

Here are my responses to a few of the many questions from the educational guide:

Do you think that if you manipulate an existing song enough you can eventually claim it as your own creation? Where do you draw the line between copying and creating? (Page 2)

I think that when you are manipulating an existing song you are starting with a song that was created by an individual. When you create a remix or mash-up, whether it be with two songs or numerous songs, the product that is created is composed of  the original clips  you sampled from. I do not think that this created remix or mash-up can be claimed as your own creation because while you put together this product, it is made up of existing clips that you have taken are were not created by you. However, you are taking pieces of existing songs and are combining them to produce something that is new. This new song that you have created, I think is your own creation. You combined and manipulated pre-existing clips and have created something new and I think you should be able to claim it as your own creation. The line would be drawn between copying and creating based on how it resembles the original song you start out with. I think that copying in this context is when you take an existing song and manipulate it, and it still resembles the original you are drawing from. I think creating is when you take from an existing song and you manipulate it to where the result does not resemble the original. The creation may include a beat, rhythm or lyric from the song your start out with, but this only makes up one piece of your creation.  I think a creation is new and that it draws from the original – changes are made, new things are added; where as a copy takes something previously created and nothing new is added or changed.

Do you agree that a healthy public domain is essential to creativity? (Page 3)

I do think that a healthy public domain is essential to creativity. Having a public domain that allows people to take and draw from these previous creations helps creativity and aids in producing something that is new. I had no idea that Disney created its popular films and characters based on previous images and creations. I think that images or songs in the public domain for example inspire and ignite our creativity. They can give us a starting idea to build off of when creating something new. I believe that everything we see and hear has been influenced in some way by something that has previously been created. I feel it is extremely hard to create something brand new and original because of this. These previous creations can drive us and challenge us to produce something unique and new. Without having public access to these previous creations, I think this hinders what we are able to create. Being able to freely manipulate images or songs in the public domain can produce wonderful results that become something that inspires someone else.

Tech Task #8

The “Door Scene”

This week, we looked at the American Film Institute’s “The Door Scene”. This comes from their Screen Education, 21st Century Educators Handbook. This resource is a great tool for teachers. It goes through the steps of writing, reading and filming a video. There are four main sections in this handbook – each provides detailed information, expectations an introduction, and examples.

“The Door Scene” is section one in the handbook and it specifically provides: teacher guidelines and student exercises and handouts. In this scene you have an idea to work within and limitations to how you create your video. The following is taken from page 17 in the 21st Century Educators Handbook.

• The concept: “Form production teams of no more than five people. (Three is ideal.) Using a video camera, interpret and shoot the following scripted scenario: A person is about to open a door. The person hears a sound and becomes mildly concerned. The person finds the door locked and searches for his or her keys. The person hears the sound again and becomes visibly apprehensive. As the filmmaker, your goal is to build tension and growing panic, using any visual element or device that you can think of.The film closes with the person finally opening the door and getting to the other side safely. Here, you want to communicate to the audience the character’s feeling of relief and safety.”
• Some limitations are: the character and the audience cannot see the source of the sound, the film has only one actor, it cannot be longer than 90 seconds, the film takes place within 5 feet from both sides of the door, and the camera shots are assembled while filming and not with editing software.
• Once you are done filming, you share your film with the class and they provide feedback and answer questions in regards to your scene.

Of course, it is up to the teacher and the students if they want to stay within these guidelines and limitations.

I was part of a group along with Colby Davidson, Emily Knowles and Brittany Newberry. We decided to create an elevator scene and we really did not stay within the limitations at all. I would like to think we followed the concept of the scene, but I think that may be debatable.

We used a Flip Camera to film our scene. We found music on YouTube and used I-Movie to put everything together.  

My group members came up with the idea to use the elevator and to have different events happening on each floor. They also selected the music and sounds. I was basically the editor and was also the person with the camera in the elevator. It was a great project to complete and it was nice to collaborate with other classmates. Without them, I do not know what type of scene I would have ended up with. I found it easier to edit, film and insert music than I did to come up with an idea for the scene.  Good work team!

Check out our door scene: “The Elevator”

 

Tech Task #7

For the second tech task of the week, we were to create a podcast. It’s been about four years since the last time I created a podcast. I had some troubles getting started – mainly picking a topic, but once I figured that out the project came together. I decided to use a new program as I’ve played around with Garageband before. I used Myna from Aviary – a free downloadable audio editor software. Aviary also has a music creator and a variety of image editing tools as well.

This was a great program, quite similar to Garageband in terms of set up, tools and style. You are able to create your own music and import it, import songs and recordings and you can also choose from a variety of preloaded audio clips. I enjoyed using this program and would recomened it to others, especially if you don’t have Garageband. Remember as with any program or file you are creating – save frequently! The only draw backs I found were that your song had a six minute limit and you could only create ten tracks within your song. It was also harder to split and edit a track, but once you try it a few times, you should have the hang of it.

For my podcast, I guess I should have made it shorter, but managed to fit everything in that I wanted. Also, some of the tracks have different types of sounds on them and in more than one location because I had no where else to put them. Luckily, as you are able to control the whole track volume, but you can also set at individual points specific volume levels and crescendos or decrescendos. There is an option to add effects to the tracks but I did not play around with this feature, and the options were limited – not to the same equality as Garageband.

Here is my podcast:

Tech Task #6

This week one of our two assignments was to create a digital story. Digital storytelling is a great way to express yourself or a subject where you are not simply confined to words.  In class we were shown a tool, Google Search Stories. This tool allows you to create a story using a variety of Google’s searches. It is a simple tool to use and does an effective job of combining the text you type in with images, news, maps, blogs, products, books and web search results. You can also add music to your story and then upload it to YouTube to be shared with others. I think this a great story creator that almost anyone could use and you can create a story that is personal to you or about anything you can search for. The only thing I would like to see improved is that you could refine your search results to be more specific, for example showing a certain image or result as opposed to many.

I am a fan of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) Soccer and decided to create a quick video highlighting their latest triumph on their journey to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

 

I also wanted to take a look at another story telling tool called Dipity which allows you to create a timeline. This timeline could be about a specific person or could follow a series of events related to one topic. I really see the potential of using this tool in the classroom to track a historical event in Social Studies, to chart experiment results in Science or to track a sports teams’ results throughout the season. I also think students could make their own timelines about themselves as a way to introduce who they are to the class or they could track their learning through out the school year. There are so many possibilities for timelines in the classroom. I enjoyed this story telling tool and found it hard to narrow down what I put on my timeline as you can add so many points. It is great that you can combine a photo, a date, a map location, and text explaining the point on the timeline if you wish, or you could keep it simple and add just a photo or date for example.

Here is a short timeline about some important times that have happened so far in my life. Some of the pictures have information if you click on the photo, and some also have an address. You can zoom in on the timeline, and to see the “+” on the timeline (they are more events), just click on them.

Overall, I think digital story telling is a great teaching and learning tool that can benefit students and teachers. Teachers can engage their students in interactive and multimedia stories as opposed to traditional books. Students are able to create a their own stories using many different tools that are available – such as the two I have listed, as well as various comic creators and photo editors. Students take a hands on, interactive role in their learning and in creating a digital story. They are learning how to not only write a story (which may not be a traditional narrative) but to use technology as well. And, the best part of stories is being able to share them with others, and with web-based digital story tools, they can easily be shared with classmates, family members and more.