Windows Movie Maker

Wow! There are really neat downloads available! Windows Movie Maker is unbelievably easy to use. It gives many options and step by step instructions to make movies from Power Point presentations, digital photos, and video clips. It would be useful for almost everyone for personal use; I plan to play with it a lot when I get a minute of free time. But, I can think of many ways to use it professionally as well. One way that I plan to use Windows Movie Maker in the classroom is for student portfolios. Portfolios are a great way to assess student learning, but students can feel even more responsible, as well as meeting many of the national technology standards, but creating a digital portfolio. Students can take pictures that display their academic accomplishments using a digital camera, then create a movie portfolio.

My Power Point Movie

P.S. I know that it wasn't a requirement to embed our video. However, I was so excited to know how to do thiss (embedding), that I just couldn't help myself).

Google Docs

Although I still don't completely understand Googe Documents, I have not yet had any major issues with it, so I really like it. I also like how you can view documents from any computer without worrying about a thumbdrive, etc. At first, I couldn't find where to export my Power Point, but once I did, it was easy. Plus, the embedded Power Point looks really cool

Jeopardy Power Point

I am learning a lot of useful information and ideas to use in my classroom, but I still always feel behind. I will often spend hours working on a project only find that I still can't figure out how to get it to my blog. It seems like different things work at different times for me. For this assignment, I thought the action buttons were really neat. I had never used them before, but I know I will use them again. Jeopardy seemed like the perfect activity for them!

Rainforest Jeopardy

Sometimes the Power Point wouldn't come up for me. However, it is also on my Google Documents, so hopefully you can see it there.

Power Point

I have created a few Power Point presentations prior to this activity. I enjoy the process because it allows some creativity. This time, I created a Power Point about the rainforest. This is a topic that interests me because it is so vast! I love to learn about the mysterious plants and animals that live there.
The Power Point program could easily be used in the classroom by both the teacher and the student. From my experiences, students love to create things, with this program, they could work individually or with a group to create a presentation for the entire class. It could even be used as an assessment.

Power Point Show

My Power Point Presentation

Podcasting...grrrrrr.

To be honest, this has been the most aggraviting assignment ever. I created my podcast, and even enjoyed the podcast, but figuring out how to link it to my blog has been a nightmare. I still haven't figured out how to do it; I've followed all the advice I've been given, but still no luck. I'll keep trying though...maybe eventually I'll find success.

My PodCast

PodCast Script

Anyway, podcasting could be used in many ways to "spice up" the regular curriculum. Children love recording things, and I think they would enjoy, and learn a lot, by creating a podcast to share with their class, or the public.