Tech Tips for Teachers

Hey there everyone!

This is episode 2 of Tech Tips for teachers. I am just giving a brief rundown of digital storytelling and photostory 3 for windows. If you have any comments please let me know!

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What is Screencasting? Well screencasting is capturing what you do on your computer to show to others so that you can visually explain how to do some thing or how it would benefit them. Instead of creating a step by step instruction booklet, you can simply show them in a short video, narrated by you on how to do something. Its an incredibly neat tool and I am going to try and compile some of the things I have learned to share with others in my school and division.

I have just been experimenting with some screencasting tools. The one I have been playing around with is Jing from TechSmith.com. If you want to try Jing you can find it at Jing. I made one this evening(click the link below to view):

Tell me what you think! You only have five minutes of recording time so you must be sure to use your time wisely. I tend to ramble so I had to go and redo it a few times.

Other sites and apps you can try:

• SnagIt- a capturing tool also by Techsmith
• Camtasia Studio- Techsmith's high end capturing tool (very cool but pricey!)
• Screentoaster.com- Lots of features! 

Well, I hope this works out and let me know what you think. I'll be working on other screencasts for the future.

Cheers,

Lee

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It seems that since the explosion of the World Wide Web all those years ago, we have been trying to find a useful way to gather all the information on the Internet and use it for something good. It seems that there are new and exciting tools that allow us to create, share, and learn. As a teacher, I struggle to keep up with all of the new tools we can use with our students in the classroom. Never, at any one time have we had such a great number of tools to promote and enhance learning in the classroom. We are now in a world with Moodle, GIMP, Interactive Whiteboards, Podcasting, and Digital Storytelling. All of which are just a sampling of tools to help us create and share learning. We have blogs and wikis and screencasts. There is such an incredible amount to learn and it is hard to pick a direction to head into first.

If I can give one piece of advice, don't be afraid to try any and all of these tools. Even if you are not an expert in a program yourself you will be learning and engaging with your class. Don't be afraid to ask for help! Thanks to the Internet there is a great community of people who are willing to help you solve your problem or answer your question. The Internet is something that has always been there for our students, and it is impossible for some to even imagine what the world was like without it. We're the ones who have to play catch up.

Just this evening I was looking at some presentations from Google Docs shared by Tom Barett, and as I clicked through the great information and examples he had to share. I was able to learn more about how I could apply these tools in my own classroom. I am genuinely excited to try these new tools in my class.

Thanks for listening to this week's ramble about tech in the classroom. Web 2.0 is an exciting place right now for teachers. It makes me wonder what the impact of Web 3.0 will have on education in the very near future.

If you have a twitter account and want to contact me you can follow me @leewin on Twitter. Send me a tweet.

I'd be happy to learn what tools you are using in the classroom right now and what success or failure you are having with these tools.

Cheers

Lee Winik

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