Four Screams!! Now it failed to convert. So yet another thing I will need to play around with after I get the rest of the things done. It's 12 noon, and I have six more to go. What do you think my chances are that I will get these done today? Well, at least, my daughter is here now to hang out with the dog.
But to finish my reflection, I looked at a few just loaded and a few top hits, but didn't really look for any other than that. Again, as mentioned in my previous posts, this thing, as long as it is not blocked by school filters, may be a great tool for my students who are collaborating on projects. I like that it said you can mark it private, I just wonder if the old version of Powerpoint will load better than the new version. I will have to do quite a bit of testing of this before I try to introduce it to my students, but if I can get it to work, it should overcome problems that we currently have (namely that students don't have server space so they can only save to the computer they are currently using, it makes transferring files a pain.) Now I hadn't tried to download a ppt in Googledoc. I wonder if that would be better. But I will try that later, I have to move forward, not backward.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thing 17 - Slideshare or Drive me crazy
I am writing this while I am waiting for my slide show to convert. finally! Okay, here is the story. Last fall, I made a slide show presentation using Power Point (on my husband's new computer complete with Vista - I hate Vista) and emailed it to my self to use at school. I thought I also put it on my old computer. Anyway, I had to download Powerpoint viewer to get it to play on my school's old computers, even though they have Powerpoint on them, it would not run the new version (which had to change the look so drastically it is hard to get used to). Well, after perserverance on my end, I got the power point to run and set it up outside the MRC so people walking by, changing classes could see it. (People at my school are not used to someone promoting the library.) I went and played parent and came back at the end of open house unsure if anyone even viewed it. But I didn't care, I had at least made the effort.
What does this have to do with this Thing? Well, I thought that this Thing, slideshare, might help me solve that problem for next Fall (if I can get an internet connection to where I have it set up, or use a wireless laptop, but I digress.)
So, I thought, why not load my already made presentation to the Slide show, then quick, just like that I could have my thing done. Okay, have I mentioned I am working on a fairly new computer (with Vista, which I hate) because it looks so different it is hard to tell where you are storing files sometimes (plus my old computer and my computers at school all use the old stuff, so that is familiar). Okay, back to the point. I browsed my new computer sure that that presentation was stored here from my transfered files, but no I couldn't find it. It probably took me fifteen minutes of searching before I remembered that I had did the presentation on my husband's computer and may not have saved it on the old one, let alone transfered it to the new one. So I screamed (and remember I am working in a public place.) But then, Eureka! I had emailed it to myself (have I mentioned I love email! It saves the day) I find the attachment download it carefully to my new computer (so I know where it is), see that I can view it (do I have powerpoint downloaded on my new computer? I didn't know). But I save it and go back to Slideshare, and hit the upload, and browse, and I CAN'T FIND IT!! I scream again. My new computer won't show me the file extension and I begin to worry that it's the "viewer" version so it won't upload. I try the two different ways to upload in Slideshare and still nothing. I rename the file, I move it, I resave it and suddenly it opens in an editable view in my computer. Apparently, I do have Powerpoint downloaded on this model (still the new version, yuck,) But "Cool" I think, I can make the updates I need to get it ready for next year and upload that, that would be more helpful anyway. So I spend ten minutes making those changes, save it (where I know it is at), and make sure the file extension is ppt. I go back to Slideshare and all I can find is the renamed, saved presentation from the second time I opened it from the email. I screamed again, but hit UPLOAD anyway, because while I am a procrastinator I also never surrender. So know, while I have been writing all of this, the Slideshare converter was supposed to be converting the wrong presentation. I am going to go check. I'll end this post and try the embed thing if I did get it uploaded and converted correctly.
What does this have to do with this Thing? Well, I thought that this Thing, slideshare, might help me solve that problem for next Fall (if I can get an internet connection to where I have it set up, or use a wireless laptop, but I digress.)
So, I thought, why not load my already made presentation to the Slide show, then quick, just like that I could have my thing done. Okay, have I mentioned I am working on a fairly new computer (with Vista, which I hate) because it looks so different it is hard to tell where you are storing files sometimes (plus my old computer and my computers at school all use the old stuff, so that is familiar). Okay, back to the point. I browsed my new computer sure that that presentation was stored here from my transfered files, but no I couldn't find it. It probably took me fifteen minutes of searching before I remembered that I had did the presentation on my husband's computer and may not have saved it on the old one, let alone transfered it to the new one. So I screamed (and remember I am working in a public place.) But then, Eureka! I had emailed it to myself (have I mentioned I love email! It saves the day) I find the attachment download it carefully to my new computer (so I know where it is), see that I can view it (do I have powerpoint downloaded on my new computer? I didn't know). But I save it and go back to Slideshare, and hit the upload, and browse, and I CAN'T FIND IT!! I scream again. My new computer won't show me the file extension and I begin to worry that it's the "viewer" version so it won't upload. I try the two different ways to upload in Slideshare and still nothing. I rename the file, I move it, I resave it and suddenly it opens in an editable view in my computer. Apparently, I do have Powerpoint downloaded on this model (still the new version, yuck,) But "Cool" I think, I can make the updates I need to get it ready for next year and upload that, that would be more helpful anyway. So I spend ten minutes making those changes, save it (where I know it is at), and make sure the file extension is ppt. I go back to Slideshare and all I can find is the renamed, saved presentation from the second time I opened it from the email. I screamed again, but hit UPLOAD anyway, because while I am a procrastinator I also never surrender. So know, while I have been writing all of this, the Slideshare converter was supposed to be converting the wrong presentation. I am going to go check. I'll end this post and try the embed thing if I did get it uploaded and converted correctly.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Speaking of MP3 players - joke of the day
For anyone who thought they were not tech savvy, you might feel better after reading below:
My daughter has been complaining about an "airhead" type of girl in her speech class. We didn't believe how out of it this girl was until my daughter quoted her asking, "When you load music onto your MP3 player, does it get heavier?"
My daughter has been complaining about an "airhead" type of girl in her speech class. We didn't believe how out of it this girl was until my daughter quoted her asking, "When you load music onto your MP3 player, does it get heavier?"
Thing 16 - Exploring Online tools
Okay, I could spend forever looking at these tools, but I only have until Friday, so I looked at Knowtes because my daughter is always making note cards to study. At first, I thought I would just explore it and pass it on to her, but then, the more I played around with it, the more I thought I could use this myself. I quickly developed 7 cards about the type of things I present to students when I am giving them a library orientation. Evaluting a web page is the title I gave to my cards. I made them true false and it would be a neat thing to use during a presentation since students seem to need to see something in front of them. I really think I could make this into a neat learning tool. I will need to explore the site more and actually read some of the information on how to use the site. I was intuitively able to make the cards but then trying to get to them to study was a little trickier and the part that I would need to practice with. So, it seemed to work okay, if you know what you are doing. Students would need an email if they were going to use this, but it looks like a neat way to make note cards for yourself. I am not sure if I would trust someone else's note cards to study from because I can not evaluate their reliability (hey, that's what I am teaching my students, evaluate where the information is coming from, a student? a teacher? some one who has access to a computer and posts anything?)
I will pass this site on to my daughter, once I figure out more how to use it. (She says she is not tech savvy because she can't program the DVR, but yet she has learned how to download something onto her MP3 player so she might be able to figure this out faster then me.)
I will pass this site on to my daughter, once I figure out more how to use it. (She says she is not tech savvy because she can't program the DVR, but yet she has learned how to download something onto her MP3 player so she might be able to figure this out faster then me.)
Thing 15 - Online Productivity
I can see myself using this already. Well, I guess I did, because during the Explore part, I sent the document I tried to put in my wiki to the teachers I am collaborating with (and RESA). I have done the emailing thing to a colleague in the past and then we loose track of which one we have sent to each other. Actually, I am surprised she didn't know about this then.
For students, I can see great things. We don't supply them with server space and they can only save to specific computers. Most of my students have some type of email address. They always have to do group projects and then someone leaves it at home. This is the answer to the dog ate my homework problem!! Yes, I like it.
For students, I can see great things. We don't supply them with server space and they can only save to specific computers. Most of my students have some type of email address. They always have to do group projects and then someone leaves it at home. This is the answer to the dog ate my homework problem!! Yes, I like it.
Thing 14 - Creating Podcasts
Okay, a question I just realized that wasn't answered in all the information I looked at is that of server space. If you use a blog as your webpage, will you also be able to store the audio file on the server that is hosting the webpage? I would think so, but thought it prudent to ask. Can you use a wiki as the webpage and server for the audio file? And why is an RSS feed a necessity of a podcast? If it is set up with a webpage, can't people just visit the webpage?
Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions. I would love to use podcasting on a daily basis for our morning announcements. Teachers don't always require students to be quite during morning announcements. And since they are being spoken anyway, why couldn't they be recorded and uploaded to the server so students could access them throughout the day or week? High school students certainly could be trained to do this on their own. Hmmmm, sounds like an independent study type of thing that could happen. Obstacles in my district might be filters. I had one teacher attend the recent Podcasting Workshop there at RESA and came back saying some of the websites suggested to her during the work shop are blocked by our filters. I haven't had a chance to test them all, so I am not sure how true that is or what the objection to open up some of these websites would be (I understand the flickr ones.) And then getting the equipment. . . Hey, I was looking for an idea for a supplemental grant for an innovative classroom idea, looks like equipment for a portable podcasting station might just be the ticket. Always stimulating my ideas, this class.
Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions. I would love to use podcasting on a daily basis for our morning announcements. Teachers don't always require students to be quite during morning announcements. And since they are being spoken anyway, why couldn't they be recorded and uploaded to the server so students could access them throughout the day or week? High school students certainly could be trained to do this on their own. Hmmmm, sounds like an independent study type of thing that could happen. Obstacles in my district might be filters. I had one teacher attend the recent Podcasting Workshop there at RESA and came back saying some of the websites suggested to her during the work shop are blocked by our filters. I haven't had a chance to test them all, so I am not sure how true that is or what the objection to open up some of these websites would be (I understand the flickr ones.) And then getting the equipment. . . Hey, I was looking for an idea for a supplemental grant for an innovative classroom idea, looks like equipment for a portable podcasting station might just be the ticket. Always stimulating my ideas, this class.
Thing 13 - Locating and Subscribing to Podcasts
I liked the idea of the Education Podcast Network but many of the links I clicked on were dead ends. Also, many of them were over a year old and no new ones posted recently. Podcast Alley seemed okay until I started exploring more and then the word sex came up every where (or at least it seemed to). I don't care for the big search engines like google and yahoo so I'll be honest I didn't even try that. (Plus, I have to get these done by Friday and I was busy downloading iTunes)
iTunes is a bit overwhelming until I remembered from the video to click on podcasts (I started by searching TV Shows). So a thing not mentioned is that some of the stuff on iTunes is free while others is not. But again this reminds me a lot of the blogs. Why do I want to subsrcibe to these podcasts? I don't even have time to watch the news. I did subscribe to the book talk podcast listed in Thing 12.
One of my kids has an MP3 player and one has an iPod. I have been trying to figure out the difference between them because I know I would like to download books to listen to, I know my sister does this, but just random podcasts that I have searched for? I'm not sure if I would do that. Although, I would like to try the booktalks out on students next fall.
iTunes is a bit overwhelming until I remembered from the video to click on podcasts (I started by searching TV Shows). So a thing not mentioned is that some of the stuff on iTunes is free while others is not. But again this reminds me a lot of the blogs. Why do I want to subsrcibe to these podcasts? I don't even have time to watch the news. I did subscribe to the book talk podcast listed in Thing 12.
One of my kids has an MP3 player and one has an iPod. I have been trying to figure out the difference between them because I know I would like to download books to listen to, I know my sister does this, but just random podcasts that I have searched for? I'm not sure if I would do that. Although, I would like to try the booktalks out on students next fall.
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