Peer reviews

I have been putting some finishing touches on my website, writing a bit more information on my researcher page and adding a few more images to my blog. Last night I completed my peer reviews and received some feedback on my blog and website.

A screenshot of one of my review pages with feedback

 

 

 One person suggested that I break up my text with screenshots of the processes and programs used to create my screen-cast.  Another person gave me a number of useful suggestions, including making the font size on my word document bigger in my screen-cast so people could see my referencing more clearly. I have re-done my screen-cast to take this into account and will thoroughly spell check my blog because most reviewers noticed some spelling errors and lower case letters at the start of sentences.  As an internet communicator, I often use a lower case "i" when chatting online and should be careful not to make this a habit. I'm feeling quite good about my blog and screen cast and am reviewed to have completed it for review on time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/127555697/

Interractions over facebook

To keep contact with the other members in our group, we created a facebook group.  I found this very effective and was a good example of collaborative learning.  Megan was having trouble with her screen-cast and created a post in the group asking us what programs we used and how we uploaded the video to our website.  I experienced a sudden lack of confidence when I couldn't find a way of uploading my site onto the peer review system but when I realized that other people were having similar difficulties I felt a bit more confident.  Megan seemed to have the most trouble creating and uploading her screen-cast while Guzalnur had trouble adding enough information to her blog.  Overall I thought Ashima was quite a long way ahead of us and often helped us by answering questions.  Facebook now has a new feature that tells you who has seen your post.  This was useful because we could make sure that all people in our group knew what was going on.

Our Facebook group

Creating my screen cast - Process

After realizing that the source I selected was not suitable for the task, I started looking for a new journal entry reflecting science in teaching in relation to technology. I found a lot of interesting entries, some detailing how technology can be integrated into teaching science, others conducting studies on teacher knowledge. Although these sources were very interesting and did discuss technology in relation to teaching science, I was interested in finding a source that would reflect how technology benefits a certain area in science and the reasons why the use of technology would make teaching more effective. Eventually, after a lot of searching, I found this journal entry. The journal explores the reasons why the children learned more effectively due to the introduction of creativity through technology. The students were learning about plate tectonics and were presented with a modified form of Google Earth that allowed students to upload and modify the contents of the program, reflecting the way science builds upon itself in the real world. The source discussed in detail the ways in which the students could benefit and learn more in a science classroom with the introduction of technology. 

Choosing my programs

I have decided to use EndNote as my referencing program because it is one of the easiest options and it seemed to be compatible with most word processors.  So far I have worked out how to create a new EndNote library, a new reference and how to use my stored references to create and edit citations in my word document and am feeling a bit more optimistic about the task.  I have also found a really useful way of directly exporting information from my search tool, ERIC, to EndNote without having to input a large amount of information.  This is shown in the Youtube Video "How to use EndNote in 5 minutes".  This knowledge will make the process a lot easier later when I begin to use EndNote for referencing an assignment.

Today I looked on the site Technology toolbox for educators and had a look at some of the possible programs that could be used to create my screen-cast. 

Screen captures only

• Skitch (Free download) 

Screen recorders (screencast videos) only

• Explain a website (iPad app $0.99)
• Screen-o-matic (Free online) 
• Screenr (Free online) 

Screen captures and screen recorders (screencast videos)

• Jing - (free download) 

Screen recorders and video editors

• Ezvid(free download)
• Camtasia Studio (Commercial with 30 day FREE Trial)

 I liked the look of Screenr because the program is online and doesn't require a download.  I had a look at this site which weighs up the pluses and minuses of the two programs Screenr and Jing.   Jing seemed to be a little more difficult to use than Screenr and I was set on the latter however, when I went to the main page I apparently needed to download a later version of flash player to create a video.  My computer is quite slow and I was reluctant to download the program.

During the tutorial this week, I talked to Ashima and she told me that using Quicktime Player was quite easy and during class she showed me how to take screen-casts and, separately, record voice-overs on the same program.  Most macs already have QuickTime Player installed and therefore for me, using this program does not require any further downloads.  I also liked the fact that the voice over could be done separately and the footage edited to ensure a smooth and professional finished video.  In the tutorial also found out that the source I had chosen did not meet the requirements and I would have to change (Oh no!). When looking at other blogs I had noticed that most people had chosen a source which reflected the way in which technology aided teaching whilst mine looked at the importance of science in education.  Oops.  After checking the unit guide again I found out that the reference had to reflect the benefits of teaching science with technology and I would have to find a  new reference. 


A quick search in applications allowed me to find QuickTime.  Creating a screen recording and voice over was as simple as clicking file, screen recording/audio recording and pressing the red record button.

 

I have been having a lot of difficulty getting started and in this way see the value in this assignment.  Once again, the emphasis is on self directed learning which will assist me to learn and teach in the future.  I see this course as reflecting the idea that children learn best when they are using what they learn for a purpose and are learning whilst completing a task.  This theory was put forward by a number of researchers over the years and more information about this theory can be found here.  With the intent to create a screen-cast, my knowledge has increased and I have developed skill in technology effectively.

Confusion... Again!

Today we started to get organized with assignment two and I began once again to lose all confidence in my technological abilities.  The task involves creating a screen-cast in the form of a movie embedded in our web page which shows the viewer how to reference using EndNote or another similar referencing program. As I have only been introduced to referencing this year and did not previously know it even existed, this was a bit of a shock.  I am not really sure how to approach this task and the idea of creating a screen-cast using my own voice is not something I'm comfortable with.  I am not a confident user of technology and have never created a screen-cast before.  I have looked up the example screen-cast created by some of our lecturers and tutors to get ideas about the detail the markers are looking for, as well as having a look at some of the videos of my peers.  I had a look at this tutor's page to get a bit of an idea. I still feel pretty overwhelmed but my group members seems to be feeling the same way.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifementalhealthpics/8385575866/

 For our assignment we have formed peer review groups and have each been assigned a different medium to reference including a book or Ebook, a Journal entry, a website, blog or wiki or a video or audio podcast. I am with Ashima, Megan and Guzalnur. We are supposed to each find a source that involves using technology in teaching a particular subject and have decided to choose science as our subject because we think that there will probably be an adequate number of resources for this teaching area.  I will be searching for a journal entry. 

I searched YouTube for a simple instructional video about EndNote, because I already have EndNote installed on my Macbook and found it useful although this screen-cast was created on a PC.  I soon found I could apply this information as my EndNote version for Mac was not much different from the PC version. I will research other referencing programs however before making my decision. 

"How to use EndNote in 7 minutes" instructional video on youtube