Animation..animato...animoto..photomoto!

So this week we were introduced to Animoto. And it was kind of cool!

http://animoto.com/play/xh3EdoaRHUyy1aLbhRvZQA

The above link is the video i recently created using Animoto. I enjoyed all of the themes and found it very easy to use. One of the drawbacks that it has though is that with the free account, you can only created very short videos, only thirty seconds each.

This is still useful though! I've seen way too many classroom teachers abuse PowerPoint and this new tool (Animoto) is a good, albeit short, but still a good substitute that can help students organize their pictures, create slideshows, and perhaps even presentations.

Being a music student, music is one of the main features that I focused on while making this video. There were many options given on the website, but I did not recognize any of them. I still managed to find a track that suited my presentation and sounded nice at the same time. Choosing music from the animoto website also helps with copyright infringement-- if you use their music, it has already been licensed for this purpose! If a student chooses to add a track that is not from the website, you may have to worry about these kinds of things. So encourage them to pick from the given list!

All in all it was a good week. The website is going well but it has much more work to be done on it!

Who knew this stuff was so easy??

http://www.awsm.com/img/2010/surprise-cat.png

I haven't had a lot of thorough experience with technology. Yes, I have taken the odd 'multimedia' or 'typing 101' course in high school, but never have I been so exposed to so many different programs and websites!

We are at only our second week, and I now have a lot more knowledge of websites, blogs, and programs of the sort than I ever did. Many of them can be used, and I will most likely use them, in the classroom. Students can interact with each other on various levels about any sort of topic I wish them to discuss and it's all at the tip of their fingers.

The websites and templates that the class has been shown are so simple to use-- I remember when I was younger, and making your own website was the coolest thing to do. However, it was complicated! They all looked very amateur and caveman-esque. Now, and I'm referring specifically to Weebly (as its the site that I have chosen to use), everything is so simple and neat and organized. And it looks professional too! I am very excited to see the end result and am maybe even thinking of continuing it for my classroom, or simply just as a place to keep all of my thoughts and resources. Perhaps links to other blogs!

First Blog Post!

This is my very first blog post, and I am looking forward to many more through the coming weeks!



This past week in our ICT course, we looked at many different technologies. However, I think it is only just beginning. I am so interested to learn various multimedia and how I can use it in  my own classroom- more specifically, in my music classroom.

I believe that technology plays an important role in modern classrooms, and should be utilized. Teachers and educators should be able to grow with technology and begin to look at how it can help both them, and their students.

One of the things I am most looking forward to this term in ICT is our e-Portfolio project. I think its a great asset to have and will be useful when the time comes to look for a job. I think it is a great project that I can expand upon and make better in the coming years while I am still in school. When interviewing for a job using this portfolio, I think it will be a great interest in the administration. I don't believe that too many music educators have one! It will be able to show administration that I can capable of using technology and various kinds of software, and that I can use it in my music class.

Blog Post #1: Done!