This blog was created to help educators learn about how to adapt New Media into their curriculum. I am a student at Kutztown University, currently finishing my thesis (fingers crossed.) My paper is on using BLOGS, ONLINE COMMUNITIES AND VIDEO TUTORIALS in the classroom.
I teach at Northampton Community College in the Art Department. I LOVE my job because of the challenge of teaching media and get others to love and enjoy art and graphic design. My research took place in my “Computer Graphics” class, which concentrates on teaching the technical skills of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and the aesthetic skills of graphic design, typography and fine art. I was particularly interested in the adults in my classroom. Many have not had the same access and knowledge that most of the younger students do.
This is a Blog!! Blogging was introduced to me in 2004 while I was teaching in the Journalism department at Temple University. The journalism students used blogs for writing journal entries and creating online writing portfolios for potential jobs and internships. Blogging is an online bulletin board that is an easy way to post text, photos and videos that will be published to the Internet. There is no need to have HTML or FTP knowledge and it is as easy as sending an email (Richardson.) The user-friendly interface can be accessed from any Internet connection, thereby making blogging a firmly established web based communications tool. The phenomenon of blogging has its early origin as a medium for the publication of simple, online personal diaries, to the latest disruptive technology that has the capacity to engage people in collaborative activity, knowledge sharing, reflection and debate (Hiler, 2003). Blogs are a form of visual communication that is not only visually aesthetic but function live. Seconds after posting the entire class can see the computer graphics project and the written reflections, thereby allowing one to contribute to an online interactive critique.
Find a decent blogging provider that appeals to you. Some may include MuseCrafters.com, Livejournal.com, JournalHome.com, Blogger,ChoseIt, WordPress.com , TheDiary.org, Mindsay.com, Blog.ir, Blogagotchi.com, Diaryland.com, Blogdrive.com, weebly.com or Xanga.com. Most of these sites are pre-made with templates and push-button publishing that don’t require much technical know-how.
Once you sign up, you’ll have a gallery of ready-made templates to choose from. With these, you can pick a color scheme and layout for your blog.
Most sites come with a set of predefined layouts and schemes that you can choose from. Select one and personalize it. Then add your name, interests, images, etc.
If you want to, get a more unique template, there are some sites up that have many of these that might make it look better. For example, PimpMyProfile.com or Pyzam.com.
Add blogging freebies like buttons, images, blog chalks, imoods, tagboards (for example, myshoutbox.com), guest maps, guestbooks, comment boxes for readers’ input, etc.
Explore other blog sites that offer more features for a small fee, such as Typepad.com and ChoseIt.
Decide on whether or not you want your blog to be private or public: do you want any Internet visitor to be able to read your blog, or do you just want your friends and family to be able to read it? Most blog sites offer the ability to password-protect your published posts so only those who you approve of can view what you’ve written.
After you’ve set up your blog, write a few posts to test it out, and make any adjustments to the layout or style that you see fit. Like if you just got a new template, you’d check your blog to see if you like it, right? At first, it will seem tough to figure out what to write, but once you get into a routine of daily blogging, you will find it addictive. Write about your day, your thoughts, events, ideas, fears, pleasures, the news, current affairs, art, or anything you are interested in!
Visit other blogs to build a blogging circle. When you leave comments, add your blogging address so they can visit you too. (Note: This will not work if your blog is private)
Publish your blog by sending the URL to your friends or publish the URL on your website. Add the URL to posts you make on other blogs. Done.
I have searched the web for other educators blogs. Who is using blogs in the classroom? The goal is for you to browse through these class blogs to demonstrate class blog usage for other instructors.
The first one I came upon has a math professor in Ithaca, New York.
This is an english class that has a class blog. There is a post by the instructor that says extra credit is to sign up for Twitter!! Love how english majors are involved in New Media!
This is a grade school art class! I love it because it deals with younger students, shows the students art and is updated often. Great example of using blogs for all age groups.
The nightly online social community gives the students a chance to chat with fellow classmates and the instructor.An online social community is a virtual group of people that interact by online social networks or instant messages rather than face to face. (Preece) This opportunity will help answer questions they might have as they work on homework and projects. Online communities mean different things to different people.For some, it conjures warm, fuzzy reassuring images of people chatting and helping each other. For others, it generates dark images of conspiracy, subversive and invasion of privacy. (Preece, 8-9) Communicating via the Internet is no substitute for actual human interaction. But online communities do enable meaningful communication among people separated by distance, time and to some extent culture. Also it could give students the opportunity to ask question in a more comfortable environment.
I give the students the option to be involved in the online community; it is not a mandatory part of class. Online chats are similar to telephone conversations, except they use text. I have experimented with two different online communities.First, iChat (www.apple.com/macosx/features/ichat.html) is a piece of software that collaborates Mac and AIM users.Ninety-percent of my younger students have AIM accounts and use them regularly. With iChat there are some exciting capabilities, such as taking control of the users screen. For example, if I am chatting online with a student about how to correctly crop a photo, I could see and control their screen and visually show them how to a process.This also could help with online tutoring programs as well.The second online community I have tried is Skype (www.skype.com), which besides typing conversations has the capability of using voice and video.Skype has become very popular recently being used on such shows as Oprah and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.Also Skype is great to communicate for distant learning classes.On Blogger, there is a gadget that can be put on the page that is a direct like to “skype” someone.
My younger students have chatted online with me and have been successful.However my adult students have not shown any interest.None of them have AIM or Skype accounts and have families and home life that come as a nightly priority. One student asked, “Who has time to chat online?” Millions of people are chatting daily, and I believe that, as educators we should take advantage of this new media form and motivate our students to do so.I am not saying that online communities are better than face to face but it can be used as a tool for students who need extra help, advice, and communication in general.The usability and sociability can be helpful in helping with younger students. More research has to be done to examine how to get older students more involved.
1. The first question to ask yourself is “what is the purpose of your online community?” Is this online community the main communication of your class (ie. online class) or a sub form of communication for nightly help? The research that I conducted on this subject was for a focus group of older adults, who could find help after classes through chatting. While on my own finding did not find a successful way of involving and evolving the nightly online communities, there is many situations when they can be successful.
2. Which application or program would work best for you class? There are many online communities to join. I advise to take a class poll of what online community the students presently use. Some well-known online communities are AIM/iChat, MSN chat, Yahoo Chat, Skype, and Facebook. The goal is to pick a chat will be the most accessible for your class. (You could put a poll on the class blog to easily find which Chat is the most popular)
3. Find an organized way to exchange Chat addresses. In my class we exchanged AIM/iChat screen names. I printed out the class list and gave everyone a copy.
4. As the educator it is your job to set guidelines and standards. Read the class chat rooms “FAQs” or “Rules” section before the chat session. Follow basic computer etiquette when interacting with your instructor and peers. For example, if you enter a chat room in the middle of a discussion, wait a few minutes to understand the discussion before posting. Never write in all caps (it’s considered shouting). And, give writers a chance to finish their thoughts when they conclude a paragraph with ellipses (it means that they’re not done writing yet).
5. Be friendly but formal. Chat rooms are often a casual environment, but don’t forget to convey a professional image when chatting for an online class. If you want to be taken seriously, present your ideas in a more formal manner. You don’t have to be stuffy, but you should write in complete sentences. Capitalize the first letter of each sentence and avoid the over-use of emoticons, unusual fonts, and abbreviations such as “lol” or “brb.” Many web browsers now include spell checkers that can help you catch mistakes while typing in online fields – make use of these.
Here are some example of other who use chatrooms in the classroom.
This article takes a look at my individual experience with using chat rooms as part of the instruction for computers in an elementary school setting. It also points out the suggested curriculum guidelines as established by NETS in regards to student communication. In this article, you will also find strategies I have used in my classroom to expose students to the potential of using chat rooms. For schools to advance technologically, where they are capable, personnel must be willing to strive to expose students to the wealth of resources and expertise that is available to them. By: Amy Grigsby http://www.ifets.info/journals/4_3/grigsby.html
Online tutorials can be found all over the Internet.You can learn anything from how to hula dance to program a server-based website. There is a website www.wonderhowto.com that allows you to explore all “how to” video tutorials.I have learned some software programs by simply watching these video/audio tutorials online.An online tutorial is a computer-assisted instruction technique in which new information is introduced on a step-by-step basis.I am using the tutorials to explain how to use Photoshop and Illustrator CS3 software on the computer, but this process could be used for any other given subject.Also, it is a way to publish lectures to the web.The process is simple and easy and can be used for your students to repeat what is taught in class.These published tutorials and lectures can then be viewed from any computer after posting to a blog or website.
The process of creating the tutorials begins by using iShowU (www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html), which is specifically for recording using Apple computers. I would recommend the program iShowU is designed to record anything on your screen, instantly — both audio, and video.The PC equivalent is a program called Camtasia, (http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp), which has the same concepts and allows a lot more options, such as posting to iPods and iPhones.
After creating your video tutorial, you can post the video to your blog or use Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com), which is a free video server that allows people to upload, share, connect and explore videos.Personally, I have found Vimeo to have the best quality for uploading videos to the web.I did try google video (which is a direct partner with www.blogger.com) but was not happy with the video quality and the temperament of the server.This is a link to my video tutorials: http://www.vimeo.com/computergraphics.
All students in my classes have benefited from the video tutorials.Specifically, the adult students have expressed that it has helped to reiterate the lecture from earlier in the semester.I have received rave reviews about the video tutorials, I believe it helps that it is my (the instructor’s) voice and direction that helps them feel comfortable with the material and guidance. They can pause and replay as many times as need and refer to them for the projects. This repetition should lessen the stress and pressure of a high paced class. These video tutorials are posted on the class blog.
Video tutorials could be personalized to your class. These tutorials can be used to demostrate an activity on the computer or they can be used to display a powerpoint presentation.
The process of creating the tutorials begins by using iShowU (www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html), which is specifically for teaching and recording how to use Apple computers. I would recommend the program iShowU to record anything on your screen, instantly — both audio, and video.The PC equivalent is a program called Camtasia, (http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp), which has the same concepts and allows a lot more options, such as posting to iPods and iPhones.
After creating your video tutorial, you can post the video to your blog or use Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com), which is a free video server that allows people to upload, share, connect and explore videos.Personally, I have found Vimeo to have the best quality for uploading videos to the web.I did try google video (which is a direct partner with www.blogger.com) but was not happy with the video quality and the temperament of the server.This is a link to my video tutorials: http://www.vimeo.com/computergraphics.
Dannell’s Video Tutorials
I will begin with my personal tutorials at: http://www.vimeo/computergraphics These are tutorials describing technical skills for Photoshop and Illustrator. I made these tutorials for my “Computer Graphics” class at Northampton Community College.
Second Life Tutorials
A new popular new media application is Second Life in the classroom.
The classroom of the future isn’t on a college campus. It’s in the virtual world of “Second Life.”In “Second Life,” virtual residents — cartoonish-looking characters controlled via keyboard and mouse — create anything their hearts desire.
Also known as avatars, the residents start up businesses, stage their own concerts, sell real estate and design fashion lines. Reuters news agency even has a correspondent based in the cyber community.
A growing number of educators are getting caught up in the wave. More than 60 schools and educational organizations have set up shop in the virtual world and are exploring ways it can be used to promote learning.
In my opinion, this is an expensive way to go. You have to pay to view the tutorials, and though they are well done. Personally I do not think it is worth the price.
Blogging was introduced to me in 2004 while I was teaching in the Journalism department at Temple University. The journalism students used blogs for writing journal entries and creating online writing portfolios for potential jobs and internships. Blogging is an online bulletin board that is an easy way to post text, photos and videos that will be published to the Internet. There is no need to have HTML or FTP knowledge and it is as easy as sending an email (Richardson.) The user-friendly interface can be accessed from any Internet connection, thereby making blogging a firmly established web based communications tool. The phenomenon of blogging has its early origin as a medium for the publication of simple, online personal diaries, to the latest disruptive technology that has the capacity to engage people in collaborative activity, knowledge sharing, reflection and debate (Hiler, 2003). Blogs are a form of visual communication that is not only visually aesthetic but function live. Seconds after posting the entire class can see the computer graphics project and the written reflections, thereby allowing one to contribute to an online interactive critique.
