Multimedia in the

ClassroomBrandi Hamnett

Final Presentation

Challenge/Solution:Torn Between Tools

PC Points

• I exclusively used PCs at home and school until recently

• My husband, the tech guy, is a PC man

• My laptop and desktop at home are PCs

Mac Points

• My school just bought me a new MacBook Pro

• I need to learn to use it

• I am going out on maternity in September and probably won’t have my MacBook for an entire year

My Solution: Choose tools friendly to both Mac & PC

Challenge/Solution:All or Nothing

Attitude• I was an all or nothing learner: I like to understand every

aspect/detail or none at all – I carefully research/choose the best/most advanced solution or none at all – I leave no stone unturned – My goal is 100%

• I do not have the background knowledge for the “all” I am used to – I am tired of doing the “none” – My students deserve more!

• Solution: Attitude Adjustment• at this place in my learning simple IS better• unknowns are okay• my product doesn’t have to be PERFECT, it’s okay to leave room

for improvement in the future• I don’t have time to do the “all” for very many things – adding

“some” to my vocabulary will enable me to offer my students more resources for learning (even if they aren’t ABSOLUTELY PERFECT)

Pictures

• I had chosen Shutterfly a few years ago, but gave up on it because it was somewhat time consuming.

• Picasa, although less polished/perfect is powerful and quick – a more usable option that will meet my needs while saving time.

Audio

• Although, after later learning Jing, I decided to use my audio project as a part of a screencast I am still happy to have learned Audacity for creating/editing audio.

• It will be helpful for adding instructional sound clips to any presentation

• It will be helpful for creating the audio for a more complex screencasts (since free Jing is a lot like a “live” broadcast because you can’t edit your video)

• I even learned how to create a podcast page on our SchoolWires website. It will be super easy to add audio to my webpage throughout the year.

Reading Log Directions - Part 2

Video Generator

• Picasa was a one stop shop, giving me simple video and picture tools

Philadelphia City Pass Trips

Please note: For best results, “maximize” the link window and view in Firefox. Internet Explorer cuts off the bottom half of the captions.

Screencast

• Jing is the most useful tool I learned!

• Jing is quick and easy to use.

• Jing is easy to share.

• I see countless applications for my classroom: from explanations for grading papers to giving directions I can see myself using Jing on a weekly basis.

• Reading Log Directions - Part 1

Online Learning

• I loved the self-paced format.

• I loved some of the online learning tools so much I adopted them as my own. For example I created a Diigo site.

• I did miss seeing examples of completed assignments. I really wish I could have seen what others turned in for ideas, inspiration, and help.

• I will definitely take another course.