Thou Shalt Practice Thy New Skills!

When I learned we would be using Camtasia in class for the Digital Storytelling project, I was so excited!  Why?  I had used Camtasia a few times before in previous classes.  I was relieved that I would only have to concentrate on the content, instead of learning a new tool AND concentrating on the content.

Unfortunately, when it came time to use Camtasia, I was very rusty.  It had been a year since I had last used Camtasia, and it felt almost like the first time I'd used it.  I knew what I wanted to do, it just took some time for me to remember how do it... Ugg!

A good lesson for me!  I need to make sure I practice my new skills, so that I can use them easily when needed.  It wasted a lot of my time to get back up to speed, and had I been practicing here and there, I would have been in much better shape.

Digital Storytelling for The Classroom and Beyond

Digital storytelling (DS) is a new concept for me.  I can see how DS would be excellent to use in the classroom.  Students would be using their creativity, and would also learn how to use screen capture video and audio recording tools to create a storytelling video.  

I realized that it could also be used outside the classroom, to get an idea across to an audience in an engaging way.  The example I decided to try was telling a story of a young girl that hated walking her dog, because it pulled her all over the place.  The girl tried a technique that she had learned in puppy class, and with some time and patience, she was able to teach her dog to stop pulling.  

The video was crude, but I could see with some polish, it might be a good way to get buy in from dog owners who want their dog to stop pulling, but don't really want to spend any time working on it.  

Blog About Blogging? Blog, Blog, Blog

Please check one:

__ Blogs are interesting and informative

__ Blogs are a waste of time

Trick question!  Both are true!  

Photo by Jeffrey James Pacres, available per creative common license

I have stumbled upon blogs on landscape design and dog behavior that were both interesting and informative.

I have also stumbled upon blogs on landscape design and dog behavior that were NEITHER interesting NOR informative.  

Mostly I have stumbled upon the latter.  

To be fair, the "you-bore-me" blogs may have had good information, but it was given in such a long, drawn-out, BORING way... not unlike my first posting on this very blog- blah, blah, blah... look at all I have to say... blah, blah blah...zzzzzzzzzz.

Most would tune out and move on long before finding any interesting bits.

NOW that I am testing out my own blog... only because it is required for my class, mind you...

I realize why!

WAY too easy to prattle on and on... and on

Blogging is an art!

Concision is king, and that is not my strong suit!

Too Flip About the Flipped Classroom?

Photo by EdTech Stanford University, available per creative common license.

I realize that I have been using the term "flipped classroom" in a flippant manner.

I've been harboring my idea of what it means to flip a classroom, without truly understanding what a "flipped classroom" means.  

So let me set the record straight.

In a flipped classroom, the learner's first exposure to new material occurs outside the classroom.  Class time is reserved for the harder stuff -  helping the learner to incorporate and solidify the material, which can be accomplished by various activities such as problem solving in small groups or conducting experiments in class.

It doesn't necessarily mean the use of video, or other specialized tools to deliver the learning outside the classroom.  It can be as simple as having the learner read a chapter prior to class, and then working problems from the chapter in class.

The term "flipped" was applied, because historically, the first exposure to new material is given in the classroom, and the students would work on problems as homework.

I can see a huge benefit of this type of learning.  Take your average math class, for example.  I remember struggling a LOT once I reached Algebra II.  Oh how I would have loved to work on the math problems in a group during class, instead of struggling on my own.  It would have helped me immensely!