Jing vs. Camtasia

I have created two screencasts this week using the programs Jing and Camtasia through the site TechSmith.  Both applications are very useful in any field, you will be able to record your screen with either one. Jing was very user friendly, there is a limit restriction so you can not create anything longer than five minutes. I wish this was a little longer, I felt as if I were speaking really fast and my video might be hard to follow because of that. Jing is a simple program and can be used at anytime with just a couple clicks on your desktop screen. Camtasia is not quite as user friendly but still simple enough to use and once I get a really good grip on it, I will be using this one for my screencast productions. I watched all the tutorials and felt like they put on a really great training, they want people to know what they are doing so they are successful with their creations. I like that there is not a time limit, you can talk all you want, I also like how you can include music, transitions, and the XL cursor. One con to Camtasia would be how it runs...at least on my computer. When I started the download the fan on my laptop started going crazy, then once I was in and was attempting a screencast it was extremely slow. I had to clear and clean the history and cookies and I even deleted a couple other programs just to make sure I had enough room. After all this, it worked fine. I am thankful I was able to have this experience, I now know how to capture a screencast and will be using the feature as often as possible in the near future.

Jing

I have always wondered how people record their screens while moving through it and talking at the same time. I am so glad I have been introduced to Jing. Jing was very easy and simple to use. I watched the tutorials and quickly figured out how to screencast. I chose to do my screencast on Twitter. The reason why I chose Twitter is because I had never really used it before and have always wanted to know what the buzz was about. I think I am hooked now and really want to use it for educational purposes rather than personal...until I have a handle on it. Some other web 2.0 applications I found very interesting were Blabberize, Storyjumper, and Voki. Each of these applications were very fun and students would be extremely engaged in the learning process. In Blabberize, you can use pictures provided or upload your own photos and make the mouth move and insert your voice. Learning activities, turning original kids artwork and being able to express themselves orally, and digital storytelling are just some of the features. One con to this was that I could not get it to play, could have been my computer. Storyjumper is where you can publish your own children's book online for free or hardback for a fee. Voki is a free service that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them to blog, profile, or email messages. This program would help engage kids using technology.

Copyright Podcast

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Protable Devices for Education

I have a BlackBerry 9700  that is one year and 2 months old. At the time of purchase it was the newest and fastest BlackBerry model for T-Mobile. I have the internet on it but have only used it for email and Facebook up until now. A few weeks ago I downloaded a couple apps for my own personal use, which was The Weather Channel and a screen shot app. I tried to use them as much as possible just to learn what apps were all about. Finding out more about educational apps has really been an eye opener. I have found so many applications that I would use in the classroom. And I looked at free ones and ones that cost money. I did run into some limitations using a portable device for these applications; screen size, speed and price. I have a Blackberry; the screen is about half the size of an iPhone screen. The apps are certainly viewable but the directions are very very small. The speed was also a factor, my phone is 3G and the download time seemed to take awhile. Once in the app it ran fine with no speed problems. Price for me also acted as a limitation, there were quite a few apps I wanted but I can’t afford to spend a bunch of money on apps right now. I downloaded a free one, a cheap one and a kind of high priced one.

I do not own a tablet but I have played with them before. They are awesome! And I want one really bad. I think having such a portable computer is very beneficial. They are light weight and faster than ever. I never really want to take my large laptop anywhere because I have to pack it all up and it’s a little on the heavy side. I have been able to do all the things on a tablet that I do on my laptop; I just was not able to see how downloading anything took place. Since the device wasn’t mine and I didn’t ask to see a download I don’t know how that works. I would love to use portable devices in the classroom! Not necessarily a Blackberry, but certainly tablets or even iPhone devices. You can use the devices for any subject which will enhance learning within this 21^st century. Students can communicate with each other through school approved and networked social networking sites, they can learn about geography to talk to others around the world and learn about faraway places. Students could also be working together while on their own device since technology is so interconnecting.

Three apps I found, downloaded and played with this week are Flower Frenzy, Smart Educational Games, and Baby GO Flashcards. I found all three of these apps on BlackBerry App World through my device. Flower Frenzy is new and it was free. This app would be used in teaching and learning colors and patterns in the early elementary grades. There are three different levels and you have the choice of using hints or not. My daughter has gotten really wrapped up in this game. Another reason I like it is because there has to be an adult enter in a special sequence code when the child is done with the game, this way they can’t get into anything else on your phone if you are not right there. Smart Educational Games was the one I spent the most money one. It was $6.99 and I think well worth it. Any more money and I would have not purchased it. You can choose to play math, memory, puzzles, and earth. You can choose your level and it a child or adult is playing. I think the Earth game is the best because you can name states, select states, find capitals, as well as countries. Awesome geography lessons. The Baby GO Flashcards seem a little pointless, I paid $2.99 and not worth it at all. I want my money back…unless I just haven’t completely figured it out. But it seems to just be flashcard of each letter in the alphabet, along with the sound and a picture. There is a voice or it can be turned off. I found where you can modify and change the card picture name, but the picture doesn’t change and the voice still says the original word. So that was strange. I would use this with early childhood while learning the alphabet; the student would be able to sort through the digital flash cards themselves to practice the alphabet.

So far I have been using the features on my portable device for school work. Our school work, as far as finding educational apps. In my job, I have not had the opportunity to do this yet. If I am in the same reading position next school year, I would like to by the app, Learn to Read. And I would use this as a center in my reading groups. I am excited to find more apps and I am joining more RSS feeds that I have found when searching for apps. I am feeling more and more a part of the digital age every day.

PhotoStory 3 vs. Animoto

I enjoyed using both Photo Story 3 and Animoto. I have used Photo Story before and have always found it easy to use and like to play around with it. I had never used Animoto before and liked it but am just not use to it. There really was no getting use to anything because it was so easy. I used the same subject for both programs. Personally I like the Photo Story 3 video better because I was able to personalize it more, such as how the wording is placed and the color. However, I like the music option in Animoto, very easy to search for and select. Overall, Animoto was quicker and I will use it more in the future. I think it does look more professional as well.

Using Photo Story 3

Using Animoto

RSS

I had a lot of fun setting up my RSS. I wish I would have done this sooner. I found so many in which I subscribed to. My three most favorite I feel others would fine interesting as well are:
Yoga
Gizmodo
Google Analytics

The reason I chose these three as my favorites and ones that I think other would like is becacuse Yoga is relaxing. In times of stress I do a little stretching and relaxion techniques. This feed shows me so many different Yoga poses and what each pose is best used for, wether it be stress, posture, or stretching. We could all use a little stress reliever now and again. Gizmodo is a really cool website that has the latest gadgets in technology. Some of these would be fun and useful in our personal lives and others would be fun and useful in the classroom. I really liked Google Analytics because I have just started getting more into Google this past year. So far I have set up a Google account for email, blogging, using Google Docs and making presentations and now RSS Reader. This site give many great resources and tips on everything else Google is capable of.

Posting Comments

Is anyone else having trouble posting comments to other blogs? Is it really not as easy as just clicking post comment? What are some things you all are doing when you comment here?

Thank you for your help,
Amy Sawyer